Fine Art Photography Brings History to Life at Battleship Cove
On a recent Saturday I found myself with a free afternoon and a strong desire to get creative with my fine art photography. I pulled out my list of locations and found something that suited the time, the weather and my mood. So what did I choose? Battleship Cove in Fall River, Massachusetts!
Battleship Cove is the worlds largest naval ship museum, and is home to several different warships from U.S Naval history. Not your typical museum, Battleship Cove is a hands on look at history, that invites you to not just look at history, but to climb on it, in it and all over it! After just a few minutes on their website I knew that I could bring that history back to life through my photography
USS Lionfish Torpedo Room
A timeless showpiece of the museum is the U.S.S Lionfish, a Balao class submarine commissioned in 1944. At a length of 311 feet and with a complement of up to 81 personnel, I had no idea how small a submarine could be. Simply walking through all the compartments in the submarine will gave me a new appreciation for how challenging it must have been for the men who served in the “silent service”. Crawl all over the big diesel engines, sound the diving alarm, and head to my favorite part of the ship, the torpedo room!
I stood at the entrance to this compartment for several minutes, taking in all the detail. I knew right then that I wanted to make a fine art photograph that was full of mood and drama. I wanted my photography to give the viewer the feeling that they were back in 1945, and that a sailor could step out from behind the machinery of the torpedo room, all covered in grease, to fire a torpedo at an enemy target!
The Main Guns
The main attraction at Battleship Cove is the battleship U.S.S Massachusetts, a World War II era battleship complete with 3 giant 16 inch 45 caliber turrets. At a length of 680 feet and a displacement of 35,000 tons, she carried a crew of 1,793 sailors A veteran of the Pacific campaign, “Big Mamie” fired her guns on the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. After a long and distinguished Naval career the U.S.S. Massachusetts was decommissioned and opened as an exhibit at the museum in 1965.
Jump right inside the turret, have a seat, look through the viewfinder and spin the crank used to aim the big guns! Climb several decks up to the bridge to get a great view over the bow of the ship and into the city of Fall River itself, or head below deck and see the main galley, the engine room and many of the other shops that kept the battleship running in its operational days.
I hope that you have enjoyed my photography, and that it has brought a small piece of history back to life, and that you consider taking a trip to Battleship Cove. I know I will be going back again very soon!