Valentine’s Day on Land and Sea by Marifrances Trivelli, Director, Los Angeles Maritime Museum
Valentine’s Day on Land and Sea
by Marifrances Trivelli, Director, Los Angeles Maritime Museum
Valentine’s Day is here! And while the day is traditionally associated with flowers, chocolate, and perhaps a romantic evening, many sailors who were separated from their loved ones had to be a bit more creative. Here are just a few examples from the collection of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum. To view more of the historic photograph collection, be sure to visit www.lamaritimemuseum.org select “research” and then “Online Digital Collections”. The museum welcomes donations of photograph and artifacts that document the history of the Port of Los Angeles. Please contact the museum at info@lamaritimemuseum.org or call 310-548-7618 if you have items to donate.
Vice Admiral Homer N. Wallin (1893-1984) spent a career in the U.S. Navy and was instrumental in coordinating the salvage of ships attacked at Pearl Harbor. His official assignments often took him far from his young family. Wallin’s daughter Susan mailed him a hand-made Valentine in 1943. Wallin’s correspondence with his family was processed as “V-Mail” – the “V” standing for “Victory”. The original letter was microfilmed and printed at a reduced size. Smaller pieces of mail made more space available space in cargo planes Before instant messaging or e-mail, v-mail was an important way to keep in touch with loved ones and share news from home. As noted on his reply, the card did not reach him until February 26.
This local fishing boat participated in the September 1952 Fishermen’s Fiesta and its “sweetheart” decorations were so ornate that the name of the boat is obscured. Although the Fiesta took place in September, the boat is definitely reminiscent of Valentine’s Day.
Navy Sailor J.N. Nichols served aboard the heavy cruiser USS Toledo during the Korean War, and his fiancé Betty Clark wrote him numerous letters describing how much she missed him. In a time before photoshop, Betty (or was it J.N?) got creative and pasted a photo of Betty next to a photograph of J.N. standing on the deck of Toledo.
Jeff Smithson served aboard the nuclear submarine USS Los Angeles from 1981 – 1987 and kept in touch with his wife Barbara using family grams. The photograph shows the Smithson’s reuniting when Los Angeles returned to its home port of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The submarine is visible in the background.
Submarine sailors would communicate with family by sending "family grams". The correspondence began with a family member or friend writing a traditional letter and dropping it off at the squadron. Next, the radio operator would type the message and send the contents as normal boat message traffic. Messages were received by the submarines when they reached periscope depth. The submarine’s radio operator would cut each transmitted message into strips and distribute to the intended recipients.
About the Author:
Marifrances Trivelli is the Director of the Los Angeles Maritime Museum, which preserves and shares the history of the Port of Los Angeles. She has a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Rhode Island, an M.A in History from the University of Connecticut, and is a graduate of the Getty Museum Management Institute. Marifrances is the President of the Council of American Maritime Museum, and serves on the City of Torrance’s Historic Preservation Commission. She invites all readers of the Palos Verdes Pulse to explore the Museum’s website www.lamaritimemuseum.org and to visit in person.
