Submarine S-49.
nd. CA 1942.
Price: $50.00
About the item
Illus. 16pp. 8vo. Fine.
Item #304565
Owned and exhibited by Capt. F.J. Chrestensen
In 1931, S-49 was purchased by "Captain" Francis J. Chrestensen and toured the east coast for several years as a floating exhibit and tourist attraction, for which he charged a 25 cent admission. In 1936, she was an exhibit at the Great Lakes Exposition in Cleveland, Ohio.
In 1942, Chrestensen was the respondent in the Supreme Court case Valentine v. Chrestensen, in which he was accused of violating, in 1940, a New York City ordnance against distributing handbills for commercial purposes for distributing flyers advertising the S-49. The court ruled that distribution of handbills could only be for informational or protest purposes. Chrestensen reissued a handbill which deleted the admission charge and had a protest on the back against the City Dock Department for refusing to grant him dockage.
Chrestensen also published a booklet describing the S-49 and promoting the capabilities of submarines, as is here.