Richard O'Brien Photograph Album
Object NameScrapbook
Album, Photograph
Historic Owner
Richard J. O'Brien
Pictured
Richard J. O'Brien
Pictured
Edward F. Dolezal
Date1944–1945
PeriodWorld War II
Mediumpaper, photographic paper, fabric, adhesive, metal
ClassificationsCommunication Artifacts
Credit LineCollection of the Intrepid Museum. Gift of Richard J. O'Brien. 00.2016.06
Object number00.2016.06
DescriptionScrapbook; Intrepid 1944–1945. Richard "Dick" O’Brien was a photographer's mate on board USS Intrepid. His photo album of 98 black pages contains black and white photographs attached to pages using glue, tan photo corners, or loose. The screw post bound book has red fabric covers with “Photographs.” in gold on the front. Note that at least one photograph in this scrapbook shows a person in blackface (pie eating contest, p. 59).
Page 1: Contains one photograph of a man and a woman, caption reads “Dad & Mother”.
Page 2: Contains one photograph of a man in an enlisted blue uniform.
Page 3: Contains two photographs. Left is of a man and woman, caption reads “Dad & Mom.” Right is of a woman, caption reads “Joan”.
Page 4: Contains one photograph of a woman in front of a house, caption reads “Home Sweet Home!”
Page 5: Contains two photographs and four empty photo corners. Left is of a woman in a lawn chair. Right is of a man in a lawn chair.
Page 6: Blank but four photo corners remain.
Page 7: Contains one photograph of a man in an enlisted blue uniform and woman, captioned “Betty & I”.
Page 8: Blank
Page 9: Contains two photographs of a woman, captioned “Dorothy”.
Page 10: Blank
Page 11: Contains two photographs. Left is of a man in uniform and woman, caption reads “Dick & Midge”. Right is of a man and woman, both in uniform, caption reads “John & Doris”.
Page 12: Blank
Page 13: Contains two photographs. Left is of a man, woman and dog, caption reads “Mom, Dad & Patsy”. Right is of a lifeguard in front of a lifeguard chair, caption reads “Jack”.
Page 14: Contains five photographs. Top left is of two women at the beach, caption reads “Joan & Bam”. Top right is of a woman, caption reads “Bam”. Bottom left is of two women, caption reads “Joan & Helen”. Bottom middle is of three women, caption reads “Bam, Joan, Helen”. Bottom right reads “Mom & Dad”.
Page 15: Contains three photographs. Top left is of a street. Right is of a Navy photographer on a plane in flight gear and holding an aerial camera. Bottom left is of sailors standing in front of a building.
Page 16: Contains two photographs. Left is of a sailor fishing with a girl. Right is of two sailors.
Page 17: Contains three photographs. Top left is of a sailor with camera, back has illegible handwriting. Top right is of two women on a dock, looking at a man below. Bottom left is of two sailors, once is carrying many cases, back has illegible handwriting.
Page 18: Blank but eight photo corners remain.
Page 19: Contains two photographs of sailors with cameras.
Page 20: Blank but four photo corners remain.
Page 21: Contains two photographs. Left is of two sailors with one holding a camera, back has illegible handwriting. Right is of an air crewman in front of plane.
Page 22: Blank
Page 23: Contains five photographs of San Francisco.
Page 24: Contains six photographs of San Francisco.
Page 25: Contains one photograph of two sailors, caption reads “We always said we’d do it. Well, we dood it! // John & I Frisco, March 25, 1944”.
Page 26: Contains three photographs of different individual sailors in front of a tree. Bottom left back reads “(two names crossed out) // Just me // April 1945” and “62” stamped.
Page 27: Contains one photograph of Intrepid with the caption “The Mighty I”
Page 28: Contains one photograph of division photo of photographer's mates posed in front of scoreboard.
Page 29: Contains five photographs of the photo officer, photo chief and photographer's mates. Top left is of C.H. Robuck. Top right is of E.F. Dolezal. Bottom left is a J.E. Fly. Bottom middle is of W.J. Fay. Bottom right is of M.F. Williams.
Page 30: Contains four photographs and three empty photo corners. Top left is of three sailors, back reads “Shi, H. Miller & Me”. This photo also appears in the Doerr scrapbook 2009.28.01. Top right is of a sailor playing a ukulele. Bottom middle is of a sailor in the photo lab. The sailor appears to be cooking eggs. Bottom right is of a sailor winding film on a reel.
Page 31: Contains six photographs of photographer's mates. Top left is of A.S. Cyphert. Top middle is of H.J. Miller. Top right is of J.A. Austin. Bottom left is of B.B. Oldham. Bottom middle is of [illegible]. Bottom right is of M. Lorber [sp?].
Page 32: Contains one photograph and thirteen empty photo corners. Photo is of sailor eating.
Page 33: Contains six photographs of photographer's mates. Top left is of H.A. Miller, Top middle is of W.W. Duncan. Top right is of Dick O’Brien. Bottom left is of D. Aranda. Bottom middle is of H.E. Rice. Bottom right is of E.J. Ultowski [Ulatowski].
Page 34: Contains one photograph of Captain Thomas Sprague in service khakis with an alidade on ship, inscription reads “Kindest regards // and many thanks // for all the excellent // work of an excellent // Photo lab! // Sprague // Capt. USN // Cmdr U.S.S. Intrepid // 1 March ‘44”.
Page 35: Contains four photographs. Top left is of a sailor reading “So You Are Going to the South Pacific?”, caption reads “The Awful Truth!” Top right is of two sailors playing baseball. Bottom left is of a sailor smoking a cigar. Bottom right is of two sailors playing cards.
Page 36: Contains five photographs. Top left is of two sailors. Top right is of a sailor in his underwear. Bottom left is of a sailor in the photo lab. Bottom middle is of a sailor holding a camera with helmet that says “Photo”. Bottom right is of sailor working.
Page 37: Contains one photograph of five bald sailors, caption reads “Austin Oldham // Miller Aranda Cyphert”.
Page 38: Contains two photographs and six empty photo corners. Bottom left is of a sailor reading a newspaper in the photo lab. Bottom right is of two sailors joking around with a drill.
Page 39: Contains five photographs. Top left shows a sailor adjusting an enlarger, caption reads “Catching up on some cumshaw”. Top right shows a man sitting at a desk, caption reads “A fitting pose for 'Cy'.” Bottom left is of a sailor on the phone, caption reads “Fav – on the Bell.” Bottom middle is of sailors on ship. Bottom right is of a sailor with helmet that says “Photo” holding a camera, caption reads “Duncan”.
Page 40: Contains three photographs and four empty photo corners. Top left is of a sailor reading a book. Top left is of a sailor smoking a cigar. Bottom left is of two sailors looking at a record.
Page 41: Contains four photographs. Top left is of two sailors with caption “’Beauty & the Beast’”. Top right is of a sailor wearing a helmet behind a camera. Bottom left is of three sailors. Bottom right is of a sailor sitting on a counter and reading a book, caption reads “Very Enjoyable Reading – ‘Strange [illegible]’”.
Page 42: Contains three photographs and four empty photo corners. Top left is of a man with a large camera. Top right is of a sailor with a motion picture camera on a gallery deck catwalk. Anti-aircraft guns and life rafts are visible. Bottom left is a man with a mustache.
Page 43: Contains three photographs and two empty photo corners, with caption “Homeward Bound”. Bottom left is of a sailor smiling. Top right is of three sailors in conversation. One wears goggles and a cap, and a motion picture camera is visible, caption reads “Save, Shi & Danny, “talking it over”. Bottom right is of a sailor smoking a cigarette taking photos on the flight deck.
Page 44: Contains five photographs and three empty photo corners. Top left is of a sailor taking a photo. Top middle is of a smiling sailor near the photo lab sink. Top right is of a sailor sitting down. Bottom middle is of a sailor smoking a pipe. Bottom right is of a sailor eating from a mug.
Page 45: Contains three photographs. Left is of a man with a helmet and camera. Top right is of a sailor. Bottom right is of a sailor looking through a box of tools.
Pages 46-48: Blank
Page 49: Contains five photographs. All five are of sailors at the beach. Caption reads “Dunk, OBie Glantz // Ski Aranda”.
Page 50: Contains two photographs and five empty photo corners. Left is of a sailor with a camera. Right is of a sailor in photo lab.
Page 51: Contains six photographs. Top left is of sailors in the street. Top right is of sailors at a hot dog stand. Middle left is of sailors standing on a corner. Middle right is of sailors and people standing in front of a souvenir store. Bottom left is of a building with palm trees. Bottom right is of sailors walking down a street.
Page 52: Contains five photographs. Top left shows people lined up against a building. Top right is of sailors walking down a street. Bottom left is of is of sailors standing in front of a USO building. Bottom middle is of sailors at a hot dog stand. Bottom left is of sailors walking down a street.
Page 53: Contains three photographs. Left is of two sailors posing with two women with medium skin and dark hair. Bottom and top right is of two sailors sitting outside, reading the newspaper.
Page 54: Contains four photographs. Top left and right are of a sailor sitting with a child. Bottom left is of three sailors looking at photographs. Bottom right is of two sailors posing with two women with medium skin and dark hair.
Page 55: Contains four photographs. Top left shows sailor in grass skirt and bikini top, caption reads “Swivel Hips, Dunk”. Middle shows two sailors embracing, one dress in grass skirt and bikini top, caption reads “Miller-The Lover”. Bottom left is of a sailor sitting with a child. Bottom right shows sailor in grass skirt and bikini top, caption reads “Cute!
”
Page 56: Contains three photographs. Top left is of two sailors dancing, one dress in grass skirt and bikini top, caption reads “Fay, with an arm full of loveliness.” Bottom left is of a man taking a photograph. Bottom right is of two sailors dancing, one dress in grass skirt and bikini top, caption reads “Hmm!”
Page 57: Contains three photographs. Left is of two sailors walking down a street, back says “Jack Kenny & I, just a couple // of old salts spreading our charm. // The photographer just snapped us // & he sort of stinted on Jack”. Top right is of two men on flight deck, back says “Comd’r R. K. Gaines takes the // honorable A.L. Gates to the bridge // of the U.S.S. Intrepid just after he // landed aboard”. Bottom right is of a group of men, back reads “Bottom row left to right. // Rumph, QM now 2nd // Gilvey, OM now 2nd // Bodenheimer QM 3rd // Wells, Signalman 3/c // Middle row left to right // Bastian, chief QM // Redding, Chief Signalman (but was transferred) // Lt. Wagner, Communications officers & one of the gang. // Kenny Signalman first class // Top Row left to right // Seely, signalman 3rd class // Loth (hidden) QM striker. // Stuble sig striker transferred // Edinger signalman (now second class) // O’Brien (with hair) QM 1/C”.
Page 58: Contains one photograph of two pilots in front of an airplane with the Civil Air Patrol insignia.
Page 59: Contains four photographs. Top right and left are of four men in a pie eating contest. Note that there is a person in blackface is in the background of the photograph at top left. Bottom right is of a band playing. Bottom right is of a boxing match. All are taken on an aircraft carrier and have an American flag in the background.
Page 60: Contains four photographs. Top left is of men in mess hall near a chow line. Top right is of men in hangar deck surrounding a band. Bottom left is of a man and women, both in uniform, getting married. An officer stands between them. See P00.2013.01.127 for the same photo with caption on reverse. Bottom right is of men lined up at attention in hangar deck.
Page 61: Contains three photographs. Top left is of a man in a stretcher being transferred from a ship to Intrepid. Right shows a person in a stretcher being transferred to a ship from Intrepid. Bottom left is a portrait of a sailor.
Page 62: Contains three photographs. Left is of a sailor on board with a camera, standing framed in an oval opening. Top right is a group of men, mostly in dungarees, posed for a photo. Bottom right is of a man and a woman in a bathing suit.
Page 63: Contains one photograph of a sailor operating a motion picture camera.
Page 64: Contains three photographs. Left is of a sailor with a camera, framed between to anti-aircraft gun barrels. Top right is of sailors sunbathing on the flight deck. Bottom left is of Intrepid and other ships docked.
Page 65: Contains one photograph of Intrepid at sea painted in dazzle camouflage, captioned “U.S.S. Intrepid.”
Page 66: Contains three photographs and four blank photo corners. Top is of Captain Thomas Sprague. Middle is of Capt. William Sample at a desk in his quarters. Bottom is of Capt. Joseph Bolger on the bridge.
Page 67: Contains three photographs of the Crossing the Line ceremony. Top left is of four men; the one in front is in costume and is talking into a microphone. Top right is of Capt. Thomas Sprague talking into a microphone, with a sailor in costume behind him. Bottom middle is of sailors on flight deck in costume.
Page 68: Contains four photographs and four empty photo corners. Top right is of men lined up on flight deck for Crossing the Line. Bottom left is of men on flight deck in costumes during Crossing the Line. Bottom middle is of a man looking through a telescope during Crossing the Line. Bottom left is of a man in costume reading to a crowd during Crossing the Line.
Page 69: Contains three photographs and four empty photo corners. Top left is of a man on the flight deck in shorts and a jacket. Top left is of a group of men posing inside the ship. Bottom right is of men on flight deck participating in a Crossing the Line ceremony.
Page 70: Contains three photographs and four empty photo corners. Top right is of a man addressing sailors in their underwear during Crossing the Line. Bottom left is of men on flight deck during Crossing the Line. Bottom left is of men on the flight deck during Crossing the Line.
Page 71: Contains four photographs. Top left is of a sailor kneeling on a table reading to other men. Top right is of three sailors talking to a man in a costume. Bottom left is of two sailors covered in dirt from a Crossing the Line ceremony. Bottom right is of Intrepid with a flag flying from the Island with a plane in the foreground.
Page 72: Contains three photographs and six empty photo corners. Top right is of a woman on a stage in the hangar deck. Bottom left is of two women performing in front of a band, back has handwritten notes cut off and illegible, says “Official Photograph // Not to be used for publication // by order of // the chief of bureau // of aeronautics”. Bottom right is of a man and woman dancing on a stage in front of a band, see P00.2013.01.92 for a version of this photograph with caption.
Page 73: Contains five photographs. Top left is of Danny Kaye at a microphone, writing on back is cut off and illegible. Top middle is of a woman at a microphone. Top right is of hula dancers and band on a stage in the hangar deck. Bottom left is of a woman. Bottom right is of a sailor dancing with a hula dancer.
Page 74: Contains four photographs and four empty photo corners. Top left is of a sailor posing with two hula girls, back says “Heres a picture of a couple of // my girlfriends. // Taken aboard the // Mighty “I” recently”. Top right is of a man sitting on a bed with two women. Middle left is of sailors on a street. Bottom left is of sailors in a street with a palm tree in view.
Page 75: Contains three photographs. Top left is of two men and one woman acrobats, back says “CV11 319 1-4-44 // Christianas Brothers // aboard U.S.S. Intrepid”. Top right is of a woman singing. Bottom left is Dick Powell on a stage in the hangar deck. See P00.2013.01.91 for another copy of this photograph, with caption.
Page 76: Contains three photographs and four empty photo corners. Top left is of trucks, airplanes and other vehicles on the flight deck, back says “6-10-44”. Top right is of trucks, jeeps and other vehicles on the hangar deck with men around them, back says “6-10-44”. Bottom right is of trucks, airplanes and other vehicles on flight deck, back says “6-12-44 // Photo by Troutman // Acme News Service”.
Page 77: Contains four photographs. Top left is of a photographer's mate with a motion picture camera on the island of Intrepid. Top right is of sailors in 40mm anti-aircraft gun tubs on Intrepid, back says “40 M.M. Gun crews on // the U.S.S. Intrepid in adv”. The sailors are loading and firing the guns. Bottom left is of a man in the photo lab on Intrepid. He appears to be cooking eggs. Bottom right is of 11 men posing for photo.
Page 78: Contains three photographs and four blank photo corners. Top left is sailors carrying sea bags and walking up the brow onto Intrepid at dock, back says “CV-aa 788 6-8-44”. Top right is of man on stretcher surrounded by other sailors inside the ship. Bottom left is of sailors with sea bags on the dock next to ships, back says “8 June 1944”.
Page 79: Contains one photograph and twelve empty photo corners. Photograph is of a plane upside on the surface of the water.
Page 80: Contains two photographs and eight empty photo corners. Top right is of men lined up on flight deck at Intrepid's commissioning, back says “Official Photograph // Not to be used for publication // by order of // the chief of the bureau // of aeronautics // CV-11 #25.” Bottom right is of the Intrepid in dock, back says “The crew of the U.S.S. Intrepid // at quarters, in Pearl Harbor, for Pres. // Roosevelt // [illegible]”.
Page 81: Contains three photographs. Left is of a man sleeping. Top right is of men in formation and back reads “CV-11 #23”. Bottom right is of five men in khakis and back is partially cut off but reads “Subject L.T.R. John O’Hara (Liberty magazine // war correspondent) Emmet Crojur (New York Herald // Tribune war correspondent) the Honorable A.L. // Gates for Air Captains J.F. Bolger / commanding // officer of the U.S.S. Intrepid. (illegible) Hayhens // of the Royal Navy aboard Intrepid as an // observer taken in the pilot house of the U.S. (cut off)”.
Page 82: Contains four photographs. Top left is of two men standing near an SB2C Helldiver on the flight deck. Top right shows men lined up on the flight deck, with the island in background. Lower left shows airplanes on the flight deck, with numerous ships in the distance. Lower right is Capt. Thomas Sprague.
Page 83: Contains four photographs. Top left shows Intrepid growing through a lock in the Panama Canal, back says “Confidential”. Top right shows crew members on Intrepid watching as the ship passes through the lock, back says “Confidential”. Bottom left is another view of the ship passing through the Panama Canal as crew members watch, back says “Confidential”. Bottom right is of Intrepid colliding with the side of the Panama Canal, back says “Confidential”.
Page 84: Contains four photographs. Top left is of men on the flight deck. Top right is of ships in the distance. Bottom left is of a sailor on the phone wearing a helmet that says “PHOTO.” Bottom right is of three tanks on a barge aside the ship.
Page 85: Contains three photographs. Top shows an Essex-class aircraft carrier and other ships in distance. Bottom right is of a tipped F6F Hellcat on the flight deck with other men coming to aid with hoses and ladders. Bottom right is of men helping the pilot of a crashed SB2C Helldiver on the flight deck.
Page 86: Contains two photographs and four empty photo corners. Bottom left is of a ship with dazzle paint passing the flight deck with crew members manning the rails. Bottom right is of the island looking out onto the flight deck, back says “6-10-44.”
Page 87: Contains one large loose and three attached photographs. Loose is O’Brien posing with a camera and back has “Photo student operating photo equip. taken // with speedy (illegible), flash attch. 1st month” and “AWS // 35 (illegible) // #1” written in pencil and “Submitted to // & pass by, Photographic // Officer, // U.S. Naval Air Sta. // Pensacola, Fla” stamped in black. Top left photograph is of seven small boats next to ship. Top middle is of two men in stretchers being craned up onto the ship. Top right is four empty photo corners. Bottom left is three empty photo corners. Bottom right is of military trucks in a line next to ship.
Page 88: Contains three black & white photographs and four empty photo corners. Top right is of sailors lined up on flight deck with island in background. Bottom left is of sailors disembarking the ship. Bottom right is of four sailors holding up a signed Japanese flag, back reads “Soldiers discussing // captured Jap flag with // sailor.”
Page 89: Contains one black & white photograph of ships on the water and in the distance, including at least one Essex-class aircraft carrier. There are two empty photo corners below the photograph.
Pages 90-98: Blank
On View
Not on viewCollections
