1944 USS COWPENS Combat 45 Graphic Camera Outfit 18 - C - 235 US Navy CVL - 25 WW2 USN
Item History & Price
| Reference Number: Avaluer:207286 | Country/Region of Manufacture: United States |
For sale is a vintage WWII era US NAVY Combat 45 Graphic Camera Outfit and accessories and previously undeveloped film found with the camera. This camera outfit was used on the light aircraft carrier USS Cowpens (CVL-25). The camera and case were produced by the Folmer Graflex Corporation under Navy contract N288 14657. The camera and case are both labeled "U.S.S. Cowpens" in hand-painted black and yellow paint. The case is also stamped on the inside label with ...the US Navy anchor mark. The camera is also marked on the camera body above the handle strap in silver paint with the US Navy anchor mark and has the official military metal plate with serial number attached to shutter winding side of camera body.
This camera outfit was obtained two years ago, from an eastern Washington State estate (three hours' drive from Portland, Oregon where the USS Cowpens was sold and scrapped in 1960/1961).
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AVAILABLE.
The items included in this sale are:Combat 45 Graphic Camera 18-C-235 (serial number 1289) with 3-pin mount flash reflector, No. 2 Kodak Supermatic Shutter with 127mm/f4.7 Anastigmat Special lens (serial number EE641) , and black Graflex back (not the combat olive green color).
Graflex heavy grain leather, velvet lined carrying case with shoulder strap.
Graflex Cut Film Magazine designed to hold 12 sheets of 4x5 film.Seven 4x5 sheet film undeveloped negatives found with camera and digital scans to be provided on compact disc (only three of the negatives have visible images).
One double-sided 4x5 Graflex Sheet Film Holder Cat. No. 1114.Three Bright Star "D" size dry-cell photo flash batteries (found inside camera body and dated Aug 1953).Kalart Speed Flash Automatic Synchronizer with flash handle, reflector, and camera mount bar (serial number AS 157767).Three Ray-O-Vac "C" size dry-cell batteries (found in Kalart Speed Flash and dated 5-66)Two film receipts (one dated 8-19-1949) and two Kodak film pack information inserts (dated 7-48)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
USS Cowpens
The USS Cowpens (CVL-25), nick named The Mighty Moo, was an Independence class light aircraft carrier built by New York Shipbuilding. The Independence class light aircraft carrier concept was a wartime emergency program to create fleet carriersfrom "surplus" light cruiser hulls. Nine were completed. All of them were converted fromCleveland class light cruisers. The USS Cowpens was laid down as the USS Huntington (CL-77), a Cleveland-class light cruiser 17 Nov 1941, reordered as a carrier, renamed Cowpens and redesignated CV-25, 27 March 1942. It waslaunched 17 Jan 1943, commissioned as a carrier 28 May 1943, and redesignated CVL-25 15 July 1943. The Might Moo served with Carrier Task Forcesduring WWII. She was decommissioned to reserve 13 Jan 1947. While in reserve, redesignated asaviation transport (AVT 1) 16 May 1959. Strickenfor disposal 1 Nov 1959, and scrapped at Portland OR, 1961.
[References http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/us_light.htm and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cowpens_(CVL-25)]
Combat 45 Graphic Camera
The Graflex Combat 45 Graphic Camera 18-C-235 was a simple outfit, consisting of camera, flash and 6 double sided 4x5 film holders. These cameras were used in the Pacific region at the end of WW2 (1944 to 1945) by the US Navy and Marine Corps. The Marine Corps version was painted in olive drab green, the Navy versions in olive drab green or battleship grey. After WW2, leftover stock was painted black and cameras rebadged and sold as 'Graphic45'. The camera was built to handle the humid and tough conditions of the WW2 Pacific War by replacing the Graphic leather bellows with a wooden body. Some of these cameras were fitted with Graflex backs, others with Graphic (spring) backs. (This camera has the standard Graflex back). Three 'D' cell batteries fit inside the base of the body to power the flash, which has a special 3-pin bayonet mount that fits only this camera. All the Combat 45 cameras were fitted with a black No. 2 Kodak Supermatic shutter and a 127mm Kodak Anastigmat Special lens with front focusing element, activated by a geared wheel on the side of the camera. All lens serial numbers begin with the 'EE' Kodak date code for 1944. (Serial number EE641). There is also a focal plane curtain shutter located at the back of the camera. The official military metal plate with serial number is attached to the shutter winding side of camera body. The serial number is also stamped into the wood on the front right side of the camera body. (Serial number 1289). Only about 1500 of these cameras were made. Not all were used in combat.
[References http://graflex.coffsbiz.com/military.html, http://graflex.coffsbiz.com, https://www.graflex.org/speed-graphic/supermatic.html]
The No. 2 Supermatic shutter has built-in synchronizationcontacts for high-speed flash tubes. This Cowpens camera was modified with a Graflex solenoid attached to the left-hand side of the shutter. The solenoid's contacts were wired around and through the shutter board to the 3-pin bayonet mount contacts located inside the body of the camera. A synchronized shutter release was also added on the left-hand side of the camera body above the normal shutter release lever. This can be seen in photograph 4 as a round 3/4-inch diameter aluminum knob with a small button painted red in the middle. This modification is unique to this Cowpens camera. This may have been made to replace the built-in synchronization mechanism (perhaps faulty) or may have been used for additional synchronization withstandard foil or wire-filled flash lamps Whatever the reason, this unique modification appears to have been professionally performed and may have been performed by Graflex (perhaps a customization at the time of manufacture).
This camera outfit was obtained two years ago, from an eastern Washington State estate (three hours' drive from Portland, Oregon where the USS Cowpens was sold and scrapped in 1960/1961).
ADDITIONAL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE AVAILABLE.
The items included in this sale are:Combat 45 Graphic Camera 18-C-235 (serial number 1289) with 3-pin mount flash reflector, No. 2 Kodak Supermatic Shutter with 127mm/f4.7 Anastigmat Special lens (serial number EE641) , and black Graflex back (not the combat olive green color).
Graflex heavy grain leather, velvet lined carrying case with shoulder strap.
Graflex Cut Film Magazine designed to hold 12 sheets of 4x5 film.Seven 4x5 sheet film undeveloped negatives found with camera and digital scans to be provided on compact disc (only three of the negatives have visible images).
One double-sided 4x5 Graflex Sheet Film Holder Cat. No. 1114.Three Bright Star "D" size dry-cell photo flash batteries (found inside camera body and dated Aug 1953).Kalart Speed Flash Automatic Synchronizer with flash handle, reflector, and camera mount bar (serial number AS 157767).Three Ray-O-Vac "C" size dry-cell batteries (found in Kalart Speed Flash and dated 5-66)Two film receipts (one dated 8-19-1949) and two Kodak film pack information inserts (dated 7-48)
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
USS Cowpens
The USS Cowpens (CVL-25), nick named The Mighty Moo, was an Independence class light aircraft carrier built by New York Shipbuilding. The Independence class light aircraft carrier concept was a wartime emergency program to create fleet carriersfrom "surplus" light cruiser hulls. Nine were completed. All of them were converted fromCleveland class light cruisers. The USS Cowpens was laid down as the USS Huntington (CL-77), a Cleveland-class light cruiser 17 Nov 1941, reordered as a carrier, renamed Cowpens and redesignated CV-25, 27 March 1942. It waslaunched 17 Jan 1943, commissioned as a carrier 28 May 1943, and redesignated CVL-25 15 July 1943. The Might Moo served with Carrier Task Forcesduring WWII. She was decommissioned to reserve 13 Jan 1947. While in reserve, redesignated asaviation transport (AVT 1) 16 May 1959. Strickenfor disposal 1 Nov 1959, and scrapped at Portland OR, 1961.
[References http://www.hazegray.org/navhist/carriers/us_light.htm and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cowpens_(CVL-25)]
Combat 45 Graphic Camera
The Graflex Combat 45 Graphic Camera 18-C-235 was a simple outfit, consisting of camera, flash and 6 double sided 4x5 film holders. These cameras were used in the Pacific region at the end of WW2 (1944 to 1945) by the US Navy and Marine Corps. The Marine Corps version was painted in olive drab green, the Navy versions in olive drab green or battleship grey. After WW2, leftover stock was painted black and cameras rebadged and sold as 'Graphic45'. The camera was built to handle the humid and tough conditions of the WW2 Pacific War by replacing the Graphic leather bellows with a wooden body. Some of these cameras were fitted with Graflex backs, others with Graphic (spring) backs. (This camera has the standard Graflex back). Three 'D' cell batteries fit inside the base of the body to power the flash, which has a special 3-pin bayonet mount that fits only this camera. All the Combat 45 cameras were fitted with a black No. 2 Kodak Supermatic shutter and a 127mm Kodak Anastigmat Special lens with front focusing element, activated by a geared wheel on the side of the camera. All lens serial numbers begin with the 'EE' Kodak date code for 1944. (Serial number EE641). There is also a focal plane curtain shutter located at the back of the camera. The official military metal plate with serial number is attached to the shutter winding side of camera body. The serial number is also stamped into the wood on the front right side of the camera body. (Serial number 1289). Only about 1500 of these cameras were made. Not all were used in combat.
[References http://graflex.coffsbiz.com/military.html, http://graflex.coffsbiz.com, https://www.graflex.org/speed-graphic/supermatic.html]
The No. 2 Supermatic shutter has built-in synchronizationcontacts for high-speed flash tubes. This Cowpens camera was modified with a Graflex solenoid attached to the left-hand side of the shutter. The solenoid's contacts were wired around and through the shutter board to the 3-pin bayonet mount contacts located inside the body of the camera. A synchronized shutter release was also added on the left-hand side of the camera body above the normal shutter release lever. This can be seen in photograph 4 as a round 3/4-inch diameter aluminum knob with a small button painted red in the middle. This modification is unique to this Cowpens camera. This may have been made to replace the built-in synchronization mechanism (perhaps faulty) or may have been used for additional synchronization withstandard foil or wire-filled flash lamps Whatever the reason, this unique modification appears to have been professionally performed and may have been performed by Graflex (perhaps a customization at the time of manufacture).
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