100 Years, One Moment, Documenting History Through the Eyes of Navy Photographers

When a cook aboard USS Mississippi set foot on the shores of Naval Shipyard Pensacola in 1914, he had no idea that the photographs he took on his off-duty time would lay the groundwork for 100 years of Navy photography. Although the photographer rating had yet to exist in the Navy, Walter Leroy Richardson was doing the job, documenting aerial and ship maneuvers, crew movement and daily operations. Recognizing the value and necessity of documenting and creating a visual history of its activities, the Navy asked him to do it officially.