The collection has over 2,500 images. Most are related to the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55) but there are also photos relating to the Armored Cruiser NORTH CAROLINA (ACR-12). There are interior and exterior images of the Battleship from 1937 through 1947 and as a Memorial; photos of BB-55 officers and crew and divisions; images also record everyday life on a battleship as well as the men enjoying liberty; and there are photos that were taken during the Battleship's battles. The collection also includes photos of the Kingfisher airplane during World War II and the restoration of the one that sits on the Battleship today.
A Curtiss AB-2 - seaplane is being launched from the Armored Cruiser NORTH CAROLINA. This was pioneer aviation in 1916. The first catapult was a narrow gauge track, 50-feet long and 4-feet high, bolted to the ship’s quarterdeck. Compressed air from the ship’s torpedo air service at 300 psi hurtled the trolley down the track at 50mph launching the airplane. BB2000.47
Flag Bag - In this official U.S. Navy photograph, signalmen are hoisting and stowing signal flags in the “flag bag” on the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA. Since the sailors are wearing their blue wool uniforms and wool pea coats the photograph was probably taken in the fall of 1941 during the Battleship’s sea trials in the Atlantic Ocean. Journalists and photographers were onboard to document the shakedown cruise. The sailor on the left is wearing a short coat issued for foul weather. BB1996.15.5
Homeward Bound - The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA prepares for her journey home at the end of World War II by flying the “homeward bound” pennant. According to U.S. Navy regulations the pennant has one star for the first nine months of continuous service outside the United States plus another one for each additional six months. The overall pennant length is one foot for each member of the ship’s company on duty outside the United States for more than nine months, but not to exceed the ship’s overall length. The Battleship NORTH CAROLINA is 729 feet long. When the ship arrived at the home port the blue portion was given to the captain and the rest divided among the crew. The Battleship’s collection includes pieces of the homeward bound pennant. BB1998.1.54
Liberty - Strolling down King Street in Honolulu are (L-R) Ernest Zitzman (GM3/c), Paul Wieser (BM1/c), and James Collins (BM3/c) from the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA. Honolulu was the only real liberty town in the South Pacific, according to Paul Wieser. Sailors could see a movie, swim at Waikiki Beach, or visit a USO club or the YMCA to dance. If they were in Pearl Harbor for an extended stay sailors took a narrow gauge train to the U.S. Navy Recreation Camp called Camp Andrews. “There was no reveille on your three days there or bed check. This was out in the middle of nowhere. We slept in tents…with mosquito netting over our bunks. All we had to do was cross the road and we were on our own little beach,” recalled Paul Wieser. The collection includes many photographs of sailors on liberty in Hawaii, particularly studio portraits posed with a Hawaiian girl in a hula skirt. BB1988.25.2
Race boat crews - from the Armored Cruiser NORTH CAROLINA, January 1911. The ship had 40-foot steam launches, sailing launches, 20-foot cutters, 31-foot race cutter, 30-foot whaleboats, dinghies, and 14-foot punts on board. BB1999.41.5
Unidentified sailors - from the Armored Cruiser NORTH CAROLINA pose for a studio photograph. Note the ship’s name on the hat ribbon; a tradition eliminated just before the Second World War. Date unknown. BB2002.88.1
Ship’s Band - During World War II bands were assigned to naval bases, aircraft carriers, troop transport ships, and battleships. Graduates of the Navy School of Music formed Band #35 in April 1943. They spent six weeks at Treasure Island (San Francisco) waiting for transport to the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA in Noumea, New Caledonia. They rehearsed while waiting, shown here. Onboard the battleship the band played during refueling operations, for religious services, before the movies on the fantail, for burials at sea and for other official functions. They also played off the ship while on liberty at Ulithi. A combo from the band played for officers during dinners creating a “nightclub” atmosphere to the wardroom. Band #35 was relieved in September 1945 by Band #101, also from the Navy School of Music. The Band was assigned to the R Division (damage control) and each man had regular duties and battle stations in addition to playing in the band. BB1994.41.1
