Blog RSS Blog RSS Feed <![CDATA[World War II Posters]]> This month, the Curator’s Corner would like to introduce a post written by Daniel Ng, our Curatorial Intern this summer.  Daniel has been researching the museum’s collection of World War I and World War II posters.  Here, he shares some of his favorites.

Hello! My name is Daniel Ng and this summer I have been working for Jessica Williams, the Curator of History on board the Intrepid, as her curatorial intern. I was assigned a summer-long project of researching the recently found collection of World War I & II posters. My goal was to categorize and provide background on each poster, including the way of life the poster was reflecting upon and the message the poster was trying to send. Of these I have found three to be particularly interesting. They describe the United States’ mindset and attitude towards being on the home front during a war.

Victory Through Air Power

Walt Disney’s movie “Victory Through Air Power” was released in 1943, placing it squarely in the height of America’s war effort and involvement in the massive use of propaganda at home.  The movie is adapted from a book by Major Alexander P. de Seversky which argues how air superiority and research in the field can help to win a military conflict, namely World War II.  Walt Disney used this film to try to bring the attention of the people to how the development and research of better long-range bombers could bring an end to the war in a quicker fashion.  This film is rather strange as it is part animated and part live action when it cuts to Seversky, who is explaining the importance of air power.



Click on image to enlarge

Notice how the Luftwaffe pilot is created as an animated cartoon character, portraying the Luftwaffe to be inept and seem harmless.  With its lighter tone this film on the surface may not seem to have any motive except to entertain, but the topics the film touches upon try to inform and persuade the public about how air power could lead to victory.


Use It Up – Wear It Out – Make It Do!

A classic image or theme in World War II posters was that the American people should conserve and re-use goods in order to allow for as many supplies as possible to head to the armed forces in the Pacific and European theaters of war.  Often these posters depicted themes of patriotic housewives “doing their part” by rationing goods, re-using materials if possible, and fully cooperating with the set prices laid out by the government.



This particular poster focuses on an American household that is doing everything in their power to try to support the troops overseas.  A woman is seen sewing a patch on a man’s jeans while he is cleaning his lawn mower.  In the image we see a basket full of yarn and other materials used for sewing to emphasize the re-use of goods such as jeans.  In particular, the woman is working on the patch, while the man is cleaning or fixing the lawn mower, which serves as an image of always being efficient with time, a valuable necessity for the war effort.



China Carries On

When I first came across a poster urging the American people to contribute the United Relief Fund for China, it struck me as fascinating right away.  For most Americans, the focus of the war was solely on the American forces and how the country could provide the best and most effective assistance to the American military.  Their distrust of people of Asian descent, namely the Japanese, makes the call for aid for China an interesting message to send to the American people.

Click on image to enlarge


In the poster we can see how the soldier is stern, strong, and brave as he is marching on to fight, as seen by the way he is gripping his rifle and the large step he is taking over the “on” in the poster.  A young boy stands in the background along with a pagoda representing what the soldier is fighting to protect. The call for the support of the United China Relief makes it known to the viewer that the Chinese are fighting for similar reasons as the U.S. and allows for common ground to exist between the two.


My time on board the Intrepid has been an invaluable experience and one I will not forget, and I would like to thank everyone on board that made the experience so great for me.  The ability to interact with material that pertained so closely to areas of history I enjoy the most made the experience even more gratifying. I assisted with not only research of the posters but for other exhibits as well, such as the space capsule in the Exploreum that is on the floor now, and research on various objects in the collection, specifically souvenirs that former crewmembers had donated to the museum. To those who have not visited the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum yet, I urge you to come aboard!

Daniel Ng
Curatorial Intern
 ]]> Wed, 25 Aug 2010 10:54:23 GMT <![CDATA[Revealing Mess Deck Life]]> Restoring historic spaces aboard Intrepid is an enormous responsibility.  Our curatorial and exhibits team strives to accurately recreate Intrepid’s appearance during her Navy career.

This commitment to historical accuracy requires extensive research using a variety of sources.  Intrepid herself offers a wealth of information about her past.  Like archaeologists, we carefully peel back layers of Intrepid’s history as we uncover historic paint colors, former bulkhead locations, and other physical clues.  Photographs provide another type of visual evidence, revealing details about the equipment, signage, or personal items that would have occupied a space.  Last but certainly not least, conversations with former crew members help us bring compartments to life through personal stories and recollections.

Once we complete a restoration, visitors can enjoy the results of our efforts.  However, they don’t always get a chance to see the research that informed the final product.  Thanks to a grant from the New York State Council on the Arts, we recently unveiled a new interactive exhibit on the Mess Deck that offers a peek at the research materials that we use to tell Intrepid’s story.  Three touch screens present items from the archives of Robert M. Craig, the Food Service Officer who oversaw the renovation of the mess deck in 1969.  Photographs, menus, comment cards, memos and other items reveal what it was like to work and eat on the mess deck. 

The new exhibit illuminates a specific period in the life of Intrepid’s mess deck – the period that we’ve recreated in our exhibit spaces.  After completing her third tour of duty in Vietnam, Intrepid entered dry dock in 1969 for an overhaul that included a major renovation of the mess deck.  Money came from a Navy fund dedicated to improving shipboard living and leisure facilities.  As reenlistment rates plunged during Vietnam, the Navy funded projects like this to make Navy life seem less rigid and impersonal.

With custom paint colors and quirky decorations, the newly remodeled mess deck offered lively spaces for enlisted crew members to eat, relax and socialize.  Crew members appreciated the personal touch, and Navy officials were impressed as well.  The Intrepid took third prize overall in the Navy’s prestigious Capt. Edward F. Ney Award for outstanding food service.

Each of touch screens focuses on a particular theme –Training & Sanitation, Cooking & Eating, and Remodeling the Mess Deck – and showcases original documents and photographs.  Here are two of my favorites:

Welcome to Messcooking
The mess deck gave new sailors their first taste of shipboard work and discipline.  New, nonrated enlisted sailors often were assigned to work as “mess cooks” for three to five months after arriving aboard the ship.  Their tasks ranged from filling salt shakers to scrubbing passageways.  The booklet “Welcome to Messcooking” introduced sailors to their responsibilities as mess cooks and as Intrepid crewmembers. On the kiosk, flip through the booklet to learn how sailors were expected to make their bunks and label their lockers:
 
Click image to enlarge


Comment Cards
Intrepid’s Food Service team was committed to improving service.  Sailors could register their opinions by using the Food Service Suggestion Box.  Food Service staff implemented many of their fellow crew members’ suggestions and kept their fellow sailors informed of any improvements.  Posted responses to the comments explained how Food Service was addressing a given suggestion, or why a particular idea wasn’t possible.  Check out this reply to a complaint that the mess served too much roast beef:
 
Click image to enlarge

These are just two examples of the many intriguing items that you can discover in our new exhibit.  Ever wonder what was on the menu in the mess?  Or what the mess deck looked like before and after the renovation?  Want to see the results of a mess deck sanitation inspection?  Visit Intrepid’s mess deck and see for yourself!

Jessica Williams
Curator of History




The mess deck interactive exhibit is made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. 

]]> Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:13:15 GMT <![CDATA[Torpedo Damage Report]]> As we inventory our collection, we continue to unearth new treasures.  One of our more recent finds is a copy of the War Damage Report from the crippling Japanese torpedo attack on February 17, 1944.  Intrepid had been in combat for less than one month before the torpedo hit sent her home for major repairs.  The damage report, prepared by the Hunter’s Point Naval Drydock in San Francisco, provides detailed information about the attack, resulting damage, and subsequent repairs.  Uncovering this report offers an opportunity to revisit this significant event, which gave the “Fighting I” her first battle scars.

On the evening of February 16, 1944, Intrepid was steaming at 20 knots about 80–100 miles east of Truk, an important anchorage and air base for the Japanese fleet.  Aircraft carriers were ordered to withhold fire to avoid detection in the moonless night.  Around 2123 hours, the task group detected Japanese aircraft in the area.  Just after midnight, one of these airplanes found a prime target: Intrepid, an Essex-class carrier new to the Pacific theater.

At approximately 0011 hours on February 17, a Japanese air-launched torpedo estimated at 400 pounds ripped through the aft end of the ship.  The low-flying plane probably spotted Intrepid’s silhouette and wake, despite the extreme darkness.  As the damage report described, “The noise was something of the nature of a muffled roar.  The explosion was ‘felt’ rather than ‘heard,’ giving the impression of a collision and a ‘shaking’ effect something like that experienced in a heavy sea.”

The torpedo pierced the steel hull near the point where the rudder post entered the ship.  The impact bent and jammed the rudder 10–15 degrees to port.  Immediately, the ship lost all steering control and began steaming in a circle, as illustrated in the report (below).  The ship’s crew regained a steady course by varying the relative speeds of the propellers, setting the port side screws to full power and the starboard side to a slower speed.  A jury-rigged canvas sail stretched across the fo’c’s’le and airplanes positioned on the flight deck helped stabilize the ship on the windy seas, allowing Intrepid to stay on course.



The damage extended well beyond the rudder.  The explosion opened a 10 by 15-foot hole in the side of the ship, flooding numerous compartments.  The ship’s internal armor box—designed to protect critical spaces—largely withstood the impact, but the shock of the blast left some spaces in a “shattered and deranged condition.”  The impact mangled equipment in the steering control room and the motor control room.  A powerful surge of water tore gun tub no. 15 off the side of the ship.  Located at the aft end of the flight deck, the gun tub was blown into the ocean, along with its guns and crew.  All told, eleven men were killed in the attack, and seventeen were wounded. 

Intrepid limped to Pearl Harbor for repairs.  The gaping hole in her hull was patched, as seen in the photo below, and a jury (temporary) rudder was installed.  She continued to Hunter’s Point for a full overhaul.  Shipyard workers installed a new rudder, repaired the hull, and replaced damaged equipment.  Intrepid’s propellers and two shafts were sent to nearby Mare Island Naval Shipyard for inspection, but no damage was found.  The lost gun tub had been attached to the ship by bolts.  In dry dock, workers rebuilt the gun tub and replaced all remaining gun tub bolts with welds.  On June 9, nearly four months after the torpedo hit, Intrepid left the West Coast for Pearl Harbor, ready to rejoin the fleet in the Pacific.



The war damage report acknowledged that Intrepid was lucky: “Damage to the steering outfit of a warship in battle is, of course, a grave matter.  The loss of steering control on the German battleship BISMARCK spelled the doom of this great vessel.  The escape of the INTREPID under cover of darkness in no way mitigates the seriousness of the steering loss sustained.”  Intrepid and her crew would be tested—and wounded—in battle numerous times, and the workers at Hunter’s Point would always meet the challenge of returning this great ship to fighting condition.

Jessica Williams
Curator of History


]]> Mon, 21 Jun 2010 17:20:13 GMT <![CDATA[Accessing the Archives]]> Earlier this year I wrote about the first inventory of our poster collection, which we recently discovered consists of nearly 200 World War I and II era recruiting and propaganda posters. As our processing methods became more efficient, we decided it was time to take a more in depth look at the state of our archives collection as a whole. Years ago, a former staff member had dutifully stored the collection in acid-free folders and placed them in archival document boxes to keep the pieces safe from potential damage. However, because few boxes were organized or labeled properly, we only had a rough idea of exactly what was inside nearly 100 linear feet of boxes. As a result, we settled into our next project, which is to inventory the archives collection with the goal of creating searchable finding aids.



While engaging in this project for the past two months, we have also been correcting old repairs to paper documents that had been executed poorly. For instance, slapping a strip of scotch tape over a torn piece of paper is only a quick fix that eventually leads to discoloration of the adhesive and may cause the paper to become brittle over time. We also came across several documents secured with paperclips, which eventually rusted through the paper, leaving a brown stain in the shape of a paperclip. We noticed similar damage caused by documents that had been stapled together decades ago. In order to resolve these problems, we have been examining each item individually for sources of degradation.


Although this project may seem tedious and time consuming, we are enjoying learning more about the history of the ship every day and uncovering new stories about the men who served aboard her. Only a few weeks ago we came across a copy of the official “Torpedo Damage Report,” which documents the extent of the damage suffered by Intrepid when she was hit by a torpedo on February 17, 1944 at Truk. Included in the report is a drawing of the course Intrepid took when she was hit, as well as several photographs detailing the repair work completed at the USN dry docks at Hunters Point, San Francisco. On a more human side, we have a rather large collection of letters that were written to and by former crewmembers, ranging from World War II through the last Vietnam cruise. From these letters we are learning what sort of lives these men lived at sea, as well as how much their loved ones back home missed them and hoped for their safe return.

The goal is to complete organizing the archives collection within the next year, and we have already begun to create finding aids which we hope will make our fascinating collection more accessible to curatorial staff. We believe this significant resource will provide us with more information about Intrepid’s history that may have been overlooked in the past, and that could be shared with our visitors in the future.

Britta K. Arendt
Collections Manager

]]> Mon, 26 Apr 2010 16:00:26 GMT <![CDATA[Intrepid’s “Snipo” Cartoons ]]> Intrepid’s history has thousands of stories to tell. Some have yet to be told, while others have recently been discovered by our staff. This month we highlight just one of the many stories we would like to share, particularly because it emphasizes a recent donation of art and artifacts to our permanent collections.

Edward A. Ritter was a professional artist in New York who joined the Navy Air Corps to become a pilot soon after the outbreak of World War II. In August of 1944 he was assigned to Fighting Squadron 18 which was attached to Intrepid for several months. Between October and November, Ritter used his talent as an artist to boost the morale of his fellow pilots and crewmembers by creating a series of 26 humorous cartoons. These watercolor paintings depicted the shenanigans of fighter pilot, “Snipo,” a fictional character based on another member of VF-18, E. G. Blankenship, Lt (jg). Members of the squadron would eagerly wait for Ritter to finish his latest cartoon and post it on the ready room’s bulletin board. Intrepid’s photographer developed prints of the cartoons so they could be distributed amongst other crewmembers on the ship. As Ritter’s cartoons gained more recognition, a journalist visiting Intrepid from the New York Times wrote a short article featuring some of his artwork.



Unfortunately, the original watercolors no longer exist, as all were destroyed during the November 1944 kamikaze attacks that plunged through Intrepid’s flight deck and the ready room where they had been stored. However, shortly after Ritter returned to his home after the War, he received a package in the mail containing the original prints from the ship’s photographer. We are grateful that these prints were saved and that his granddaughter recently donated them along with other examples of Ritter’s work, so that future generations can enjoy the mischievous acts of “Snipo” and his comrades.



For more information on the life of Edward A. Ritter, go to: http://edritteronline.com.

Britta K. Arendt
Collections Manager
 
]]> Wed, 24 Mar 2010 12:25:27 GMT <![CDATA[Intrepid in Vietnam]]> One of the most exciting aspects of working at the Intrepid Museum is that there is no shortage of fascinating historical topics to explore. While organizing our research files, we recently uncovered a number of historic press releases highlighting the ship’s role in Vietnam. This edition of the Curator’s Corner offers a very brief introduction to Intrepid’s first tour of duty in Southeast Asia.

In 1961, Intrepid was converted from an attack carrier to an antisubmarine warfare (ASW) carrier, a common modification for the aging ships of the Essex class. Over the next few years, her deployments took her to Canada, the Caribbean, and the Mediterranean. At the end of 1965, Intrepid and her crew quietly began training for a new mission. The attack aircraft of Carrier Air Wing 10, including A-1 Skyraiders and A-4 Skyhawks, replaced the ship’s former complement of ASW aircraft, suggesting that the ship would no longer be tracking Soviet submarines.

Halfway around the world, the U.S. was closely monitoring the increasingly turbulent situation in Vietnam. Following two incidents between American and North Vietnamese ships in early August 1964, Congress passed the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, which authorized President Lyndon B. Johnson to use force against Communist North Vietnam. In early 1965, the U.S. commenced Operation Rolling Thunder, a sustained bombing campaign carried out in part by Navy aircraft carriers stationed off the Vietnamese coast. By December 1965, no fewer than 10 U.S. aircraft carriers had seen combat. However, Gen. William Westmoreland, commander of U.S. ground forces in Vietnam, sought additional air coverage. He requested an aircraft carrier dedicated to supporting combat operations in South Vietnam.

On February 23, 1966, Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara publicly announced that Intrepid would help fulfill Westmoreland’s request:

In order to maintain the attack carrier force off Vietnam, we are, as I noted, deploying one of the Atlantic-based carriers, the Intrepid, to Southeast Asia. Very minor modifications were required on this vessel to permit it to operate light attack aircraft and it can be quickly reassigned to its antisubmarine role.

On April 4, less than six weeks after McNamara’s announcement, Intrepid left Norfolk for her first deployment to Asia since World War II. On May 15, Intrepid launched her first combat missions in more than two decades. For the “Fighting I,” combat in Vietnam bore little resemblance to the Pacific battles fought two decades earlier. During World War II, Intrepid came under heavy fire as Japanese aircraft, ships, and kamikazes relentlessly attacked the ship. During Vietnam, Intrepid herself remained out of harm’s way, stationed miles off the coast. However, her aviators faced constant danger as they flew over hostile targets. In the stifling heat, Intrepid crew members worked at a frantic pace to support near-constant launchings and landings, as well as a steady schedule of underway replenishments and refuelings.



By the conclusion of her first Vietnam deployment, Intrepid aviators had flown 7,353 attack sorties and dropped 9,239 tons of ordnance on targets in North and South Vietnam. Air Wing 10’s victories included 423 barges sunk and 555 others damaged, 70 trucks destroyed and 50 others damaged, and 266 railroad cars destroyed or damaged. Flying a propeller-driven A-1H Skyraider, Intrepid pilot Lt (jg) William T. Patton shot down a North Vietnamese MiG-17. Intrepid lost one pilot in action during her first Vietnam tour. Lt. Charles Knochel’s Skyraider was shot down following an armed reconnaissance mission. Several other crew members were lost in accidents.

On November 23, 1966, Intrepid pulled into port at Norfolk. Her crew celebrated the ship’s return, grateful to be home for the holidays. However, the respite was short lived. On May 11, 1967, Intrepid again headed east for the second of what would become three tours of duty in Vietnam.

Jessica Williams
Curator of History
]]> Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:58:10 GMT <![CDATA[Rediscovering Hidden Treasures ]]> Like most museums, the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum has thousands of artifacts but only the capacity to display a small percentage at a time. As a result, the Exhibits Department is constantly generating new ideas for future exhibitions as a way to bring new audiences to the Museum and encourage old visitors to return. Once in a while we rediscover collections of artifacts that have not been on public view for many years or that have never been displayed at all. During a recent inventory, we came across a large collection of original World War I and II era posters used for propaganda and military recruiting purposes. We believe these historically significant pieces could be the focus of future curatorial research or exhibition.





While many of the posters appear to have been displayed in the Museum’s past, we do not have a precise inventory of the collection. Exhibits staff and volunteers are currently working to photograph, measure, describe and research each poster individually. Documentation is the primary key to understanding museum collections. We hope to learn the significance of various poster designs and artists as we attempt to get a firm grasp on the extent of this collection. Above and below are some images of our staff cataloging the pieces, so you can appreciate the amount of work necessary to accomplish such tasks.



Since the pieces are so large (many of them exceeding 60 inches in length), our plan is to provide them with proper archival flat-file storage so they can be preserved for future generations. If we decide to display some of the posters, relevant themes that explore the content and context of the pieces need to be developed. So far, we are discovering that the collection of over 100 pieces is very broad in scope – ranging from WWI-era recruiting posters designed by famous artists, such as Howard Chandler Christy, to WWII-era German propaganda posters. As this exciting project moves forward, we hope to learn more about the history and significance of these posters, ultimately sharing what we learn with our visitors.

Britta K. Arendt
Collections Manager
]]> Tue, 26 Jan 2010 11:03:31 GMT <![CDATA[Snoopy and Intrepid]]> The Intrepid Museum’s temporary exhibition gallery has been transformed into a whimsical doghouse for our new exhibition “Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace.”  This traveling exhibition includes 29 high-resolution iris prints of Schulz’s original comic strips.  Also on display are examples of Peanuts characters painted by Intrepid crew members when the ship was in commission.  The exhibit highlights Snoopy as a pop culture icon whose active imagination entertained and inspired crew members aboard the Intrepid.



In describing the Peanuts characters, Schulz said, “Charlie Brown is the way I am, and Snoopy is the way I wish I could be.”  While Charlie Brown is consumed by worry and never seems to catch a break, Snoopy has an active imagination that allows him to escape his mundane existence, if only in his dreams.  Over the strip’s 50-year history, Snoopy adopted approximately 150 distinct personas.  Perhaps his most beloved alter ego was the World War I Flying Ace, who debuted in 1965 and starred in over 400 Peanuts strips.  Dashing, charming, gallant, and brave - the Flying Ace never shot down his nemesis, the Red Baron, but he won the hearts of Peanuts fans.

What makes Snoopy’s fantasy life so engaging is Charles Schulz’s careful attention to historical accuracy.  Snoopy does not merely imagine himself to be a pilot; he is a famous World War I Flying Ace who uses period phrases such as “Flying Circus,” flies a World War I-era fighter plane, and wears appropriate aviator gear for the time period.  Schulz’s commitment to precision can be seen in myriad details from the Flying Ace’s lack of a parachute to his desperate dash across “No-Man’s Land.”  Although Schulz’s drawing style was relatively simple, he created a captivating fantasy world rich in historical detail. 

In addition to appearing in newspapers worldwide, Snoopy and the rest of the Peanuts gang were a colorful presence aboard the Intrepid.  Crew members personalized their living and working spaces by painting cartoons and other artworks directly on the ship’s steel walls.  This “sailor art” often depicted popular comic strip characters in scenes that reflected shipboard life.  For Intrepid sailors, Charlie Brown and Snoopy offered a connection to home.  Just as Snoopy adopted his Flying Ace persona to escape the indignities of his dog’s life, sailors aboard Intrepid turned to cartoons like Peanuts for a brief respite from their dangerous jobs aboard an aircraft carrier at sea.

While some sailor art paintings are quick doodles, others exhibit an attention to detail that Schulz might have appreciated.  Intrepid crew members transformed Snoopy into one of their own, a sailor immersed in the day-to-day routines of life at sea.  One example of sailor art, which was painted on an office door, depicts Snoopy wearing the classic white “Dixie cup” sailor hat, a staple of the U.S. Navy uniform since the late 19th century.  Another painting captures a joyfully dancing Snoopy under the caption “Happiness is PMS.”  You’ll have to visit our exhibition to find out what PMS meant to a sailor aboard Intrepid!



Check out “Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace” on view at the Intrepid Museum from now until April 30, 2010.

Jessica Williams
Curator of History


“Snoopy as the World War I Flying Ace” is a Program of ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance and The National Endowment for the Arts
]]> Wed, 23 Dec 2009 10:15:12 GMT <![CDATA[Thanksgiving aboard Intrepid]]> On November 23, 1944, Intrepid crew member Jacob J. Elefant wrote in his diary, “Celebrated Thanksgiving today and boy what a feast.  Had holiday routine all day with movies in the afternoon and evening.” 

Thanksgiving dinner would have been an especially welcome respite for the crew of the Intrepid in 1944.  The previous month, the Intrepid saw action in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, generally considered to be the largest naval battle of all time. Three days after the battle, the Intrepid suffered her first kamikaze attack, which killed ten men and badly burned others.  Intrepid crew members then waited for over a week to return to the naval base at Ulithi for supplies – food, armaments and, perhaps most important to Elefant and his shipmates, mail.  Intrepid aviators soon resumed launching strikes against Japanese positions.  By the end of November, crew members were more than ready for a holiday celebration.  

With 3,000 homesick men to feed, the Intrepid’s cooks took particular care to create festive holiday meals that included traditional favorite dishes, offering crew members a taste of home.  In celebration of Thanksgiving, the Curator’s Corner presents a selection of Intrepid Thanksgiving menus from throughout the ship’s history.



Just two days after Thanksgiving 1944, two kamikaze airplanes crashed through the Intrepid’s wooden flight deck within in five minutes of one another.  The attacks killed 69 men and significantly damaged the Intrepid, sending her back to California for repairs.



In 1954, the Intrepid was re-commissioned after a two-year modernization overhaul.  In the month before Thanksgiving, the Intrepid crew members tested the ship’s newly installed steam catapults.



The Intrepid was in the middle of her third Vietnam deployment in November 1968.  The ship was in port in the Philippines during Thanksgiving.

Best wishes for a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

Jessica Williams
Curator of History

]]> Wed, 25 Nov 2009 10:03:48 GMT <![CDATA[The Colors of the Flight Deck]]> During flight operations, the flight deck of the aircraft carrier comes to life, and the crewmen responsible for these operations are well aware of the dangers involved. Early on, the US Navy recognized these dangers and established a color-coded uniform system that would differentiate the various responsibilities of flight crewmen. Anyone not wearing the designated colors would not be permitted on the flight deck. The uniform regulations also assure better communication between crewmen as various activities are executed.



Aircraft handling officers, catapult officers, and plane directors wear yellow jerseys over their clothing to designate their responsibilities. Above is an image of two plane directors standing by as a Skyhawk is about to be launched on the Intrepid’s flight deck in the 1960s. Crewmembers wearing blue jerseys work primarily with the yellow jerseys, operating tractors, forklifts, and aircraft elevators, as well as securing and chaining planes to the deck. The catapult and arresting gear crew wear green jerseys. Pictured below are three Intrepid crewmen during the 1971 Eastlant cruise wearing the green jerseys and helmets.



Plane captains, who maneuver the planes as needed and assure that all maintenance work is performed prior to launching, wear brown jerseys. “Grapes” are known for their purple jerseys, and they are responsible for fueling the planes. Ordnance, crash, and salvage crews are designated by their bright red jerseys. Finally, white jerseys are worn by the landing signal officers (LSO), but also a variety of others who are on stand-by and available when needed by the flight deck crews. These include safety and medical personnel as well as the squadron plane inspectors.

As flight operations have evolved over the decades, new positions have been added to the regulations, but the basics of the color-coded uniform system remains unchanged as it has proven to be successful. For more information on this topic, check out “Color-Coded Sailors: On the Flight Deck, Your Shirt Says It All” at
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/uniform_misc.htm

Britta K. Arendt
Collections Manager

]]> Mon, 26 Oct 2009 10:53:17 GMT <![CDATA[“Sense Pamphlets” for Navy Aviators]]> This month the Curator’s Corner would like to introduce an article written by one of our volunteers, Andrea Walton. She has spent the past few months assisting us with organizing our archive collection, so we thought it would be appropriate for her to share with you some of the items she’s discovered during this process.


“Sense Pamphlets” for Navy Aviators

Of the many treasures in the archives of the Intrepid, I was delighted to come across three pamphlets produced during World War II (published in March, April and May of 1944) in the “Sense” series illustrated by graphic artist, satirist, and author Robert Osborn (1904-1994). These appropriately named instructional pamphlets provided common sense safety rules on naval aviation topics. Published by the Aviation Training Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, each pamphlet’s topic was captured by Osborn on the front and back covers with delightful illustrations accompanying the essays. The drawings are rendered in the rapid and fluid easy line of a cartoonist/satirist sensibility which invites the reader to open the pamphlets.
                                           
Shark Sense - Private life of a coward (March 1944)

The front cover depicts a pilot’s greatest fear when forced down in tropical waters – coming in contact with sharks. But the more he knows the less there is to fear.  A wild-eyed pilot, mouth agape, tongue hanging out is shown barely keeping his head (and rear end) above water. In the cartoon balloon of his imagination we find a ferocious shark with teeth bared (mirroring the pilots own gaping mouth). But just what is triggering his imagination?  A small goldfish, unseen by our hero, is nibbling his toe! On the back cover a man holds a fearsome shark balloon and through the use of continuous narration, the balloon of his fears has now burst after reading this pamphlet.  As the final page of advice tells the reader, you cannot win in a biting match, but you can win in a thinking match.



                                                   
Manners Sense – Gentlemen, be seated (April 1944)

The naval officer on the cover embodies all the attributes associated with a lack of manners coupled with arrogance: hands thrust in his pockets, nose literally in the air, eye closed, dangling a cigarette from his lip and cap seemingly thrust back on his head. He is obliviously stepping on the toes of both a smaller civilian gazing up at him and an officer who is “flipping his lid” in the air in frustration. Set against a blue background, the front and back covers suggest two contemporary connotations of the word “skylark”: the naval term for goof off (on the front) and the popular romantic song, “Skylark,” written in 1942 by Johnny Mercer and Hoagy Carmichael (on the back).  The back cover reveals the same blue sky against which now we see the naval officer escorting and gazing into the eyes of a feminized plane. After reading the pamphlet, the officer is “on board” with his manners - water is lapping next to the couple. Now an officer and a gentleman, in the words of the accompanying text, “he’s even considerate of his plane!”



Security Sense – Zip that lip, brother! (May 1944)

The covers are wonderful illustrations of contemporary jargon: “the walls have ears” and “singing like a canary” on the front and “zip your lip” on the back. Disembodied, multi-eared smiling heads with beady eyes wide open surround a little sailor shown on his toes in profile with his arms stretched out and up, head thrust enthusiastically back in song. Note that his profile is enhanced by feathers and both he and the heads are conspicuously yellow, a color also associated with cowards. The “yellow” theme is continued on the back where a pilot determinedly stands with his arms folded against a yellow background. He has exaggeratedly large lips literally shut closed with a zipper, something he is reminded to do after reading this pamphlet.



Reading the advice and recommendations written in the language and tone of the everyman, it is striking how what was considered common sense in 1944 continues to be the right thing to do in 2009. You may want to check out Support Aircraft Sense currently on exhibit in the Intrepid Museum’s hangar deck exhibition.

For more information about Robert Osborn and his career both inside and outside the Navy go to the following:
http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/gramps/Gramp
http://www.history.navy.mil/nan/gramps/grampshome.htm.



]]> Wed, 23 Sep 2009 09:53:42 GMT <![CDATA[Intrepid’s 66th Anniversary]]> This month, we celebrate the 66th Anniversary of the Intrepid’s commissioning.  On August 16, 1943, the USS Intrepid (CV-11) officially entered active service with the United States Navy in a ceremony at Newport News Shipbuilding & Drydock Company.

At the commissioning ceremony, Capt. Thomas L. Sprague accepted command of the Intrepid.  Capt. Sprague was part of a pioneering generation of naval aviators who flew from the Navy’s first aircraft carriers.  He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1917 and earned his wings in 1921.  In 1926, Sprague was deployed aboard the U.S. Navy’s first – and, at the time, only – aircraft carrier, the USS Langley (CV-1).  Over the years, he served aboard a number of other early aircraft carriers including the USS Saratoga (CV-3) and the USS Ranger (CV-4).  In 1942, he became the first commanding officer of the escort carrier USS Charger (AVG-30).  In recognition of his experience and knowledge, Sprague became the first commanding officer to take the helm of the Intrepid.

Sprague understood that commissioning the Intrepid was not simply about the ship herself, but about the men who would take her into combat. Addressing the Intrepid ‘s first crew, Sprague said, “Entrusted to us today is a fine ship.  She has been honestly and skillfully built.  It is now up to us.  There is much work ahead and there are many problems to solve before Intrepid will be ready.  With your cooperation, loyalty, and attention to duty, we will get on with that job.”  Standing aboard the Intrepid that day, the ship’s first crew might not have imagined the dangers that awaited them in the Pacific, or the fierce battles that they and their ship would endure. 



The Intrepid’s commissioning crew more than lived up to Sprague’s expectations.  As he turned over command of the ship to Cdr. Richard K. Gaines in March 1944, Sprague stated, “On August 16th, last year, we were gathered here to place this ship in commission.  It was my hope that we would develop into an organization worthy of such a fine ship and worthy of the name Intrepid.  In the seven months that have elapsed since that day, you have been halfway around the world and have proven yourselves.  You have been commended repeatedly for your performance of duty and your conduct during and after action.”  Reflecting on the skill and bravery of the ship’s men, Sprague continued, “It is all very well when I have stood on the bridge and congratulated myself on commanding such a fine ship.  But I am not deceived.  It is the members of the crew below decks who are responsible for the fine record that has been made.”

In commemoration of the 66th anniversary of the Intrepid’s commissioning, we celebrate not only the Intrepid herself but the 50,000 crew members who served aboard her over her three-decade Navy career.

Jessica Williams
Curator of History

]]> Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:35:51 GMT <![CDATA[The Space Race]]> This month we celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 and man’s first step on the Moon. However, many of us tend to overlook the small steps that were necessary to reach this goal. With the successful launch of Sputnik by the Soviet Union in 1957, the United States entered the space race with the development of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Early on, aeronautical engineers designed capsules that would land in the ocean, enabling Essex-class aircraft carriers, like the USS Intrepid, to act as primary recovery vessels for NASA as late as the 1970s.

NASA’s first human space flight program, known as Mercury, sought to send one-man crews into orbit between 1961 and 1963. Mercury’s second manned orbital flight was launched on May 24, 1962. The Aurora 7 spacecraft, commanded by astronaut Scott Carpenter, was in flight for only four hours but helped to qualify the program for further manned operations in extended orbital durations. The USS Intrepid participated in the Aurora 7 mission by dispatching helicopters to airlift Carpenter from his capsule. Below is a photograph of him aboard the Intrepid after his retrieval.


Three years later, on March 23, 1965, the Intrepid was called once again to participate in yet another mission to space. More advanced than the Mercury operations, the Gemini program was designed to develop techniques essential for Moon landings, such as docking with another vehicle, performing extra-vehicular activity (spacewalks) and subjecting astronauts and their equipment to long flights. As pictured below, the Intrepid recovered the two-man Gemini III capsule, the first manned flight of the Gemini program, crewed by Virgil Grissom and John Young. Known as the “bridge to the moon,” the Gemini program paved the pathway for the later Apollo program.


Without the demonstrated successes of eight years of NASA’s space programs, the Apollo 11 landing would not have been so momentous in 1969. How these past initiatives will help propel the future of space missions, we have yet to see.

Historic photographs courtesy of NASA. To learn more about the Mercury and Gemini programs, as well as other past NASA missions, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/missions/past/index.html.

Britta K. Arendt
Collections Manager

]]> Mon, 20 Jul 2009 16:26:46 GMT <![CDATA[No Reliefs Required]]>
For me, the highlight of the re-opening was the opportunity to meet Growler crew members who traveled from as far away as Hawaii for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.  Former commanding officer Robert Owens and a dozen former submariners took Intrepid Museum staff on a spirited tour of their boat, pointing out important features and telling tales about life on patrol. Their stories help us bring the Growler to life, and we hope that they will visit again soon.


Growler crew members have generously donated a number of artifacts to our collection, which we hope to put on display someday. A favorite is this vibrant Growler battle flag, created in 1962. Some of the patches illustrate basic information about the boat, such as the Regulus missile and the yellow stripes marking each of her patrols.  Other images hint at more colorful episodes.  The totem pole was the symbol of the now-closed Adak Naval Operating Base in Alaska and a focus for practical jokes by visiting submariners.  When the Growler was in port in 1962, a group of crew members stole the totem pole and stashed it in a torpedo tube.  An angry base officer stormed aboard the Growler convinced that the pole was on the boat, but he could find no trace of it. The totem pole traveled to Pearl Harbor with the Growler, but word of the theft preceded the sub’s arrival.  The admiral ordered the Growler’s commanding officer to return Adak’s landmark with a letter of apology – after complementing the CO on a prank well done.


The slogan “Black and Blue Crew, No Reliefs Required” trumpeted the hard work of the Growler’s crew with a reference to the newer Polaris ballistic missile submarines, which soon would replace the Growler and her fellow Regulus boats.  The Growler had one crew that operated and maintained the sub both on patrol and in port.  Polaris missile submarines had two full crews called “blue” and “gold,” each with its own commanding officer.  When one crew was on patrol, the other was in home port, training and preparing to go back to sea. Growler crew members were proud that they did not require a two-crew system.

When you visit us, be sure to make time to explore the Growler!  You’ll learn about this significant piece of Cold War technology and her remarkable crew.

Jessica Williams
Curator of History

]]> Fri, 26 Jun 2009 13:27:11 GMT <![CDATA[Neptunus Rex and “Crossing the Line” Ceremonies]]>
Centuries later, navies around the world would adopt the tradition of crossing the line ceremonies (without the sacrifice of animals, of course). In the US Navy, the ancient rituals have evolved into rites of passage for new and inexperienced sailors (known as pollywogs) who cross the Equator for the first time, ultimately becoming initiated into the Order of the Shellbacks (experienced sailors). Regardless of rank or service, officers and enlisted crewmembers who had never crossed the Equator must suffer through a grueling but vibrant initiation process in order to gain respect and join the realm of the more experienced shellbacks.

During the Intrepid’s time of service, on the day of the initiation, all pollywogs were called to the flight deck where the ceremony occurred. Former crewmen have told stories of pollywogs being ordered to strip down to their underwear and crawl across the flight deck, or being hung by the ankles and egged by the shellbacks. Other activities included forcing the pollywogs to dress as women and participate in fashion shows, only to be “judged” by the shellbacks. At the end of the day, each humiliated pollywog would be granted status as a shellback, receiving a certificate of acknowledgement, signed by none other than Neptunus Rex himself. Like other Navy ships, the Intrepid crewmen printed their own versions of the non-official Neptune Certificate. Pictured below is Captain Vincent F. Kelley’s certificate, which states that he successfully crossed the Equator and was “found worthy” of joining the “trusty Shellbacks” in 1968, while en route to Vietnam. Regardless of Captain Kelley’s rank on the Intrepid, he was still considered a lowly pollywog prior to his crossing of the Equator.


The Intrepid Museum has in its artifact collections several original Neptune Certificates from various eras throughout the ship’s history. Visit us and view an original certificate on exhibit, along with photographs taken during one of the many crossing the line ceremonies.

For more information on crossing the line ceremonies, please check out the Naval History & Heritage Command’s web page on this topic: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq92-1.htm.

Britta K. Arendt
Collections Manager


]]> Tue, 26 May 2009 11:16:42 GMT <![CDATA[The Ketcher]]>

Among the PIO’s responsibilities was publishing the ship’s newspaper.  Filled with current events, cartoons, games and sports scores, the newspaper was a source of information and entertainment for the crew.  Often, feature articles would highlight the duties and accomplishments of different divisions.  A “Meet Your Shipmate” column introduced individual crew members.  Artistically-inclined sailors would contribute original drawings or cartoons, and staff photographers captured the crew at work and at play.

Over the course of the Intrepid’s Navy service, the newspaper went by different names.  During World War II, the paper simply was called “Intrepid” with the tagline “Then, Now, Forever.”  When the Intrepid was recommissioned in 1954, the PIO staff decided that the paper needed a new name.  They held a “Name Your Paper” contest with a $15 cash prize for the most creative and appropriate name.  Seaman Apprentice Cain of the 7th Division won the prize for his entry, “The Ketcher,” which narrowly beat the second-place choice, “The Catapult.”

Cain’s inspiration for the paper’s name came from the first American ship named Intrepid, which was a type of two-masted sailing ship called a ketch.  That ship served with distinction during the First Barbary War (1801–1805) between the United States and the Barbary States in North Africa.   The first Intrepid is depicted in the upper right corner of the newspaper’s logo.

The Intrepid Museum has a large collection of Intrepid newspapers that span the ship’s history.  They are an invaluable source of information about life aboard the ship.  We are grateful to Joseph Burke, who donated the two issues that appear in this article.  If any former crew members still have old copies of the ship’s newspapers, we invite you to share them with us.

Jessica Williams
Curator of History


]]> Fri, 17 Apr 2009 12:44:51 GMT <![CDATA[Women in the U.S. Navy]]>
During World War II, one way that women stepped up to advance the war effort was to join the WAVES (Women Accepted for Volunteer Emergency Service), established by the U.S. Naval Reserve and signed into law by president Roosevelt on July 30, 1942. These uniformed women primarily filled administrative positions so that men could be relieved for duty at sea. While WAVES generally held clerical positions, thousands of them were also assigned to medical, technology, communications, and intelligence duties.


The Museum’s collections include a few WAVES uniforms, and we were recently given another uniform by William and Audrey Pickens III which has fascinating historic significance. The jacket we received was worn by Harriet Ida Pickens, one of the first black WAVES officers. Black women were not integrated into the WAVES until late 1944. As a college educated woman with a Master’s Degree in Political Science from Columbia University, Pickens was appointed Lieutenant in December 1944. She is pictured above wearing the jacket that is now part of the Museum’s permanent collections.

By the end of the war, more than 8,000 female officers and 75,000 enlisted WAVES served their country well. Only 73 of these amazing women were black. Yet, they all created “waves” by helping to pave the path for future generations of women in the U.S. Navy.

For more information on the history of women in the U.S. Navy, please check out the Naval History & Heritage Command’s web pages on this topic: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq48-1.htm as well as  http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/prs-tpic/af-amer/afa-wave.htm.

Britta K. Arendt
Collections Manager



]]> Mon, 16 Mar 2009 19:07:57 GMT <![CDATA[Gun Tub 10]]>
But first, a little background: Black sailors have a long history in the U.S. Navy.  During the Colonial period, black sailors served in the Royal Navy. African American sailors fought on both sides during the Revolutionary War.  Over the next 150 years, the proportion of black sailors in the U.S. Navy constantly changed.  During wars, the Navy recruited black sailors to meet manpower needs.  At other times, the Navy attempted to ban black sailors or restrict their numbers.  In 1940, before the U.S. entered World War II, only 4,000 African Americans were serving in the U.S. Navy.  By 1945, that number had increased to nearly 170,000.

During World War II, African Americans were not initially accepted for combat duty, and instead typically served as cooks or waiters in the officers’ mess.  However, many requested and received volunteer combat assignments in addition to their regular duties.  On the Intrepid, these volunteers were given their own battle station called Gun Tub 10.  Their weapons were 20mm Oerlikon guns, the shortest-range of the Intrepid’s anti-aircraft guns.

On October 29, 1944, during combat in the Philippines, a Japanese kamikaze airplane barreled toward Gun Tub 10.  The gunners stayed at their battle station and fired at the incoming aircraft, shooting away its left wing.  The damaged plane crashed into their position, killing 10 men and badly burning others. Six of the surviving sailors were awarded the Bronze Star for valor: Jonell Copeland, Que Gant, Harold Clark Jr., James Dockery, Alonzo Swann, and Eli Benjamin.



Alonzo Swann always maintained that he had been promised a higher honor, the Navy Cross.  In 1993, 49 years after the kamikaze attack, Swann finally received the Navy Cross in a ceremony aboard the Intrepid.  His medal and citation are on view in our galleries, as well as a 20mm gun like the ones that Swann and his fellow gunners used.  Four other black sailors also received the Navy Cross for their bravery during that attack: James Dockery, Que Gant, Robert Jones and Eugene Smith.

For more information about the history of African Americans in the U.S. Navy, check out the Naval History & Heritage Command’s webpage on the topic: http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq57-3.htm

Jessica Williams
Curator of History
]]> Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:15:53 GMT <![CDATA[Blood Chits]]>
While the concept of blood chits may have been prompted by French balloonists experimenting with flight during the late eighteenth century, they were first developed for systematic military use by the British Royal Air Force toward the end of World War I. Typically, these small sheets of cloth are issued to air crew members who may travel through unfamiliar territory and could be separated from their crew or aircraft. Blood chits are usually constructed of silk or rayon acetate, a durable and water-resistant fabric. They bear messages in various languages that identify the person’s military affiliation and promise to reward anyone who assists the aviator in returning to friendly control. Militaries across the world have issued blood chits to their air crew members, and all have devised regulations specifying how or where they are to be kept, whether sewn onto the interior of flight jackets or simply stored in bags. Yet, they all carry with them a similar purpose: to provide a downed air crew member hope of survival in unknown territory.


The Museum has a few of these intriguing items in its collections, and one of them currently is on display. We are lucky to have blood chits ranging from World War II through the Vietnam era, allowing us to see the variations in production over time. Blood chits issued to American air crewmen throughout World War II were updated and edited at least four times to improve language translations or make production more efficient. The blood chits pictured above were recently donated by Sam Folsom, a retired Marine officer and Museum volunteer. Both of these were issued toward the end of World War II but have obvious differences. The blood chit on the left is one of the more common types, featuring text in seven languages: French, Thai, Lao, Annamese (Vietnamese), Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. The one on the right, however, was specifically printed for use in China and therefore includes no other languages.

We encourage veterans who were issued blood chits to reconsider these fascinating items for a moment and to share their significance with others. While air crew members have always been trained for survival should their aircraft be shot down, the reality of finding oneself in unfriendly territory could be terrifying nonetheless. Blood chits offered some glimpse of hope for assistance and survival.

For more information on blood chits, check out “Last Hope: The Blood Chit Story,” by R.E. Baldwin and Thomas Wm. McGarry.

Britta K. Arendt
Collections Manager
]]> Thu, 22 Jan 2009 10:28:16 GMT <![CDATA[New Artifact Donations]]>
The family of V.H. Silberstein, D.D.S. recently donated the scrapbook which he kept during his service aboard the Intrepid for her 1955 Mediterranean cruise. What is so fascinating about this book is the sheer amount of historic information found between the pages. From snapshots of aircraft landing on the flight deck and images of Silberstein performing dentistry on other officers to souvenirs from other crew members and visits to town during shore leave, we get a glimpse into what life was like aboard the Intrepid. Silberstein must have had fond memories of the 1955 cruise as he attempted to fill every page with memories, so many in fact that the spine of the book split and was later repaired at home so that future generations would be able to see them.


Another intriguing donation was received during our busy grand reopening weekend. Retired Naval Reserve member John R. Turner generously donated a leather flight jacket and helmet which he wore as an air crewman serving HUP/HU-2 helicopter detachments on various ships throughout the late 1950s, including the Intrepid in 1958. These helicopters flew alongside ships, ready to respond at any moment in the event of an emergency. Air crewmen like Turner would operate the rescue hoist and assist downed aviators when necessary. The Museum is lucky to have an actual HUP helicopter on exhibit in the hangar deck; the addition of Turner’s flight jacket and helmet to our collections will allow us to better interpret the history of this important utility aircraft.


We encourage our visitors, new and old alike, to consider the artifacts we have on display and determine whether or not old family memorabilia lying around the house could contribute to our historic interpretation of the Intrepid. After all, without collections of artifacts, a museum can’t truly be a museum.

Britta K. Arendt
Collections Manager

]]> Mon, 29 Dec 2008 09:41:22 GMT <![CDATA[Intrepid Unearthed]]>
While the Intrepid was docked at Home Port in Staten Island for refurbishment, the museum commissioned five early to mid-career architectural photographers to interpret the ship’s unrenovated spaces.  The photographers – Justine Cooper, Benjamin Donaldson, Kerry Kehoe, Lisa Kereszi and Dwight Primiano – had the run of the ship.  With their equipment in tow, our five photographers climbed ladders, squeezed through hatches and thoroughly explored the Intrepid’s vast maze of passageways and compartments.  Some of their work documents parts of the ship that have since been restored and are open for visitors.  Other photographs offer a glimpse at areas that are not publicly accessible – spaces that have remained virtually untouched since the Intrepid was decommissioned in 1974.

Observant visitors to the Intrepid may recognize some of the spaces shown in the photographs.  For example, a few of the pictures depict the junior officer’s quarters, anchor chain room and hurricane bow – all part of the newly restored fo’c’s’le exhibit.  The forecastle, shortened to “fo’c’s’le,” is the forward part of the ship.  Our five photographers had the opportunity to work in the fo’c’s’le before it was refurbished.  Here is one example of “sailor art” that photographer Justine Cooper captured.  Can you find this painting on a wall in the fo’c’s’le?




We are grateful to our five photographers as well as architectural photographer Judith Turner and photography curator Sylvia Wolf, who participated in the selection process.  The exhibition was made possible with the generous support of the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.

Look for “Intrepid Unearthed” in our temporary exhibit gallery, located in Hangar 2 near the replica of the Intrepid’s World War II scoreboard.  The exhibit will be on view until November 29, 2009.

Jessica Williams
Curator of History

]]> Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:47:56 GMT <![CDATA[New Curators Corner]]> Welcome to the Curator’s Corner. Here, members of the Intrepid Museum’s Exhibits Department will be posting stories about our exhibits, the artifacts in our collection, and the history of our two ships, the aircraft carrier Intrepid and the submarine Growler. We hope to provide extra details about the artifacts and spaces that you’ll encounter as a visitor to the Museum, as well as information about objects that are not currently on view or compartments that are not open to the public.
 
Now that the Intrepid is back home at Pier 86, we’re putting the finishing touches on our exciting new hangar deck exhibit, which illuminates the “Humanity Behind the Hardware” – the stories of the machines and the people who operated them.
 
Our permanent installation tells the personal stories of the individuals who created, serviced, and lived aboard the Intrepid using artifacts from our collection. Visitors will see photographs, uniforms, diaries, gear, models and mementos, most of which have never before been on public view. Some of these items relate to day-to-day life aboard the ship – pilot helmets, log books, training materials. Others reveal sailors’ creativity and personal expression, such as a collection of handmade patches from the Cold War period like the one shown here.
 
Check back every month for a new Curator’s Corner posting. We look forward to sharing a few of the many fascinating Intrepid and Growler stories with you.
 
]]> Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:05:14 GMT