Hiroshima-shi (Japan) -- History -- Bombardment, 1945
Date:
bulk Circa early 1946
1958-1962
Summary:
This collection consists of two groups of material from United States Navy pilot S. Joel Premselaar (b. 1920); the first group contains predominantly aerial and ground photographs of Ground Zero at Hiroshima, Japan, taken by Premselaar in early 1946; the second group consists primarily of one VHS videotape reproducing films from 1958-1962 documenting Project Pilot (NOTSNIK, NOTS-EV-1), Project Caleb (NOTS-EV-2), and Satellite Interceptor Project (SIP) rockets.
Scope and Contents:
This collection is divided into two series. Series 1 consists of 44 different photographic images taken in Japan in early 1946 by the donor, appearing in a variety of formats (original 4 x 5 inch negatives, 35 mm copy negatives, original 4 x 5 inch prints, modern 4 x 6 inch copy prints, and color inkjet digital copy prints). Images include 35 aerial or ground views of Hiroshima at Ground Zero, three aerial views of Yokohama, four views of an unidentified Japanese man, and two aerial views of the Tokyo Imperial Palace. Series 2 (circa 1958-1962) consists of one VHS videotape reproducing films documenting Project Pilot (NOTSNIK, NOTS-EV-1), Project Caleb (NOTS-EV-2), and Satellite Interceptor Project (SIP) rockets; and one 8 x 10 inch digital black and white copy photograph of a US Navy Douglas F4D-1 (F-6A) Skyray (BuNo. 130745) assigned to China Lake.
Arrangement:
Materials in this collection are grouped by subject into two series; materials within each series are grouped by format.
Biographical / Historical:
S. Joel Premselaar (b. 1920) learned to fly at Flushing Airport, New York at the age of 13. At 17 Premselaar joined the Navy, and during World War II he flew 65 different types of aircraft, primarily attack aircraft for logistical support. Premselaar was also the photography officer for his ship, the USS Iowa. Following the end of the war, the USS Iowa spent January to March 1946 stationed in Tokyo Bay as the flagship of the Fifth Fleet. As part of his duties, Premselaar took aerial photographs of Tokyo, Yokohama, and Hiroshima, and ground photographs of Hiroshima at Ground Zero showing damage caused by the atomic bomb. After returning to the United States, Premselaar continued flying for the Navy as a test pilot stationed at the Naval Ordnance Test Station (NOTS) at China Lake, California, where in 1958 he took part in Project Pilot (later nicknamed "NOTSNIK"), an attempt to create an air-launched satellite launch vehicle. Premselaar piloted a modified Douglas F4D-1 (F-6A) Skyray which was used to air-launch the five-stage NOTS-EV-1 Pilot rocket into orbit, with a Naval Observation Television Satellite as the intended payload. After his retirement from the Navy in 1959, Premselaar continued in aviation and worked as a consultant for Lockheed and then for Boeing in cockpit design. He then worked for an avionics lab for the United States Air Force before starting his own aviation business. Premselaar is now retired.
General:
The original film footage is held at China Lake, California.
Provenance:
S. Joel Premselaar, Gift, 2003
Restrictions:
No restrictions on access.
Rights:
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Hiroshima-shi (Japan) -- History -- Bombardment, 1945
Date:
[ca. 1940s, 1980s]
Scope and Contents:
Series I of this collection consists of the following: seven folders containing almost 200 photographs and negatives on display in the exhibit, four series of slides (two detailing the U.S.S. Midway used for background research, one detailing documents and photos of the Philippine Sea battle, and of the finished museum exhibit) and the exhibit script. Series II is a collection of images that were collected for the Sea Air Operations Gallery but were not used in the exhibit itself. It consists of 17 folders of photographs and negatives dealing with the following subjects: Pearl Harbor, Pacific battleship battles of 1942-1945, US and Japanese commanders, aircraft carriers, aces, the USS Enterprise, Guadalcanal, USMC air operations, Grumman workers, Manila atrocities, miscellaneous aircraft and miscellaneous photos. In Series I, 33 of the photograph negatives have no corresponding prints in the folders but are on display downstairs. Seven of the photos of a more graphic nature have no accompanying print nor are they on display. Series III consists of research material gathered in support of the Sea Air Operation Gallery. Series IV consists of slide images taken by Lt. William G. Lotz, USN, aboard the USS Midway circa 1989-1990. Series III and IV were merged with the exiting collection in 1998.
Biographical / Historical:
The National Air and Space Museum's Sea Air Operations Gallery details the operations of carriers and their aircraft, both of the World War II era and the present day. Featured are panels focusing on carrier-verses-carrier battles fought by the U.S. and Japanese navies during World War II: the Battle of the Coral Sea, the Battle of Midway, the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, the Battle of the Philippine Sea, and the Battle for Leyte Gulf. The exhibit also highlights other Pacific missions, from Pearl Harbor, through Midway, to the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Material is subject to Smithsonian Terms of Use. Should you wish to use NASM material in any medium, please submit an Application for Permission to Reproduce NASM Material, available at Permissions Requests
Topic:
Pearl Harbor (Hawaii), Attack on, 1941 Search this
Burning conscience : the case of the Hiroshima pilot, Claude Eatherly / told in his letters to Günther Anders ; with a postscript for American readers by Anders ; preface by Bertrand Russell ; foreword by Robert Jungk
