Papers (1942-1962) of U.S. Navy enlisted man, who retired as Chief Aviation Boatswain's Mate (E-7) pertaining to his service aboard the USS INTREPID, USS BONHOMME RICHARD, USS BOXER, USS TICONDEROGA, USS PINE ISLAND, USS FORRESTAL, and various shore installations, including 3 8 mm film strips (ca. 550 feet) of flight operations aboard the USS BOXER, 1952, clippings, printed materials, manuscript materials, and photographic prints.
Robert Walter Jennings enlisted in the United States Navy in 1942 in Valdosta, Georgia, and attended boot training at The Great Lakes Naval Training Center, where he also learned boatswaining. Jennings also attended training schools in Pensacola, Florida and Morwan, Oklahoma from 1943-1945. Jennings served on the USS INTREPID from February 1945 to early 1947 (through the Battle of Okinawa), then on the USS BONHOMME RICHARD (CV-31) in 1951. During his Navy career Jennings visited Japan and Korea. Robert Jennings received a Good Conduct medal in October 1947 and a Victory Medal in December 1947, after signing on for two additional years.
The majority of this collection is photographs, concerning various Aircraft Carriers during and after World War II, many of which are during the Korean War. The photographs deal with the crew, aircraft, and workings of the ship. Also included are photographs of Jennings with equipment and aircraft, crew members, and in his formal uniform. While on the USS FORRESTAL, Jennings was involved with the Tidewater Association for Retarded Children, and five photographs depict Jennings with the Association. The aircraft carriers pictured in the collection of photographs are the USS FRANKLIN, USS FORRESTAL, USS INTREPID, USS BOXER, USS NEW JERSEY, USS SICILY, USS TICONDEROGA, USS PINE ISLAND and the USS HORNET. Also included is a photograph of Jennings from 1958 that has been autographed to his wife. Photographs date from 1945-1960, with some being undated.
Printed materials are also included in the papers. The newspaper clippings are undated, and concern the USS BOXER, USS INTREPID, and the USS FORRESTAL. The BOXER and INTREPID articles relate to damage that was done to the ships. There is also a folder of USS INTREPID memorabilia, including ship newsletters and a Thanksgiving Day ship menu, all from 1945. Other memorabilia is from the United States Naval Air Technical Training Center in Jacksonville, Florida, and includes 12 pictures from the training center, dating from 1942. Also included is Jennings' is the photocopied Navy Service Record Pamphlet, which is handwritten by Jennings, and lists important dates and events during his Navy career; and his American Legion Membership Certificate.
Moving images include three 8mm reels from the Funeral Service and Flight Operations of the USS BOXER. There is also a VHS videocassette tape with unknown content, but also involves the BOXER. These date from 1952.
There are also two scrapbooks. These scrapbooks document U. S. Navy enlisted men during their cruises aboard the aircraft carriers the USS BONHOMME RICHARD (CV-31) from July - September 1951. The other scrapbook documents the USS BOXER (CV-21) from March - October 1952, where Jennings served with Repair 8, a Flight Deck Crash Crew. The scrapbooks include photographic prints, clippings, correspondence, ephemera and memorabilia related to crewmen at work and leisure at Honolulu, Hawaii, Hungam, Korea and the Japanese locations of Yokosuka, Ofuna, Nagasaki, Sasebo, Yokohama, Kamakura and Mabora Beach. Also included are military aerial photographs of Korea taken during flight operations and Jennings' return to the United States.
Gift of Elaine Blanche Del-Pan Jennings
Gift of Lamont C. Jennings
Processed by Lisa Conner, March 31, 2005
Processed by Dale Sauter, May 1, 2008
Encoded by Mark Custer, May 19, 2008
Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.