1944 China Lake Photo Gallery

1944 Photo Gallery. Last updated 18 June, 2017

• Opening of temporary G-1 and G-2 ranges.
• Construction begun on permanent Station facilities.
• Opening of B-1 and B-2 ranges for air-to-ground firings.
• Operations begun at China Lake Pilot Plant.
• January 02 -- The first contingent of AODU-1 personnel arrived at Inyokern.
• February -- Carrier Aircraft Service Unit No. 53 (CASU-53) was assigned to NOTS.
• May 10 -- Aviation Facilities at Inyokern were established by the Secretary of the Navy as the U.S. Navy Air Facility, Inyokern, CA, and the name Harvey Field was officially adopted.
• U.S. Navy Lt. Donald A. Innis lost his life in late May, or early June, when his F6F Hellcat crashed.
• June 05 -- AODU-1 was officially moved to NOTS
• June 25 -- U.S. Navy Lt. Douglas J. Walthall and Aviation Radioman 2nd class Wilson M. Keller lost their lives when their Torpedo Bomber crashed.
• June 28 -- The ceremony naming the NOTS airfield in honor of the late LCdr Warren W. Harvey, aviation tactician and aircraft ordnance expert was held.
• Aug. 21 -- U.S. Navy Lt. John "Jack" Armitage lost his life when his SB2C-1C Helldiver crashed at NOTS Inyokern.
• Aug. 29 -- U.S. Navy Lt. Robert A. Dibb who lost his life when his F6F Hellcat crashed.

1Q
NOTS, 1944	NOTS, 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo from China Lake Community Publication 128
F4F Wildcat	F4F Wildcat under wing HVAR launchers, San Diego, 04 January 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Ready Room and Office	Ready Room and Office, Harvey Field, Inyokern, 15 February 1944. Looks like an assortment of TBM Avengers (BuNo's 53884 & 53889), SB2C Helldivers and a PBJ Mitchell behind the Ready Room. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Harvey Field control tower	Harvey Field control tower looking northwest, 15 February 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Harvey Field apron	Harvey Field apron as seen from the control tower, 15 February 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Harvey Field Quonset huts	Harvey Field Quonset huts, 15 February 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
CO's Quonset Hut	CO's Quonset Hut. L-r: John Richmond, Admiral Wilhelm L. Friedell, Sandy, Congressman Harry R. Sheppard, Bob Atkins & CO Capt. Sherman E. Burroughs, 1944. Rocketeer photo.
Capt. Sherman E. Burroughs	NOTS CO Capt. Sherman E. Burroughs 3rd from left, Assistant Ecperimental Officer Cdr. Bob Appleton at far right, others unknown, probably Harvey Field, circa 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Harvey Field Officers Mess	Harvey Field Officers Mess, 1944. Official U. S. Navy photo.
2Q
A-24B Dauntless	US Army A-24B Dauntless s/n 42-54416 & Oscar J. Sitzes at Inyokern, CA, April 1944. Photo from O.J. Sitzes.
VJ-7 TBM Avenger	VJ-7 TBM Avenger with HVAR's mounted under the wing, Harvey Field, 20 April 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Harvey Field apron	Harvey Field apron construction, 15 May 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Gas storage tanks	Gas storage tanks construction, Harvey Field, Inyokern, 15 May 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Assembly of Tiny Tim rocket	Assembly of Tiny Tim rocket #2, circa June 1944. China Lake Museum photo.
TBF Avenger with a Tiny Tim	TBF Avenger with a Tiny Tim rocket in the open bomb bay, Harvey Field, Area L, 10 June 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Harvey Field Kodiak hangar	Harvey Field Kodiak hangar construction 15 June 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Drafting Department	Drafting Department, Harvey Field, 20 June 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
TBF Avenger	TBF Avenger being in position atop the static firing ramp, Harvey Field, Area L, 20 June 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
TBF Avenger	TBF Avenger firing a Tiny Tim rocket from atop the static firing ramp, Harvey Field, Area L, 20 June 1944. Official U.S. Navy.
TBF Avenger	TBF Avenger firing a Tiny Tim rocket from atop the static firing ramp, Harvey Field, Area L, circa June 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
FM-2 Wildcat	FM-2 Wildcat with under wing HVAR's, Harvey Field, Area L, 21 June 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
FM-2 Wildcat	FM-2 Wildcat with under wing HVAR's, Harvey Field, Area L, 21 June 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Harvey Field commissioning	Harvey Field commissioning, 22 June 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
3Q
PBJ-1H Mitchell	PBJ-1H Mitchell with under wing HVAR's, Harvey Field, Area L, 06 July 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
PBJ-1H Mitchell	PBJ-1H Mitchell with under wing HVAR's, Harvey Field, Area L, 06 July 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
WAVES contingent	WAVES contingent arrived 18 July 1944 and was transferred to San Diego 30 August 1946, Harvey Field. Rocketeer photo.
A-20 Havoc	USAAF A-20 Havoc atop a stand for a static rocket firing test, Harvey Field, Area L, 26 July 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
VF-6 F6F Hellcats	VF-6 F6F Hellcats on the line for HVAR 5" Rocket Training at Harvey Field, Inyokern, August 1944. Clifford N. Seaver photo.
SB2C Helldiver	SB2C Helldiver static firing of an 11.75" Tiny Tim rocket, Harvey Field, Area L, 14 August 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
SB2C Helldiver	SB2C Helldiver and 11.75" Tiny Tim rocket upload, Harvey Field, Area L, 15 August 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
SB2C Helldiver	SB2C Helldiver and 11.75" Tiny Tim rocket close-up, Harvey Field, Area L, 15 August 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
TBM-1C Avenger	TBM-1C Avenger, HVAR's, Harvey Field, Inyokern, 20 Aug. 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo
SB2C Helldiver	SB2C-1C Helldiver BuNo 018248 (LT Armitage) crash scene. Harvey Field, Area L, 21 August 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Powder Plant	Powder Plant construction, 25 August 1944. Rocketeer photo.
Aerial view of Harvey Field	Aerial view of Harvey Field, Inyokern, 30 August 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Aerial view of Harvey Field	Aerial view of the Harvey Field runways, late 1944. China Lake Museum photo.
SB2C Helldiver	SB2C Helldiver being hoisted into position for a static launch of a 11.75" Tiny Tim rocket, Harvey Field, Area L, 07 September 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
F4U-1D Corsair	F4U-1D Corsair with under wing mounted HVAR's, Harvey Field, 15 September 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
SB2C-1C Helldiver	SB2C-1C Helldiver (maybe BuNo 18542) gear down and in-flight with a BAT glide bomb, 27 September 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
4Q
Under Secretary of the Navy Ralph Bard	Under Secretary of the Navy Ralph Bard watches through binoculars as he presses a button to test fire a Tiny Tim rocket. Zimmie Zimmerman at left, Harvey Field, October 1944. Rocketeer photo.
SB2C-1C Helldiver	SB2C-1C Helldiver releasing a BAT glide bomb, 07 October 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
SB2C-1C Helldiver with HVAR's	SB2C-1C Helldiver with HVAR's on under wing launchers, Harvey Field, Inyokern, 17 October 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
SB2C-1C Helldiver with Tiny Tim	SB2C Helldiver with 11.75" Tiny Tim rocket under the stbd wing, Harvey Field, Area L, 23 October 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Motor service pool	Motor service pool at construction contractors' base batching plant. Concrete batching plant and lumber mill in background, November 1944. China Lake Museum photo.
Contractors sawmill	Contractors sawmill & construction activity, China Lake, November 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
SB2C-4 Helldiver elevator modifications	Close-up of SB2C-4 Helldiver elevator modifications following Armitage's crash. PBY in the background and F4U Corsair (NOTS-19) Tiny Tim upload at right, Harvey Field, 07 November 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
F4U-1D Corsair under wing HVAR damage	F4U-1D Corsair under wing HVAR damage, Harvey Field, Area L, 10 November 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
F4U-1D Corsair HVAR close-up	F4U-1D Corsair HVAR close-up, Harvey Field, Area L, 10 November 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
	F4U-4 Corsair in-flight firing HVAR's, 01 December 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
SB2C Helldiver	SB2C Helldiver (NOTS-28) close-up under wing HVAR Harvey Launcher, 08 December 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
SB2C Helldiver	SB2C Helldiver (NOTS-28) with under wing HVAR Harvey Launcher, 08 December 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
Harvey Field garage	Harvey Field garage construction, 19 December 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
F6F-5 Hellcat	F6F-5 Hellcat (619) with two 11.75" Tiny Tim rockets and center fuel tank, overloaded gross weight of 15,885 lbs., Harvey Field, 29 December 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
F6F-5 Hellcat	F6F Hellcat in flight firing an 11.75" Tiny Tim rocket, 29 December 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
F4U-1D Corsair with Tiny Tim	F4U-1D Corsair with Tiny Tim rocket close-up showing the fin position to clear the launch rail, Harvey Field, 19 December 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.
F4U-1D Corsair	F4U Corsair in flight firing an 11.75" Tiny Tim rocket, 29 December 1944. Official U.S. Navy photo.