>>19932326 Dwight Shepler
Before joining the Navy, the 36-year- old Shepler enjoyed a successful art career in Boston. Though best known for watercolors of his favorite sports—skiing and sailing—Shepler also created illustrations and advertisements for a number of major magazines and corporations and taught watercolor at two Boston art schools. In May 1942, he already had applied for a commission in the Navy when, on Coale’s suggestion, he submitted a portfolio to the expanding officer-artist program. Admiral A. J. Hepburn, Commander of the Office of Public Relations, arranged a change in assignment and, after training, Shepler reported to Washington.
For his first tour in the field, Shepler reported to the Commander-in-Chief of the Pacific Fleet, Honolulu, becoming the first officer-artist to be sent into a combat zone. In those days, as today, the combat artist frequently was personally responsible for the details of his assignment once in the field. Usually, he reported to a commander of a certain fleet or unit and was placed at his disposal. Letters of introduction from officers of the Department of Public Relations explained his mission and asked for cooperation. From that point on, the artist’s success—being in the right place at the right time—largely depended on the amount of goodwill and respect he was able to gamer from the fleet officers.
The artists were not coddled. They trained as deck officers, and while on board ship they stood watch, leaving their sketching and photography for off hours. This, the Navy believed, would give them experience as officers and a greater understanding of their subject matter.
Shepler proved adept at making his own way. In Hawaii, he met with Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, who gave his blessing to the project. A few days later, Shepler was standing watch and sketching on board the USS San Juan (CL-54), a cruiser headed for the South Pacific.
It was on board the San Juan that Shepler saw his first action, in the Battle of Santa Cruz. After manning his battle station, he made sketches and notes, which he later turned into compelling depictions of the fight. One painting shows the San Juan narrowly escaping a Japanese dive bomber attack; another commemorates the heroic action of the USS Smith (DD- 378), which maintained her station and fire in spite of being hit and set ablaze by a downed Japanese torpedo plane. Shepler finished as many paintings in the field as he could before clearing them with local censors and sending them on to Washington.
…moar at link
https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/1992/december/profile-dwight-c-shepler
https://destroyerhistory.org/benson-gleavesclass/index.asp?pid=45705