Why I chose this image:
I spent over 6 years in the US Navy on sea duty. Had I not been married I would have stayed as I truly loved being at sea. One of the things that always grabbed my soul was seeing Destroyers (Greyhounds of the Sea - affectionately known as the ’Tin Cans’ or just ’the cans') underway. I found something beautiful even elegant about the ones that came out of World War 2. While on board my second ship (an Air Craft Carrier at the time) we had one of our escorts coming along side to refuel from the USS Bennington (CVS 20). I took this image of her approach with a Yashica Lynx 14 - that was in the 60’s. Some years ago I found many of those old slides and with special setup was able to photograph them with my D810 to digitize and save them. Sadly as you can see from the original they took a beating but I was able to clean this one up and convert to Mono.
The ship is the USS Alfred Cunningham (DD752) a Sumner Class Destroyer. Just the way she was cutting through the water on her approach was, to my eye, beautiful. Seeing the image again brought back many old memories and enjoyed the work to clean it up and then convert it. I called “Greyhound Approaching”.
10 comments posted
Shari Garnsey
Hi Ed - I think you did a fantastic job salvaging that slide, even with some of the scratches still visible - it gives it a little authenticity (thinking old Victory at Sea reruns). Composition wise, there is a very nice balance to the ship, the sea and the sky and monochrome and I think monochrome is your best option for the subject. Thanks for sharing Posted: 07/02/2026 14:38:56
Ed Ford
Thank you Shari. It brought back memories as I worked on the image. I see where I missed some of the damage but that is okay. Gives me something to continue working through. Posted: 07/02/2026 16:41:52
Kirsti Näntö-Salonen
Hi Ed! I can see where the name "Greyhound" comes from. The image captures the sleek form that cuts into the water, and the speed of her approach. The camera angle also shows a lot of what happens onboard. I think that the image does honor to the ship, and the tiny marks of age just add to the sense of history. Posted: 07/07/2026 05:13:59
Ed Ford
Thank you Kirsti. This particular ship was not in my original ship's Squadron, Destroyer Squadron 19, the "Greyhound Squadron" whose symbol was a red oval with around a 19 and a greyhound as full run through the number. The one I was on when I took the picture was my second ship an aircraft carrier. The Carrier was a good ship but I missed the intimacy with the ocean that being on the "cans" provided. Posted: 07/09/2026 20:34:29
Barbara Gore
Hi Ed. What a wonderful documentary photograph. You've preserved a genuine moment in this ship's history. For someone like me, seeing this image of the destroyer cutting through the water is thrilling (so much better than the movies). The conversion to digital and b/w was nicely done. A very clean processed image would have diminished its authenticity so it's great that you maintained its raw character. Thanks for sharing!! Posted: 07/07/2026 18:07:15
Ed Ford
Thank you Barbara. The conversion of the slide was with a unit that screws into a 52mm filter mount on a lens. The mount holds the slide so you can literally take a photo of the slide. The camera I used was Nikon D810 for the image. All else was Photoshop an Silverefex pro. Posted: 07/09/2026 20:37:06
Ray Berry
Ed,
I like the "can" cutting through the ocean. The waves breaking against it creating the white foam is nice. Works well in black and white. Posted: 07/07/2026 18:25:33
Ed Ford
Thanks Ray. Had I not married I could gladly have spent an entire Naval Career on destroyers - the "Cans". The intimacy I felt with the sea while on them touched me deeply. I have been married for over 60 years and love my wife deeply, but I do miss being at sea on the destroyers. Posted: 07/09/2026 20:39:34
Robert Cordivari
Hi Ed - thanks for the great back story to your photograph - it adds a lot to understanding why you chose to use this photo. It's an amazing job of converting that old photo.
The diagonal line of the ship works very well as does the wake behind it. Converting to mono works very well. The majesty of the ship is conveyed very nicely.
Thanks.
Rob
Posted: 07/09/2026 16:08:14
Ed Ford
Thanks very much Robert. It was an honor to serve as I did and doing the conversion brought back some really touching memories. Posted: 07/09/2026 20:40:37
