Description

 

MacArthur, Douglas (1880 – 1964)

A historic, vintage matte-finish 10″ x 8″ photo of Douglas MacArthur on board the USS Cleveland in 1945, neatly signed in fountain pen, ‘Douglas MacArthur, Borneo 1945’. Reverse is stamped: ‘Official Photograph, U.S.S. Cleveland’. In fine condition, with scattered small surface dings. Accompanied by five additional glossy 4″ x 5″ photos of MacArthur on the USS Cleveland, two with facsimile signatures within the image.

In the closing chapters of the Pacific Theatre of World War Two, the USS Cleveland put out from Subic Bay on June 7th to act as part of the covering force and provide fire support for the invasion landings at Brunei Bay, Borneo, on June 10th. She returned to Subic Bay on June 15th, then sailed to Manila to embark General of the Army Douglas MacArthur and his staff as observers of the assault on Balikpapan, the last major amphibious landing of World War Two. Just weeks later, the atomic bombs would be dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the long conflict would draw to a close. A remarkable, historic photograph of MacArthur at war’s end.