Rare early original vintage San Francisco Chronicle hand signed press gelatin silver photograph by famous World War ll photographer Joe Rosenthal.Perhaps one of the last photographs shows a view of the famous battleship USS INDIANA entering RIchmond Harbor to be scrapped. The caption on the back reads, “Photo by Joe Rosenthal - USS Indiana arrives at Richmond Harbor for scrapping”. Joseph John Rosenthal was an American photographer who received the Pulitzer Prize for his iconic World War II photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima, taken during the Battle of Iwo Jima. His picture became one of the best-known photographs of the war. He later joined the San Francisco Chronicle. He worked there as a photographer for 35 years, before retiring in 1981. Indiana entered service in April 1942, by which time the United States was engaged in World War II, and the ship was immediately pressed into action in the Pacific War against Japan. Her first combat came in late 1942 when she supported marines fighting during the Guadalcanal campaign. Over the next three years, she was occupied with two primary roles: naval gunfire support for amphibious assaults across the Pacific and anti-aircraft defense for the fast carrier task force. She shelled Japanese positions during the Battle of Tarawa in November 1943 and the Battle of Kwajalein in February 1944. Admiral Arleigh Burke, the Chief of Naval Operations, designated the four South Dakota-class battleships as eligible for disposal, and on 1 May 1962, Fred Korth, the Secretary of the Navy, recommended she be stricken from the Naval Vessel Register effective on 1 June. She was thereafter sold for scrap on 6 September 1963 and broken up.Photograph measures 8 x 10 inches and is in excellent condition with no bends, tears, or creases and is very sharp and has strong tones with good contrast and clarity. Back has caption mentioned above and official press stamp.

Excellent