A grey destroyer lies at anchor under a purple headland. In front of her a man in a straw hat poles a sampan loaded with cargo, and a small junk with a bright orange sail slips past. The water is turquoise, the sky streaked with pink and blue, and across the top in tall black letters runs one word: Travel. In the corner, white on navy: Navy.
What the poster shows
Lou Nolan painted the scene in loose, bright watercolour, more like a travel poster than a call to arms. The pitch was simple: join the Navy and see the world. The steep headland and the boats suggest a Far East harbour such as Hong Kong, a regular port of call for the Seventh Fleet.
The destroyer carries the hull number 535, which belonged to USS Miller (DD-535), a Fletcher-class destroyer commissioned in 1943. She fought across the Pacific in the Second World War, helped the burning carrier Franklin in March 1945, and served off Korea before being decommissioned in 1964. In the poster, the number is more likely an artist’s choice than a portrait of the ship on a particular day.
A Vietnam War era poster
The poster was printed for Navy recruiting offices during the Vietnam War era, when the service had to find volunteers alongside the draft. Dated copies carry 1970s printing marks. Its promise of travel and adventure, rather than combat, was typical of Navy recruiting at the time.
Lou Nolan
Louis James Nolan Jr. was born in Washington, D.C., in 1926. He served in the Navy in 1945 and 1946, including time aboard the escort carrier USS Savo Island, then studied at the Corcoran School of Art and graduated from Parsons School of Design in 1952.
He painted many Navy recruiting posters. His best known, Heritage (1959), shows a sailor and a child looking at USS Constitution and was later used in the Naval History and Heritage Command’s logo. He also worked for NASA and the Smithsonian and designed about twenty-five U.S. postage stamps. He died in 2008.
The restored edition
Our edition was restored from an original print: the paper and colours cleaned, and creases, stains and wear removed, with the lettering and Nolan’s signature kept. We don’t have a usable scan of this print before restoration, so there is no before and after comparison.
The restored poster is available as a paper print in three sizes or framed in black, white or natural wood, printed to order in the USA.
Frequently asked questions
Who painted the Travel Navy poster?
Lou Nolan (1926 to 2008), a Navy veteran and Washington, D.C. artist who painted many Navy recruiting posters and later designed U.S. postage stamps. His signature is at the lower left.
When was it made?
It is a Vietnam War era Navy recruiting poster. Dated copies carry 1970s printing marks.
Which ship is shown?
The hull number 535 belonged to USS Miller (DD-535), a Fletcher-class destroyer commissioned in 1943 and decommissioned in 1964. The scene is a painting rather than a record of a particular visit.
Where is the harbour?
The poster does not say. The steep headland, sampan and junk suggest a Far East port such as Hong Kong.
How big is the restored print?
Our restored edition is available as a paper print up to 23.4 x 33.1 inches, or framed up to 23 x 33 inches, printed to order in the USA.