Edgar H. Batcheller Photograph Album, 1898-1999 (bulk 1898): Finding Aid

Biography of Edgar H. Batcheller

Edgar H. Batcheller, grandson of Commander Oliver Ambrose Batcheller, was born on May 2, 1910 in Mattapoisett, Massachusetts to James Hervey and Elizabeth Towne Batcheller. Following a year of study at Oregon State College, Batcheller was appointed to the United States Naval Academy, graduating on May 31, 1934. For two years following graduation, he served aboard U.S.S. New Mexico (Battleship: BB-40), before returning to school at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he received a Master of Science in Naval Construction in 1939 under the auspices of the Naval Postgraduate School.

After completing a brief course of instruction at Chemical Warfare School, Batcheller was assigned to the Boston Navy Yard as Ship Superintendent and Docking Officer. Duty as Hull Planning and Estimating Officer at Boston followed until July 1944. He then finished World War II as a Maintenance Officer, serving on the staffs of Commander Service Force Pacific, Commander Service Squadron 10, and Commander Service Division 103. His Maintenance Officer duty continued after the war as Post War Planning Officer on the Staff of Commander Service Force Pacific until January 1946.

Detached from Service Force, Pacific, Batcheller reported for duty on the Staff of Commander Task Force One, Ship Material Division, in connection with the nuclear weapons tests of Operation Crossroads. Following the operation, he reported to the Preliminary Design Division of the Bureau of Ships in December 1946. In early 1947, he was appointed Secretary of the President's Advisory Committee on the Merchant Marine, but returned to the Preliminary Design Division in November 1947 in the Underwater Explosion Branch. There he remained until July 1950, interrupted only by service in connection with the Tri-Partite Conference on German Shipping. Detached from the Preliminary Design Division in July 1950, Batcheller reported as Fleet Maintenance Officer and Officer in Charge of Service Force Ship Maintenance on the Staff of Commander Service Force, Pacific.

In July 1953, Batcheller was detailed for instruction at the Naval War College, graduating in June 1954. After graduation, he was attached to the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in New Hampshire where he served as Shipbuilding Superintendent. Following duty as Comptroller with the Bureau of Ships from July 5, 1956 until April 24, 1959, he returned to the field of shipbuilding as Supervisor of Shipbuilding, with additional duty as Inspector of Ordnance at Quincy, Massachusetts.

On September 27, 1961, Batcheller was appointed Assistant Chief of the Bureau of Ships for Plans and Administration and Inspector General of the Bureau of Ships. Duty in command of the Charleston Naval Shipyard followed, after which he was assigned to the Staff of the Commandant of the Sixth Naval District. In July 1968, he assumed his final duty as Inspector General of Navy Ship Systems Command. Edgar H. Batcheller retired from the United States Navy with the Rank of Rear Admiral on July 1, 1969 and died on May 3, 2003 in Woodstock, Virginia.

Description of Contents

The Edgar H. Batcheller Photograph Album, comprising 0.1 linear feet of material in a single volume, consists of photographs from 1898, with two letters regarding the donation of the materials dating from 1969 and 1999. The photographs depict United States Naval Academy buildings and grounds in the summer of 1898.

The Batcheller Photograph Album includes twenty-two black-and-white images, in the form of both prints and negatives, of the United States Naval Academy in 1898. Pictured in the photographs are the Cadets' New Quarters, Stribling Row, Buchanan Row, Fort Severn, the old Armory, the Tripoli Monument, the Naval Academy Cemetery, the Severn River waterfront, walking paths, and trophy guns, as well as the training ships U.S.S. Monongahela (Sloop-of-war) and U.S.S. Newport (Gunboat: PG-12). One additional photograph from the grounds of the Academy depicts an artillery test plate with five blast holes in it. Two photographs taken off of the Academy grounds focus on the city of Annapolis, including an image of the Maryland Statehouse from Francis Street and Chase-Lloyd House. Copies of the photographs were also donated to the Director of Naval History, resulting in each photograph having a Naval History caption and identification number.

Arrangement

The Edgar H. Batcheller Photograph Album comprises a single volume.

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

The Edgar H. Batcheller Photograph Album is the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Custodial History

The album was originally given by Edgar H. Batcheller to his brother-in-law, Randolph W. King, United States Naval Academy Class of 1944.

Provenance and Acquisition

Gift of Randolph W. King in December 1999. Accession No. 99-120.

Related Materials

Location of Copies or Alternate Formats

Copies of the negatives from this collection were also donated to Director of Naval History, Rear Admiral Ernest M. Eller prior to October 29, 1969.

Related Archival Material

Additional photographs of Naval Academy buildings and grounds can be found in RG405.10 Entry 146g: Naval Academy Photograph Collection, 1845-1983.

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

Edgar H. Batcheller Photograph Album, MS 532

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Selected Bibliography

The following sources were consulted during preparation of the biographical note:

Batcheller, Edgar Hadley Alumni Jacket, RG 405, Special Collections & Archives, Nimitz Library.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by David D'Onofrio in October 2019. Finding aid written by David D'Onofrio in October 2019.

Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

• Annapolis (Md.) -- Photographs
• Monongahela (Screw sloop)
• Newport (Gunboat : PG-12)
• United States Naval Academy -- Buildings and grounds
• United States Naval Academy -- Pictorial works
• United States Naval Academy -- School ships

Genre Terms

• Manuscripts
• Photograph albums
• Photographs