Welding in the Fabrication Shop, 1944
Title
Welding in the Fabrication Shop, 1944
Creator
Ed Westcott
American, 1922 - 2019
Ed Westcott was the official US Army photographer of the Oak Ridge, Tennessee site for the Manhattan Project. Westcott went to work for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941. The following year he became the official government photographer of the Manhattan Engineering District (MED) in Oak Ridge. Among the first in the new secret city, Ed shot thousands of photos documenting the construction and operations, as well as the lives and times of Oak Ridgers from the beginning.
Westcott shot hundreds of exposures and processed over 5,000 prints before the war even ended. The National Archives is the repository for all of Westcott's negatives and offers an extensive collection of his photos from the period.
After the war, Westcott stayed in Oak Ridge as an employee of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), until he was transferred to AEC headquarters in 1966. Westcott retired in 1977. He passed away on March 29, 2019 at the age of 97.
American, 1922 - 2019
Ed Westcott was the official US Army photographer of the Oak Ridge, Tennessee site for the Manhattan Project. Westcott went to work for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941. The following year he became the official government photographer of the Manhattan Engineering District (MED) in Oak Ridge. Among the first in the new secret city, Ed shot thousands of photos documenting the construction and operations, as well as the lives and times of Oak Ridgers from the beginning.
Westcott shot hundreds of exposures and processed over 5,000 prints before the war even ended. The National Archives is the repository for all of Westcott's negatives and offers an extensive collection of his photos from the period.
After the war, Westcott stayed in Oak Ridge as an employee of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), until he was transferred to AEC headquarters in 1966. Westcott retired in 1977. He passed away on March 29, 2019 at the age of 97.
Date
1944
Format
archival inkjet print
Type
photograph
Description
Members of the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) Detachment
constituted a specialized group of chief clerks, stenographers, telephone operators, clerks general, and cryptographic
technicians. Thus, WAC members were primarily assigned the task of handling detailed records, technical reports, and secret information pertaining to the development of the atomic bomb.
A number of enlisted WAC members, though, also developed new skills in various fields as a result of their assignments with the Manhattan Project. Enlisted women became skillful in technical duties, such as metallurgy technician, entailing work in ceramics, plastics, and powdered metals; electronics technician, pertaining principally to the construction of electronics equipment; and spectroscopist technician, covering advanced work with the spectroscope. Here, an enlisted woman demonstrates her skill at welding a fitting on a valve assembly.
constituted a specialized group of chief clerks, stenographers, telephone operators, clerks general, and cryptographic
technicians. Thus, WAC members were primarily assigned the task of handling detailed records, technical reports, and secret information pertaining to the development of the atomic bomb.
A number of enlisted WAC members, though, also developed new skills in various fields as a result of their assignments with the Manhattan Project. Enlisted women became skillful in technical duties, such as metallurgy technician, entailing work in ceramics, plastics, and powdered metals; electronics technician, pertaining principally to the construction of electronics equipment; and spectroscopist technician, covering advanced work with the spectroscope. Here, an enlisted woman demonstrates her skill at welding a fitting on a valve assembly.
Source
United States Department of Energy, Oak Ridge Office, Photography Archives
Citation
Ed Westcott
American, 1922 - 2019
Ed Westcott was the official US Army photographer of the Oak Ridge, Tennessee site for the Manhattan Project. Westcott went to work for the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941. The following year he became the official government photographer of the Manhattan Engineering District (MED) in Oak Ridge. Among the first in the new secret city, Ed shot thousands of photos documenting the construction and operations, as well as the lives and times of Oak Ridgers from the beginning.
Westcott shot hundreds of exposures and processed over 5,000 prints before the war even ended. The National Archives is the repository for all of Westcott's negatives and offers an extensive collection of his photos from the period.
After the war, Westcott stayed in Oak Ridge as an employee of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), until he was transferred to AEC headquarters in 1966. Westcott retired in 1977. He passed away on March 29, 2019 at the age of 97., “Welding in the Fabrication Shop, 1944,” Ewing Gallery Permanent Collection, accessed April 24, 2024, https://ewinggallery.omeka.net/items/show/83.