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USS Iowa (BB-4) Navy Band Photograph Album

 Collection
Collection ID: MG 131

Scope and Contents

One photograph album of approximately 120 photographs kept by a Navy band member aboard the battleship USS Iowa (BB-4) and in France during World War I. Some of the photographs in the album include John Philip Sousa as a Navy officer, daily life on board the ship, recreation activities of the officers, the Navy band, and the Navy's NC-4 seaplane that was the first aircraft to fly nonstop across the Atlantic in the spring of 1919. The captions in the photograph album were supplied by the creator. Three loose items, two poems about life on board the ship and a church program, were found at the end of the album and are kept in a folder with the album. The album and loose items have been digitized and are available in the Old Dominion University Libaries Digital Collections.

Dates

  • 1917-1919
  • Other: Date acquired: 03/27/2017

Extent

0.75 Linear Feet

Conditions Governing Access

Open to researchers without restrictions. The fragile nature of the material may limit handling.

Conditions Governing Use

Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from Special Collections and University Archives, and the holder of the copyright, if not Old Dominion University Libraries.

Biographical or Historical Information

USS Iowa (BB-4) was a United States Navy battleship. It was the first ship commissioned in honor of Iowa and was America's first seagoing battleship. Iowa saw substantial action in the Spanish–American War. The U.S.S. Iowa was recommissioned in 1917 when the United States entered World War I and initially berthed in Philadelphia as a receiving ship. By November 1917, the ship relocated to Norfolk, Virginia and patrolled the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay and served as a training ship for the Atlantic Fleet. John Phillip Sousa, served as a Navy bandmaster from 1917 to 1919. Known for his work as head of the United States Marine Band in the late 19th century and his own band in the early 20th century, Sousa was brought back into Naval service during World War I at age 62. Throughout Sousa's career in the Marines, he served in the enlisted ranks and attained Warrant Officer status by the time of his resignation.

Note written by Special Collections Staff

Language of Materials

English

Physical Access Requirements

The fragile nature of the material may limit handling.

Related Digital Material

Source of Acquisition

Purchase--Abe Books

Method of Acquisition

Acc. 2017.018 was purchased by Special Collections and University Archives and was received in March 2017.

Related Materials

Samuel Leyens Switizer Papers (MG 37) also contains material related to World War I.

Processing Information

The collection was accessioned and minimally described by Steven Bookman, University Archivist, in September 2017.

Title
A Guide to the USS Iowa Navy Band Photograph Album
Author
Steven Bookman, University Archivist
Date
09/27/2017
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the ODU Community Collections Repository

Contact:
3000 Perry Library
4427 Hampton Blvd.
Norfolk VA 23529 US
757-683-5350