In the Offing: Pictures for a Exhibition

The U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War is a Facebook page that will showcase hundreds of rarely seen images of the war. Being a social media site allows the viewers to interact with the images as well as each other. (Banner illustration by Don Darcy)

By Joseph Miechle
Education Specialist
and Elijah Palmer
Deputy Director of Education 

For the past two years, the staff of the Hampton Roads Naval Museum has been thinking about and planning a museum display dedicated to the contributions of the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War. This topic is both timely, with the ongoing 50th anniversary of the conflict, and long overdue. In the process of creating this exhibit, our staff has done extensive research during which we have rediscovered hundreds of photographs and videos of Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, and Airmen. Many of these photographs are previously unpublished or rarely seen images that have languished in archives since they were taken more than 50 years ago. During research at the National Archives, we ran into film that was still in its original packaging from the 1960s or 1970s. Some photographs also come to us from the veterans who captured them. All of this imagery helps tell the stories of those who served in Vietnam.  

This image is part of a series taken by Gary Grahn of a monitor patrol boat that had been hit by a B-40 rocket. The crew was evacuated and the vessel was lost. (Courtesy of Gray Grahn)

While working on the Vietnam War exhibit, we quickly realized that we were acquiring many more images than we could ever hope to dutifully share with the public in a traditional exhibit. We have compiled many photos into a database that we will be sharing via a new Facebook page entitled The U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War. In addition to both official and personal photos, we hope to add video and artifact highlights.

In this detail from an official Navy Photograph, a metal folding chair can be plainly seen at the bow of this Assault Support Patrol Boat (ASPB) from Task Force 117. US Navy sailors have always found ways to make their craft more comfortable for themselves. (National Archives and Records Administration)

Many of the images we are using for the museum gallery exhibits have come from the National Archives and the Naval History and Heritage Command Photo Archives in Washington DC. While scanning images we were pleasantly surprised to find that many photographs we were familiar with as a black and white image were originally shot as color. Those full-color images began to show us things the black and white images had previously concealed. Because we are often using the original slide plate negatives or original high quality prints, we are able to zoom in on the photographs and showcase fascinating aspects of the war that are easily overlooked. People began to emerge from hidden foliage, gun barrels and equipment became more pronounced and identifiable, and the previously mysterious aluminum cans could be identified as either Shasta Root Beer or Budweiser.

These two images of pilots aboard USS Ranger are the same; one in color, the other in black-and-white. The black-and-white image is slightly cropped. It is easier to notice fine details in color images as that is what most of us are accustomed to seeing. (National Archives and Records Administration)

We are excited to share this online component in support of our “The Ten Thousand-Day War At Sea: The U.S. Navy in Vietnam, 1950-1975” exhibit which will open in October 2019. Please check it out at: https://www.facebook.com/US-Navy-in-the-Vietnam-War-1248228565317778/ or by simply searching “The U.S. Navy in the Vietnam War” in the search engine on Facebook. We are also always collecting images of the U.S. Navy in Vietnam and welcome you to share your own images and stories on the page.

The classic flavors of root beer and black cherry Shasta are enjoyed by some Army officers as a Navy Sailor instructs them on proper mini-gun operation. The high resolution original photographs allow a great level of detail to unfold. (National Archives and Records Administration)