Photography on an Aircraft Carrier
Photographers were critical to the success of the U.S. Navy’s missions. Step into the photo lab to explore the science and art of creating images on board the aircraft carrier Intrepid from 1943 to 1974.
In the photo lab
About 15–20 people worked in Intrepid’s photo lab. They sometimes worked 16 hours a day.
Each person had an assigned job: taking pictures, developing film, producing prints or taking job orders. They rotated through these tasks over the course of a cruise.
Cameras and gear
Intrepid’s photographers—called photographer’s mates—used film cameras. They primarily worked with black and white film.
This photographer’s mate holds a K-25 aerial camera and a Speed Graphic, two common cameras used on the ship.
Measuring Chemicals in the Photo Lab (1957/1960)Intrepid Museum
Developing film
Intrepid’s photo lab was a wet lab. Photographer's mates used chemical baths to develop film and prints.
Filming Landings on the Flight Deck (1957/1961)Intrepid Museum
Flight operations
Aviation was among the most important subjects for the photo lab. Photographer’s mates filmed all aircraft launchings and landings. A photographer’s mate was always stationed on the flight deck during flight operations.
Documenting Accidents
Sometimes, a photographer’s mate on the flight deck captured accidents in real time.
In this series from the late 1950s, an auxiliary fuel tank falls from the belly of an AD Skyraider that just landed on the ship. The tank bursts into flames, and flight deck personnel race to extract the pilot. The crew quickly puts out the fire. The pilot survives the incident.
Aerial reconnaissance
Intelligence—collecting and gathering information—drove the advancement of photography in the Navy.
Aerial camera technology included handheld cameras as well as cameras mounted in the body of an airplane. Intrepid’s photographer’s mates developed these images in the photo lab.
Railroads in North Vietnam (1967)Intrepid Museum
Analyzing the photographs
After the photographer’s mates developed aerial reconnaissance images, the staff in the air intelligence office analyzed them. The air intelligence office marked photographs to show important features, like these rail bridges in North Vietnam.
Underside of a Tupolev Tu-95 (1972)Intrepid Museum
The Cold War
During the Cold War, the U.S. military used photography to understand and monitor the strength of the Soviet military. Intelligence personnel pored over photographs of Soviet ships and aircraft, assessing their capabilities.
Crew at work
The ship’s photographers worked throughout the entire ship, snapping pictures of the crew’s day-to-day activities.
Sailors Visiting the Parthenon (1959/1961)Intrepid Museum
Ports of call
The opportunity to photograph the ship’s visits to foreign ports was a highlight for many photographer’s mates. They followed their shipmates as they toured local landmarks.
Look closely to spot sailors in white uniforms exploring the Parthenon in Greece.
Photography on aircraft carriers today
Photography remains critical to the U.S. Navy, but the process has changed since Intrepid left the fleet in 1974.
The U.S. Navy began transitioning to digital photography in the 1990s. In 2006, the Navy retired the photographer’s mate rating and created a new rating: mass communication specialist (MC). MCs share stories about the U.S. Navy through writing, photography, videography and graphic design.
F-4 Phantom on the Catapult (1967)Intrepid Museum
Learning from photographs
The work of Intrepid’s photographers shapes our impressions of life on the ship. Crew members saved official photographs, ship’s newspapers and cruise books as souvenirs of their service.
Today, the Intrepid Museum preserves and shares these images.
Explore the collections
To explore the Intrepid Museum's rich collection of photographs, artifacts, archives and oral histories, visit intrepid.emuseum.com
The photo lab exhibition is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Legislature.
President, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum: Susan Marenoff-Zausner
Curator: Jessica Williams
Collections: Jennifer Milani and Danielle Swanson
The Intrepid Museum wishes to thank the former crew members of Intrepid for sharing their collections and stories with us.
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