| Original caption: “Ensign V.A. Prather, in charge of flight deck crews, energetically directs crewmen aboard USS Lexington (CV-16), as they move a damaged plane forward.” Ensign Victor Alonzo Prather Jr. (June 4, 1926 – May 4, 1961) graduated from the V-12 Program to produce Naval Officers. Later he tested prototype space suits. On May 4, 1961, after a high altitude flight, he died when his faceplate was open, and his suit flooded when he fell off his test balloon gondola and drowned. | |
| Image Filename | wwii2280.jpg |
| Image Size | 938.31 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2565 x 2514 |
| Photographer | Victor Jorgensen |
| Photographer Title | United States Navy |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | December 6, 1943 |
| Location | |
| City | |
| State or Province | |
| Country | Pacific Ocean |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-80-G-417636 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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