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- "Marine de Guerre - "Aspirant Herber" Contre-Torpilleur," 1914-1917 - Andrew Purnell Jr. (1898-1975) was born in Selma, Alabama. He joined the all-Black 303rd Stevedore Regiment (with later unit designations) in December 1917. Private Purnell was stationed in Bordeaux, France. He returned to the U.S. in 1919, married, and worked as a railroad freight handler. Like many service members, Purnell kept cards, letters, photographs, and souvenirs from his time in the military.
- 1914-1918
- Collections - Artifact
"Marine de Guerre - "Aspirant Herber" Contre-Torpilleur," 1914-1917
Andrew Purnell Jr. (1898-1975) was born in Selma, Alabama. He joined the all-Black 303rd Stevedore Regiment (with later unit designations) in December 1917. Private Purnell was stationed in Bordeaux, France. He returned to the U.S. in 1919, married, and worked as a railroad freight handler. Like many service members, Purnell kept cards, letters, photographs, and souvenirs from his time in the military.
- Lowenstein Quenched Spark Gap Transmitter, Type A-16G, Used aboard the USS Rowan, circa 1916 - Spark gap transmitters were the first means of practical radio transmission for the first thirty years of radio development. By the end of WWI, vacuum tube technology advanced sufficiently, replacing the spark gap. Even though the vacuum tube ensured more efficient and reliable transmissions, commercial use of spark gap transmitters continued up until WWII as back-up transmitters.
- circa 1916
- Collections - Artifact
Lowenstein Quenched Spark Gap Transmitter, Type A-16G, Used aboard the USS Rowan, circa 1916
Spark gap transmitters were the first means of practical radio transmission for the first thirty years of radio development. By the end of WWI, vacuum tube technology advanced sufficiently, replacing the spark gap. Even though the vacuum tube ensured more efficient and reliable transmissions, commercial use of spark gap transmitters continued up until WWII as back-up transmitters.