PHOTOGRAPHS

BACKGROUND Emile Choureé was a U.S. Navy pilot born in 1894. He was designated Naval Aviator #1591 in 1918 and married Catherine Davis in 1920. He was a career Navy officer, achieving the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He participated with Navy teams at the National Air Races where he served as the announcer at Naval aerobatic performances. He also flew support aircraft for the team, carrying mechanics and other support personnel, as well as tools and spares. He died in an air crash at Scott Field, East St. Louis, IL in January, 1938. He had two children. They and his wife survived him. A ship, the U.S.S. Choureé (ARV-1), posthumously was named after him. It was launched about a year before the end of WWII, on May 22, 1944, about six years after his passing. He collected and left behind a significant number of photographs, documents and memorabilia related to his naval career and personal life. These items are exhibited in the DOCUMENTS, OBJECTS, PHOTOGRAPHS, PILOT LOG BOOKS and SCRAPBOOKS sections of his Collection.

THE PHOTOGRAPHS

Below are exhibited 53 photographs, most found loose, in Choureé's Collection. Most of them document aircraft and personnel. Two are of his family. Choureé was enlisted in the Navy December 14, 1917. A single, unattached page from an unidentified photo album contains photographs near his date of enlistment, below. The photos can be dated roughly by the second photo from the left in the second row. It is of the Curtiss H-16 seaplane identified as 4060. In one of Choureé's scrapbooks (see the link above), is an image of 4060 at Pensacola, FL dated November 4, 1918. Likewise, his pilot log book number one on PDF page 16 you can find his entry after flying 4060 for an hour and a half. You may explore his logs at the link, above.

Emile Choureé Scrapbook Page, Ca. 1918

The photographs on this page all appear to be from Choureé's time at Pensacola as a recruit (carrying a rifle bottom row, center) and then as an Ensign flying training aircraft.

A half-dozen formal and informal portraits of Choureé appear in his Collection. They are not dated, but seem to be a cross-section of his career. The first is a left quarter profile of Choureé as an ensign. The wings he wears are the ones pictured at the link.

Emile Choureé, Early Portrait of an Ensign

His second and third portraits show him somewhat later as a lieutenant in white uniform. He was promoted to Lieutenant in 1923, so these photos post-date that.

Emile Choureé, Lieutenant, Ca. 1923

I know nothing of the date or location of this photograph. The hat medallion is different compared to the image above.

Emile Choureé, Early Portrait of a Lieutenant

A similar portrait of him is below in blue Navy uniform.There is no designation of rank in this image. Compare the hatband emblem with that exhibited at the link.

Emile Choureé, Early Portrait in Navy Blue

Below, a portrait which seems to have been cropped from a group photograph. Date (after he was promoted to Lieutenant, 1923) & location unknown.

Emile Choureé, Cropped Portrait, Date & Location Unknown

Below, a formal portrait of Choureé, wife Catherine and daughter Jeanne. The leis and the stamp on the bottom of the portrait identify the location as Hawaii. Choureé was stationed in Hawaii from August, 1923 to about June, 1925.

Emile Choureé, Wife Catherine & Daughter Jeanne, Ca. 1923-25

Below are Choureé's two children Jeanne and Jack. Date and location are unknown; estimated date, early 1930s.

Jeanne and Jack Choureé, Date & Location Unknown

Two informal portraits of Choureé follow, both taken while wearing an early model, high-pocket, A-1 leather flight jacket. From the state of the left breast button, it appears these two images were snapped the same day. I do not know the date or location of these photographs.

Emile Choureé, Early Portrait in A-1 Flight Jacket

Second, hatless, portrait below. The neck of the A-1 closes with a button snap. No indication of rank.

Emile Choureé, Early Portrait in A-1 Flight Jacket

Below, Choureé at one of the National Air Races (NAR) he attended at Cleveland, OH. He was the announcer for the Navy aerobatic teams for at least the years 1929-34. He documented his experiences at the NAR in a series of SCRAPBOOKS exhibited at the link. He wears lieutenant bars on his collar and stripes on his sleeve. WHK and WTAM were local Cleveland radio stations.

Emile Choureé, Announcing at the National Air Races, Date Unknown

Below, an autographed group portrait of Choureé with three others announcing at the NAR. WGN and WIBO were Chicago radio stations. The NAR were held at Chicago in 1930, suggesting that the photo dates from 1930. Choureé is at far right. Of the others, left to right, A.I. Ennis landed twice at Tucson in March, 1930. Alford J. Williams is not a Register pilot, but earlier had competed for the Navy at the Pulitzer Race (first place in 1923) and Schneider Cup Races (2nd place in the 1925 race). I have no information for Lt. Vic Clark.

Choureé and Three Others Annoucing at the National Air Races, Ca. 1930

Below, probably from the late 1920s, is a photograph of Choureé, second from right, with a group of eleven fellow officers. They stand in front of what appears to be a Boeing (F2B-1?) aircraft. Two of the men are identifiable as William V. Davis, Jr., far right, and D.W. "Tommy" Tomlinson, 7th from right. Davis and Tomlinson were members of the "Three Seahawks," the Navy aerobatic team that flew at the 1928-29 NAR. We can date this photo from before February 28, 1929, because Tomlinson resigned from the Navy on that date. Notice that Choureé personalized this image with his monogram at top right. If you can identify any of the other men, please let me KNOW.

Choureé and Flight Officers, Ca. Late 1920s

The next group photograph is of some of the same officers as in the photograph above. Their dress is more formal. Choureé kneels second from right. Davis kneels third from right. Tomlinson is at center in the back row. All are Ensigns or Lieutenants. If you can identify any of the other men, please let me KNOW.

Choureé and Flight Officers, Ca. Late 1920s

Below, Choureé poses with a group of senior officers on board the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Saratoga (note the vertical black stripe on the superstructure behind the group). Choureé is in the back row, third from left. Among the ranks represented in the front row are Captain, Commander and Vice Admiral (seated at center).

Emile Choureé and Officers Aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga, Date Unknown

Below, the same photograph as above, but with one small change, which makes Choureé smile! The airplane in these two photographs was identified by a frequent contributor to dmairfield, Roger Holden. He states that the aircraft, "...is a Vought SBU-1 and the dark blue struts and fuselage identify it as a VIP aircraft, probably assigned to the Vice-Admiral in the said photo. A rare and handsome aircraft..." that is probably the one (A-9815) at this link to the Flickr stream from the Central Repository for Aviation Photographs. If it is this airplane, according to Joe Baugher's site, it crashed at Pensacola, FL on December 28, 1941.

Emile Choureé and Officers Aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga, Date Unknown

Below, sixteen officers in white uniform posed in front of the superstructure of an aircraft carrier, probably the Saratoga (note the curved structures and conduits behind the group and compare them to those at center left of the photo above). Choureé is in the back row, far right.

Emile Choureé and Officers Aboard the U.S.S. Saratoga, Date Unknown

Below, Choureé appears, left, rear, in a group portrait with three other officers and seventeen men posed in front of an unidentified Vought O3U-3 Corsair. On the fuselage, the insignia and motto, "Vide et Dice," signifies United States Navy Battleship Observation Squadron 1 (VO-1) based on the U.S.S. Arizona, U.S.S. Nevada and U.S.S. Oklahoma. If you can identify any of the unidentified men, please let me KNOW.

Emile Choureé (L), Undated Group Portrait

Below, two views of the rigid airship U.S.S. Shenandoah (the name is readable upon magnification just forward of the horizontal stabilizer, Ca. 1922-25). It is moored to its tender ship, the U.S.S. Patoka. It is not clear if Choureé was the photographer. In October, 1924, Shenandoah made a 19-day journey across the United States from Lakehurst to San Diego. It passed over Tucson, and it is captured in three photographs exhibited at the Cosgrove Collection. View them at the link.

U.S.S. Shenandoah Moored to U.S.S. Patoka, Ca. 1923-25

Shenandoah was destroyed in a wind storm over Ohio in September, 1925. Can anyone identify the location of the top photograph from the island in the background? If so, please let me KNOW.

Below is one of Choureé's collages of photographs and his original cartooning. It documents the round-trip cruise of the U.S.S. Langley through the Panama Canal, January-June, 1930. A brief history of the Langley is at the link, along with an explanation of why the ship was called the "Covered Wagon." The ship and its complement of men are captured at 11, 7 and 5:00. The photo at upper right is of a boxing match held on the hangar deck (ring at left). The map at centerf illustrates the Langley's course in 1930. The badge at center left says "Fighting Two." Information about Fighting Two is at the link. The stylized bird at bottom center is the logo of Scouting Squadron 1 (VS-1) carried on their Vought planes. One of their airplanes showing the logo is at this link at the Flickr stream of the Central Repository for Aviation Photographs.

Cruise of the U.S.S. Langley, 1930

The Langley ties to Choureé another Register signer, Jackson Rogers Tate, who accompanied Choureé and his company from San Diego to Cleveland in 1929. For details of that cross-country flight, please direct your browser to Choureé's biography page at the link.

Below, Luke Field, Ford Island, Territory of Hawaii. The data line at the bottom of this image states that it was photographed from the northeast at 90 feet altitude on May 13, 1924. Choureé's pilot log book for 1922-1925 (see logbook #3 at the link) places him in Hawaii from August, 1923 to about June, 1925 when he shipped back to the mainland U.S. and was reassigned to Annapolis, MD and the Naval Academy. There is no record in his log book that documents a flight on May 13th, therefore the photo below was probably not snapped by him. According to Roger Holden (see above), the nearest eight aircraft are MB-2 bombers. The next group are too small to be certain. The next group of five are probably Thomas-Morse MB-3 fighters, with DH-4 observation aircraft beyond. These were the three standard types of early 1920s Army Air Service aircraft.

Luke Field, T.H., May 13, 1924

Below is an aerial photograph of the Naval Station at Panama, Canal Zone. This image was washed out, so I pushed it with PhotoShop to bring out details. The photo is heavily annotated by Choureé, but undated. I include it by itself here, because the three photographs of aircraft immediately below it were taken there.

Naval Station, Panama Canal Zone, Date Unknown

Below, a group of seven Navy aircraft on the ground probably at the Naval Station, Canal Zone. Compare the area at the top, right of this photo with the area labeled "Tennis Courts" at top in the photo above. The road with the right dogleg is visible in both photos, with the tennis courts and "New Quarters" just visible, too. This photograph was taken above the area labeled "Landing Field" in the photo above. The taxiway, traced in ink, above, is also visible at top right in the photo below. Roger Holden says about the aircraft, "All are US Navy DH-4s. The dark fuselages are unusual and may indicate transfer from US Army stocks."

Seven Navy Airplanes, Date & Location Unknown

Below, a group of five Navy aircraft undergoing assembly. Note the parts, including a propeller near the center, lying on the ground. By their fuselage numbers, these are not the same aircraft as pictured above. However, the wear patterns in the sod suggest that aircraft 2/8 and 2/11 are standing in a position that would be at the very bottom of the photograph above. These are also US Navy DH-4s.

Five Navy Airplanes, Date & Location Unknown

The photograph below was taken close up to the "New Quarters." It shows a lineup of six Navy aircraft, plus one that was wrecked by "Barkelew" at "Hit Here." If you compare the details in the background of this image with the one annotated above, you'll be able to align it with the details of hangars and residences out on the point. Roger Holden identifies the aircraft: "All aircraft are Vought VE-7s of Fighting Squadron 2 (VF-2); the Navy's first 'fighters'."

Annotated Photograph, Naval Station, Panama, C.Z., Ca. Early 1920s

Interestingly, there are two other, earlier views of this Naval Station in the SCRAPBOOK containing Choureé's various assignment photographs. Please take some time to take a look at pages 31 and 76 in that scrapbook. The two views of the Naval Station below are from those two pages, respectively. They show a facility far less developed than the annotated photograph, above.

Choureé Scrapbook, Page 31, Canal Zone Naval Station, Ca. 1919-1920

Below, from scrapbook page 76. The annotation in the scrapbook identifies the location as the Naval Air Station and Sub Base, Panama.

Choureé Scrapbook, Page 76, Canal Zone Naval Station, Ca. 1919-1920

Below, from Choureé's assignment in Hawaii, is a photograph of Oahu taken July 29, 1924.

Oahu, T.H., July 29, 1924

Below, five aircraft in formation, date & location unknown. In the lead, according to Roger Holden: "First 2 are Curtiss HS-2Ls, then Curtiss R-6 or 9, Curtiss JN-4, Curtiss N-9."

Five Aircraft in Formation, Date& Location Unknown

Below are three views of non-flying aircraft. The top and bottom views were taken at the same location. The top image is Berliner Joyce OJ-2 A-9201 on a dolly. The middle image appears to be a Curtiss N-9 in a state of assembly or disassembly (note upright radiator). The bottom image is a Vought O2U-4 Corsair, A-83XX. the last two numerals of the Bureau Number are not visible. The engine is running (not a good idea with so much glass behind the aircraft), and a motion picture camera appears to be mounted at the middle of the center section of the top wing.

Three Seaplanes on Land, Dates & Locations Unknown

The top image is a Boeing F4B of unknown Bureau Number. The center photo is of Vought O3U-4 A-9077 (not a Register airplane). The engine is running and a seaman is in the cockpit. The bottom image is Boeing F4B-4 A-9258 (not a Register airplane).

Three Navy Planes on Land, Dates & Locations Unknown

The top aircraft in the photograph below is a Curtiss N-9 (note, again, the vertical radiator extending above the wing center section. Choureé stands at lower left appearing in discussion with the men in swim suits on the port wing. The bottom image is a Vought O3U-3, same aircraft pictured near top of page (1-O-13 of VO-1). It's surprising Choureé did not describe these photos in any detail.

Curtiss N-9 and Berliner Joyce, Date & Location Unknown

The top aircraft in the three photos below is a Grumman FF-1 Model G-5, Bureau Number A-9363 (also not a Register airplane). Of greater interest is the empennage at far right with the Bureau Number A-9351 (not a Register airplane). However, this airplane has an interesting history, and it still exists at the upload date of this page. According to Joe Baugher's site, A-9351, "...was formerly Nicaragua AF GN-3, a Grumman G-23 aircraft assembled under license by CC&F of Canada, c/n 101 and was not operated by US Navy. It was the sole example purchased by the Nicaraguan government. After seeing limited service, it was relegated to a scrap yard at Zololtan Air Field in 1942, destined to remain there until 1961, when J.R. Sirmons, an Oklahoma fertilizer and spray plane pilot hired to work in Nicaragua, discovered it. Brought to the United States and restored by Grumman in the markings of the "Red Rippers" of Fighting Squadron (VF) 5B, which in 1933 had been the first squadron to receive the FF-1s, the aircraft was flight delivered to the Museum in June 1967. Currently in National Naval Aviation Museum, Pensacola, FL." The link to the Museum shows the airplane in starboard profile. The same logo is on the fuselage, although the squadron number behind it is different. Notice the tail hook and the tail wheel. The middle photo appears to be a Vought O3U-4. The Bureau Number is not visible.

Three Airplanes, Date & Location Unknown

The bottom photograph is of Choureé posing with a Boeing FB-5, A-7125 (not a Register airplane).

Below are five images of airplane manipulation on shipboard, and one Martin PM-2 flying boat on the ground. The upper left image was probably taken on the U.S.S. Oklahoma. The airplane is a Vought VE-9. The catapult was installed aboard the Oklahoma during November, 1927, so this photo was taken after that. The Oklahoma was subsequently sunk at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. According to Roger Holden, the four other single-engine aircraft are Vought O3U-3s. I have no information about where or when the other shipboard images were taken.

Six Aircraft Images, Dates & Locations Unknown

And the photo at lower left is of a Martin PM-2 flying boat of Utility Squadron 2 (VJ-2).

Below are three more photographs of Navy seaplanes. According to Roger Holden, the top image is a, "Vought O3U-1 fitted with the rather rare Grumman model B amphibian float. The model A and B floats were the first products [ca. 1929] of the fledgling Grumman Corporation." The middle image is of a Consolidated P2Y-1 flying boat. Compare the closed cockpits of this airplane with the open ones in the image above, lower left.

Three Aircraft Images, Dates & Locations Unknown

The bottom image, according to Roger Holden, is a, "...Martin PM-1 flying boat of Utility Squadron 1 (VJ-1).
PM-1 has single fin, unlike improved PM-2 (see above) with twin fins. Both were derived from the Naval Aircraft Factory's PN-12 design, which was built by several manufacturers with a heritage all the way back to WW 1."

Choureé spent time at Washington, DC. A few of his photographs captured the typical tourist views. The annotation at the top right of the one below suggests it wasn't taken by him.

U.S. Capital Building, Washington, DC, Date Unknown

Below, an aerial view.

U.S. Capital Building, Washington, DC, Date Unknown

For comparison, below is a Google Earth image of the U.S. Capital from about the same angle. Other than a few buildings and some landscaping, surprisingly little has changed in the last 80 or so years.

U.S. Capital Building, Washington, DC, 2015 (Source: Google Earth)

An aerial view to the north of the Washington Monument is below. The White House is in the left background.

Washington Monument, Washington, DC, Date Unknown

For comparison, below is a Google Earth image of the Washington Monument from about the same angle. The landscaping and pathways have changed significantly near the base of the Monument, and the baseball diamonds are gone. The small building at lower right is still present.

Washington Monument, Washington, DC, 2015 (Source: Google Earth)

Below is an aerial view of the Arlington National Cemetery with the Memorial Amphitheater at center. The photo ID information in the upper left corner suggests the photograph was not made by Choureé. However, it may suggest a date, April, 1922(?)

Arlington National Cemetery, Memorial Amphitheater, Washington, DC, Date Unknown

The contemporary Google Earth view (not shown here) of this scene is stunning by its inclusion of literally thousands more graves.

Choureé was a member of the Al Bahr masonic temple in San Diego. On June 13-15, 1928 he participated in a council at San Francisco as captured in the photograph below. Choureé appears third from right in the first row, holding a tuba. Interestingly, the gentleman to his right in the photograph holds the unusual double bell euphonium.

The Al Bahr Masonic Temple Band at San Francisco, June 13-15, 1928

Later in the 1930s, Choureé had the opportunity to hook an airplane on the rigid airship U.S.S. Macon. This event was captured in the photograph, below, and also in his pilot log book for February 1, 1934. Choureé is pictured in the front cockpit, with his instructor and Register pilot Frederick Trapnell in the rear. A similar photograph was among Trapnell's records and you can see it exhibited at his biography page at the link.

Consolidated N2Y-1 Hookup to U.S.S. Macon, February 1, 1934

Below, the page from Choureé's 1934 pilot log book citing this flight. The half-hour flight is logged on the second line. Choureé and Trapnell flew the Consolidated N2Y-1 trainer assigned number A-8603 (not a Register airplane).

Emile Choureé Pilot Log Book For February 1, 1934

From the mid-1930s to when he was killed in 1938, Choureé worked with the Consolidated Aircraft Company. Please direct your browser to his biography page and to the DOCUMENTS page of this Collection for more details. He served as Navy liaison with the company for aircraft acquisition and quality control. Below, a group photograph of Choureé and ten others. Choureé is second from left in the front row. If you can identify any of the others, please let me KNOW. The airplane behind them is a Consolidated PBY. Note the direction finder loop antenna on top of the cockpit.

Emile Choureé and Ten Unidentified Men, Ca. 1936-37

Below, six Consolidated PBY-1s flying in formation. The date and location are unknown. None of the Bureau Numbers are readable.

Six Consolidated Model 1 PBYs, Date & Location Unknown

Below is an in-flight image of the first Consolidated Model 28 PBY, "Guba" (or "Guba I"). The buildings on the ground were probably the Consolidated plant, San Diego, CA. This Model 28 was the first commercial model and carried serial number C-1. This is an early photograph of the airplane, as evidenced by the triangular logo on the forward fuselage and the small window aft of the cockpit. The triangle has the letter "A" in it and three stars at the points. The logo identified its owner's, Dr. Richard Archbold, biological expeditions. His proposed mission to New Guinea using the airplane during November, 1937 was abandoned.

Consolidated PBY Model 28, Ca. 1937, San Diego, CA

Archbold sold the airplane to the Russian government. During WWII, NC777 was destroyed by German gunfire in Russia in 1942.

Below are six unidentified photographs from Choureé's Collection. If you can positively identify any of them, please let me KNOW.

First is an photograph of a harbor with a breakwater in the distance. I think this might be in Panama.

Unidentified Harbor, Date & Location Unknown

Second are unidentified buildings at the Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD (June,1921?).

Unidentified Buildings, Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD (June,1921?)

A site visitor took the time to identify the buildings and states, "..., I am familiar with the Academy on two counts: 1. Our son graduated class of 2012 and 2. I am a structural engineer and have worked on some of the buildings at the Academy." The identifications are below.

Identified Buildings, Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD (June,1921?)

The photograph below includes some of the same buildings as above, except from a different angle.

Unidentified Buildings, Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD (June,1921?)

The identified buildings are below.

Identified Buildings, Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD (June,1921?)

Another unidentified building. The windows appear to be boarded up.

Unidentified Building, Date & Location Unknown

Below, an unidentified building complex and parade ground. Note palm trees.

Unidentified Building Complex, Date & Location Unknown

Finally, this image of a flight line in the foreground with a dirigible hangar in the background. This image was very washed out, so I pushed it with PhotoShop to enhance the details. There might be a person in white cap walking in the foreground, blurred by a long exposure.

Flight Line With Dirigible Hangar, Date & Location Unknown

If you can positively identify any of these mystery photos, please let me KNOW.

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THIS PAGE UPLOADED: 06/16/15 REVISED: 06/28/15, 01/22/18