Early in 1920 the first permanent camera party was organized in the U.S. Atlantic Fleet aboard the USS LEBANON which was based at Norfolk, VA. On August 5, 1920, the Chief of Naval Operations letter OP-22 (61-12)(D-L) to the Chief of Bureau of Navigation authorized the increase in the allowed complement of the USS LEBANON of 15 Chief Petty Officers and two seamen who comprised the permanent camera party of the Atlantic Fleet.

As the Navy in 1920 had not yet established the enlisted rating of photographer, the Chief Petty Officers assigned to the permanent camera party held their respective general service ratings and were engaged in Triangulation photography of various Fleet gunnery exercises conducted off the Virginia Coast and in the Caribbean off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

These men assigned duty in the permanent camera party aboard the USS LEBANON were former "ship's photographers" and were somewhat acquainted with the basic principles of photography. The Bureau of Ordnance, Fleet Gunnery Exercises Division provided typed instructions for the operation and maintenance of the Triangulation Cameras, and for the film processing and printing procedures.

The camera party laboratory aboard the USS LEBANON consisted of about six compartments for their office, stockroom, Triangulation picture plotting, photo copying, film drying, chemical storage and mix, film processing (wood rack and deep tanks), contact printing and enlarging printing.

In addition to the Triangulation cameras, they had several Eastman 3A Kodak cameras 3-1/4 x 5-1/2, postcard picture size, one photo copy camera 6-1/2 x 8-1/2 and two view cameras 6-1/2 x 8-1/2, also two R.B. Graflex 4 x 5 cameras and one Graflex 5 x 7 camera. The Triangulation and 3A Kodak cameras used roll film, and the other cameras used glass dry plates.

The processing of the roll film was done by wrapping the film around a wood slat rack and immersing the solutions in the deep wood tanks. The solution temperature was cooled by a refrigerant brine system to a lead coil inside the solution tanks. These lead coils were filled with brine under pressure from the ship's compressors and would occasionally spring a leak which contaminated the processing solutions, so when this happened the photographers would have to dump the tank, repair the leak, mix new solutions and then cool the solution which sometimes required a day or so before they were back into operation. There were times when a small brine leak occurred which was not discovered until they had ruined some film in the process. In later years they had daily laboratory procedure whereby a check for brine contamination was made prior to processing any film in the deep tanks.

In 1921 the Atlantic Fleet camera party operated on the East Coast aboard the USS LEBANON based at Norfolk, VA. The LEBANON was relieved late in 1921 or early 1922 by the USS ANTARES, a cargo ship built at Hog Island Shipyard during World War I. The ANTARES had #4 cargo space converted into a photographic laboratory which consisted of about ten rooms. The camera party aboard the USS ANTARES was headed by a naval officer with about 16 enlisted naval photographers.

In 1921 the Pacific Fleet Camera party operated on the West Coast aboard the USS NANSHAN based at San Pedro, CA. The laboratory facilities aboard the NANSHAN were most inadequate for the type and volume of photographic work required of the Pacific Fleet camera party, and as time went on additional photographic coverage of the Fleet operations was ordered as indicated in the following letter:

Quote OP-22 (440-112) 1/15/22 Le

From: Chief of Naval Operations

To: Commander Battleship Squadron, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Via: Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Fleet

Subject: Combined Division Practice-Additional Observations

1. It is requested that the necessary instructions be issued for obtaining the following additional observations of the combined division practice.

(a) Each ship submit with its report an extra sheet to follow sheet 8 in this report giving the sequence of firing for own ship, ship ahead and ship astern with the time of salvo for each. This data is essential to rectify any differences in time as recorded by the various ships firing.

(b) Aerial pictures shall be taken by three planes simultaneously. One shall cover the towing vessel, station vessel and first two targets. The second shall cover the 2nd to 5th target inclusive, the 3rd shall cover from the 5th to the last target inclusive. An overlap is essential in the fields

covered by the photographic planes for the purpose of rectifying the pictures. If practicable the K-type camera will be used for obtaining pictures of the rear end of the tow. The above assignment is based on the assumption that a tow of 8 targets will be used. If the number of targets is changed, the assignment should be changed accordingly.

(c) Moving and still pictures shall be taken of the towed targets from the aircraft, if practicable. These pictures should cover the entire tow. A position 1000 yards to 2000 yards ahead of the towing vessel at an altitude of 5000 feet is suggested. These pictures will prove of great value in recognizing the sequence of salvos from various ships firing.

(d) Pictures shall be taken from the main top of the towing vessel. If the top camera is not available, a Triangulation camera not used on deck shall be substituted.

W.C. Cole
Acting

In July, 1922 the USS NANSHAN was placed out of commission, at which time the Pacific Fleet camera party moved ashore to the U. S. Naval Operating Base at San Pedro, CA where they set up temporary photographic laboratory facilities while awaiting the arrival of the USS PROCYON which was then being overhauled and fitted out with a Fleet camera party photographic laboratory on the East Coast. The PROCYON was scheduled to arrive on the West Coast in late December, 1922 or early January, 1923.

The Pacific Fleet camera party laboratory at the U.S. Naval Operating Base at San Pedro, CA was an improvement as compared to the laboratory on the USS NANSHAN; however, in the 35mm motion picture photography business the operation was primitive with equipment such as the Stineman hand-cranked printer and Stineman processing racks and shallow tanks. This shore based laboratory was adequately equipped for Triangulation photography business and a limited amount of Graflex 4 x 5 photography.

In October, 1922, George Carroll, Seaman 2/C USN reported for duty at the U.S. Naval Operating Base in accordance with official orders assigning him to the Pacific Fleet camera party. At that time the camera party consisted of one LCDR and ten Chief Petty Officers, one photographer 1/C, one photographer 3/C and six seamen photographer strikers.

Technical Professional Photography books in the Pacific Fleet camera party were nil. They had fairly good typed instructions covering the operations of the Triangulation cameras - so, due to the lack of professional photography books in the Pacific Fleet camera party and Carroll's interest in learning more about photography in addition to triangulation picture making, he procured a number of professional photography books. During a visit to San Diego Carroll became acquainted with the manager of the Eastman Kodak store who made arrangements with Mr. Paul Favour in the Eastman Kodak Company at Rochester, New York who sent Carroll six or eight professional photography books free of charge, and a number of Eastman Kodak published booklets on photography. Some of these books were titled: Photography Principles and Practices, Photographic Optics, Photographic Chemistry, Motion Picture Photography, Portrait Photography, Light and Photographic Sensitive Materials, Photographic Processing Methods and Procedures.

In January, 1923, Carroll had more professional photographic publications than any other member of the Pacific Fleet camera party and as time passed he and several other members of the Pacific Fleet camera party studied the books and practiced photography thereby becoming more knowledgeable and proficient in the business of photography in the Navy.

The Triangulation photography consisted of two camera units, one camera mounted on the top of the bottom camera, each camera recording a picture size of 9" x 3", the upper and lower camera picture image overlapping each other, the two overlapping pictures had the coverage of about 180 degrees of the target area and reference ship.

Triangulation photography was only used for long range gunnery practice from the Fleet battleships and cruisers firing from a range of 15 to 20 thousand yards at a target being towed about 1000 yards astern of a towing ship, usually a battleship.

Onboard the target towing ship were two Triangulation camera units; one on the starboard side and one on the port side of the quarterdeck opposite #4 turret.

In addition to the Triangulation camera units onboard the target towing ship there was one Triangulation camera unit on each of the two reference ships which were positioned about 800 yards to the starboard and port sides of the target towing ship.

The firing battleship would approach the target area and start firing their 14 inch shells in a salvo pattern of 12 shells per salvo at the target being towed astern the towing ship. As each salvo of shells splashed, the operating naval photographer at each Triangulation camera unit would take a picture of the target area shell splashes and the reference vessels resulting in eight overlapping photographs being made of each salvo splashes. These were later used for Triangulation plot of the official gunnery score.

Each individual battleship of the Pacific Fleet conducted one official long-range firing exercise which consisted of 12 to 15 salvos fired at about one minute intervals from the four main battery turrent. In addition to the individual battleship long-range firing exercise, there was also the battleship division long-range firing exercise which consisted of three battleships in each division. In this type of gunnery exercise there would be 36 shell splashes in each salvo fired by the battleship division.

This large number of shell splashes made the plotting of the division firing exercise more difficult than the individual ship firing exercise because a number of splashes would sometimes appear as one huge splash in the surface Triangulation pictures. In this type of gunnery exercise it was found that the aerial photographs were of great assistance to the plotting officers in the identification and approximate location of the shell splashes.

The long range gunnery exercises of the Pacific Fleet usually were conducted in April-May-June each year during which period there were 12 to 15 junior naval officers assigned to temporary duty in the Pacific Fleet camera party who actually did the detailed plotting of the Triangulation photographs which became the official score of each gunnery firing exercise.

Triangulation photographs taken of long range gunnery exercises in the navy during the years 1922 to 1942 were plotted in accordance with methods prescribed in the Naval Bureau Ordnance Manuel. The accuracy of the Triangulation plot of the shell splashes-target was about 25 yards.

During 1943 - 1945 LT Lyman E. Goodnight, USN (Ex-Chief Photographer, USN) along with a group of young mathematicians developed an improved Triangulation plotting procedure which reduced the old plotting method by 50% and at the same time increased the accuracy to plus or minus 5 yards.

During the later part of each year the battleships and cruisers would conduct their short range firing exercises from a range of 5 to 8 miles which usually consisted of the ship's secondary batteries (5" shells). These short range gunnery exercises were not photograpahed by the Triangulation camera units because of a different type target than that used for long range firing exercises.

The target used for the short range firing exercise was a target raft consisting of four canvas target screens which were photographed by a naval photographer in a motor launch from a distance of about 50 feet. Pictures of each target screen were made after the firing ship had completed one broadside firing run. After the pictures were made of the target screens the target repair party would then board the raft and remove the four target screens and install four new screens in preparation for the next broadside firing exercise which would be the opposite from the first broadside firing.

The photographs of the short range target screens were made with a Graflex 4 x 5 camera by the naval photographer standing up in a bouncing 50 foot motor launch. Many times the naval photographer had to be steadied by members of the target repair crew due to wind and heavy sea conditions. The members of the target repair party and the naval photographer developed "sea legs" during this operation. Pictures of the short range target screens were only used to verify the number of location of the 5" shell holes in the target screen and were used by the designated naval officer scoring the firing exercise. Shell splashes adjacent or near the target raft did not count, therefore, Triangulation and aerial photographs of this type of gunnery exercise were not required.

In 1922 the Atlantic Fleet camera party had their photographic laboratory aboard the USS ANTARES which was based at Norfolk, VA and were engaged in Triangulation photography of long range gunnery exercises and Graflex 4 x 5 photography of short range gunnery exercises on the East Coast off the Virginia coast and in the Caribbean off Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

Late in December, 1922, the USS PROCYON arrived at San Pedro, CA at which time this ship became the Flagship of Commander Pacific Fleet Base Force. The USS PROCYON had been remodeled on the East Coast to provide the necessary quarters and facilities for the Commander Pacific Fleet Base Force which included the Pacific Fleet camera party photographic laboratory.

The Pacific Fleet camera party photographic laboratory aboard the USS PROCYON occupied the entire space of #4 cargo hold which was divided into ten rooms for: Office-stockroom, plotting-photo copying - film and print drying, chemical storage-mix, film processing (deep tanks), contact printing, projection printing, 35mm motion picture printing and photographic equipment overhaul-repair shop.

The laboratory aboard the USS PROCYON was adequately equipped for surface type photographic requirements of the Pacific Fleet operations. In general the Pacific Fleet camera party equipment consisted of the following:

12 - Triangulation camera units (2 cameras/Unit)
4 - Graflex 5 x 7 cameras
6 - Graflex 4 x 5 cameras
2 - View cameras 6-1/2 x 8-1/2
2 - View cameras 8 x 10
1 - Laboratory photo copy camera 8 x 10
2 - Aerial cameras 7 x 9 (modified for AA spotting)
2 - F&S hand-held aerial cameras 4 x 5
12 - Eastman 3A Kodak cameras 3-1/4 x 5-1/2
4 - Bell & Howell 35mm professional motion picture cameras
4 - Akeley 35mm professional motion picture cameras
2 - Debrie 35mm hand held motion picture cameras
2 - DeVry 35mm hand held motion picture cameras
2 - Eastman fingerprint 4 x 5 cameras
4 - Deep tanks (wood), 4 rack capacity/tank for Triangulation and 35mm film processing
Brine cooling coils solution temperature control
16 - 20 - small hard rubber tanks for glass plate and cut sheet film processing
3 - Contact printers for negatives up to 8" x 10"
2 - Enlarging printers for negatives up to 8" x 10"
1 - Bell &Howell professional 35mm model D motion picture film printer
1 - Stineman 35mm hand cranked motion picture film printer
2 - Motion picture titling units
2 - Motion picture editing and cutting units
2 - DeVry 35mm motion picture portable projectors
2 - Lantern slide projectors
1 - 35mm motion picture film polishing machine
1 - Triangulation - 35mm film drying drums
2 - Pako print washers
2 - Pako print dryers (electric heated)
1 - Large Triangulation picture plotting table 9' x 20'
1 - Eastman print dry mounting press (electric heated)
2 - Lathes
2 - Drill presses
1 - Grinder and the usual assortment of repair shop tools

The chemical mix room had a small wood sink, three or four weighing scales and the usual assortment of enameled solutiion trays.

In 1923 the Triangulation cameras, the 35mm motion picture cameras, the 7 x 9 modified Bagley aerial cameras and the Eastman 3A Kodak cameras used film. All other cameras used glass dry plates. By the end of 1924 all glass plate cameras had been converted to use film which was a tremendous improvement compared to the problems experienced with the glass plates.

In January, 1923, the Pacific Fleet camera party aboard the USS PROCYON consisted of one (1) LCDR USN who was the designated Pacific Fleet camera officer which at that time was a staff officer assignment of Commander Fleet Base Force. The enlisted photographic personnel assigned duty in the camera party were 10 Chief Photographers, one Photographer 1/C, one Photographer 3/C, and six seamen photographer strikers.

In December 1923, Carroll became acquainted with Mr. C. Roy Hunter who was an outstanding motion picture camerman at the Paramount Studio in Hollywood, CA. Mr. Hunter was most helpful in furnishing technical information in the use of professional Bell & Howell 35mm motion picture camera, and also technical data in regard to the processing, printing, titling, cutting and editing procedures of professional motion picture film. Much of the professional motion picture production information obtained in Hollywood was for studio production; however, the Fleet Camera Party used the basic principles and practices for professional motion picture photography coverage of various Pacific Fleet operations.

In late February, 1923, the Pacific Fleet camera officer with 10 enlisted naval photographers reported aboard the USS PENNSYLVANIA at San Pedro, CA for the Fleet cruise to Panama where joint Atlantic and Pacific Fleets were to be engaged in simulated war games requiring certain typed of photographic coverage of the Pacific Fleet and the Atlantic Fleet camera parties.

During this Fleet cruise to Panama, the Fleet camera parties in addition to regular photography of gunnery exercises were required to increase photography operations to include still and motion pictures for publicity purposes. The following letter from the Secretary of the Navy to the Commander in Chief, United States Fleet is quoted because from that time on through the years, the Atlantic and Pacific camera party photographers, and the naval photographers in the various naval air commands were quite busy producing all types of motion pictures and still photographs of U.S. Naval activities and operations for publicity purposes.

Quote -

N-62-BMP

23 January 1925

From: The Secretary of the Navy

To: Commander in Chief, United States Fleet

Subject: Fleet Photographic Work

1. At present, there are two camera parties afloat, one with the Scouting Fleet and one with the Base Force, heretofore known as the Fleet Camera Parties of the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets, for the purpose of securing photographic records of gunnery exercises, and their duties have practically been confined to such work.

2. It is the desire of the Department to enlarge the sphere of activity of the camera parties to include photographs and moving pictures for publicity, in order that the people throughout the country may be informed of the Fleet, its personnel and their activities.

3. It is therefore directed that the parties be organized under a competent officer under the direct supervision of a member of the Commander in Chief's staff. The Bureau of Navigation is directed to make an allotment of funds for the necessary equipment and supplies other than those necessary for gunnery exercises. The latter will be paid for from the appropriation "Gunnery Exercises" as heretofore. Request should be submitted to the Bureau of Navigation for the necessary allotments for publicity work.

4. The officer detailed for this duty must have a talent for this particular work, in order that the views obtained will have current news value. He should keep in touch with the Navy Recruiting Bureau, Ferry Building, South & Whitehall Streets, New York City, which distributes news items, photographs and moving pictures through the various channels of distribution. The Recruiting Bureau will furnish the necessary information bearing on the amount and kind of pictures desired.

(Signed) Edwin Denby

During the combined 1923 Atlantic and Pacific Fleet operations off Panama in the Pacific Ocean one particular operation was conducted in which the ex-USS IOWA under radio control with no personnel aboard was put through a series of maneuvers during which various ships of the Fleet would conduct firing practices with their 5" broadside batteries and main turrets from varing firing ranges.

The USS PENNSYLVANIA was used as the official observing-photographic ship during the series of Fleet firing exercises. Also, there were two or three other ships in the observing-photography group. Naval photographers from the Atlantic Fleet camera parties covered this operation each day using Triangulation, 5 x 7, and 4 x 5 Graflex, and 35mm motion picture cameras. Aerial still and 35mm motion picture coverage of this series of operations were made by naval aerial photographers operating from NAS Coco Solo, Canal Zone in F5L seaplanes.

Upon completion of each firing exercise on the ex-IOWA, naval photographers would accompany the damage assessment party aboard the ex-IOWA where they made still photographs and 35mm motion pictures of the damage onboard the ship resulting from the shell hits. On the third day of the experimental firings on the ex-IOWA, the USS MISSISSIPPI was scheduled to fire their main battery turrets with 14" armor piercing shells. The first salvo of 12 shells fired from the Battleship USS MISSISSIPPI was a direct hit on the ex-IOWA which resulted in one huge explosion and the ex-IOWA turned over bottom side up and sank in about 12 minutes. During those 12 minutes every naval photographer was shooting pictures as fast as he could operate his camera; and needless to say, got complete photographic coverage of this operation.

Upon the return of the Fleet to Anchorage in Panama Bay, all naval photographers covering the ex-IOWA firing went aboard the USS ANTARES where they spent most of the week developing-printing and plotting the results of their photographic coverage.

Shortly after the Pacific Fleet returned to San Pedro, CA in April 1923, the Fleet camera officer was so pleased with Carroll's photographic work that he arranged for orders by which Carroll was sent to the Naval Photography School at Anacostia, DC who, upon reporting to the CO Seaman Gunner School Receiving Station, Navy Yard, Washington, DC, was informed that the Naval Photography School had been closed. Therefore, he was assigned to general detail duties in the Washington, DC Navy Yard.

After about a week in the Navy Yard, Carroll went to the Navy Department where he contacted Mr. W.L. Richardson in the Bureau of Aeronautics who was appraised of his situation. Mr. Richardson told Carroll that the photography school at Anacostia had been closed and would re-open in January, 1924, which was about six months away. Mr. Richardson made a couple of telephone calls and arranged for the necessary orders to be issued authorizing the Commanding Officer Seaman Gunner School to give Carroll and two other navy men an examination for advancement to photographer 3/C.

In a few days orders were received by the Commanding Officer Seaman Gunner School for the examination. As the Commanding Officer did not have any examination questions regarding photography, these men were given the standard navy seaman 1/C examination which they had no trouble passing. About one week later these three men received orders to proceed back to the Pacific Fleet camera party aboard the USS PROCYON at San Diego, CA.

By September, 1923, the number of Chief Photographers on duty in the Pacific Fleet camera party on the USS PROCYON had been reduced from 10 to seven due to an all NAV which permitted enlisted men to transfer to the Fleet Reserve Class 3-C and 4-D on short 16 and short 20 years active service. In addition to the seven Chief Photographers there was one photographer 1/C, one photographer 2/C, five photographers 3/C and six seamen strikers from various ships of the Pacific Fleet. Most of these seamen strikers had some background in photography before being ordered to duty in the Pacific Fleet camera parties.

During the later part of 1923 and up to the middle part of 1924 the Pacific Fleet camera party photographers were quite busy with Triangulation photography of Pacific Fleet battleship long range gunnery exercises, 4 x 5 Graflex photography short range gunnery exercises, publicity stills and 35mm movies of various naval activities in the Pacific Fleet.

In July, 1924, the Pacific Fleet camera officer made arrangements with Paramount Studio in Hollywood for ten naval photographers to be given a three month course on-the-job training in the production of professional motion pictures.

During this three month on-the-job training at the Paramount Studios in Hollywood the naval photographers from the Pacific Fleet camera party became familiar with all phases of producing a motion picture (silent films) starting with the story-format-script writing-directing production-properties costume-make up-scene sequence-camera operations-original film negative processing-daily rush print screening-titles and art work-special effects cutting and editing-preview of production prior to release to movie theatres. While this on-the-job training was based on major studio movie production, much was learned which could be adapted into the professional motion picture business of coverage of various naval operations of the U.S. Fleets.

As the years passed a number of these naval photographers maintained close association with the professional motion picture production people in Hollywood in an effort to keep abreast of the improvements being made in the professional equipment and production practices in the motion picture industry.

During the years 1925 through 1939, the Pacific Fleet camera party officer sent a number of naval photographers to various motion picture studios in Hollywood for on-the-job training depending on the scheduled Fleet operations requiring photographic coverage. Over the years a number of these naval photographers became outstanding motion picture photographers. As an example, one of these outstanding naval movie photographers who during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, got a boat and was out in the channel between Ford Island and the navy yard shooting 35mm motion pictures of the battleships being blasted with torpedos and bombs. This photographer, named Sutherland, got excellent pictures. His courage and devotion to duty was beyond the call of his regular duty assignment. It is not known whether he did or did not receive a citation for this outstanding performance of duty; if not, he should have. Only the official records of utility squadron One would reflect the accomplishments of the naval photographers of that command on December 7, 1941.

During the period - 1920 to about 1930, photography in general was accomplished by the trial and error method. There were no exposure meters; therefore, photographers had to learn to judge the light conditions and adjust for correct exposure from experience. By the same token, they had to learn how to develop the exposed photographic plates and film by sight in the darkroom under red or green safelights depending on the type of sensitized emulsion being developed. This also was learned by trial and error, accomplished by devoting a great amount of time in practice. In the fall of 1923, Jack House, Chief Photographer USN was the Chief Petty Officer in Charge of the Pacific Fleet camera party aboard the USS PROCYON. Chief House was a former ship's photographer who graduated from one of the naval photography classes at NAS Miami in 1918. He did some naval photography with the naval "Big Bertha" in France before the Germans surrendered in November, 1918. Upon his return to the States in early 1919 he was assigned photographic duties at various naval air commands until his assignment in 1923 to the Pacific Fleet camera party.

This Chief Petty Officer had considerable naval photographic experience and was an excellent leader of men. He taught his youngsters a great deal about the business of naval photography. One of Chief House's teachings: First and most important thing before taking a picture - determine the objective of the picture to be made - what the picture is supposed to impart in the way of visual information and then select the proper camera, lens and sensitized material to accomplish the assignment, be it aerial photography, ground still photography or motion pictures.

During the late months of 1923 and the first half of 1924, Chief House kept his youngsters quite busy in daily practices in still and motion picture taking assignments. After a few months of photography training under Chief House several of his naval photographers became engaged in taking 4 x 5 still photographs and 35mm motion pictures publicity coverage of Pacific Fleet operations, shipboard ceremonies and functions, recreation-athletic events for the U. S. Naval Recruiting-Publicity Office in New York City who made the releases to the Nation's news media.

These picture taking assignments took the naval photographers of the Pacific Fleet camera party to almost every ship in the Pacific during the mid twenties. A few of the picture taking assignments during those years are mentioned as they are part of the history. Mass Funeral Ceremonies at Trona Field, San Pedro, CA for the 46 naval officers and enlisted men who perished in the main battery turret explosion aboard the Battleship USS MISSISSIPPI.

United States Senators, Congressmen, Army and Navy top Command Officers tour of the Virgin Islands in 1924.

U.S. Fleet cruise in 1925 to Hawaiian Islands - South Central Pacific Islands - Australia and New Zealand. Two groups of four naval photographers were assigned to cover this Fleet cruise; one group aboard the USS SEATTLE with Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet, and the other group aboard the USS CALIFORNIA with Commander in Chief U.S. Battle Force.

The camera equipment used by each group was: 4 x 5 Graflex for still photos, and for motion pictures a Bell & Howell 35mm and Akeley 35mm cameras.

On board the USS SEATTLE the naval photographers were assigned a brig cell 9' x 5' wide which they used to store their equipment and process 4 x 5 films, make contact prints from 4 x 5 negatives. As there were no water or drainage services in this brig cell, and as fresh water aboard this ship was quite limited, they would develop their negatives and prints in small trays in the brig cell, then would take the negatives and prints to the enlisted men's wash room where they did the washing with salt water, they would obtain two or three two-gallon buckets of fresh water from the ship's "scuttel-butt" drinking fountain for final rinse of this material before drying in the ship's anchor chain locker compartment. The 35mm motion picture film was sent back to the USS PROCYON and to the Navy Recruiting-Publicity office in New York City for developing and printing. Occasionally they would develop a short test strip of 35mm film just to check to make sure they were getting correct, or at least acceptable, exposures under all types of light conditions, night and day from San Francisco through the Pacific to Australia-New Zealand.

During the twenties, the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet camera parties aboard the USS ANTARES and the USS PROCYON had very few problems in regard to the supply of equipment and materials as they were authorized funds from two sources; namely, The Bureau of Ordnance and the Navy Recruiting-Publicity New York office. The main problem was not enough qualified photographers available to cover all operations in the two Fleets.

The photographer laboratory facilities aboard the USS ANTARES and the USS PROCYON were in the twenties the best equipped shipboard laboratories in the world and were most adequate for naval Triangulation photography and naval publicity still and motion picture photography.

In 1923, 1924, and 1925, during Carroll's naval publicity picture assignments in the San Pedro area he became acquainted with Mr. Waldo Drake, a reporter-photographer of the Los Angeles Examiner, who covered the Los Angeles harbor area for his paper. From time to time Carroll would, while on shore leave, assist Mr. Drake by taking 4 x 5 press pictures to accompany his story for publication in the Los Angeles Examiner.

One day, while on shore leave, Carroll happened to be out shooting pictures of some foreign ships entering the inner channel to the San PedroWilmington dock when he observed seven Navy Chief Petty Officers loading a forty foot fishing boat for a goat hunting trip to San Clemente Island which was about one hundred miles south of San Pedro.

As Carroll was acquainted with most of these officers and was familiar with their planned goat hunting adventure, he made a 4 x 5 picture of the boat with the Chiefs on deck waving farwell as they left the channel heading for the open sea. This was on a Saturday morning. During the following Monday, the San Pedro area and off-shore channel islands were hit hard with a high wind storm called "Santa Ana". This storm lasted for two or three days during which time considerable damage was done ashore and along the coast from Ventura to San Diego. The fishing boat and the seven Chief Petty Officers were due back on the following Friday. They failed to show up on Friday, and still had not returned by 6:00 p.m. on Sunday. At that time Carroll met Waldo Drake, gave him the 4 x 5 negatives of the boat and also told him he was concerned about these fellows who may have been caught at sea in that wind storm which could have disabled their boat. Well! to Carroll's surprise, the Monday morning Los Angeles Examiner carried the headlines "NAVY MEN MISSING IN SANTA ANA STORM" along with his picture of the boat and the reporter's story by Waldo Drake.

Inasmuch as the ship to which these seven Chief Petty Officers were attached had not reported any missing personnel, the Commander in Chief onboard the USS CALIFORNIA upon reading the Los Angeles Examiner ordered seaplanes from San Diego to conduct a search for the boat and the mission Chief Petty Officers.

The naval search planes, late in the afternoon on Monday, found the boat upside down on the north shore of San Clemente Island and observed the missing navy men and the boat crew ashore flying Old Glory upside down from a pole. A sea going tug of the Sandpiper class was sent from San Pedro to rescue the party which was successfully accomplished on Tuesday and returned to San Pedro late Tuesday night.

Needless to say, Hell was popping among the officers aboard the USS PROCYON for the failure to report missing naval personnel. Some of these ship's officers contacted the Examiner and Waldo Drake as to how and where they got the information regarding the missing naval Chief Petty Officers. During this investigation Carroll was one scared navy photographer. Carroll fully expected to be called before the ship's captain who probably would have confined him to the brig for divulging naval matters to the press without the approval of proper naval authority. Waldo Drake, being a seasoned news reporter-photographer, to the best of Carroll's knowledge, never revealed his source of information. However, this incident was a good lesson to Carroll and his close associates in their relations with news people regarding releasable naval matters.

Mr. Waldo Drake became a commissioned officer in the U.S. Naval Reserve, and early in 1942 with the rank of Captain was on active duty as chief photographic censoring officer on the staff of Fleet Admiral Nimits, USN, Commander in Chief U.S. Fleet at Pearl Harbor, T.H.

The photographic operations by the Atlantic and Pacific Fleet camera parties during the period 1920 to 1942 were mainly Triangulation pictures, 35mm motion pictures, 4 x 5 still pictures of Fleet gunnery exercises, and publicity pictures of various Fleet activities. The camera equipment and laboratory facilities aboard the USS ANTARES and the USS PROCYON were almost identical except that the Pacific Fleet camera party had the largest number of cameras and personnel as there were more activities to cover because the Pacific Fleet was composed of more ships and support forces than the Atlantic Fleet.

In 1924 the battleships of the Pacific Fleet were firing long range main battery 14" dye-loaded shells which would upon impact at the target area burst into beautiful colored splashes of red, orange, yellow, green and blue colors.

The Bureau of Ordnance, Fleet gunnery exercise division in the Navy Department, Washington, DC obtained color photographic 4 x 5 plates from the Lumiere Company in France which were shipped to the Pacific Fleet camera party for the purpose of photographing the long range shell splashes in color.

The Lumiere color plates were extremely low in sensitivity which required an exposure of 1/25 second or slower shutter speed with the lens diaphragm wide open f4.5 which at that time was the fastest lens available in the navy.

The Lumiere Company furnished a kit of processing chemicals for developing the color transparency glass plates along with a recommended procedure for processing of the Lumiere color plates.

During the Pacific Fleet battleships long range main battery firing exercises in 1924, the Pacific Fleet camera party exposed about 150 of the Lumiere color plates of the colored shell splashes. The results (mainly due to slow shutter speed) were not too good. Most of the Lumiere color plates had image movement, and all exposures had a great amount of color fringing to such an extent that it was difficult to tell exactly which splash was red or orange, yellow, or green or blue, especially if the salvos of 12 or more shell splashes were close together. As a result of these Lumiere color plates of colored shell splashes having image movement and a great amount of color fringing, the Pacific Fleet camera party did nothing further with color photography of the colored shell splashes until about 1936-1937 when they started using 16mm Kodachrome motion picture coverage of the dye-loaded shell splashes.

In 1936-1937 as the navy did not have any 16mm Kodachrome film processing facilities, the exposed Kodachrome film had to be taken to the Eastman Kodak Company Processing Laboratory in Hollywood, CA. for processing. Due to the classified nature of the subject matter, the Kodachrome film had to be taken by a naval officer who stayed with the film during the processing procedure and returned the color film to the Fleet camera officer.

The Pacific Fleet camera party operated from the USS PROCYON until the early 1930's when the USS PROCYON was relieved by the USS ARGONNE which was the flagship of Commander Fleet Base Force at San Pedro, CA. The USS ARGONNE had a large, modern photographic laboratory aboard similiar to, but larger than the one on the USS PROCYON.

Shortly after the outbreak of World War II the Pacific Fleet camera party moved ashore to the Service Section Base at Pearl Harbor under Commander Service Force, Pacific Fleet.

During the years 1920 through 1942 there were several U.S. Naval Officers who served as the Pacific Fleet camera party officers. There was one particular outstanding naval officer in the early 1930's who was the Pacific Fleet camera party officer for a two-year period who later in his naval service became famous in World War II during the South Pacific Suva Straights battle and later became one of the top Admirals in the navy. This officer was Admiral Arleigh A. "30 Knot" Burke, USN.