Melva Lillian Cole at ship-launching ceremony, Albina Engine & Machine Works, Portland
- 375A0441
- Item
- 1943-01-08
Photograph showing Melva Lillian Cole standing in front of a ship during a launching ceremony at the Albina Engine & Machine Works shipyard in Portland on Friday, January 8, 1943. Cole christened the ship, a submarine chaser. She is smiling and is holding a bouquet in one hand and a bottle wrapped in ribbon in the other. A cropped version of this photograph was published on Page 10 of the Oregon Journal’s final edition on Saturday, January 9, 1943. It had the following caption: “CHRISTENED IN MEMORY of a navy hero was thew subchaser Hell Hornet at Albina Engine & Machine Works Friday. Sponsor was Mrs. Melva Lillian Cole, Fargo, N. D., the hero’s widow.” The photograph accompanied a story, headlined “Wife of Hero Launches Subchaser. Cole’s husband, U. S. Navy serviceman Wilson Burnett Cole, was killed in an attack by a German submarine in June 1942. Image note: The number 35 is written on the negative and is visible in the lower right corner of the image. The text “Albina shipbuilding / Launching / Hell Hornet / 1/8/43” is written on the negative sleeve. Also see image Nos. 375A0434, 375A0435, 375A0436, 375A0437, 375A0438, 375A0439, 375A0440, 375A0442, 375A0443, 375A0444, 375A0445, 375A0446, 375A0447, 375A0448, 375A0449, 375A0450, and 375A0451.