Old Navy

[Brian James]

Battleship USS Mississippi (EAG-128) assisted by 3 tugs, pictured as she departs Hampton Roads for the final time, on December 6th 1956, en route to the breakers at Bethlehem Steel.

[Brian James]

Original Dublin Docks Electrical cable layout plan dated 1912.

[Brian James]

USS Hancock (CVA-19), USS Midway (CVA-41), and USS Bon Homme Richard (CVA-31) pictured berthed at Naval Air Station Alameda on January 10th 1958.

[Brian James]

USAT Mount Vernon (Ex North German Lloyd Line Liner SS Kronprinzessin Cecilie), pictured berthed outboard of Hospital Ship USS Comfort (Ex Ward Line Liner SS Havana), at Mare Island Navy Yard in January 1920.

[Brian James]

Mail call aboard Steam Sloop of War USS Mohican in 1885.

[Brian James]

Troopship USS Harris pictured in Dry Dock at Hunters Point Naval Shipyard in May 1945....She was an Emergency Fleet Corporation Design 1029 ship launched for the United States Shipping Board on March 19th 1921 at Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corporation, Sparrows Point, Maryland as Pine Tree State. After operation by commercial lines for the USSB, during which she was renamed President Grant and operated commercially until laid up in the late 1930s. After Navy acquisition in July 1940 she was first classified as a Transport, hull number AP-8 and then reclassified to Harris Class Attack Transport, hull number APA-2, that served with the USN during World War II. She was the Lead Ship in her Class. She participated in the invasions of Tarawa, Kwajalein, Saipan, Palau Islands, Philippines and Okinawa. Assigned to assist in carrying occupation troops to Japan, Harris sailed to the Philippines on August 17th 1945 and arrived Tokyo Bay September 8th. After disembarking her troops Harris made another voyage to Samar for occupation troops, finally departing Japan October 12th. She made her final occupation voyage to Taku Bar, China helping to stabilize the volatile situation there, and sailed November 16th for Guam and the West Coast. transited the Panama Canal, arrived at Boston on February 2nd 1946 and decommissioned April 16th. She was sold to American Ship Breakers, Inc., on July 20th 1948 and scrapped.

[Brian James]

Gunboat/Dispatch Vessel USS Dolphin pictured c1893...She was the first USN ship to fly the flag of the President of the United States during President Chester A. Arthur's administration, and the second Navy ship to serve as a Presidential Yacht. Dolphin's keel was laid down at Delaware River Iron Ship Building & Engine Works of Chester, Pennsylvania. She was launched on April 12th 1884, with Captain George Dewey in command, and commissioned on December 8th 1885...Dolphin was originally built as a Dispatch Vessel, intended to courier messages, as radio had not yet been invented. She was the only USN vessel ever specifically designated as such. She was also called an "unarmoured" or "unprotected" Cruiser, and was eventually designated as a patrol gunboat (PG-24) on July 1st 1921, a few months before she was sold to Mexico and re-named Plan de Guadalupe..She was sold for breaking c1927.

[Brian James]

French Despatch Vessel Hussard pictured during the Columbian Naval Review at New York in 1893, with Monitor USS Miantonomah in the background.

[Brian James]

Pre-Dreadnought Battleship USS Texas (single stack centre), surrounded by Cruisers, Denver, Montgomery, Detroit, Raleigh, Cincinnati, Newark, New York and Brooklyn at La Guaira, Venezula c1904.

[Brian James]

Original USN Dept of Construction & Repair blueprint for Pre-Dreadnought Battleship USS Texas.