Archive of 53 Original Vernacular Photographs c. Author: [Navy], [Photos] Title: Archive of 53 Original Vernacular Photographs c. Archive of 53 original silver gelatin photographs. Mostly 3″x5″, with a few 2″x”3 inches. Original vernacular photographs, most likely taken by one or more servicemen in the U. While many of the photographs show battleships on exercises and fellow sailors on deck including some African American servicemen, at least 9 bear firsthand witness to the infamous Honda Point disaster of the coast of Santa Barbara in 1923. At least 4 additional photographs show the famous scuttling of German destroyers at Scapa Floe which occurred after peace was declared in 1921. The Honda Point disaster was the largest peacetime loss of U. On the evening of September 8, 1923, seven Clemson class destroyers, while traveling at 20 knots (37 km/h), ran aground at Honda Point, a few miles from the northern side of the Santa Barbara Channel off Point Arguello on the coast in Santa Barbara County, California. Twenty-three sailors died in the disaster. Much study has been directed at determining the causes of such a terrible accident. Most likely the cause was a combination of heavy seas (possibly caused by an earthquake in Japan) darkness, fog, and the mistrust of the leadership on board the leading destroyer Delphy for the new radio navigation system, preferring instead to use outdated estimation-based navigational methods. Some of them can be identified as the U. The final two appear to have been taken shortly after the sailor was rescued, and show the wrecked vessels from the beach, and from a rocky cliff overlooking the channel. Four photos in the group record the incident at Scapa Floe on June 21, 1919, where a German fleet of battleships was ordered by the Allies to report following the November Armistice ending World War I. They remained anchored for over 7 months, and when word of the Peace Treaty of Versailles came in, Admiral Reuter was ordered to surrender the vessels. However, before they could be forced to comply, the crew scuttled the vessels. We see in these photos the German Destroyers sinking, including the S. Bayern, and the S. Hindenburg with only smokestacks and tripod showing above the waterline. Another photo is labeled in the negative German sailors leaving their doomed vessels for the last time. The remaining photographs in the group show submarines docked near San Francisco, the Battleships Texas, California, and Florida, sailors (including a few African American) aboard the U. All photos are in very good condition, with no previous sign of gluing or taping. Some are numbered, and others have notes in white negative verso. A few are faded to sepia, but most are still very dark and detailed. An important and historically relevant collection. Subject: Americana, Military, Photography, World War I. Rambod Inc offers thousands of historical documents, letters, manuscripts, printed ephemera, and first editions in all variety fields. Since 1991, we have served an international clientele of collectors, private. And public libraries in acquisition and collection development. We are members of ILAB, ABAA, and PADA, and have furnished collections around the world with rare and unique material for over 30 years; from the personal letters of Nobel-Prize winning scientists to first editions promoting abolition or women suffrage. We also offer Important First Editions of Literatre, Americana, Science, Military, African American and Woman History. We offer an unconditional guarantee for each item’s authenticity and completeness. This listing was created by Bibliopolis.