Thursday, September 26, 2013

Even the Anchor Chains!

Came across these in OPA while doing some digging; SS Matilda Weems in 1918 in a freshly applied dazzle scheme. Note that on the starboard side, even the anchor chains follow the pattern!



Source: 
NARA Atlanta, RG 181 "Department of the Navy. Sixth Naval District. Office of the Aide for Information. (ca. 1916 - ca. 1920)
http://research.archives.gov/description/2681794 

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Saturday, September 14, 2013

Sketches

Referenced in a document on modernizing the turrets in Tennessee and California circa December 1943:

 "The yard proposes to scrap all materials listed as obsolete on Sketch No 102880, Sheets 17 to 25 inclusive..."

A sketch is supposed to be a simple, quick drawing, so on one hand it blows my mind that the Navy had sketches that were at least 25 separate sheets, but on the other hand, if anyone could do it, it would be the Navy!

Saturday, September 7, 2013

Small Victories

I started this site a while ago because I was finding really cool stuff in the National Archives and it seemed a shame that no one else could see it. Naturally, there's some stuff that I come across I need to sit on for a bit, but I still enjoy getting information out there that wasn't available before. Such is this tale.

Last year, which scanning in photos of aircraft carriers, I came across this photo of a corvette:





No idea what it was at the time, but I like Corvettes, so I scanned it in. I came back across it a couple of weeks ago and finally researched the pennant number to try and find out what ship it was. I was able to match it to HMCS Riviere du Loup, but there were absolutely no other photos of her that I could find on the internet.

So, I created a Wikimedia commons account and uploaded that baby.. it's now on her Wikimedia page, the first and so far only photo of this quiet ship on the internet. Hopefully it will be of use to someone.... a small advancement at best, but one nonetheless.

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Random Photo - PBM Mariner Rescue, 1942

NARA 80-G-188415


VP-74 PBM Mariner piloted by Lt Joseph A. Jaap delivering survivors of the S.S. San Arcadio to Bermuda on Valentines Day, 1942. Jaap was awarded the DFC for the open-sea landing that rescued nine sailors of the British tanker, sunk by U-boat at 38-19 N, 63- 50 W.

According to War Diaries in Record Group 38, "Oh 26 January the S S SAN ARCADIO, a seven thousand ton British tanker with fifty officers and men, put out from Houston, Texas, loaded with oil and bound for Halifax, Nova Scotia Five days out, in position 38-19N and 63-50 W, at about 2200 LZT, they were torpedoed first aft and then forward on the starboard side After fifteen minutes of effort to make radio contact the ship was in such condition that it had to be abandoned 74-P-7, Lieutenant J. A JAAP commanding found nine survivors in position 34-28N and 62-50W The plane landed at sea, took the personnel aboard and returned them to Bermuda. As a result of this action Lieutenant Joseph Abraham Jaap, USN, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross."