Japanese Bomb Hits Flight Deck of USS Enterprise, August 24, 1942

Artist Robert Frederick Read (American, 1912 - 1942)

CultureAmerican

DateAugust 24, 1942

MediumGelatin silver print

DimensionsOverall, Image: 10 3/4 × 13 1/2 in. (27.3 × 34.3 cm)
Overall, Support: 11 3/16 × 14 in. (28.4 × 35.6 cm)
Overall, Mat: 24 × 20 in. (61 × 50.8 cm)

InscribedOn verso: "17489" written in pencil; "22" in circle written in ink.

Credit LineMuseum purchase

Object number93.21

Not on view

DescriptionThis is a photograph made during World War II of a Japanese bomb exploding on the flight deck of the American ship the USS Enterprise.

Label TextAttributed to Robert Frederick Read American, 1912–1942 Japanese Bomb Hits Flight Deck of USS Enterprise, August 24, 1942, 1942 Gelatin silver print (photograph) This photograph records the precise moment when a Japanese bomb exploded on the flight deck of the USS Enterprise. The aircraft carrier came under heavy fire during the Battle of the Eastern Solomons, although the ship survived the attack and received decorations for its service through the end of World War II. According to Navy archives, the photographer Robert Read was killed by the blast, but his camera was later salvaged and this image was discovered, revealing not only the moment of the explosion but also the photographer’s imminent fate. Museum purchase 93.21 Exhibition History"Treasures for the Community: The Chrysler Collects, 1989-1996," October 25, 1996 - March 2, 1997 "Silver Images: The Photography Collection at 25," Alice R. and Sol B. Frank Photo Galleries, Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, Va., November 5, 2003 - August 2004. "Photographs Take Time: Pictures from the Chrysler Collection," Chrysler Museum of Art, Norfolk, VA, April 6 - August 26, 2018.Published ReferencesText by Tom Maloney, Edward Steichen, editor, U.S. NAVY WAR PHOTOGRAPHS: PEARL HARBOR TOKYO BAY, 1945, reproduced on page 33.