Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Battleship USS Virginia Builder's Model

This is the original builder's model of the battleship USS Virginia (BB-13).  It is currently on display in the museum's 1907 exhibit on the third floor of Nauticus.  Currently on loan from Naval Sea System's Curator of Navy Ship Models, this all-wood model dates back to 1901, and is one of the largest models in the museum's collection (second in size only to the museum's builder's model of USS America (CV-66)). 

When the model was located at the Pennsylvania Building at Naval Station Norfolk (the museum's first home), a steam pipe burst, causing severe water damage to the ship.   When a repair team from the Curator of Navy Ship Models began to work on the model, the group discovered this note from the ship's design team:

Francis T. Bowles, Chief Constructor
Washington Navy Yard
Model started July 12, 1901
by E.R. Marceron and H.K. Prossev and James Baker
Edwin Phillips made small boats [etc.]
Painting [etc.] by John Henry Walker
Charles Charleston
Joeh Evans, Quartermaster
this paper put in
model Aug. 8, 1901
& the model closed & glued together

"Francis T. Bowles" refers to Rear Admiral Francis Bowles, USN, who served as the Navy's chief architect and designed the Virginia-class battleships.  His design--particularly the weapons arrangement--was controversial.  Notice that there are four guns grouped together on the bow and stern of the vessel.  The lower guns are 12-inch/40 rifles, typical guns for an American battleship.  However, many people wanted the ship to have 8-inch/45 rifles, one of the Navy's most accurate weapons.  The resulting debate and budgetary restrictions forced Bowles to produce a compromise that satisfied no one. 


Built at Newport News Shipbuilding, Virginia served in the Great White Fleet, the 1914 Vera Cruz Expedition, and World War I, before being sunk as a target ship off the coast of Cape Hatteras in 1923.

Friday, June 22, 2012

NAS Norfolk O&R Department-1950



This is a 1950 flow chart/map for the NAS Norfolk Overhaul and Repair Department (frequently referred to simply as "O&R").  It provides basic directions on where aircraft go and the responsibilities of each building at the facility.   Flow charts are part of everyday life in the 21st century.  From manufacturing to moving offices to computer programming, few things get done without somebody drawing a flow chart.  The concept started in the 1920s, but became more mainstream in American manufacturing during World War II as way to increase industrial output through increased worker productivity. 

PBM Martin flying boats stripped to the bare frame.

As the name suggests, O&R, (later called Naval Air Rework Facility (NARF) Norfolk and then Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP) Norfolk), conducted major overhauls of Naval aircraft.  O&R workers would completely disassemble an aircraft down to its bare frame; inspect the thousands of parts; clean, repair, and/or replace every one of them as needed; reassemble the aircraft; paint it; test all the parts; and then fly it out.  Much like the work done on a ship at the yards, by overhauling an aircraft, the Navy extended the service life of the aircraft. When this chart was made, O&R workers overhauled most types of Naval aircraft, including A-1 Skyraiders, F8F Bearcats, F6F Hellcats, PBM Martin flying boats, and the brand new F9F Panther jet fighters. 

O&R workers cleaning engine parts
The facility was not just a major industrial facility, but it was a major cultural institution in the same respect as Norfolk Naval Shipyard-Portsmouth has become.  It employed thousands of men and women over its eighty year history.   The Department of Defense shut down the facility in the 1990s based on a Base Realignment and Closure Commission recommendation to outsource the overhaul process to the private sector. 

F8F Bearcats and A-1 Skyraiders are reassembled.

Monday, June 11, 2012

Age of Sail U.S. Navy Shell Jacket



This is a U.S. Navy enlisted sailor's uniform that is currently on display in the museum's Age of Sail gallery. The coat is called a shell jacket, which was a common military uniform item for land and sea forces. This particular coat dates to 1852. U.S. Navy uniforms like this are quite rare and it is thought that this jacket is one of only about five that have survived. The buttons on the jacket have an eagle holding a fouled anchor, which was the common emblem of American sea service uniforms.

U.S. Navy enlisted uniforms in the early 19th century lacked formal standards, so there were some minor differences from ship to ship. However, sailors generally wore a shell jacket or equivalent type coat, a white shirt, and either blue or white trousers. Rear Admiral George Preble, who did invaluable work in retirement as a historian for the Navy in the 1880s, wrote this about Navy uniforms: "Previous to 1830, and I believe some little time after, the sailors wore red waistcoats when in their mustering suit. A neat pair of stockings and light pumps completed his full-dress costume. The sailor's uniform in 1835-39 was a blue cloth jacket and trousers and a white shirt, with a large blue nankeen collar and front, trimmed with rows of white tape. White trousers were worn in warm weather. His head was protected by a tarpaulin or hat of white sennit."

Shown here is an engraving of George Brown, a boatswain's mate aboard the frigate USS Columbia in the 1840s. It is frequently used by historians to illustrate the enlisted sailor's uniform during this time period.

Friday, June 8, 2012

1893 Hampton Roads Naval Rendezvous Print


This is a print of the 1893 International Naval Rendezvous that is currently on display in the museum's Steel Navy gallery. Local lithographer and book publisher Sam W. Bowman produced this elaborate and highly detailed image depicting the thirty-seven ships from around the world at anchor in Hampton Roads. Bowman published over 4,000 of the prints and many still survive today.

Along with two squadrons of U.S. Navy cruisers and gunboats, squadrons of ship from Great Britain, Italy, Germany, Brazil, Holland, Russia, and Spain all sent ships. The peaceful collection of ships was a minor diplomatic triumph as many of the nations present were fierce rivals. After a week in Hampton Roads, the fleet travelled as a group to New York City for a parade in the Hudson River. The event is also noteworthy for the experimental use of a carrier pigeons network to deliver official messages from the USS Dolphin in Hampton Roads to the Secretary of the Navy in Washington and newspapers in New York. Despite a fear that hawks would capture and eat the pigeons en route, the messages got through. Carrier pigeons would be used by the Navy for several more years after this experiment.

 Naval reviews and parades of ships is popular way Hampton Roads has marked historic events. Today is the official beginning of OPSAIL 2012 in Hampton Roads and it starts at Noon with an international parade of ships. OPSAIL 2012's theme is the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812 and America's sea services' role in the conflict. See more at ourflagwasstillthere.org.

In the case of the 1893 Rendezvous and review, the April event was supposed to mark the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus' arrival in the New World (never mind that they were a year late.) In addition to the ships in the print is a "Proposed Statue of Christopher Columbus" that was to be built on the Rip Raps. Thus, someone had an idea to build a Statue of Liberty-size statue of the Italian explorer at the entrance to Hampton Roads. The idea was quietly rejected when funding for the project was not forthcoming.

The Naval Rendezvous as photographed by Harper's Weekly.
In addition, the Library of Congress has several dozen photographs of the Naval Rendezvous.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Battle of Midway-70 Years Later



Today marks the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Midway. One third of the aviation squadrons and all three aircraft carriers that fought at the battle had very close connections to Hampton Roads. In the latest issue of The Daybook, one can read about the local connections to the battle, why the battle is so important to remember, and read about the battle as remembered by the fight's last surviving Dauntless dive bomber pilot. Click here to download the issue (in PDF).



A Dauntless dive bomber from the Norfolk-based Scouting Squadron Eight (VS-8) lands on USS Hornet (CV-8) during the Battle of Midway.


USS Hornet at Naval Station Norfolk shortly before being shipped out to the Pacific, 1942.

Friday, June 1, 2012

1954 Destroyer Piers Naval Station Norfolk

This a 1954 aerial photograph of the piers (called the "Destroyer Escort Piers" during World War II) at the southern end of Naval Station Norfolk. As one can readily see, the piers are packed with destroyers, submarines, and support vessels. There are sixty-two destroyers, fourteen submarines, two destroyer tenders, two submarine tenders, and several other auxiliary vessels, including ocean tugs. The surface warships represent the myriad of different vessels that were built between 1941 and 1947. Visitors are encouraged to provide identification of ships if they spot one they know is in the picture.

This picture was taken during a period of the Cold War that policy makers referred to as "maximum danger." Though an armistice had ended active combat operations in the Korean War, several other conflicts around the world were beginning to flare up, which required the U.S. Navy’s presence. Though many planned for global war to be fought with aircraft carriers and nuclear weapons, this picture demonstrates that smaller combatants still had a role.