Tai Sing Loo Pan Am Clipper Photographs

Collection — Folder: 1

Identifier: 2019-00-00-21

Contents of the Collection

The Tai Sing Loo Pan Am Clipper Photographs includes six black-and-white photographs taken by Loo in April 1935 documenting the first Pan American Clipper flight to Hawaii. The images depict the arrival, landing and departure of the plane piloted by Captain Edwin C. Musick. The photographs are numbered and original order was maintained. On the front of each photograph is Loo's name and date; three also include printed captions. Unidentified crew and dignitaries are in four of the images. However, there is a photocopy of a New York Times article about the event which identifies two men present: Pan American Airways Honolulu manager J.P. Van Zandt and Pan American Airways division manager Clarence Young.

Dates

Creation: 1935 April

Creator

Loo, Tai Sing, 1886-1971 (Photographer, Person)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research and is accessible in the Dahlberg Research Center by appointment. For more information contact us.

Conditions Governing Use

The Museum of Flight (TMOF) Archives is the owner of the physical materials in the archives and makes available reproductions for research, publication, and other uses. Written permission must be obtained from TMOF archives before any publication use. TMOF does not necessarily hold copyright to all of the materials in the collections. In some cases, permission for use may require seeking additional authorization from copyright owners. Consult repository for more details.

Biographical Note: Tai Sing Loo

Tai Sing Loo (1886–1971) was an official United States Navy photographer at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.

Tai Sing Loo was born on April 4, 1886 in Honolulu, Hawaii to Sam Choy Loo and An Quan (Wong Shi) Wong, both born in China. By 1892, the family had relocated to Honolulu, Hawaii. Loo worked as a photographer throughout his life starting in 1909 when he joined Gurrey Art Shop in Honolulu, Hawaii. Loo remained there until 1919. From 1919 until his retirement in 1947, he served as the official United States Navy photographer at the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and base. He also helped to break the Japanese Codes that were put into false newspaper advertisements that detailed when the attack would occur and the formations of the planes for the attack. In 1984, the U.S. Navy honored him with a calendar chronicling his career.

Some of his well-known photographs include many of surfer Duke Kahanamoku, Pearl Harbor before and after the bombing, celebrity and presidential visits to Hawaii, and landscapes, including volcanic eruptions. Tai Sing Loo was married to Florence Ngit Young Ching. The couple had four children. He died on August 26, 1971 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Source: Biography derived from Ancestry.com