Protect This House

What you are actually seeing here is the view through the viewfinder of a 20mm anti-aircraft gun, one of seven mounted on the U.S.S. Cassin Young, a Fletcher-class destroyer that was commissioned by the United States Navy from the last day of December 1943 through till April 29th, 1960. She was named for Captain Cassin Young who served heroically at Pearl Harbor (and was awarded the Medal of Honor) and died fighting valiantly for his country in the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal. The USS Cassin Young is now preserved as a memorial ship in the Boston Navy Yard alongide Old Ironsides herself, the USS Constitution.

I really dig this shot (even if it is my own creation). In particular, I really love the natural superposition of several elements here. You can see some of the cranes along the left, the flag at the front of the ship dead center, other ships in the surrounding waters, and even a bit of myself- mostly in the form of a brown blur of a hand holding up the camera, but there it is anyways.

What you see here is the view through the viewfinder of a 3″/50 caliber anti-aircraft gun, one of ten mounted on the ex-U.S.S. Texas, a New York-class battleship that was commissioned by the United States Navy from March 12th, 1914 through both World Wars until April 21st, 1948. She served valiantly in both World Wars, including participation in Operation Torch in North Africa and Operation Overlord at Omaha Beach on D-Day. The Texas is notable for a handful of firsts from initial construction to eventual retirement; she was the first US-built battleship to mount anti-aircraft guns, the first US Navy vessel to house a permanently assigned contingency of Marines and the first US battleship to become a permanent museum ship. On December 8th, 1976 the ex-U.S.S. Texas became the first battleship declared a US National Historic Landmark. She now and forever more resides in the shadow of the San Jacinto Monument.