Chapter II

Chapter II
"THE PIONEER PERIOD, 1914-1921"

(Text scanned from a typewritten copy of original
Carroll manuscript prepared by CAPT. Rene Jones, USNR,
with minor corrections by CDR. Ivan Ficken, USNR, Nov. 1991)

The first major use of photography in the official business of the Navy was made in 1914 by the Naval Bureau of Ordnance to photograph the splashes of the fall of shot during gunnery exercises off the Virginia coast. The cameras used for this purpose were designed and manufactured by the Eastman Kodak Company and were specifically designated as "Triangulation Cameras".

The camera operating crews were naval enlisted men selected from the "ship's photographers" in the Atlantic Fleet for temporary duty during the Fleet gunnery exercises. The work of developing, printing, and plotting was done at the Washington, DC Navy Yard. Upon completion of this temporary duty assignment, the men returned to their respective ships where they resumed their regular assigned duties.

The first formal naval camera party was organized in 1916 under the Office of the Director of Gunnery Exercises and Engineering Performances in the Navy Department, Washington, DC.

The Triangulation Camera units used by this camera party were a battery of two still cameras mounted on top of each other, thus producing two 9"x 3" overlapping photographs of the target area. The Triangulation Cameras were among the first, if not the first, large camera picture size in the Navy to use roll film which was specially manufactured and spooled by the Eastman Kodak Company for the U.S. Naval Bureau of Ordnance. The film manufactured by Kodak was an orthonon (color blind) emulsion on nitrocellulose base and spooled into various lengths: 3, 6, 9, and 12 feet. The exposed film was processed by wrapping the film around a wooden slat rack and then immersing in a solution filled wood tank 42" long x 40" deep x 15" wide. The laboratory darkroom facilities were provided in a building at the Washington, DC Navy Yard. Most of the film processing was done at night (particularly in the summer months) when the solution temperatures were somewhat closer to that recommended by the film manufacturer. At times the film processing people used cases of ice in the processing solutions for cooling. However, this practice caused dilution of the solutions resulting in poor negative quality therefore, ice for cooling was only used during high ambient temperature conditions.

The first Naval enlisted man ordered to duty in the first permanent camera party in Washington, DC was R. R. Sprague, Chief Electrician Mate, USN, from the Battleship USS NEW YORK in May, 1916 and he was joined by eight or nine other enlisted men from the Atlantic Fleet in June of that year.

During the early days of Naval Aviation, 1913 - 1917, photographs were used in a more or less haphazard way to augment the records and to illustrate mechanical-structural material failures. Late in 1915 and early in 1916 at NAS Pensacola, FL., Walter L. Richardson, Aviation Machinist Mate 2nd Class USN began making pictures of various activities connected with the Naval Aviation Flight School. Richardson's pictures proved so useful that he was designated as official station photographer. Shortly thereafter Richardson converted a 5 x 7 (Graflex type) camera into an aerial camera in which he made a number of aerial photographs in the Pensacola area. For these he received credit for taking the first aerial photographs in the US Navy. In May, 1917, Richardson was advanced to Chief Aviation Machinist Mate and was assigned to photographic work at NAS Pensacola, FL. In July, 1917, Chief Richardson and LT P. N. Bellinger, USN, with the technical assistance of Mr. H. C. Fincke from the Eastman Kodak Company at the US Naval Air Station, Pensacola, FL, conducted the testing of the first 4 x 5 dry plate aerial camera which was designed and manufactured by the Folmer & Schwing Division of the Eastman Kodak Company for the US Navy.

Shortly after testing the new Kodak F&S aerial camera, Richardson was transferred to duty in the Bureau of Navigation, Aviation Division, Navy Department, Washington, DC for the purpose of organizing a Naval Photographic section and to plan a school for Naval photographers. His plans were approved, and in January 1918 Richardson was commissioned Ensign, USNR and was assigned duty as photographic officer in the Bureau of Navigation, Aviation Division, Navy Department, Washington, DC.

In the latter part of 1917 a few Naval enlisted men were sent to the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, NY for a short course in photography; also, about five men were sent to take the ground school Naval Aviation course at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a special training course in aeronautic photography of the US Army.

In December 1917, the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, sent the following telegram to all ships and stations:

Quote: "Require for expert photographic work connection aviation, men of high mental attainments and have knowledge photography period men selected will be given special instruction under expert supervision period report with such expedition as consists with thorough search names and rates of men in reserves of NNV considered qualified 11428 BUNAV" Unquote.

Early in 1918 Ensign Richardson went to NAS Miami, FL. where he established the first Naval Aerial Photography School, with Ensign Giridilian USNR, Ensign Butler USNR and William Mann, Chief Aviation Machinist Mate USNR, as instructors, and LCDR Marc Mitscher, USN as commanding officer.

The first Naval photography class at the US Naval Air Station, Miami, FL. was started in March 1918 with six enlisted men students who had prior photographic experience before joining the Navy. The length of the photography course was about six weeks.

From March to November 1918, four classes were conducted during which time about nine Naval Reserve Officers and 80 Navy Enlisted Men had attended the school.

The enlisted men, upon graduation from the Naval Photography School, were given the rating of Aviation Printer (Photographer), their rating badge insignia at that time being the open book approved for Naval Printers.

Shortly after graduating from the photography course at NAS Miami, a small number of the men had the Naval Aviation wings added to their open book rating badge which was not an authorized Naval rating badge insignia. The few men who had the open book with wings were referred to as the "flying preachers". The official Navy Department authorized rating badge for Naval photographers was not established until July, 1921.

In the first Naval Photography School at Miami they had no formal text books about photography; therefore, according to accounts from Lyman Goodnight and Harry Baudu, the instructors and students became self-educated by trial and error, keeping notes for daily comparison in learning how to use their ground and aerial cameras and darkroom equipment.

In July, 1918, Lyman A. Goodnight was transferred from NAS Pensacola, FL. to NAS Miami, FL. where he became a student in the Naval School of Photography, class number 3 which consisted of about 20 students. When this class assembled for the first session they were told to start keeping a notebook type record of instructions that would be given to them in their classes. This was to be their only way to make a record of things done and said in the school since there were no formal books or pamphlets dealing with their work. They were to compare notes with each other any time they could do so, make changes or additions on anything they could agree upon to help all of the class members in keeping up to date concerning notes given to them orally in their class. According to Goodnight their note taking was not the best, but they did help each other after class every day.

The still cameras used operated with glass plates as sheet film was not available at the school. The processing of these plates was one of their first hurdles to overcome. The plates came packaged 12 in a box with each two plates facing emulsion to emulsion. They had to learn to load these plates into their holders with emulsion facing correctly and as they followed it through the various steps of the process - loading into the camera, removing to darkroom, developing, fixing, washing and drying, they encountered a number of problems that had to be overcome. There were no temperature controls, some formulas for summer use would work when freshly mixed in cool water, 70 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit, with room temperatures often at 85 degrees F or more which required that they hurry each step so that the emulsion would not soften enough to melt before reaching the wash water. Frilling along the edges was the first sign of danger followed soon by reticulation and total loss. For many of the students the clumsy handling by untrained hands or just plain butterfingers often wrecked the plate somewhere along the line and they would have to start over on their assignment.

The spaces assigned to the photography school at Miami were small with classes of 20 men or more per class. The office, lecture room, finishing room, were crowded most of the time every day since each student worked his assignment through, as the instructor would call a quiz conference at any time he could get a chance. The printing room was equipped to operate three contact printers and two enlarging printers with a sink space for developing and fixing the paper materials. The washing was done in a sink along one wall of the finishing room. The plate developing room was set up to handle three men at one time to unload the plate holders, develop and fix the plates, then take them out to the wash sink in the finishing room. The plate developing room was poorly ventilated and after several men had used it the oxygen content of the room was below par. The men using this darkroom would only stay as long as they could and then come out for some fresh air when necessary. Nobody ever lingered or wasted time in that small darkroom.

The students in this photographic class were required to wear white uniforms. Since they were not members of the engineering forces they were not permitted to wear dungarees, therefore, working in the darkrooms subjected their white uniforms to staining from the chemicals. One Saturday morning during Captain's inspection, Goodnight was in the inspection line with some brown stains plainly visible on his freshly washed uniform. The commanding officer looked Goodnight over and asked, "Is this your best uniform?" Goodnight replied, "Yes sir, this is my best of six uniforms I have bought since I entered photographic School". The Captain directed his yeoman to make a note of this and proceeded to pass on down the line of inspection. The next Monday morning the Captain sent word that the photographers in the class would be permitted to wear dungarees while in class.

Soon after this incident, one of the chief petty officers, an instructor in the group, managed to have the station doctor take a look at the negative darkroom after several men had been using it. The doctor took one short look and hurried out. They never heard what he had to say but during the next week-end some windows with solid shutters were installed so the room could be aired out when desired. With this change the work in that particular room proceeded much faster through the balance of the class program.

The cameras used in this photographic school were 4 x 5 Graflex with a 12 plate magazine, 6-1/2 x 8-1/2 view cameras with holder carrying two plates each, and a 4 x 5 handheld F&S aerial camera with a 12 plate magazine. They also had a Bell & Howell standard motion picture camera with film magazine and tripod. They had no 35mm film available for motion picture cameras at the school, and even if they had managed to get hold of some there was no place to process it.

Therefore, the students had to learn to operate the camera by turning the hand crank on the camera maintaining a steady speed to two frames per second and at the same time with the other hand and another crank observing the movement of the camera from left to right. The tripod had two small cranks to allow the movement of the camera from right to left and another to move the camera up or down with the other as fast or as slow as needed and always the right hand had to hold the two, two turns per second. This operation required many hours of practice to become proficient, - so anytime the students were waiting for darkroom space they practiced operating the 35mm Bell & Howell professional motion picture camera without film.

As the students finished each assignment they jockied with each other to set up their results for the instructor's quiz. They would describe the highlights, the shadows, the densities, the contrast, the sharpness, and then were told where they should look for different results the next time. They made prints from their negatives and took them through the same evaluation program.

In September, 1918, class number 3 upon graduation consisted of some 20 men rated Printer 1/C (Aviation). All of the members of this class applied for overseas duty and in a few days all were gone except two; a man named Rogers and Goodnight. Rogers and Goodnight were assigned photography duty at Miami NAS and assisted in the training of the next class of students which started in October, 1918.

On November 1, 1918, Goodnight's rating was changed to Chief Printer (Aviation) then known as "War Bride Chiefs", a chief petty officer with less than 4 years service.

On November 11, 1918, the Armistice was announced - World War I was over and a great number of officers and enlisted men applied for discharge from the US Naval Service.

Most of the Naval Photographic Officers and enlisted photographers left the Naval Service within a few weeks after the armistice, so by the end of December, 1918, Rogers and Goodnight were the only photographic personnel left on active duty at the US Naval Air Station, Miami, FL.

In January, 1919, Goodnight was assigned to the USS MELVILLE, one of several ships assigned to stations along the flight line which the NC seaplanes were to follow for their trans-Atlantic flights from the United States to Europe. The USS MELVILLE was stationed at Ponta Delgada, Azores. Goodnight's job was to take pictures of anything connected with the flight of these Navy aircraft in their assigned area. A chief petty officer by the name of McPheeters joined Goodnight onboard the USS MELVILLE for the purpose of handling the motion picture coverage of the NC flights. Chief Goodnight concentrated his work on still photographs of the NC planes in the Ponta Delgada area.

The first class of students at NAS Miami became the instructors for succeeding classes. Most of the students graduating from this Naval Photography School in 1918 were assigned phtographic duties at such places as Pensacola, FL: Norfolk, VA; Anacostia, DC; Rockaway, Long Island; and European US Naval Bases at Killingham, England; Dunkerque, Pauillace, Ile Tudy, Le Trinite, France; and Porto Corsini, Lake Bolsena, Italy.

In April, 1918, the Bureau of Navigation sent out the following circular letter to all ships and stations:

Quote: "1. The Bureau realizes that there frequently arises occasions when it is to the interest of complete records to secure photographs of events, persons or things for future reference.

2. The Bureau has therefore, allowed to each Division of Battleships, Cruisers, and Patrol Vessels, to each Flotilla of Destroyers and Submarines, to each Naval District and to certain other leading vessels, one Kodak camera and an outfit of developing and printing materials, all of such type that an experienced, amateur can produce results. Such an amateur can usually be found in the ship's company.

3. This equipment will be issued by direction of the Captain on written order of the navigator to the person selected as the ship's photographer, and will be receipted for by him.

4. Consumable stores may be replenished from quarterly money allowance, or by "in excess" requisitions submitted to the Bureau of Navigation. Such stores should be expended when issued. Signed by: Thomas J. Senn, CAPT, USN, Acting Chief of Bureau". Unquote.

The cameras furnished to ships and stations were Eastman 3-A folding Kodaks 3-1/4 x 5-1/2 (postcard picture size). Quite a number of the Naval ship's photographers, using these cameras, later became students in the Naval Photography School and upon graduation had their rating changed to Naval Photographer in 1920 - 1922.

In July, 1918, the Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, NY provided facilities for a camera repairmen's school which 10 Naval enlisted men attended for four weeks. A. T. McElwee Chief Machinist Mate (Aviation) was Officer in Charge, while Mr. W. F. Folmer and Mr. F. Strowger, Eastman Kodak Company employees, assisted as instructors. The students upon completion of this camera repairmen's school were sent to the Naval Photography School NAS Miami, and after six weeks at Miami they were sent to naval operating units in Europe.

Upon termination of World War I in November, 1918, the Naval School of Photography at Miami was closed. In January, 1920, the Naval School of Photography was reestablished at the Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC under the direction of LTJG Walter L. Richardson USNR with Ensign William Mann USN, Officer in Charge and Chief Petty Officers, B.A. Backers, L.E. Goodnight and H.J. Baudu instructors. About 30 enlisted men attended the first class at Anacostia for a period of about three months. Most of the students in the first class at Anacostia were ship's photographers from the Fleet who held Chief Petty Officer general service ratings such as Boatswain Mate, Quartermaster, Storekeeper, Pharmacist Mate, Yeoman, etc., and upon graduation had their ratings changed to Chief Aviation Printer (Photographer).

Ensign William Mann as photographic officer; B.A. Backers, Chief Yeoman; Harry Baudu and Lyman Goodnight, as chief printers (Aviation) at NAS Anacostia, set to work devising a syllabus plan or work schedule to be used for the class which was scheduled for opening in January, 1920.

Inasmuch as they had no curriculum or outline for the class of photography, Goodnight spent most of his free time during a two week period in the reading room of the Library of Congress reading all he could find that would help in building a training schedule for this photography class. After they had started the class, Goodnight went back almost every day to read up in various photographic books for the next day's project, managing to stay at least one day ahead of the students. This class was handled very similarly to what they had been through in Miami where members of the class placed reliance on the information in their notebooks. The first school of photography at NAS Anacostia, DC, started with about 12 men for a period of three months training. The space allocated to the school in Anacostia was not as uncomfortable as in Miami. As the first class in Anacostia was started in winter time, they worked with cold weather formulas for the first time.

The instructors at the school would make up a list of suitable subjects to be photographed and would assign a different one to each student. If the student failed on one, another student would be given the job until it was solved, and in general discussion, spread the information to all.

Goodnight considered that doing the job seemed to be the best way to learn all the angles and pitfalls which might give trouble later. However, Goodnight's intentions at best were the cause of a very careful study not intentionally put into their program. They had a seaplane, an HS-2, with an instrument panel installed in the front wall of the nose cockpit. Goodnight thought it would be a good idea to have a photograph on file of this instrument panel so he put it on the student assignment list.

Several of the students asked what camera should be used, and Goodnight said use any camera you want, and the students finally asked, "Show me how". Goodnight selected a view camera and they all said to him, "there is no room in the cockpit to set it and focus it". Goodnight took the camera to the airplane and on the outside of the aircraft he began to set it up as the students watched. He placed a wide angle lens in place and racked the front all the way back to the end of the focusing pin. Next he measured from the front of the instrument panel back to the rear of the cockpit and by subtracting the camera space from the cockpit space he found the maximum distance from the lens to the panel. On the ground beside the airplace were several objects in good light, so Goodnight set up the camera with the lens at the required distance using only the back focusing knob, focusing clearly and sharply, then locking the camera focusing adjustments. He then set the camera in the cockpit of the plane with the plate holder already in the camera and began maneuvering it into correct distance and position. At this point several of the students said they could take it from there, so Goodnight turned the project over to his students and they did very well with it.

During the years 1920, 1921 and 1922, Goodnight continued on duty as the Chief Instructor of the Naval School of Photography at Anacostia and during those years considerable liaison was maintained between the Naval School at Anacostia and the Army Air Corps School at Bolling Field which was near by. They exchanged and discussed ideas several times, but each chose their own separate ways. The Navy instructors at Anacostia believed that each member of a photographic operation should be able to do passable work at any job required as most of the outlying units were usually one man. Therefore, all of the efforts of the Naval School at Anacostia were aimed at training this one man as well as possible in the use of all types of cameras and photographic laboratory equipment so that he could fill in at any place as needed. The Army training at Bolling Field was based on the photographic units being a group of specialists - camera men, print developing and finishing men, final assembly and delivery men. While both the Army and Navy turned out beautiful photographic work, the Navy turned out very satisfactory work with far less men and greater flexibility. Therefore, it seemed that the Naval photographic training method was best for the training of photographers for the U.S. Naval Service.

The official rating of Naval Photographer was established in July, 1921 with an authorized total allowance of 72 ratings - 20 Chief Photographers, 24 First Class Photographer, 18 Second Class Photographers and 10 Third Class Photographs. Upon establishment of the photographer rating, all of the Aviation Printers (Photographers) had their ratings changed to the newly authorized Naval Photographer rating. The official Naval Photographer rating insignia was designed by LCDR R.M. Griffin, USN, and was emblematic of the F&S Kodak 4 x 5 aerial camera then in use in the Navy.

At this time most of the enlisted photographers in the Navy were Chief Petty officers, in fact in 1922 there were 30 Chief Photographers in active Naval service which was ten in excess of the allowed number approved by the Bureau of Navigation because the total number of Naval photographers on active duty was under the authorized allowance of 72 for the entire Navy at that time. Due to this excess number of Chief Photographers on active duty there were no First Class Photographers advanced to Chief Photographer rating until about 1928 when the ratings became stabilized within the authorized service wide allowance.

In April, 1919, LTJG W.L. Richardson USNR raised a number of questions regarding aerial photographic map making by causing the following letter to be sent from the Bureau of Navigation to the Chief of Naval Operations.

1. Referring to the proposed development program for Heavier-than-Aircraft for Naval uses, the Bureau of Navigation would like information of the following points: (a) To what extent must the Bureau be prepared to furnish cameras and appliances for aerial photographic map making? Is this work to be considered from a military standpoint only, or will it be used for peace work of the Navy and to what extent? (b) Will special aircraft be designed for this purpose? If so, will they be so designed that mapping cameras may be installed in the fusilage, or will they be flying boats requiring the construction of a mount to carry the cameras outside the hull? What type or types of aircraft will be used for this purpose? (c) What characteristics will be required in the cameras? These depend directly on the height and speed at which the seaplanes will be flown. These will be greater in war over enemy country than in peace over our own shore. (d) Are complete mosaic maps necessary, or only occasional exposures over isolated spots? (e) To what extent is time of development and printing factor to be considered? (f) Will the results be studied from prints, mosaics, enlargements, or lantern slides, or from several of these forms of reproduction?

2. The Bureau has in hand or on order several type of mapping cameras. Several types of outboard mounts have been designed. Further progress is dependent on the answers to the foregoing questions.

Most of the questions in this letter were never answered until shortly before World War II in 1940 - 1941, mainly because in 1919 there were very few Naval officers in service who had any ideas regarding the utilization of aerial photography for military war operations. There were no Naval war plans for the application of aerial photography until shortly before World War II when LCDR R.S. Quackenbush, Jr., USN conceived the possibilities for aerial photographic Reconnaissance - Photographic Interpretation.

LT Richardson and his small group of Naval aerial photographers in the Navy Department, Washington, DC and at NAS Anacostia in 1919 - 1921 continued their experimental testing of aerial cameras and accessory equipment for peace time use. However, their equipment and operations were limited to the availability of funds which were most inadequate for proper development of photographic aircraft and camera equipment.

The Naval aircraft available in 1919 for aerial photography were World War I models such as the DH landplane, R-6, HS and F5L seaplanes which were not designed for aerial camera installation. The first Naval airplane designed to carry aerial mapping camera equipment was the Loening Amphibian OL-1 which became available in 1924 -25.

Shortly after the signing of World War I Armistice on November 11, 1918, the manpower of the U.S. Navy was drastically reduced. Enlisted Naval photographers on active duty in the Navy early in 1919 had dropped to less than 10 men.

In 1919 the Navy started a publicity program in an effort to secure men to join the Navy. One of the Naval publicity posters had the slogan "Join the Navy - See the World - Learn a Trade" - so in order to obtain nation wide attractive Naval publicity, photography was used to a great extent for still picture release to newspapers and 35mm motion pictures to the newsreel services.

In September, 1919, LT Walter L. Richardson USNR and five Naval photographers: Earl Windenberg, Charles Kromer, Harry Baudu, Carl Stahl and James Keller reported aboard the Fleet Battleship USS NEW MEXICO at Norfolk, VA for the purpose of obtaining aerial and surface photographs (stills and 35mm motion pictures) of the U.S. Fleet Maneuvers, Shipboard Activities, Cities, Harbors, during the U.S. Fleet cruise from Norfolk, VA to San Francisco, CA via the Panama Canal.

LT Richardson and his three aerial photographers during this U.S. Fleet cruise from Norfolk to San Francisco made a number of aerial photographic flights from shore base Naval Air and U.S. Army Air Corps Fields by which they demonstrated the feasibility of aerial photography which was a key factor in obtaining approval of the necessary funds for the reestablishment of a U.S. Naval Photography School, and the purchase of aerial cameras for advancement in the utilization of aerial photography by the U.S. Navy.

LT Richardson and his Naval photographers upon reporting onboard the USS NEW MEXICO were assigned an operating space in a small compartment on the third deck below the officer's country. This small compartment was partially filled with electrical rheostat power supply units which serviced the ship's search lights when in use. This small compartment had enough spece for the photographic materials and a couple of small tables which they used for magazine loading and for cutting and editing their motion picture films.

During the voyage from Norfolk to San Francisco, LT. Richardson and his Naval photographers had accumulated some twenty thousand feet of nitrate base 35mm motion picture film, some of which had been processed and stored in open reels on the work tables, some unprocessed film in sealed cans, and several thousand feet of raw stock unexposed motion picture film stored under the work tables.

Upon arrival of the U.S. Fleet Battleships at San Francisco, they were scheduled to turn on their search lights for a display shortly after dark on the night of September 7, 1919, an operation which proceeded as directed by the Fleet Commander of the Naval Force.

Within a few minutes after the USS NEW MEXICO had turned on its search lights, a disastrous fire occurred in the third deck rheostat compartment of this ship. Sparks from the rheostat units ignited exposed 35mm nitrate base motion picture film which generated enough heat to explode the canned 35mm nitrate base motion picture film with extensive damage to the ship's equipment and structure in the immediate area.

The toxic fumes from the nitrate film fire caused the death of several men who suffered smoke inhalation. At that time very little was known about the toxic fatal effects from nitrate film fire fumes.

This nitrate film fire onboard the USS NEW MEXICO was the first one in the U.S. Navy from which the Navy and the operating photographers learned a lesson in regard to safety practices in the handling and storage of nitrate base photographic film. Over the years the Navy had other nitrate film fires, but with no fatal casualties.

In October, 1919, the Chief of Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, Washington, DC recognized the importance of Naval photography and for the first time a regular U.S. Navy Officer was placed in charge of the Naval Aviation Navigation and Photographic Division by the action of the following letter:

1. The importance of pigeons, photography and meteorology from the Naval and especially the Naval aviation standpoint, is fully appreciated by this bureau. During the war and prior to the split up of aviation activities, the Bureau of Navigation, through the Naval Observatory, made much progress in the development of Naval aviation photographic and aerological instruments. With the reorganization of aviation, placing these sections under this bureau, a further development is confidently expected, with a closer linking of these branches with general Naval activities.

2. To further this end and to give these branches the guidance of an officer with more experience than the reserve officers in charge at present, the Bureau on October 7, 1919 placed LCDR R.R. Griffin USN in charge of pigeons, photography, and aerology, with orders to make a complete study of the needs of these branches and to proceed with their proper organization and administration. This detail was made from an appreciation by the Bureau of the importance of these branches, and the need of more experienced direction of these activities. The Bureau is pleased to note that this assignment is in accord with the views of Naval Operations as expressed in paragraph (2), reference (a).

3. This officer will be head of the "Aviation - Navigation and Photographic Division" and will have the following duties:

B. Charge of the expenditure of money under the appropriation "Aviation - Navigation", keep the Chief of Bureau advised as to state of the appropriation and prepare estimates for the new fiscal year.

C. Issue instructions to various stations in regard to Photography and Aerology as necessary and desirable to promote uniformity, and to insure progressive development.

D. Represent photographic and aerological needs throughout the Bureau. Under this head he will make recommendations to the Officer and Enlisted Personnel Divisions in regard to detail and training of photographic and aerological personnel and new legislation effecting them.

E. Recommend locations for and types of buildings or laboratories needed for aerological and photographic work at stations and aboard ship.

G. Promote close liaison with the Army, Weather Bureau and other Governmental and private organizations engaged in aerological and photographic work.

H. Direct all meteorological and aerological investigation in which the Navy is directly interested, especially in connection with aviation and ordnance.

I. Keep in touch with the development of aerological and photographic instruments through the Naval Observatory.

4. In addition to these duties and to concentrate the Bureau's photographic activities under one head, this officer will have charge of all photographic work, and will establish a photographic laboratory in the Bureau capable of developing, copying, and printing both still and motion pictures, and will maintain a classified file of photographs suitable for use for naval publicity, historical record, illustration of articles, and development of technical equipment.

5. The Bureau of Navigation provides for the supply and upkeep of pigeons, but their operations for the air station are lodged in the Office of Naval Operations, and the pigeon records and pigeon officer are attached to that office. The Bureau does not consider that its activity for pigeons at present justifies detailing an additional officer for this work; but the concentration of all pigeon activities under this Bureau might be desirable, in which case the Officer in Charge of pigeons with his records should be transferred to Aviation- Navigation.

Aerial photography experiments were made of the fall of shot by Naval photographers off the Virginia Coast during the gunnery exercises conducted by battleships during the week of November 3, 1919. The results of the experiments were so good that the Director of Naval Aviation prepared plans for the use of aerial photography in connection with Fleet gunnery exercises to be conducted by various Fleet ships. The authorization for this first Naval aerial photographic experiment was arranged by action of the following letter:

To: Commanding Officer, Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base, Hampton Roads, Norfolk, Virginia

1. It is desired that an HS-2-L seaplane be made available on Tuesday, November 4, 1919 for photographic experiments under the direction of the Director of Gunnery Exercises and Engineering Performances. The experiments will probably be completed by November 7, 1919. All photographic material necessary will be supplied from the Navy Department.

2. An officer from the Office of the Director of Gunnery Exercises will arrive in Hampton Roads on November 3, 1919 and will confer with you concerning details.

cc: Director of Gunnery Exercises and Engineering Performances Director of Naval Aviation

Lyman E. Goodnight, Chief Aviation Printer (Photographer) USN was the Naval aerial photographer who made the flights and took these first Naval aerial pictures of the fall of shot during the Fleet Gunnery exercises conducted in 1919.

In November, 1919, the Naval aerial photographers at NAS Pensacola were experimenting by taking aerial photographs of aerial bomb dropping practices being conducted by student Naval aviators in the Gulf adjacent to NAS Pensacola. The results of these experiments were forwarded to the Director of Naval Aviation, Navy Department, Washington, DC, Attention of LCDR R.M. Griffin where they were used in planning for the use of aerial photography in connection with Naval aircraft aerial bombing practices to be conducted by various Naval Air Squadrons of the Navy.

In December, 1919, under the direction of LCDR R.M. Griffin USN and LTJG W.L. Richardson USNR a photographic laboratory was the first to be established in the Navy Department building on Constitution Avenue in Washington, DC. This laboratory contained the necessary rooms and facilities and equipment for ground cameras still photography, aerial cameras, laboratory copy cameras, 35mm motion picture cameras, and printing-developing equipment, and necessary operating supplies.

The camera and printing equipment available in this Navy Department laboratory was as follows:

The processing of the 35mm motion picture film was done in deep tanks made of wood, and wood racks having a 200 foot capacity.

This Navy Department photographic laboratory remained in operation from 1920 to 1923 at which time due to Congressional action, the number of Naval enlisted men allowed duty assignments in the Navy Department at Washington, DC was drastically reduced to the point where only one enlisted Naval photographer was permitted duty assignment in the Navy Department laboratory. In 1923 the Navy Department photographic laboratory was moved to the U.S. Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC where existing Naval photographic facilities seemed to be adequate at that time. However, the Bureau of Aeronautics in the Navy Department building on Constitution Avenue was permitted one small Naval photographic laboratory with limited facilities for copying photographs and documents, cut sheet film processing, one contact printer 8 x 10, one enlarger 8 x 10, and no other camera equipment.

In 1919 the procurement of photographic equipment and operating supplies for the Bureau of Navigation Aviation Division photographic laboratory in the Navy Department was somewhat of a problem due to various Congressional Acts covering appropriations for naval service which contained the provision: "Quote": - no part of any appropriations for naval service shall be expended for any purpose (including freight and expressage) herein provided for on account of the Navy Department, Washington District of Columbia, except for the personal service in certain bureaus, as herein expressly authorized "Unquote". Inasmuch as the Bureau of Navigation was not expressly authorized, the procurement of photographic equipment and supplies was obtained through the authorized fund approved for the U.S. Naval Observatory, CDR C.T. Jewell USN, Officer in Charge, who procured the photographic items requested by the Bureau of Navigation which was delivered in the Observatory and then picked up for delivery to the Bureau of Navigation Aviation Division photographic laboratory in the Navy Department building on Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC.

While the procurement procedure may appear illegal, readers are assured that this method was perfectly legal due to the fact that the photographic equipment and materials were then being used for various U.S. Naval photographic experimental projects throughout the U.S. Naval and Marine Corps Service such as: Fleet ships gunnery practices fall of shot, aerial photographs, aircraft bombing practices - bomb splash aerial photographs, aerial mapping photography experiments for the Hydrographic Office and the Coast and Geodetic Survey, eclipse of the sun for the Naval Observatory, and regular and ultraspeed motion pictures of specialized naval equipment operations aboard ships and aircraft.

The small Navy Department photographic laboratory Washington, DC was operated by one Naval enlisted photographer for a few years, and then later by a civil service photographer until early 1943 at which time the U.S. Naval Photographic Science Laboratory NAS Anacostia, DC was placed into operation which provided photographic services to all Naval Bureaus and offices in the Washington, DC area.

In November 1919, in view of the importance of naval photography and due to the shortage of trained naval photographers on active duty in the Navy, the Bureau of Navigation sent out the following circular letter seeking candidates for the Naval Photographic school to be established at the U.S. Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC in January, 1920.

1. There is to be established at the Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC, a school for the training of enlisted men in photography. The length of the course will be three months, and will include theory, aerial and ground photography and laboratory work. The capacity of the school will be twenty-six students.

2. The first class of thirteen will begin on January 1, 1920 and a new class will be formed each six weeks thereafter.

3. Provision is made in the new personnel bill now before Congress to establish the ratings of Chief Photographer, and Photographers 1st, 2nd and 3rd class. Graduates of this school will be given photographic rates in accordance with their ability and assigned duty at Naval Air Stations, onboard Naval Aircraft Tenders, and wherever Naval Photographers may be required.

(a) That they have at least one year and eight months to serve on their current enlistment, or will extend their enlistment sufficiently to have one year and eight months.

5. When forwarding an application for this school, the Commanding Officer will make a recommendation as to the candidate's desirability for training, and submit form N.NAV. 21.

In November 1919, in view of the new Naval School of Photography which was scheduled to be opened in January, 1920, the Bureau of Navigation was aware of the limited information and knowledge available in the Naval photographic organization regarding aerial photography, so the Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels, made arrangements by letter N152-WLR-JJ to the Secretary of War (Director of Military Aeronautics) by which Ensign William Mann and Chief Yeoman B.A. Backers attended the U.S. Army School of Aerial Photography for a period of three weeks at Langley Field, Hampton, VA.

In January, 1920, a school of photography was re-established in the Naval service at NAS Anacostia, DC, with Ensign William Mann, USN Officer in Charge and Chief Yeoman B. A. Backers, USN instructor.

Twelve enlisted men were students in the first class conducted at Anacostia. The students had some experience in photography as ship's photographers from ships of the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. The length of the photography course was three months and was conducted without any formal text books. The instructors had copies of their notes made at Miami in 1913 which they used to assist in their teaching of photography at Anacostia.

The camera equipment available in the first Naval photography class at Anacostia in 1920 was: Folmer & Schwing (F&S) 4 x 5 hand-held aerial cameras, two or three roll film experimental aerial mapping cameras, view camera 6-1/2" x 8-1/2" plate size, telescopic Graflex 4 x 5, Akeley 35mm 200-foot capacity motion picture camera, DeBrie 35mm 200-foot motion picture camera, Bell & Howell 35mm 400-foot capacity motion picture camera. All motion picture cameras were hand crank operated.

The processing of the 35mm motion picture film was done in a Stineman spiral metal rack in which the film was threaded in between the concentric grooves and then immersed in the developing-fixing solutions contained in a shallow mental round tank. The printing was done on a Stineman hand cranked printer which had a manually operated aperture slot for exposure control. Late in 1920 or early 1921 a Bell & Howell 35mm motion picture film printer, Model "D" was obtained. It was motor driven and also equipped with a device for pre-determining exposure adjustment during the printing. This was a tremendous improvement over the hand cranked Stineman motion picture printer.

During the course of instructions, the instructors and students kept notes which were compared and discussed for the purpose of furthering their knowledge and also for written material for future Naval photography classes. The enlisted men, upon completion of the three months course in photography were permitted to change from their existing general service rating to Aviation Printer (Photographer). Enlisted men upon graduation from this class in early 1920 were assigned photographic duty at various existing naval commands:

In 1921 the Bureau of Aeronautics was established in the Navy Department at Washington, DC with RADM W.A. Moffett, USN as the first chief of the Bureau.

The ten Naval Aviation Divisions under the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, Washington, DC were transferred to the new Bureau of Aeronautics. At this time naval photography became an operating section of the Flight Division of the Bureau of Aeronautics.

On September 11, 1921, LT W.L. Richardson, USNR was ordered from the Bureau of Navigation, Aviation, to the Bureau of Aeronautics as Officer in Charge of the photographic section under the Director of the Flight Division. On March 21, 1921, the Bureau of Navigation published circular letter No. 9-21 to all ships and stations - Subject: Revision of Ratings, "Quote" Paragraph 1 of circular letter No. 9-21-

In accordance with the provisions of the Act of Congress approved 4 June, 1929 which reads: "Hereafter the Secretary of the Navy is authorized at his discretion to establish such grades and ratings as may be necessary to the proper administration of the enlisted personnel of the Navy and Marine Corps," the following ratings are hereby established to become effective on 1 July, 1921. "Unquote"

On page 4 of this circular letter No. 9-21 under the Aviation Branch, the ratings of Chief Photographer, Photographer 1st Class, Photographer 2nd Class and Photographer 3rd Class were authorized.

Shortly after this letter was circulated, there being no official rating badge insignia for naval photographer, LCDR R.M. Griffin, USN made a sketch of the F&S 4 x 5 Eastman serial camera which was used as the design for the new Naval photographer rating badge insignia. By July, 1921, there were approximately 72 enlisted men on active duty in the Navy who had completed the photography course at Anacostia and whose ratings were changed to "Naval Photographer". Most of the enlisted men who had attended the photography school at Anacostia during the period January 1920 to July 1921 were Chief Petty Officers, so when their ratings were changed to Chief Photographers there were some 30 Chief Photographers on active duty with an allowance of 20 authorized in the Naval Service. Thus 10 Chief Petty Officers were in excess. It required about eight or nine years to get the excess Chief Photographers reduced to the allowed number of 20.

During the years 1920, 1921 and 1922 and the first half of 1923, several classes in Naval photography were conducted at NAS Anacostia. Students attending these classes were Naval and Marine enlisted men from various US Naval and US Marine Corps Air Stations, Atlantic and Pacific Fleets camera parties.

In July 1923, there were approximately 72 enlisted photographers on active duty at various U.S. Naval and Marine Corps commands, as follows: NAS Anacostia, DC; NAS Norfolk, VA; Atlantic Fleet Air Detachment, Norfolk, VA; NAS Rockaway, Long Island, NY; NAS Lakehurst, NJ; NAS Pensacola, FL; NAS Key West, FL; NAS Coco Solo, Canal Zone; NAS North Island, San Diego, CA; Pacific Fleet Air Detachment, North Island, San Diego, CA; NAS Honolulu, TH; Navy Recuriting - Publicity Bureau, New York City, NY; Navy Department, Washington, DC; Atlantic Fleet Camera Party; USS ANTARES Pacific Fleet Camera Party; USS PROCYON U.S. Marine Corps Aviation Unit, Quantico, VA; U.S. Marine Corps Aviation Unit, NAS San Diego, CA; U.S. Marine Corps, Expedition Force, East Coast.

The Naval and Marine Corps photographic laboratories at the various NAS Locations were a two or three man operation in a small three or four room "outhouse" or "broom closet" which was of little use to the command so the Naval photographers had to make use of the quarters as best they could with very little funds allowed to remodel into a photographic laboratory.

The Atlantic and Pacific Fleet camera party photographic laboratories aboard the USS ANTARES and the USS PROCYON in 1923 were at that time most adequate and completely equipped for their type of photographic operations which was mainly triangulation photography conducted under the direction and control of the Naval Bureau of Ordnance, Fleet Gunnery Exercises Division which supplied the camera parties with adequate funds for operating equipment and supplies.

In 1921 and 1922 a number of the graduating students at the Naval Photography School, Anacostia, DC, were assigned duty with the permanent Fleet camera parties onboard the USS LEBANON and USS NANSHAN. The ships USS LEBANON and USS NANSHAN were placed out of commission in the latter part of 1922 and the USS ANTARES became the Atlantic Fleet camera party operating base ship at Norfolk, VA. The USS PROCYON became the Pacific Fleet camera party operating base ship at San Pedro, CA.

During the early twenties a small number of the graduating students from the Naval Photography School were assigned photographic duties with the U.S. Navy publicity office in New York City.

In 1920 the Navy conducted a number of photographic experimental operations under the direction and supervision of LCDR R.M. Griffin, USN, and LT W.L. Richardson, USNR, with a small group of Naval Photographers operating from the Naval Photographic Laboratory in the Navy Department at Washington, DC. Also, in this same year a program was formulated for the utilization of aerial photography in connection with Naval Gunnery Exercises.

These pioneer Naval photographic officers and enlisted Naval photographers deserve credit for their contributions in the early development and use of Naval photography.

The most outstanding Naval photographic officer in the pioneer period was LT Walter L. Richardson, USNR, who truly was the "Father" of U. S. Naval Photography.

W.L. Richardson enlisted in the Navy in 1911 and during the following four years in the Naval service became an ambitions amateur photographer making pictures of Naval activities with the results of his efforts at that time being regarded with mild interest by Naval command officers. However, shortly after Richardson had re-enlisted in 1915 with the rating of aviation machinist mate second class on active duty assignment at the U.S. Naval Air Station at Pensacola, FL, his excellent photographic talent was recognized by the commanding officer who designated Richardson as the official station photographer. This was the first time in its history that the Navy had given anyone such a designation.

In 1915 W.L. Richardson made the first U.S. Naval aerial photographs at Pensacola, FL while flying in a Curtiss single engine open seat seaplane with a 5" x 7" dry plate "Graflex" type camera, with LT Johnson, Naval aviator, as pilot of the aircraft.

By 1916 Richardson, at Pensacola, had developed a 4 x 5 hand-held aerial camera which was a focal plane shutter press camera secured onto an oblong box body constructed with cigar box slabs which housed the telescopic lens. From this homemade primitive aerial camera, the Folmer & Schwing Division of the Eastman Kodak Company developed the first professional handheld 4 x 5 aerial camera in the United States which was service tested by Richardson at Pensacola, FL in July 1917.

CAPT Noble E. Irwin, USN, in the latter part of 1917, was director of the Aviation Division in the Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, Washington, DC, was aware of Richardson's photographic work at Pensacola and recognizing the value of aerial photography by the Navy, was instrumental in having Walter L. Richardson ordered to duty in the Navy Department, Washington, DC.

In January 1918 Walter L. Richardson was commissioned Ensign USNR, and assigned duty as Naval Photographic Officer, Bureau of Navigation, Aviation Division, Navy Department, Washington, DC.

In this duty assignment Ensign Richardson was instrumental in setting up the basic organization of Naval aviation photography in the Navy.

Early in 1918 Ensign Walter L. Richardson was responsible for establishing the first US Naval Photographic School at the US Naval Air Station, Miami, FL.

In 1919 Walter L. Richardson had been promoted to the rank of LTJG USNR, and was on active duty in the Aviation Division, Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, Washington, DC as head of the Naval Aviation Photography section.

Shortly after the conclusion of World War I on November 11, 1918, almost all of the Naval photographers who were graduates of the Naval Photographic School at Miami, FL, in 1918 had left the Naval service. In fact, less than ten Naval photographers were on active duty in the Navy in 1919, most of whom on duty assignments in the Washington, DC area.

In 1919, LT Walter L. Richardson had to re-establish a photographic organization for the Navy with less than 10 enlisted Naval photographers. LT Richardson's first job was to re-establish the Naval Photographic School which was placed into operation at the US Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC, early in 1920. Secondly, he had to formulate a plan for the use of photography in the Navy and, thirdly, he had to secure the necessary appropriations to purchase the required photographic equipment for Naval photographic operations.

Upon the establishment of the Naval Bureau of Aeronautics in the Navy Department, Washington, DC in 1921, all Aviation Divisions in the Bureau of Navigation were transferred to the then new Bureau of Aeronautics with RADM William A. Moffett, USN, as Chief of the Bureau.

Photography was included in this transfer with LT Walter L. Richardson, USNR as Officer in Charge of the photography section of the Flight Division of the Bureau of Aeronautics.

In 1922, Richardson resigned his commissioned officer status in the United States Naval Reserve and was encouraged by ADM Moffett to accept a civil service position in the Bureau of Aeronautics as senior scientist to be responsible for the development and utilization of photography in the Navy.

During the 1920's and 1930's Mr. Walter L. Richardson displayed a great deal of enthusiasm and persistence in exploiting Naval photography in the face of adversities which might have stopped a man with a little less faith in himself and in the importance of the new job he was doing for the Navy.

Mr. Richardson frequently took time from his Bureau of Aeronautics office to direct and participate in the testing of new photographic equipment for Naval use at the US Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC, Norfolk, VA, and Lakehurst, NJ.

Mr. Richardson, with experimental camera equipment, was aboard the airship USS Shenandoah’s last flight in September, 1925 when the airship broke apart in a thunderstorm and crashed to earth in the farm lands near Ada, Ohio. Richardson floated to the ground in the tail section of the falling airship from which he escaped miraculously with a few bruises and a thorough shaking up. Richardson recovered his camera equipment and proceeded to take photographs of the airship wreckage for official use by the Navy.

The re-establishment of the Naval Photography School at Anacostia in 1920 (later relocated to Naval Air Station, Pensacola in 1924) was accomplished by the persistent efforts of Mr. Walter L. Richardson. Also, the development and modernization of the Naval aerial camera equipment manufactured by the Fairchild Camera Corporation during the 1920's and 1930's was done under the watchful eye and direction of Mr. Walter L. Richardson.

During the early twenties Mr. Walter L. Richardson as head photography scientist of the Navy, along with CAPT A.W. Stevens and CAPT George Godart, US Army Signal Corps, encouraged Mr. Sherman Fairchild to establish and operate an aerial camera manufacturing facility in this country which Mr. Fairchild established at Woodside, NY.

One of the several chores that Mr. Richardson had to do as head of Naval photography was the preparation of the annual figures and justification for the Naval photography budget which was time consuming and sometimes quite disheartening, especially when a budget request was chopped at the ankles by the reviewing officers who had little or no interest in Naval photography.

During the 1920's and early 1930's Mr. Richardson did not have too much trouble with his budget requests while ADM Moffett was Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics. Shortly after ADM Moffett was lost on the Airship USS AKRON in 1933, and upon RADM E.J. King's take over as Chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics, the budget requests prepared by Mr. Walter L. Richardson really took a beating; in fact, one year ADM King cut the Naval photography budget to $50,000 which closed the Naval School of Photography at Pensacola for one year. Also, no camera equipment was purchased that year. The $50,000 was insufficient for the purchase of photographic equipment and supplies for the normal operations of the various photographic units in the Navy.

In spite of the frequent budget cuts, Richardson never gave up. He pursued his convictions in regard to the advancement and employment of the photographic science in the Navy so that by 1937 - 1938 he had re-established a reasonable photography budget for all US Navy operations.

During the period 1919 - 1945 Mr. Richardson maintained close liaison with the US Government Departments that had photographic operations and was highly respected for his knowledge and cooperation by the various government agencies and, likewise, by the several private companies who designed and manufactured professional photographic equipment and supplies.

Mr. Richardson, during the 1920's and 1930's, was personally acquainted with most of the active duty Naval photographers to such a degree that he was highly successful in his selection of the best qualified Naval photographers for various specialized assignments that the Naval Bureau of Aeronautics was requested to cover.

During Mr. Richardson's 30 years in Naval photography, 1915-1945, he was never a quitter. In spite of numerous adversities he never faltered in his sincere, loyal efforts for the advancement and utilization of photography in the US Navy.

Mr. W.L. Richardson from 1919 to 1945 was truly the father of US naval Photography who had the good fortune to see the fruits of his labor in Naval Photography expand from a small 10 man group to over 6,000 officers and men and annual expenditures of a few thousand dollars to over one hundred million dollars at the close of World War II.

Mr. Richardson was very active in the administration of Naval Photography right up to the day of his fatal heart attack in 1945 while on an inspection tour of the US Naval Photographic Laboratories.

The following 20 odd letters indicate the involvement of Naval Photography during the early 1920's, much of which was due to the initiative of Mr. Walter L. Richardson.

1. The Office of Gunnery Exercises and Engineering Performances expects to record future practices by means of aerial photographs. To perfect a suitable method for this work, the Photographic Section, Bureau of Navigation, has done preliminary experimental work. The results of these experiments indicate that the method is feasible, but that it will require certain developments in regard to cameras and considerable skill on the part of the personnel, both for pilot and photographer.

2. The Bureau believes that the best results for obtaining this development, and the necessary skill for its utilization when developed, will be obtained by the hearty cooperation on the part of all Stations in this work. There is an excellent field in this line for Stations to develop something very useful.

3. If a camera is carried above the earth's surface and an exposure made on a plate parallel to the horizon, the resulting picture is a map whose scale is dependent on the focal length of the lens and the height of the camera above the earth. But it is impossible to always have the plane of the plate parallel to the horizon, and when the plate is inclined, there is a distortion in the resulting picture depending upon the inclination of the plate. There has lately been developed in the Geological Survey a transforming camera which received a picture taken on a plate inclined to the horizon plane, and reproduces it on another plate true to scale. In order to transform a picture in the transforming camera, it is necessary to have three points in the original picture whose distances and angles from each other are accurately known.

4. The first experiment was made off Cape Henry, using the DELAWARE and four destroyers. the DELAWARE towed a target at 800 yards, thus the DELAWARE, one destroyer and the target at all times formed a triangle on known dimensions for reference in rectifying the pictures. The other two destroyers represented positions of splashes, the entire arrangement representing as closely as possible the conditions for target practice. The pictures obtained were excellent, but the plane kept at too great an angle from the vertical to make them of much use in the transforming camera. The maximum transforming angle of the camera is forty-five degrees, and its best results are obtained when the angle is less than twenty degrees. The second test was made over Washington, using known points, and perfect results were obtained. Since then, other pictures have been taken from time to time, all with excellent results.

5. One of the difficulties, however, which was experienced during these experiments was that the field covered by the standard navy hand-held camera at an altitude of from 5,000 to 6,000 feet was only about 800 yards on the longest side, which field is smaller than that desired for record purposes. The focal length of the Navy standard hand-held camera is 9-7/8 inches and that of the K1-type camera is 19.5 inches. A greater field will be covered by both of these cameras by using a shorter focal length lens. The Bureau accordingly has ordered 6.5 inch lenses for the hand-held cameras, and 12-inch lenses for the K1-type cameras. The delivery of the first of these lenses with cones has been made, and further experiments with these lenses will be undertaken as soon as the ice on the river at Anacostia permits of further flights.

6. The Stations, meanwhile, can perform a valuable service if they begin the proper training of pilots and photographers. The requirements for successful work of this nature are as follows:

(1) Maintain altitude of 5,000 to 6,000 feet, and keep inside of circular area 20 degrees from the vertical position over the target of fixed point. (NOTE: A sighting instrument is being developed as an aid to the pilot in maintaining position).

(2) Judge the distance from the area mentioned in (1) in order that he would always be able to get in position while the splashes still show.

(1) To take picture with a hand-held camera from an altitude of 5,000 to 6,000 feet and include all points in a field previously designated. The points C and B, as laid out in the enclosure, are at the distances and bearings which it is intended to use at target practice. A point on either beam of the towing ship is used so that the towing ship, target, and either C or B will be included in the picture.

(2) Ability to judge if he is inside the circular area of 20 degrees from the vertical position over the target.

(4) A splash will last about ten seconds but the slick will last as long as three minutes. The first shot to fall will probably indicate the general location of the salvo, and the plane should maneuver to a favorable position for obtaining the picture. The photographer must time by stop watch the time between the fall of the first shot and the time he takes the picture, being careful not to make an exposure until all shots fall.

7. The Naval Air Station, Pensacola, makes use of aerial pictures to record the results of bombing exercises. In their method the photograph is taken with the camera plate nearly horizontal, and the resulting error neglected, as they find that it is smaller than that obtained by any other available method. But if stations holding bombing practice will place the target inside a known triangle or rectangle, or bring such a triangle or rectangle around the target, so that the known triangle or rectangle is included in the picture, the picture can be rectified and a picture true to scale obtained. The Office of Target Practice and Gunnery Exercises will welcome such pictures from stations and furnish them with copies of the rectified pictures.

8. For instruction purposes, if the opportunity presents itself, take a chart or map of the vicinity in which the Station is located, pick our three or four points which may be easily identified from the air, forming a triangle or rectangle, whose sides are between 400 and 800 yards. Select a point near the center to represent the target and decide upon other points, which you wish to include in the area. Then send a plane up to take pictures of the area. Send these pictures and negatives to the Office of Gunnery Exercises and Engineering Performances, with a description of the points chosen and information as to the chart or map used, in order that a tracing can be made of the true triangle or rectangle. This true triangle or rectangle has to be used in making coordinates in the transforming process. when the transformed picture has been made, a copy with the scale will be returned so that the Station can see what results were obtained.

9. While it is realized that the equipment on hand at the Stations at present is not adequate to properly perform this work and that most Stations are without trained photographers, it is believed that much value will be obtained from this work in training pilots and initiating personnel in regard to the difficulties to be overcome. the pictures obtained will be furthermore of value and it is hoped as well that many valuable suggestions will be received from the Stations. Effort is being made to have this method sufficiently perfected to obtain photographs of the target practice to be held by the Fleet this spring upon its return from southern waters.

Subject: Hydrographic Office representative on Committee of Aerial Photographic Surveying and Mapping of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics.

References: (a) Chief of Naval Operations letter of April 29, 1919, OP. Air 0163-367

(b) Hydrographic Office letter of April 30, 1919, nominating Commander Edwin H. Tillman, USN

In connection with references, in view of the fact that Commander Edwin H. Tillman, USN (Ret) has been relieved from all active duty in connection with the Hydrographic Office, Commander W.D. Puleston, USN, is named to represent the Hydrographic Office at any future conferences of the Committee on Aerial Photographic Surveying and Mapping of the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, and the chairman of the executive committee will be so advised.

1. In accordance with references (a) and (b), there have been assembled at Hampton Roads and Philadelphia, respectively, aviation photographic outfits for expeditionary forces of Marines.

2. The outfit at Hampton Roads was shipped to the Supply Officer, Naval Supply Station, Hampton Roads, VA, marked "Quartermaster, 2nd Division, Squadron E, Marine Aviation Forces".

3. The outfit at Philadelphia was delivered by truck to the Supply Officer, Navy Yard, Philadelphia, marked "Quartermaster, Squadron F, Marine Aviation Force".

4. Certain items which were missing when delivery was made have been, or will shortly be, added to these outfits, except repair kits for L-type cameras, which are not in stock.

The Navy Department desires to secure one or more ultra rapid cinematograph cameras for educational purposes. Information has been supplied by a representative of the Eastman Kodak Company to the effect that either you or Mr. Earl Emlay, who has been working with you, could supply information as to how these ultra rapid cameras could be obtained.

Any information that you can supply in regard to the cost of these cameras, specifications, etc., will greatly appreciated by the Bureau of Navigation.

1. The efforts of Machinist Smith in the construction of attachments for Navy cameras are considered very creditable, and the Bureau wishes to commend him on the interest and initiative shown.

2. However, referring to paragraphs "2"and "4" of reference (a), it is advised that the Commanding Officer must have been misinformed relative to statements made by LT W.L. Richardson regarding the construction of Navy type hand-held cameras.

3. LT Richardson informs the Bureau that he did not make a statement to the effect that the Navy type hand-held camera was built from the model forwarded to CDR Jewell from Miami. Proposals for bids for the construction of the hand-held camera had gone out before the attachment designed for Graflex camera was received.

4. In regard to the mount for the cinematograph camera, referred to in paragraph "3" of reference, LT Richardson states that this attachment was used at Miami in January, 1919, but it proved unsatisfactory due to unsteadiness of camera when so mounted. In accordance with this report, the attachment was not adopted.

1. Reference (a) above requested the Naval Air Station at Pensacola to obtain motion picture photographs of the development of torpedo launching from aircraft. reference (b) states that there is no motion picture apparatus at Pensacola at present and that therefore only still pictures can be taken.

2. The Bureau has been informed by the Photographic Section of the Bureau of Navigation that it is expected to send a moving picture camera and personnel to operate it to Pensacola within a few months.

3. It is requested that such still pictures as possible be obtained pending the arrival of the moving picture camera.

Via: Sixth Division, Bureau of Navigation; Photographic Division, Bureau of Navigation

Subject: Request for assignment of Photographic Division to Enlisted Personnel Division

1. It is believed that the Recruiting Section of the Enlisted Personnel Division uses more photographs than any other division in the Bureau of Navigation, and for this reason it maintains at New York as a part of the Recruiting Bureau, a photographic section.

2. The proper handling of this section involves both communication and work with the Photographic Division of the Bureau of Navigation, and it is believed that this work would be better promoted if the Photographic Division were made a part of the Enlisted Personnel Division.

Forwarded. It is the opinion of the undersigned that the recommendation be approved if the Photographic Division is to have its principal work photography and kindred subject. It was understood, however, that this Division was in reality to be a material division but was not so named for obvious reasons. Insofar as Photography is concerned there is need for a consolidation and freedom from duplication of effort.

1. It is believed that this recommendation is made on a misconception of the functions of the Photographic Section of the Navigation-Aviation Division. This section was transferred to the Bureau of Navigation from Aviation when the latter was split up among the Bureaus, and its activities are primarily connected with Aviation. It is maintained during 1920 by an allotment of funds from the appropriation "Aviation, Navy 1920" of approximately $40,000 for maintenance and equipment, and utilizes photographic laboratories and equipment at Naval Air Stations built and equipped during the War from Aviation appropriations at a cost of about $250,000. For the fiscal year 1921, the Aviation estimates carry approximately $65,000 for equipment and maintenance of activities under this section.

2. Its most important work at present is the development and application of aerial photography to target practice recording, aerial reconnaissance, aerial mapping, and records of new construction and technical development.

3. It is practical and desirable to utilize its facilities for publicity, recruiting, and morale. Since assuming charge of this Section, I have released to the Publicity and Recruiting Bureau valuable Aviation moving picture films; specifically, one of the NC Trans-Atlantic Flight, one of aerial views obtained on a flight across the Panama Canal, showing the Pacific Fleet going through the Canal, and a third of aerial views taken on a flight up the Pacific Coast in connection with the arrival of the newly formed Pacific Fleet. The Recruiting Bureau has had about fifty copies of these films made for use all over the country. In addition, it has been possible to supply a certain number of still photographs for posters, etc., to Aviation and to Recruiting and Publicity, and can be further extended when the present photographic personnel under training becomes available for service.

4. However, it is recommended that this Section be not made a part of the Enlisted Personnel Division. To do so would be to give to one Naval activity the control of facilities that should be available for all Naval purposes, and would require duplication on the part of others if they are to utilize photography as they wish to do. It is recommended instead that all photographic work in the Navy be concentrated in this Section. Unless this is done, the Section will revert to the Aviation Bureau, if the latter is formed, and the Enlisted Personnel and Welfare Divisions will have to duplicate the work. This Section has already been doing work for practically every Bureau of the Navy Department, including the Bureau of Y & D, C&R, S.E., and Office of Gunnery Exercises and Engineering Performances, Director of Naval Communications (Code and Signal Section), and Planning Section of Operations. There are no adequate photographic facilities elsewhere in the Navy, although meager facilities are maintained by others, representing in most cases duplication and waste. The work done by this Section at present is not controlled by the demand, but by the lack of trained personnel. The demands for photographic work are large, are not confined to any one Bureau, and can best be met by concentrating photographic activities in one section.

5. The correct division of duties between the Photographic Section and the Personnel division is believed to be as follows: The Photographic Section should confine its activities to the procuring of photographic equipment, assisting in the training of personnel, and to taking, developing, copying, and enlarging of pictures. The Personnel division should confine its activities to distribution of pictures, and to recommendations of types they desire, or specific events they wish covered.

Subject: Request for assignment of Photographic Division to Enlisted Personnel Division

1. Forwarded. The recommendations of the Officer in Charge of the Aviation Division of the Bureau of Navigation are believed to be sound.

2. It is recommended that all of the photographic work be placed under the Aviation Section. That section should not be abandoned, as there is an immense amount of development and technical work to be carried on in photography, and it is believed that this would not be properly looked out for in a section interested primarily in photography of an ordinary commercial and nontechnical character.

1. Final preparations are being made for camera parties to obtain aerial photographs of the Fleet target practices during May. The equipment and camera men will be provided by the Bureau and arrangements with the Fleet will be made by the Director of Target Practice and Engineering Competition. It is desired that the Air Station, Hampton Roads, supply the planes and dirigibles for the work. The tentative plan for this work is outlined in the following paragraphs for your comments. Make any suggestions for changes which you consider necessary or desirable from the viewpoint of the Station, or if the procedure herein outlined is impractical, submit an alternative plan.

2. The endeavor will be to maintain one L.A. craft and one H.A. craft over the target at all times during which firing is taking place. The L.A. craft should carry one mapping camera, one hand-held camera, and two men in addition to the crew necessary for operation. The H.A. craft should carry one photographer and one hand-held camera in addition to the regular crew.

3. Two hours before commencing firing, the firing vessels will radio to the Air Station the time at which firing is expected to begin. One plane and one dirigible will remain on the range as long as practical during the firing, and then return to the Station.

4. A second plane meanwhile will be held in readiness, and sent to the range in time to relieve the first plane before its fuel is so far reduced as to necessitate its return. This procedure of the H.A. craft will be continued so as to maintain one plane over the target throughout the firing. The Bureau is preparing to send photographers and equipment on the basis of a total of three planes being sufficient. Please note in your comments the number and types of planes it is expected to employ in this work. Particular attention is invited to the requirements as outlined in reference (a). These requirements have been found in experiments to be fairly well met by the J.S. type boats, except for difficulty in maintaining 5000 feet height with sufficient ease.

5. The essential features are that the planes be there when the firing is being done; that they maintain a minimum altitude of 5000 feet; and that they keep within the cone formed by an angle 25 degrees from the vertical, the apex of the cone being the center of the triangle formed by the two Station destroyers and the target. Unless the pictures are taken above 5000 feet, the area covered is insufficient, and if taken outside the cone, the angle is too great for proper rectification. radio for the camera planes will not be necessary.

6. One of the pilots at Anacostia is obtaining practice in keeping the plane in position and can be sent to assist in the work. It will probably be desirable to order a pilot from Norfolk to temporary duty at Anacostia to become familiar with the work in advance.

1. There are forwarded herewith for your information airplane photographs of the fall of shot for Day Individual Practice 1919-1920 for the PENNSYLVANIA, ARIZONA, OKLAHOMA and NEVADA.

2. Airplane photographs of the fall of shot of the Pacific Fleet were not suitable for plotting.

3. It is requested that the negatives of the triangulation pictures of the Pacific Fleet Day Individual and Division Practices be forwarded to the Department together with such results of plotting as may have been worked out by the Camera Party.

It is understood that the Signal Corps, U.S. Army, is offering for sale a number of surplus Akeley Motion Picture Cameras. It is requested that one of these machines be turned over to the Navy department as authorized in the Act H. R. 55608, "An Act Making appropriations for the naval service for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1920, and for other purposes", as follows:

"The interchange without compensation therefore, of military stores, supplies, and equipment of every character, including real estate owned by the Government, is hereby authorized between the Army and the Navy upon request of the head of one service and with the approval of the head of the other service". It is requested that this camera and outfit be delivered to the Recruiting Section, Enlisted Personnel Division, Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, in the new Navy Building.

1. In reply to your letter dated May 27, 1920, requesting the transfer from the War Department to the Navy Department, under the authority of the 1920 Naval Appropriation Act, without transfer of funds, of one Akeley Motion Picture Camera, you are advised that the chief Signal Officer of the Army has been authorized to ship one camera of the above type to the Recruitjng Section, Enlisted Personnel Division, Bureau of Navigation, Navy Department, Navy Building, Washington, DC.

1. It is desired that the complement of the USS LEBANON be increased as follows: (a) Fifteen Chief Petty Officers (b) Two Seaman.

2. Fifteen Chief Petty Officers comprising the Permanent Camera Party of the Atlantic Fleet are now carried on the LEBANON as supernumeraries, and it is desired that the allowed complement of that vessel be increase to provide for their detail.

The Navy Department is anxious to develop a camera which will take clear pictures at long ranges (20,000 yards), of splashes of salvos from large caliber guns. These pictures are to be used in the training of spotters.

A lens which it is thought will be suitable for this purpose has recently been purchased by the Navy Department.

It is, therefore, requested that the Bureau of standards be authorized to proceed with the development of a camera, designed for the purpose given above, using the lens supplied by the Navy Department.

Specifications for the construction of this camera will be furnished when the Bureau of Standards is ready to proceed with the work.

1. The Naval air Station, Hampton Roads, VA., will undertake the necessary experimental work to develop a suitable installation of the K-l mapping camera in the F-5-L type of seaplane. This work will be given precedence in order to complete it in time to permit the altering of several F-5-L boats of the Fleet Air Force before the Fleet sails for Guantanamo this winter.

(a) The K-l type mapping camera must be mounted in a sheltered position in the plane with its optical axis vertical, with plane at normal incidence at 4000 feet.

(b) A hole must be provided in the boat to permit the camera to have an unobstructed view downward when using either the short (12-inch) or long (20-inch) focus cone.

(c) This hole must be provided with a plate, or other covering, so arranged as to permit of quick closing in case of an emergency landing. This plate can be in place for landing or taking off, and need never be removed when below 3000 feet.

(d) The full strength of the hull should be retained both with the plate in place and with it removed. This will require suitable reinforcing where the hole is cut through.

(e) Additional desirable features of the location selected are that it provide good accessibility to the camera, be as free as possible from vibration in flight, provide enough room to allow moderate future changes in the camera or its mountings and adjustment for change in flying angle from 4 to 14 degrees angle of incidence, and not bring the hole in the hull at a point subject to the maximum strains in landing and taking off. An inspection of an F-5-L indicated that these conditions are probably best met in the extreme bow or just aft of the step. the selection of a suitable location is, however, left entirely to your discretion.

3. When a suitable mounting has been made, and properly tested, forward to the Bureau complete plans for the alterations necessary to the hull. These plans should reach the Bureau as soon as practicable in order to permit alterations to additional boats before the first of the year.

1. Confirming telephone conversation of this date, it is requested that inter-bureau requisition be prepared for two K-1 automatic camera gimbal suspensions to be secured from the U.S. Army Air Service.

2. It is requested that these camera suspensions be shipped to the Naval Aircraft Factory, U.S. Navy Yard, Philadelphia, PA, as early as practicable.

1. It is the desire of the department to continue the plotting of fall of shots from aerial photographs of the Long Range Battle Practices of the Atlantic Fleet during the coming winter. In order to successfully carry out this work it will be necessary to utilize the following equipment and personnel from the Fleet Air Detachment.

The above enumerated flying boats and pilots should be available for special instruction at the Naval Air Station Guantanamo not later than two weeks

2. It is the intention of the Department to provide one experienced officer to assist in taking these observations and one pilot to instruct pilots detailed from the Fleet Air Detachment. the photographers will be obtained from the Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC.

Subject: Aerial Photographs of Long Range Battle Practices, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, Personnel for

1. It is desired that the following officers and men be ordered to report to the Commanding Officer, Air Force, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, at Guantanamo, Cuba, not later than 7 March, 1921, for temporary duty in connection with aerial photographs of the Day Individual and Division practices of the Atlantic Fleet.

In January 1921 A.K. Peterson, Chief Aviation Pilot and Lyman E. Goodnight, Aviation Printer (Photographer) and K.M. Taylor, Seaman 1/C were assigned to a special project which took them to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where they were to take aerial pictures of fall of shot during the long range battle practice of the fleet in Cuban waters. This was the first time this aerial photography was tried as a regular fleet operating activity. the cameras were 4 x 5 hand-held F&S models made by the Kodak Company which held 12 plates in a magazine. Prior to photographic flights, Goodnight marked up some sheets in a notebook for use during the flight for recording time of photographs, time of exposure, etc. Goodnight had to borrow an Ingersoll watch which he had hanging in the cockpit for the purpose of timing the flight of the shells from the time he observed the gun flashes from the battleships to the arrival in the target area of the shell splashes. Peterson would fly the plane in a big figure "S" near the targets and Goodnight would keep a sharp eye out for the gun flashes and splashes of the shells in the target area at which time he would write down the time in his notebook and be ready for the next series of splashes. During the time when only one ship was firing this practice was not too difficult, but when several ships were firing, the pictures were often taken on time but the record was not written until later and then from memory. The target area was supposed to have three objects showing in each picture; the towing vessel with the target in tow, a reference vessel abreast the towing vessel with about thesame distance on each side of the target. If the photographic airplane position made it impossible to do this they would get the target and the splashes and one reference vessel, if possible. Their first time out the coverage was far from good, but every time they did go out, improvement was made. They were able to set up better communications between the pilot and photographer. They learned better ways to keep records and they also learned to estimate the lapse of time between gun flash and the shell splashes which meant that they didn't have to use a stop watch to time them. They learned that when they saw the flash from the gun on the firing ship that they had ample time to turn the plane around into a new heading which would give them a much better position for the pictures. Along toward the end of the fleet firing off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the pictures were so good and were so well received by the plotting room officers that they found them to be a great help in clearing up some of the problems which were shown in the surface pictures. The airplane that Chief Pilot Peterson and Goodnight were using in Guantanamo Bay for aerial photography for the fall of shot during the fleet firing was a VE-7 which was a Vought airplane on a single float. This particular airplane had a water-cooled engine with a wood prop propeller. The camera that Goodnight was using for the aerial photography was a 4 x 5 plate camera made by the F&S division of the Eastman Kodak Company early in World War I days.

After Goodnight and Peterson had completed their assignment at Guantanamo Bay they returned to Anacostia, DC, with many new plans which they hoped to be able to try out the next time they were ordered out for a similar type work.

The following memorandum from LCDR Richard E. Byrd, USN, to CAPT William A. Moffett, USN furnished information which helped the Navy Department and Congress to establish the U.S. Naval Bureau of Aeronautics in 1921.

(a) Bureau does not require great change in departmental organization of aviation, and requires no change of organization outside of Navy Department.

(e) The least appropriate place to put it was in the Planning Division of Operations.

(f) "The Director of Aviation", a misnomer, as he is simply the senior member of a sub-section of the Planning Division, and has no executive or administrative power because,

(g) Aviation is split up in the ten divisions or bureaus of the Navy Department, each of which is a law unto itself.

(h) The Chief of Naval Operations, who is responsible for Aviation, has insufficient time to give great attention to Aviation details.

(i) The Bureau is strongly favored by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics, the Naval War College, the Chief of Naval Operations, the House Committee on Naval Affairs, and the Senate Committee on Naval Affairs.

1. It is requested that permission be obtained from the Army to send three qualified commissioned pilots to the Army School of aerial Photography at Langley Field, Hampton, VA., to take their course in aerial photography. Unofficial inquiries indicate that the Army will be glad to train these men.

2. The condition of the Naval Officer personnel is very unsatisfactory in regard to aerial photography, and threatens to become even worse if any of the officers now doing duty as photographic officers fail to pass the examinations for the Regular Navy. We have officers at most of the Air Stations who have been assigned to this work for some time, and have picked up some knowledge in the course of their duties. But even these men know nothing of aerial mapping, their knowledge being mostly confined to what they learned from the enlisted personnel

3. Meanwhile developments in photographic surveying have taken place and we are already engaged in two survey projects (Guantanamo for the Hydrographic Office, and the Delta of the Mississippi for the Army and Coast and Geodetic Survey). One of the projects is under the responsibility of an enlisted man and the other under the responsibility of an officer who has had no previous training or experience. Needless to say, this is unsatisfactory.

4. ADM Chandler told me yesterday that he would shortly request the fitting of a survey vessel to carry planes. We now have suitable photographic apparatus and will soon have suitable planes. But we have no officers qualified to take charge of this work, and should start training some at once. The Army has always employed officers for this work, and are therefore in a position to train officers where we are not.

5. It should also be noted in this connection that LT Richardson, who now has charge of the Photographic Section, is a Reserve Officer and may not qualify in the examinations. We have no suitable relief for him. In any event, he cannot stay on duty here forever and we should begin now to train new officer material.

6. The next class at the Army School at Langley Field starts April 25th, and I understand that they are willing to take Naval Officers any time after that date. It is requested that permission be obtained from the Army and that three qualified commissioned pilots be authorized to take the course, which will take three months.

CAPT Moffett has referred your letter of April 28th to the Photographic Section of this Bureau.

We are glad to hear that you are still interested in developing gyroscopic stabilization for airplane photography, and that your efforts in that line are being attended with success. We will appreciate it if, when your first apparatus is ready for trial in a plane, you will give us an opportunity of testing it.

1. It is directed that vertical and 45 degree oblique aerial photographs be made from altitudes ranging from 1000 to 3000 feet of Ex-German submarines U117, 140, 111, and UB48. After these photographs and a sufficient number of prints for use of the pilots under your command are made, one print and all of the negatives should be carefully packed and shipped to the Bureau of Navigation for the purpose of making additional prints for other Stations.

3. Aerial photographs of the "Frankfurt" and "Ostfriesland", the Iowa, and three ex-German destroyers are to be made by personnel at the US Naval Air Station, Rockaway Beach, LT, NY and the US Naval Air Station, Hampton Roads, VA. as early as possible, copies of which will be sent for use of the pilots under your command as soon as the negatives have been received at the Navy Department.

1. The Bureau is fitting two L-type cameras for use in bombing practice to carry out, as far as practicable, the recommendations of reference (a). These cameras will be sent to Hampton Roads this week.

2. The cameras should be mounted with optical axis vertical when the plane is at the normal flying angle of incidence for the bombing altitude (usually not zero on the inolinometer). This will place the plate to all practical purposes parallel to the surface of the water, and give a picture free from distortion. The field of the picture is sufficient to insure including the target if the plane is kept on its course as the bomb is released.

3. The camera is operated by the pilot or observer, who must move a lever when he sees the splashes appear. The camera then takes the picture, shifts the plates, re-sets the shutter, and is automatically ready for the next exposure. Unless all picutres are taken at the same altitude, the altitude must also be recorded.

4. Squared plates for altitudes ranging from 1 to 4000 feet inclusive are being supplied for each camera, the lines on the plates being drawn for polation. It should be noted that the squared plates supplied are for even 1000-foot altitudes, and that unnecessary errors will enter if they are used for intermediate altitudes. They are simply supplied to carry out the recommendations of reference (a). The Bureau does not recommend their use, but recommends instead that the distance of the splash from the target be taken off by dividers, and the distance on the water calculated by similar triangles, where the distance on the ground is to the distance on the place as the bombing altitude is to the focal length of the lens.

Subject: Aerial Photographic Mosaic Maps of the US Navy Yard, Wash. DC and US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD

1. It is directed that photographic mosaic maps be made of the US Navy Yard, Washington, DC and the US Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD as early as practicable, and six photographic copies (16 by 20 inch in size) be furnished this Bureau as soon as completed.

To: Commanding Officer, US Naval Air Station, Naval Operating Base, Hampton Roads, VA

Subject: Aerial Photography in Connection with Bombing Ex-German ships and the Ex-Iowa

Reference: (a) BUNCV. letter to Chief of Naval Operations.#1071-5149, dated 7 June, 1921, and first endorsement from Chief of Naval Operations to Commanding Officer, US Naval Air Station, Hampton Roads, VA., dated 13 June 1921

1. As noted in reference (a), it is desired that two planes and one dirigible to provided by the Station under your command for use of photographic party in connection with securing an aerial photographic record of the bombing of ex-German ships, and that two planes (and, if possible, a dirigible) be provided for use of this party in connection with bombing exercises with the ex-Iowa. The use of F-5-L type flying boats and the C-3 dirigible is preferred.

2. In the above connection, it is desired that one still photographer and one cinematographer go out in each of the planes and also in the dirigible to be over the target during the firing by surface craft.

3. The altitude maintained by the dirigible during the firing should be approximately 4,000 feet and the altitude maintained by the planes during both bombing and firing should be between 5,000 and 6,000 feet.

4. The dirigible, during all of the bombing and firing practice, should remain as nearly as possible directly over the target, and the planes should circle in such a manner that oblique photographs may be made not over 45 degrees from the vertical.

5. If it is found that the exercises on a given day will consume more time than it is possible for the planes to remain in the air without refueling, the two planes should be sent out so as to relieve each other in their positions over the target.

6. LT W.L. Richardson, USNRF, will be ordered from this Bureau to the Station under your command on temporary additional duty, for the purpose of supervising all official aerial photographic activities in connection with the above bombing and firing practice. Three enlisted photographers will be ordered from the U.S. Naval Air Station, Anacostia, DC, for the above duty, and Chief Printers (Aviation) Russell and Guinn, now attached to the Station under your command, will be required to assist in covering this bombing and firing practice photographically from the air.