This weathered photograph, part of a pre-WWII U.S. Navy collection documenting service in China, shows a small steam-powered naval vessel underway in coastal or river waters. Vessels of this type, single-stacked gunboats and patrol craft, formed the backbone of the U.S. Navy's Asiatic Fleet and Yangtze Patrol during the interwar years, protecting American interests and citizens in China throughout the turbulent 1930s. The green discoloration of the print is a natural result of decades-old film aging, adding to its character as an authentic historical artifact. Project: 218177