The Hughes Laboratory machine shop is devoted to the building of full-scale test models of rock bits, tool and joints and other drilling tools for laboratory and field testing. In connection with the latter, the shop is equipped to manufacture these tools in sufficient quantities to make possible extensive and simultaneous field trials. The machine shop handles a large amount of work for the Research, Product and Metallurgical Engineering departments. This includes building new designs, new mechanisms and new devices for preliminary testing.

The caption reads: "The camera is the eye of the mission." And to see that the eye is in good working order Captain Ursal P. Marshall, 522 South Furth St., Fulton, N. Y., rides along on D-Day. Captain Harvell is Photographic Officer of one of the veteran Liberator Groups which is now commanded by Colonel John H. Gibson of Hinsdale, Illinois. This photograph was taken shortly before reaching the target, in initial wave of heavy bombers on D-Day, June 6, 1944."

Press release attached to back of photo: "A roughneck fits a new Hughes Jet bit into the drill collar preparatory to running the drill stem into the hold. In 1953 more than 500,000 rock bits produced by the Hughes Tool Company of Houston, Texas, were used in the United States alone. The invention of the rock bit by Howard R. Hughes, Sr., made it possible to drill far deeper into the earth beyond the shallow oil deposits which are now practically exhausted. Without rotary drilling equipment of this kind the world might revert to a horse and buggy economy."