SSI Archives

Shooting Photographs, Not Guns

During World War II, to ensure security and secrecy, taking photographs of military bases and activity was strictly forbidden – unless you were an official military photographer. Official photographers acted as the “eyes” of the military. Their images were used for mapmaking, intelligence, strategy, and capturing historic and poignant moments.

U.S. Navy photographers, in the air and on the ground, documented some of the training and personnel at Naval Air Station St. Simons, now McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport. These images continue to help scholars and the public understand what it was like to be stationed here during World War II.

This month’s images show a Curtiss SB2C Helldiver flying over the Atlantic, with St. Simons Island’s East Beach in the background, and Jack Daniel Lane, an official Navy photographer at Naval Air Station St. Simons, with his camera. Lane worked at the Atlanta Journal before the war.

Our monthly images on this page are from the vast archives of the Coastal Georgia Historical Society. The Society’s mission includes the “administration, restoration and maintenance of historic facilities and resources … preserved as a living part of the historical and cultural foundations of our coastal community.” Society facilities include the St. Simons Lighthouse and Museum, the A.W. Jones Heritage Center, and the Historic Coast Guard Station. To learn more about the Society, its diverse programs, and the benefits of Society membership, please call (912) 638.4666, or visit coastalgeorgiahistory.org.