U.S. Navy Photograph 80-G-10695, now in the collections of the National Archives.
“USS Memphis (CL 13), Fire-Control Gun-Captain, Boatswain’s Mate Second Class is preparing to fire a charge. The belt he wears hold primers used in the discharging of a powder charge. Around his arm, he wears a towel that is saturated with water during an action, 1942.”
Memphis was an Omaha-class light cruiser completed in 1922. Obsolete and very lightly armored when compared to more modern designs, she was relegated to searching for German blockade runners in the South Atlantic in WWII. She mounted a number of 6″ and 3″ singles, which is likely what the BM2 is working.
