Wednesday, October 31, 2007

PBY Catalinas : images

There are couple of books we have in our collection, so you can find some drawings and photos of the basic PBY Catalina.

Additionally, NHC Naval Aviation History Branch http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg4.htm

has several photos of PBY Catalinas in their collection. The staff can't sort through those photos for you, but you are welcome to visit the branch to view the photos and scan them yourself. A scanner is available in the branch for your use.

Also, our Photographic Section very likely will have photos of some PBY-5s. We didn't see any in their Online Library of Selected Images

http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org11-2.htm

but they did have images of some other Consolidated aircraft posted.

So, they'll have a few images of Catalinas in their collection.
You'll need to contact the Photographic Section directly http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg11.htm

On the Naval Aviation History Branch website, you may want to look at the online publication "Dictionary of American Naval Aviation Squadrons, Volume II." http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org4-23.htm

In it you'll find the squadron lineage as well as the insignia and nickname.

You may want to incorporate the insignia into your airplane model. Click on this link then scroll down

http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-vol2/chap4-3.pdf

If you haven't already, we recommend you contact the Emil Buehler Library http://naval.aviation.museum/archives.html
at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida. T
hat library may have additional information and photographs for you.

Aircraft Color Guide

If you're looking for aircraft paint schemes, we recommend you consult the following book if you haven't already:

Elliott, Major John M, USMC. The Official Monogram US Navy & Marine Corps Aircraft Color Guide. (In four volumes: Volume 2 covers WWII). Sturbridge,
MA: Monogram Aviation Publications, 1993, ISBN 0-914144-32-4.

Friday, October 12, 2007

ship awards

We obtained the above information from the Navy and Marine Corps Awards Manual, NAVPERS 15,790 (Rev. 1953) and the Master List of US Navy Unit Awards & Campaign Medals, Cold War Era: Post Korean War to February 1994.

However, we are not officials on this topic, so we strongly encourage you to contact the Navy's Awards and Special Projects Branch at the Pentagon to confirm the information.

Contact information for that office is as follows:

Chief of Naval Operations
Awards and Special Projects Branch (Code N09B33)
2000 Navy Pentagon
Washington DC 20350-2000

You might also check for official confirmation with the Navy Department Awards Web Service https://backup.vworkgroup.com/awards/webbas01.nsf/(vwWebPage)/home.htm?OpenDocument

example: USS Sea Fox received awards


We checked our copies of the awards manuals and found that USS Sea Fox was eligible for these medals for her service in WWII, Korea and Vietnam:

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal:
Iwo Jima Operation; engagement: Assault and occupation of Iwo Jima, specific dates of 14 - 16 Mar 45; one engagement star

Okinawa Gunto Operation; engagement: Assault and occupation of Okinawa Gunto, specific dates of 17 Mar 45 - 21 Jun 45; one engagement star

3d Fleet Operations Against Japan, specific dates of 10 - 19 Jul 45; one engagement star

Submarine War Patrols (Pacific), specific dates of 4 Oct 44 - 24 Nov 44 (one star was given for participation in each war patrol; these are the dates of Sea Fox's first war patrol)

Navy Occupation Medal: for service 11 - 30 Oct 49; entitled to wear Clasp A for service in "Asia"

China Service Medal: for service 26 - 29 Nov 49

Navy Occupation and China Service Medals - dual eligibility, 9 Jan - 5 Mar 1948

Korean Service Medal: for service 11 Sep 51 - 18 Feb 52

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal: for service in Vietnam on 25 - 30 May 64 and 2 Jul - 2 Sep 64

Vietnam Service Medal: for service on 31 Jul - 28 Aug 65

Corona Naval Hospital

We suspect that the records from the Corona Naval Hospital that were marked for permanent retention most likely would have been transferred to the Regional Archives.

Corona falls under the Pacific Region http://www.archives.gov/pacific/ of the National Archives network and the nearest Regional Archives location would be Laguna Niguel http://www.archives.gov/pacific/laguna/

Records are maintained in Record Groups (RG) at the Archives.

Military base records usually are archived in Record Group 181, Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/181.html

The Corona Naval Hospital was in Naval District #11 http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/181.html#181.2.10

We recommend you consult a reference professional at the Archives for further assistance.
If the Regional Archives doesn't have any records, you might try the National Archives in College Park, MD. Maybe some or all of the records were transferred there. Contact information is below:
Modern Military Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3510
1-866-272-6272
http://www.archives.gov/contact/
inquire@nara.gov

kapok lifejacket

We don't collect photos here at the NDL, but we do have a few books about life-saving equipment.

One book titled "Designed for Life: Lifejackets Through the Ages" by Dr. C.J. Brooks (Richmond, British Columbia: Mustang Engineered Technical Apparel Group, 1995)

includes some pictures of US Navy kapok life jackets.



Scanned two images from the book and attached in this blog.

The images aren't copyrighted since they are government photos.


Photographic Section here in the Naval Historical Center does collect photos. It has an impressive collection and has posted many of its photos online. I recommend you contact the Photographic Section about obtaining more images http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg11.htm.



One of our Photographic Section's images online which includes a sailor wearing a kapok lifejacket

http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/images/g700000/g701627c.htm.



Also, the Still Picture Branch of the National Archives probably has many helpful photos. Contact information for the National Archives is as follows:
Still Picture Branch (NNSP)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3530
1-866-272-6272
http://www.archives.gov/contact/
inquire@nara.gov


Also, the Coast Guard appears to have used some US Navy life jackets as you'll see in one of the images we scanned.



Contact information for the US Coast Guard Historian's Office can be found at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/collect.html.

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Terrorism: NDL Research Guide

Terrorism: A Navy Department Library Research Guide
General Information
Bibliographies
Chronologies
U.S. Navy and Terrorism
Definition of Terrorism

General Information:
Patterns of Global Terrorism. Washington: U.S. Dept. of State.http://www.state.gov/s/ct/rls/pgtrpt/
This online publication includes a link to annual editions dating back to 1995 as well as biannual editions of Foreign Terrorist Organizations Designations, and the annual Significant Incidents of Political Violence Against Americans from 1995 to 1998. Patterns of Global Terrorism includes useful appendices such as "Background Information on Terrorist Groups" which provides material on al-Qaida established by Usama Bin Ladin.

Terrorism. Dudley Knox Library, Naval Postgraduate School
http://web.nps.navy.mil/~library/terrorism.htm
The site contains an excellent selection of links to a wide selection of sources on terrorism.

Defend America
http://www.defendamerica.mil/
This Department of Defense website includes links to a wide range of official U.S. military and government sources relating to Operation Enduring Freedom and the struggle against terrorism.

FirstGov
http://www.firstgov.govThis website/portal provides one-stop-shopping for official U.S. government information. The section titled "America Responds to Terrorism" contains a comprehensive collection of links to information from all agencies on bioterrorism, handling suspicious mail, bomb threats, victim assistance, travel concerns, and protecting yourself and your country.

Attack on America: Osama bin Laden, the Taliban and Terrorism
http://www.lib.ecu.edu/govdoc/terrorism.html
This East Carolina University site contains links to numerous useful sources including recent Congressional Research Service reports.

America's War on Terrorism: World Trade Center/Pentagon Terrorism and the Aftermathhttp://www.lib.umich.edu/govdocs/usterror.htmlThis University of Michigan website contains a wealth of sources.

America on Alert: The War Against Terrorism
http://www.nwc.navy.mil/library/6America%20On%20Alert/AmericaOnAlert.htm.
This Naval War College Library site contains useful sources including bibliographies on political Islam and homeland defense/domestic terrorism as well as links to Congressional Research Service reports concerning terrorism.

General Accounting Officehttp://www.gao.gov
This website contains many reports on homeland and aviation security, combating terrorism, and defense against chemical and biological weapons.

Centers for Disease Controlhttp://www.bt.cdc.gov/
Includes homeland defense material such as the report "Biological and Chemical Terrorism: Strategic Plan for Preparedness and Response," and information on the national pharmaceutical stockpile, and defense against smallpox attack.

Terrorism: Background and Threat Assessments
http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/terror.htm
The Federation of American Scientists has assembled links to a wide range of useful sources.
They also provide information and links concerning the Taliban: http://www.fas.org/irp/world/para/taleban.htm

The World Factbook 2001http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/factbook/

This Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) publication includes a section on Afghanistan and other countries accused of harboring terrorists. Information is provided on each country including a map and data on the government, military, communications, geography, communications, and transnational issues.

CIA Electronic Document Release Centerhttp://www.foia.ucia.gov/
Using the search engine will locate historic sanitized CIA documents relating to terrorism.

University of Texas Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection
http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/
This site includes an extensive selection of maps of Afghanistan including maps produced by the CIA and historic maps. Maps relating to the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks are available for the Pentagon, World Trade Center, and the Pennsylvania crash site of United Airlines Flight 93.

The Rand Corporation
http://www.rand.org
This site provides several recent online publications on terrorism. A section titled "Research Areas" includes a subsection titled "National Security" with further information on terrorism.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
http://www.fbi.gov
Provides useful information on terrorism including photographs of the hijackers associated with the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks, as well as press releases. The site also includes a "ten most wanted fugitives" section and a publications section which includes the online publication CONPLAN--U.S. Government Interagency Domestic Terrorism Concept of Operations Plan. The website's search engine will locate numerous items relating to terrorism.

U.S. Coast Guard
http://www.uscg.mil/news/cgnews.shtm
The "News and Events" section includes articles on port, harbor, and other security activities.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
http://www.fema.gov
Contains information on the recovery from the Pentagon and New York terrorist attacks, as well as advice on how to talk to children about terrorist attacks, information about urban search and rescue, and fact sheets on terrorism.

National Security Archives
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/
Provides an extremely useful selection of official documents concerning terrorism. Documents to be posted shortly will include lessons from the Soviet war in Afghanistan, U.S. policy and planning for "Low-Intensity Conflict," CIA guidelines on the recruitment of agents, and the use of assassination in U.S. foreign policy.

Countering the Changing Threat of International Terrorism: Report from the National Commission on Terrorism. Washington: National Commission on Terrorism, 2000.
http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/commission.html

Defense Threat Reduction Agency.
http://www.dtra.mil/
In the "News and Information"section under "Threat Reduction Literature" is a bibliography on weapons of mass destruction.

U.N. Action Against Terrorism
http://www.un.org/terrorism/
Provides a useful global perspective on terrorism.
Bibliographies

"Homeland Defense and Domestic Terrorism: A Selected Bibliography." Library Notes [Naval War College, Newport RI] 29, no.2 (Oct. 2000).
http://www.nwc.navy.mil/library/3Publications/Eccles%20Library/LibNotes/libhomelandef.htm

Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Terrorism/Warfare: A Bibliography. Dudley Knox Library, Naval Postgraduate School.
http://library.nps.navy.mil/home/bibs/chemtoc.htm

Terrorist and Insurgent Organizations. Air University Library, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama.
http://www.au.af.mil/au/aul/bibs/tergps/tg98tc.htm

"Nuclear Terrorism: Published Literature Since 1992." U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. Military Review 77, no.4 (Jul.-Aug. 1997):
http://www-cgsc.army.mil/milrev/english/julaug97/sanz.htm

Terrorism: A Guide to Library Resources for Anthropology. Adelaide University Library, Australia.
http://www.library.adelaide.edu.au/guide/soc/anthro/subj/terror.html

Chronologies
Chronology of Significant Terrorist Incidents.
http://web.nps.navy.mil/~library/tgp/chrnmain.htm
These chronologies have been extracted by the Naval Postgraduate School from annual editions of the State Department's publication Patterns of Global Terrorism.

Database: Terrorist Incidents 1945 to 1998. Center for International Defense and Security Studies located at Department of Politics and International Relations at Lancaster University, United Kingdom.
http://www.cdiss.org/terror.htm

Casualties: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Wounded in Wars, Conflicts, Terrorist Acts, and Other Hostile Incidents.

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq56-1.htm
See the post-World War II section of the chronology for terrorist incidents.
U.S. Navy and Terrorism

The U.S. Navy Office of Information
http://www.navy.mil

The "Navy News Stand" includes articles relating to the struggle against terrorism.
USS Cole Investigating Officers Report
http://foia.navy.mil/USSCOLE

Defense Link
http://www.defenselink.mil/index.html
This Department of Defense website includes links to terrorism-related articles, including some Navy information.

Casualties: U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Personnel Killed and Wounded in Wars, Conflicts, Terrorist Acts, and Other Hostile Incidents.
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq56-1.htm
See the post-World War II portion of the chronology for terrorist incidents.

Definition of Terrorism
[Source: Patterns of Global Terrorism. Washington: Dept. of State, 2001: vi]

No one definition of terrorism has gained universal acceptance. For the purposes of this report, however, we have chosen the definition of terrorism contained in Title 22 of the United States Code, Section 2656f(d).

That statute contains the following definitions:
The term "terrorism" means premeditated, politically motivated violence perpetrated against noncombatant (1) targets by subnational groups or clandestine agents, usually intended to influence an audience.

The term "international terrorism" means terrorism involving citizens or the territory of more than one country.

The term "terrorist group" means any group practicing, or that has significant subgroups that practice, international terrorism.

The U.S. Government has employed this definition of terrorism for statistical and analytical purposes since 1983.
Domestic terrorism is probably a more widespread phenomenon than international terrorism. Because international terrorism has a direct impact on U.S. interests, it is the primary focus of this report. However, the report also describes, but does not provide statistics on, significant developments in domestic terrorism.

(1) For purposes of this definition, the term "noncombatant" is interpreted to include, in addition to civilians, military personnel who at the time of the incident are unarmed and/or not on duty. For example, in past reports we have listed as terrorist incidents the murders of the following U.S. military personnel: Col. James Rowe, killed in Manila in April 1989; Capt. William Nordeen, U.S. defense attache killed in Athens in June 1988; the two servicemen killed in the La Belle disco bombing in West Berlin in April 1986; and the four off-duty U.S. Embassy Marine guards killed in a cafe in El Salvador in June 1985. We also consider as acts of terrorism attacks on military installations or on armed military personnel when a state of military hostilities does not exist at the site, such as bombings against U.S. bases in Europe, the Philippines, or elsewhere.

Monday, September 17, 2007

Atlantic Command: Commander In Chief US

Atlantic Command, Commander In Chief US

History shows a continuation of the title Commander in Chief, Atlantic Fleet, until late 1922 when the title Commander Scouting Force was used. No further utilization of the title was made until 1 February 1941, when the United States Fleet was reorganized to form the U.S. Atlantic, U.S. Pacific and U.S. Asiatic Fleets, each with a four-star commander in chief.

Office formerly included CIC, US Atlantic Fleet

1. 1905-1908 RADM Robley D. Evans 3/05

2. 1908-1909 RADM Charles S. Sperry 5/08

3. 1909-1911 RADM Seaton Schroeder 3/09

4. 1911-1913 RADM Hugo W. Osterhaus 6/11

5. 1913-1914 RADM Charles J. Badger 1/13

6. 1914-1916 RADM Frank F. Flechter 9/14

7. 1916-1919 ADM Henry T. Mayo 6/16

8. 1919-1921 ADM Henry B. Wilson 7/19

9. 1921-1922 ADM Hilary P. Jones 6/21

10. 1941-1941 ADM Ernest J. King 2/41

11. 1941-1944 ADM Royal E. Ingersoll 12/41

12. 1944-1946 ADM Jonas H. Ingram 11/44

13. 1946-1947 VADM Marc A. Mitscher 9/46

14. 1947-1950 ADM William H. Blandy 2/47

15. 1950-1951 ADM William M. Fechteler 1/50

16. 1951-1954 ADM Lynde D. McCormick 8/51

17. 1954-1960 ADM Jerauld Wright 4/54

18. 1960-1963 ADM Robert L. Dennison 2/60

19. 1963-1965 ADM Harold P. Smith 4/63

20. 1965-1967 ADM Thomas H. Moorer 4/65

21. 1967-1970 ADM Ephraim P. Holmes 6/67

22. 1970-1972 ADM Charles K. Duncan 9/70

23. 1972-1975 ADM Ralph W. Cousins 10/72

24. 1975-1978 ADM Issac C. Kidd, Jr. 5/75

25. 1978-1982 ADM Harry D. Train II 9/78

26. 1982-1985 ADM Wesley L. McDonald 9/82

27. 1985-1986 ADM Carlisle A.H. Trost 10/85

28. 1986-1988 ADM Frank B. Kelso II 6/86

29. 1988-1991 ADM Powell F. Carter Jr. 11/88

30. 1991-1992 ADM Paul David Miller 1/91

31. 1992-1994 ADM Henry H. Mauz Jr. 7/92

32. 1994-1996 ADM William J. Flanagan Jr. 10/94

33. 1996-1999 ADM J. Paul Reason 12/96

34. 1999- 2000 ADM Vern Clark 9/99

35. 2000-Present ADM Robert J. Natter 6/00

Friday, September 14, 2007

Ships' Deck Logs

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq73-1.htm


Deck Logs: Location

Held by The National Archives:
Deck logs of commissioned U.S. Navy ships from the earliest times through 1940 are in the Old Military and Civil Branch, National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20408 [telephone (202) 501-5385.

Logs from 1941 through those that are 30 years old or older are in the Modern Military Branch, National Archives, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park MD 20740-6001 [telephone (301) 837-3510]. These logs are open for research. Requests for research appointments, and inquiries concerning log information, should go to the National Archives office holding logs from the time period of interest.

Held By The Naval Historical Center:
Deck logs that are less than 30 years of age are in the custody of the Ships Deck Logs Section, Naval Historical Center, Building 57, 805 Kidder Breese Street SE, Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060. All inquiries concerning deck logs that are less than 30 years old should be sent to the Ships Deck Logs Section.

Logs that are less than 30 years old are held in either paper or microfiche form, stored in the Washington National Records Center, 4205 Suitland Road, Suitland MD 20746.

Logs from 1979 through February 1993 are on microfiche in the Ships Deck Logs Section.

Logs from 1990 through 1993 are partly on microfiche in the Deck Logs Section, partly on paper at the Records Center.

All logs from March 1993 are on paper and stored at the Records Center. All deck logs, whether they are classified or FOUO (For Official Use Only) must be sent to the proper authorities at SubPac, SubLant, SurfPac or SurfLant for declassification review or review and release determination before they can be researched or copied. Al Deck Logs that are less than three years of age must be sent to PacFlt for review and release determination.

Deck Log: Format, Research and Duplication
Format: Deck logs are bulky documents. Prior to the 1980s, logs were kept on oversized (10 by 15 inches) paper, a typical log consisting of four or more pages per day.

In the 1980s, in keeping with a Congressional mandate to standardize on 8½ by 11 inch paper, deck logs began to be written, by hand, on pages of that size.
This greatly increased the page count; we have seen single months' logs from recent years run to as many as 300 or 400 pages.
Under the old format, a ship's deck log might run 120 pages or more per month, or over 1200 pages per year. (There are the inevitable exceptions, but this seems to hold fairly true.) Under the new format, logs can run from 100 to 400 pages per month or, say, from 1,200 to several thousand pages per year.

Research in Deck Logs at the Ships History Branch
The Ships Deck Logs Section staff consists of one person. Given the number of inquiries received, the staff cannot read hundreds of pages in response to any one inquiry. Thus the Ships Deck Logs Section is unable to do extensive research in response to queries. Questions must be specific, and must be narrowed down to a particular time and/or place.

All deck logs are either FOUO (For Official Use Only) or classified. Under new regulations/procedures all deck logs must be reviewed for release determination prior to its release to the general public. Reqeusts for copies of deck logs will be treated as a FOIA requests (Freedom of Information Act).
When a request for copies of a deck log are received the Ships History Branch, Deck Logs Section will make a page count of the deck logs requested and determine the estimated cost to either make a microfiche copy or scan the paper deck logs and place them on CD-ROM.

The incoming request, along with the estimated cost of reproduction will then be send to the Navy's FOIA Office. The Navy FOIA Office will send out a letter to the requestor telling them of the cost. If the individual decides to pay the reproduct cost they must notify the Navy FOIA Office that they want to continue their request to reproduce the deck logs. One the Navy FOIA Office gets that notification letter then the Ships History Deck Logs Section will either scan the paper deck logs or duplicate the microfiche deck logs and forward those records to either SubLant, SubPac, SurfLant or SurfPac for final review and release determination. The individual will be notified which command is reviewing the deck logs for release determination and that command will provide the final copy of the deck logs that have been authorized for release.
Duplication of Deck Logs

Due to the restrictions on FOUO deck logs the logs are not available to the general public for research purposes. As stated in the "Research of Deck Logs Section" above, the duplication fee schedule will be what is charged under FOIA. The cost to scan paper deck logs and place them on CD-ROM is 15 cents a page and the cost to duplicate existing microfiche is 25 cents a sheet. Most of the deck logs for the period 1979 to February1993 are on microfiche and the paper copy of the deck logs do not exist. The Ships History Branch will provide a price quote via the Navy's FOIA Office.

Japan-US relations 1930s

We don't do research or comprehensive searching here at the library as our
reference policy states. Recommend you consider visiting our library and our
Operational Archives Branch
http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg10.htm
to conduct in-person, in-depth research.

The National Archives http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/ is probably critical as well.
Basically all of the Navy's World War II documents were transferred to the
National Archives several years ago. Pre-World War II documents were already
there.

Starting point to research this subject:
Here's what we have:
1. The USS Panay incident, 1937 - In our collection, we have some titles related to this subject. Some titles are held in our Special Collection Room and can
only be viewed here at the library. They are not available for interlibrary
loan.
Another title - The China Incident - is not
copyrighted and you could have this duplicated as well. Because this
document is over 100 pages and had been bound.

If you want it reproduced, the Naval Historical
Foundation www.navyhistory.org, which is in an office next to us, has a
Document Reproduction Service and will duplicate the document for you for a
fee. The fee schedule is posted online at
http://www.navyhistory.org/documentservice.html.

2. Naval Conferences - Again, any titles held in our Special Collection Room or Rare
Book Room can only be viewed here at the library. They are not available for
interlibrary loan.

3. Rape of Nanking - Other than the 1997 book by Iris Chang, we don't have
any published material on this topic.
We aren't an archives, so we maintain very few official records of any sort. I think the National Archives is your best bet for this.

4. Naval attaches - we have naval attache reports on microfilm (3 reels).
You can probably borrow these from us through interlibrary loan. Dates cover
1937-1943, reports relating to the "world crisis." Also, you should probably
talk to an archivist at the National Archives. Additional records should be
held there.

5. Plan Orange - We have one book about this. War Plan Orange by Edward
Miller. Additional documents would be at the National Archives.

6. BuShips/BuAir - again, records are at the National Archives, BUT you
could look through our annual Secretary of the Navy reports. We do have
various BuShips and BuAir reports and we have handbooks on foreign ships and
aircraft, but as for designs, we don't have that kind of documentation here.

7. Admirals - we have published biographies here of many admirals and
political leaders; most would be available through interlibrary loan. But
what you probably want are the personal papers collections of these
individuals to really know what they were thinking.

Our Operational Archives
Branch has the personal papers of:
Fleet Admiral Nimitz http://www.history.navy.mil/ar/november/nimitz.htm
Admiral Spruance http://www.history.navy.mil/ar/sierra/spruance.htm
Fleet Admiral King http://www.history.navy.mil/ar/kilo/king.htm
Fleet Admiral Leahy http://www.history.navy.mil/ar/lima/leahy.htm
Secretary of the Navy Knox http://www.history.navy.mil/ar/kilo/knox.htm
and many others http://www.history.navy.mil/ar/mss.htm
Fleet Admiral Halsey's papers are held at the Library of Congress and Vice
Admiral Lockwood's papers are held at the Library of Congress and some at
the Hoover Institution at Stanford http://www.hoover.org/.


You may want to search the Index of US Naval Institute Proceedings for relevant articles.
Even a magazine like Our Navy may have an occasional article useful to your research.
There are other periodicals in our collection which also probably would provide
articles relevant to research.
Here in the library, we have few primary sources. Although in our Historical
Manuscrips collection
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/manuscript/manuscript_list.htm

I did find the following which maybe useful to you:

Cone, Hutch I., Commander, USN (later RADM)
The title of the bound journal, Diary of Rear Admiral Hutch I. Cone, First
World War is inaccurate. Cone attained the rank of Rear Admiral in 1924,
however his service during World War One was actually as a Commander. He
served as a Navy attache involved with the coordination of aviation
resources. His diary reveals he traveled to Paris, London, and throughout
Europe to meet with Admiral Sims, Winston Churchill, Admiral Jellicoe, and
the Aircraft Production Board.
Jones, Carlton B., Rear Admiral, USN
Six official messages sent to Destroyers, Atlantic Fleet in December 1941.
Jones collected these "flimsies" while serving as a lieutenant on the staff
of the Commander, Destroyer Squadron Seven. The following communications are
included:
"Air Raid On Pear[l] Harbor X This Is Not Drill" (7 Dec.).
"Executive WPL Forty Six Against Japan" (7 Dec.).
"Place Naval Censorship In Effect" (8 Dec.).
"Germany Has Declared War On the United States" (11 Dec.).
"Italy Has Declared War On the United States" (11 Dec.).
"Executive WPL 46 Against Germany and Italy in Addition to Japan Naval
Attaches Advise Naval Authorities" (11 Dec.).
[Additional messages collected by Jones are located in the USS Owen (DD-536)
ZC File.].

As for the Marine Corps, we do collect some material on history of the
Corps, but we recommend you contact the Marine Corps History Division
http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Home_Page.htm for guidance with your research
in that area.

Great White Fleet visit to Albany Western Australia 1908

Book source:
"Around the World with the Fleet, 1907-1909: A Pictorial Log of the Cruise." (Annapolis, MD: United States Naval Institute, 1929).

Image source:
Our Photographic Section may have photos of the fleet's visit to Albany.
That branch doesn't have an e-mail reference service.
http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg11.htm.

That Still Picture Branch of the National Archives may also have photographs of the Great White Fleet in Albany.

Still Picture Branch (NNSP)
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3530
1-866-272-6272
http://www.archives.gov/contact/
inquire@nara.gov

3) manuscript source:
Admiral Charles S. Sperry who commanded the fleet during its visit to Australia may have written about the visit to Albany in his personal papers which are held by the Library of Congress in the Manuscript Division
http://www.loc.gov/rr/mss/

The description that we have of his papers collection suggests there is little in the collection about the cruise, but it may be worth checking with the Library of Congress.
Sperry, Charles S.
Papers, 1862-1912, 2,300 items
Naval officer and diplomat. General and family correspondence, orders to duty, journals, reports, memoranda, and other papers relating to Sperry's naval career, particularly his activities in the Philippines (1898-1900), and to his role as a U.S. delegate to the Geneva Convention (1906) and the Second Hague Conference (1907). Includes letters from Theodore Roosevelt concerning the world cruise (1908-1909) of the Battle Fleet commanded by Sperry.

Directory of naval libraries

Go to http://library.nrl.navy.mil/nkn and look on the left-hand side of the page for "Directory" which will lead you to a list of naval libraries.

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Small arms : Early small arms contracts by the Navy

All of these types of naval records were transferred to the National Archives in Washington, DC, many years ago. They should be held in the Old Military and Civil Records Branch of the Archives. Contact information is as follows:

Old Military and Civil Records Branch
National Archives and Records Administration 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20408
1-866-272-6272
http://www.archives.gov/contact/
inquire@nara.gov

The Curator Branch here at the Naval Historical Center has posted a research guide called "Sources for the Study of Naval Equipment"
http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org2-4.htm
You may want to review it for helpful information.

At the National Archives, you will probably need to review records in Record Group (RG) 74, Records of the Bureau of Ordnance http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/074.html

We encourage you to consult a reference professional at the Archives for further assistance.

LION units

This is a definition for a LION:
LION: A large advanced base unit consisting of all the personnel and material necessary for the establishment of a major all-purpose naval base. It is made up of a large number of functional components which enable the base to perform voyage repairs and minor battle-damage repairs to a major portion of a fleet.

The definition above comes from the following book:
Carter, Worrall Reed. "Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil. From The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II." (Washington, DC: Govt. Printing Office, 1953): 458.

At one time our Operational Archives Branch http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg10.htm
at the Naval Historical Center, apparently used to have reports on LION units, so you may want to check with that branch.

You might see the units listed in documents as ABD-LION (number)
The acronym ABD can stand for Advance Base Dock or Advance Base Depot.

Some photographs of (or from) LION units 2 and 4 circa 1944 are available at the National Archives in College Park, MD http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/index.html

in Record Group 38, Records of the Chief of Naval Operations http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/038.html


specifically Record Group 38.4.16, Other ONI Records http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/038.html#38.4.16 <http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/038.html> .

Contact information for the National Archives is as follows:
Modern Military Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
301-837-3510
1-866-272-6272
http://www.archives.gov/contact/

inquire@nara.gov

The National Archives in College Park also may have other information concerning LION units, such as after-action reports or unit rosters or some sort of war diaries.
We recommend you consult a reference professional at the National Archives for more assistance.

Lastly, you might be able to obtain some additional information about these LION units from the Seabee Museum and History Office at Port Hueneme, CA https://portal.navfac.navy.mil/portal/page?_pageid=181,3446173,181_5309880&_dad=portal&_schema=PORTAL
Director or Curator
US Navy Seabee Museum NFELC
1000 23rd Ave
Bldg 99, Code HO
Port Hueneme CA 93043
(805) 982-5165, 5167

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Cruise books

Most of the cruise books in our collection can be copied.
The Naval
Historical Foundation www.navyhistory.org
which is in an office next to us, has a Document Reproduction Service and will duplicate the cruise book for you for a fee.

The fee schedule is posted online at
http://www.navyhistory.org/documentservice.html
<http://www.navyhistory.org/documentservice.html>
Contact the Naval Historical Foundation for an estimate of the cost to copy, bind and ship the
cruise book.

We can tell you it won't be cheap because the book is in color
and is 400 pages long. It will be extremely expensive to duplicate it.

1) ILL option: You may be able to borrow the cruise book through interlibrary loan. See
your local librarian to initiate such a request. I don't know for sure if
our Interlibrary Loan technician will lend the book however because it is
our only copy. We have this book in our collection so that veterans,
researchers and historians for all time will have access to the book, so we
would hate to lose it or have it stolen. If we do lend it then please note
that any cruise book we lend to another library MUST be returned to us via
FedEx, UPS or some other commercial courier service.

This is due to the fact that all regular mail delivered to the Washington Navy Yard is irradiated
for anthrax, and this irradiation process can be extremely damaging to print
and photographic material.
Furthermore, the cruise book MUST NOT leave the
borrowing library. It is for in-library use only and not to be sent home
with anyone. If we lend it to your local library, then you can view it at
your local library and take digital photographs of it if you'd like, but you
will NOT be able to take it home from there.

2) Purchase option: Cruise books are much like highschool yearbooks in that usually only as many are printed as are ordered.
Due to the sentimental value of these books to veterans, few are ever given away or sold. It could be very difficult to find an original copy.

Nonetheless, you might find one for sale on eBay or
through an online network of used booksellers, such as www.abebooks.com
<http://www.abebooks.com> or www.alibris.com <http://www.alibris.com> .

This library has the largest collection of cruise books in the country, yet
it is far from complete. Although ships are instructed to submit copies to
us, few ever do; we receive most of ours through donation. A few other
places you might find a copy of the cruise book are:
Jack Long Books -
http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/StoreFrontDisplay?cid=243880
<http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/StoreFrontDisplay?cid=243880> ; contact
him by e-mail; he has a large selection of cruise books not listed in his
online inventory. He's a nice guy to do business with.
Columbia Trading Company
One Barnstable Road
Hyannis, MA 02601
www.columbiatrading.com

Ship's name : named after Senator Eugene Hale

Senator Hale was very interested in naval affairs, especially naval appropriations.

Two US Navy vessels were named after Senator Eugene Hale.
The first was a destroyer, DD-133 http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h1/hale-i.htm.
The second was also a destroyer, DD-642 http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/h1/hale-ii.htm

We checked our biographical and manuscript files and only have a very brief biography on the Senator.

We also checked our publication, US Naval History Sources in the United States, but did not find any collection of Eugene Hale papers. (An online version of US Naval History Sources is available at http://www.history.navy.mil/sources/index.htm although no index is available. Rather, it must be searched through the entire Naval Historical Center website at http://www.history.navy.mil/search/index.html)

We suspect all of the Library of Congress manuscript collections are cataloged in OCLC, but it may be worth checking directly with the Manuscript Division http://www.loc.gov/rr/mss/ anyway.

And it may be a long shot, but you might check with the National Archives in Washington, DC. Contact information is below.
Unfortunately, many papers collections simply don't exist, having been broken up and sold at auctions, etc., but we hope that is not the case with Eugene Hale. Contact information for the Archives:
Old Military and Civil Records Branch
National Archives and Records Administration 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20408
1-866-272-6272
http://www.archives.gov/contact/
inquire@nara.gov

Shipbuilding Contract

There is only one Heintz contract in
our collection.

The 2 that appears next to Heintz Manufacturing Co.
indicates that it's the second contract in the binder, not that there are
two contracts. (The Heintz contract is 12 pages long )

If you are indeed interested in more than one contract,
we refer to the Gibbs, Grove and Globe-Union contracts.

You will need to contact the Naval Historical Foundation to make the other copies.
The Foundation is in an office next to us and will reproduce documents for you for a fee.

The fee schedule is posted online at http://www.navyhistory.org/documentservice.html. Contact the Naval Historical Foundation for an estimate of the cost to copy.

WESTPAC : ships involved during 1960-70

Consult with NHC's Operational Archives Branch in Naval Historical Center.
They keep records on the Navy in the Pacific during the Vietnam War era period.

Many of the ships on WESTPAC deployment served with Seventh Fleet.
Seventh Fleet records presumably identify ship's serving with fleet.

Phone: (202) 433-3224; Fax (202) 433-2833 http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg10.htm

Our library has a cruise book collection. Cruise books are kind of yearbook for individual ships.
You can search records of our cruise books' records in Worldcat.
http://www.worldcat.org

Try the advance search with keywords 'westpac' and publication year from 1967-1970 (since the publication date of 69's cruise could be 1970)
Example record:
USS Robison DDG 12, WestPac 1969.
by Robison (Guided missile destroyer : DDG-12)
Language: English Type: Book
Publisher: [Marceline, Mo. : Walsworth Pub. Co. ; La Jolla, Ca. : Cruise Book Sales Offices, 1969?]
OCLC: 34343825
Subjects: Robison (Guided missile destroyer : DDG-12) United States. -- Navy -- Cruise books.
Our library has a list of cruise book collection. Take a look at the following site.
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/special/cruise_list.htm

Tuesday, September 4, 2007

World War II : diesel engines

We have the following titles in our collection.

We didn't see anything relevant in them, but these particular books can be borrowed through
interlibrary loan if you think they may help you. See your local librarian
to initiate an interlibrary loan. All of the titles were published by the
Navy.

Instructions for Use of Naval Personnel Engaged in the Operation and Care of
Diesel Engines
. 1937

Fundamentals of Diesel Engines, US Navy. 1945

Diesel Engine Maintenance Training Manual, US Navy. 1946

Instruction Book, Model 16-338 Diesel Engine (General Motors Corp.,
Cleveland, OH), 1951 - includes pictures and a lot of schematics.

We imagine that GM has some sort of corporate library so you might write to
the company if you haven't already:
General Motors Corporation
P.O. Box 33170
Detroit, MI 48232-5170
More materials on diesel engines should be available at the National
Archives, probably the Washington, DC, location
http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/washington/
<http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/washington/>
since you are looking for
pre-World War II material. Contact information for the Archives is as
follows:
Old Military and Civil Records Branch
National Archives and Records Administration 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20408
1-866-272-6272
http://www.archives.gov/contact/ <http://www.archives.gov/contact/>

Relevant records will probably be held in Record Group 19, Records of the
Bureau of Ships
http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html
<http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/019.html> . An
archivist/reference professional at the Archives should be able to provide
further guidance.

USS Smith

To learn the locations and activities of USS Smith <http://www.history.navy.mil/danfs/s14/smith-ii.htm>

between 1938 and 1942 you will need to review the vessel's deck logs and/or movement reports, both of which are held by the National Archives in Washington, DC.

We have more information about deck logs at http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq73-1.htm

Movement reports are held at the Archives in Record Group (RG) 45, Naval Records Collection of the Office of Naval Records and Library http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/045.html,

probably more specifically RG 45.5.2 - Records of the Ships Movements Division http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/045.html#45.5.2.

Frank Vining Smith : Naval camouflage

It looks like there are a couple of books about Frank Vining Smith and his art.
These books are held at the Florence Griswold Museum in Old Lyme, CT, http://www.flogris.org/

You might be able to borrow the books through interlibrary loan.

The books are:
Colby College Art Museum. Frank Vining Smith. Waterville, Maine: Colby College Press, 1975.
Falk, Peter H. Frank Vining Smith. Madison, Conn.: Sound View Press, 1988.


Other than these potential sources of information, I would echo what my colleagues said and suggest you try the National Archives, probably the Washington, DC, location http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/washington/ since you are interested in WWI timeframe materials.

If you think relevant documents are held in the records of the US Shipping Board, then you may want to search in Record Group 32, Records of the United States Shipping Board http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/032.html.

See an archivist at the National Archives for additional assistance.
Old Military and Civil Records Branch
National Archives and Records Administration 700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW Washington, DC 20408
1-866-272-6272
http://www.archives.gov/contact/

World War II : Naval Administrative History

Our original print set of the administrative history is maintained in our Rare Book Room and only available for viewing here in the library.

Unfortunately, we do not have another print copy available for interlibrary loan.

You are welcome to visit the library and take digital photos (no flash) of the history if you like. If you decide to visit, let us know and we will provide you with instructions to enter the base.
Your other two options are to:
1) purchase the microfiche, or
2) borrow the microfiche through interlibrary loan.

Each microfiche acket costs $10.00 and may be purchased separately.

If you decide to borrow the fiche through interlibrary loan, contact Linda Edwards at linda.j.edwards@navy.mil.

Please note however that any material we lend to another library MUST be returned to us via FedEx, UPS or some other commercial courier service. This is due to the fact that all regular mail delivered to the Washington Navy Yard is irradiated for anthrax, and this irradiation process can be extremely damaging to library material.

If you decide to purchase the fiche, please send your request with a check or money order made payable to the "Department of the Navy" to:
Navy Department Library
ATTN: Ms. Tonya Simpson
Naval Historical Center
805 Kidder Breese St. SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20374-5060

World War II: Naval Interrogation Officers

Interrogations of U-boat crewmen would almost certainly have been conducted using technical specialists controlled or directed by the Office of Naval Intelligence (ONI), or in some cases possibly from the Naval Security Group (for cryptologic matters).

The records of ONI at the National Archives at College Park, MD, are a likely source of information. We suggest Record Group 38.4 Records of the Office of Naval Intelligence http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/038.html#38.4.

Hopefully the National Archives has the original interrogation reports which might identify the interrogators.

If you do identify some of the interrogators, you may not get much more than their names and maybe their service numbers. The US Naval Academy Alumni Association keeps track of its graduates and might provide you with current contact information for those interrogators that were academy graduates and are still living. Check a Register of Alumni for the US Naval Academy or contact the Nimitz Library http://www.usna.edu/Library/ to identify which officers were USNA graduates.

You may want to consider posting notices about your search with some of the reunion and veteran organizations and magazines. We have more information on these posted at http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq13-3.htm

The Naval Intelligence Professionals http://www.navintpro.org/ is a veterans group which also might be able to help identify veterans for this reunion.

Friday, August 31, 2007

World War II : Selective Service System

Information for Selective Service System for World War II,
Recommend you contact the National Archives in College Park, MD.

Modern Military Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
(301-837-3510)
http://www.archives.gov/contact/
inquire@nara.gov

At the Archives, we believe relevant records will be found in Record Group 147, Records of the Selective Service System, 1926-1971.

shark attack

shark attack off Ocracoke Island in World War II.

We have been unable to find any information about this incident.
Although our book, Shark Attack by David Baldridge, lists many attacks, an attack on 6 Aug 1945 is not recorded. We contacted the History Library at the Navy’s Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, but our colleague there also was unable to find any record of this attack.

We recommend the following as possible sources of information:
1) Local newspapers – a local library may have microfilm of old newspapers which may contain articles about the shark attack,
2) National Archives and Records Administration – relevant records may be held in Record Group 52, Records of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/052.html.
3) Regional Archives – the Archives facility for the Southeast Region http://www.archives.gov/southeast/ is located in Atlanta, GA. At the Regional Archives center, you may find relevant records in Record Group 181, Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments.
4) International Shark Attack File – maintained by the Florida Museum of Natural History, http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/fish/sharks/isaf/isafabout.htm.

World War II : Fleet logistics

For informations about US Navy fleet logistics in World War II.

Recommend the following two books on this topic:

Carter, RADM Worrall. Beans, Bullets, and Black Oil. (The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Pacific During World War II.) Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1953.

Carter, RADM Worrall, and Elmer Duvall, USN (Retired). Ships, Salvage, and Sinews of War. (The Story of Fleet Logistics Afloat in the Atlantic and Mediterranean Waters During World War II.) Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office, 1954.

For more detailed information on this topic, you may wish to consult US Navy operational records from World War II, including those dealing with logistics matters, which are located at:

Modern Military Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
(301-837-3510)
http://www.archives.gov/contact/

Regrettfully, US Navy logistical history has not received the attention of historians the way that operational history has. Consequently, there are relatively few books on the subject.

wireless station at Point Isabel, Texas

US Navy’s wireless station at Point Isabel, Texas.

We found only a very small amount of information about the station in The Year-Book of Wireless Telegraphy & Telephone, 1918. It’s possible that the station is referenced in various books and journals in our collection, but finding these references will require in-person, in-depth research. Commercial research services are available if you are not able to conduct the research yourself.

We suggest you contact your Regional Archives which may hold records concerning the Point Isabel wireless station.
The Archives facility for the Southwest Region http://www.archives.gov/southwest/
is located in Fort Worth, Texas.

At the Archives, you may find relevant records in Record Group 181, Records of Naval Districts and Shore Establishments and possibly, Record Group 71, Records of the Bureau of Yards and Docks.

Additionally, the National Archives in Washington, DC (contact information below), the Texas State Library http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ and the Texas State Historical Association http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/ may be able to assist you with this request.

Old Military and Civil Records Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20408
(202-501-5385)
http://www.archives.gov/contact/

Troop ship : WWII

There were several troopships in the Moore-McCormack Line.

To find out which ship the person was on, but you may be able to determine that by obtaining the records for his unit ( for example: 789th AAA) from the National Archives in College Park, MD.
These records may indicate which troops were on which ships.

National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001.-----------
Modern Military Records (NWDT2)- telephone (301) 837-3510

List of troopships in Moore-McCormack Line:

Brazil, later Virginia
Cape Victory
Marine Angel
Marine Jumper
Marine Lynx
Marine Phoenix
Mormacdove
Mormachawk
Mormacmoon, later Exchester
Mormacport, later Sea Fox
Mormacsea
Mormacwren
Sea Flier
Sea Pike
Sea Quail
Uruguay, later California

Another approach to determining the troopship name may be possible if you know the date the person traveled on the ship.
If you do, then you may be able to determine the ship name from convoy records of the Tenth Fleet Files, which are also held at the National Archives in College Park.

Once you have a name, you should be able to find a history and picture of the troopship in the following publication:

Charles, Roland W. Troopships of World War II. Washington, DC: Army Transportation Association, 1947.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Naval District

From its beginning in 1903, the Naval District has had the primary function of local defense along a particular section of the coast.1

World War I broadened district responsibility to administration and logistics, a change which affected the geographical district limits.

Originally confined to a strip of coast, the District expanded until the system included the entire United States, our outlying possessions, and even foreign countries, in a general administrative jurisdiction over naval shore activities.

Fifty Years of Naval District Development1903-1953
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/navy_dist.htm#I

Naval District Manual

http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/nav_dist_manual.htm




Eleventh Naval District commandants

Headquartered in San Diego, this office was disestablished 30 September, 1980.
1. 1948-1949 RADM Bernhard H. Bieri 12/5/48
2. 1949-1952 RADM Wilder D. Baker 14/2/49
3. 1952-1953 RADM John W. Roper 31/7/52
4. 1953-1953 RADM George R. Henderson 30/4/53
5. 1953-1955 RADM George C. Dyer 25/9/53
6. 1955-1960 RADM Charles C. Hartman 31/1/55
7. 1960-1962 RADM Murr E. Arnold 9/7/60
8. 1962-1964 RADM Almon E. Loomis 31/12/62
9. 1964-1965 RADM Walter H. Price 9/9/64
10. 1965-1967 RADM Frank A. Brandley 12/65
11. 1967-1970 RADM Marshall E. Dornin 8/67
12. 1970-1973 RADM Joseph W. Williams, Jr. 1/70
13. 1973-1975 RADM Fillmore B. Gilkeson 9/73
14. 1975-1976 RADM Samuel L. Gravely, Jr. 8/75
15. 1976-1978 RADM William H. Rogers 8/76
16. 1978-1980 RADM Justin E. Langille III 8/78

Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme, CA

Many of the cruise books at Port Hueneme are available in CD-ROM form and can be purchased through the Museum’s gift shop.

NAVFAC Historical Program
1000 23rd Ave, Bldg 99, Code HO
Port Hueneme, CA 93043
805-982-5167
fax 805-982-5595

Freedom of Information Act Office (FOIA)

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), United States Code 552, allows you to obtain information from various agencies of the federal government, including the Department of the Navy.

FOIA is implemented by the Navy, in Secretary of the Navy Instruction 5720.42F, Department of the Navy Freedom of Information Act Program (SECNAVINST 5720.42F).

The command’s Customer Service Center
http://www.npc.navy.mil/channels

Freedom of Information Act Office
http://www.npc.navy.mil/ReferenceLibrary/FOIA.htm

Thursday, August 23, 2007

US Naval Technical Mission - Japan & Germany

US Naval Technical Mission to Japan documents. The photographs included in NDL online presentation of the documents are actually scanned pages from the "Summary Report" of the Naval Technical Mission.
You can order microfilm copies of this "Summary Report" (and other mission reports) at http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/dupform.htm.
However, the photos posted online will reproduce much better than the microfilm copies.

We believe the archival location for other photos included in the various reports of this mission is at the National Archives and Records Administration http://www.archives.gov/welcome/index.html in College Park, Maryland, USA http://www.archives.gov/facilities/md/archives_2.html. You should contact the National Archives http://www.archives.gov/global_pages/inquire_form.html about obtaining copies of such photos. The photos, if available, are most likely held in the Still Picture Branch of the National Archives:

STILL PICTURE BRANCH (NNSP)
NATIONAL ARCHIVES & RECORDS ADMIN.
8601 ADELPHI ROAD
COLLEGE PARK, MD 20740-6001
TELEPHONE: (301) 837-3530

Concerning a similar project which may have investigated the Germany naval forces, there is the Naval Technical Mission to Europe.

This project produced a huge number of reports which are maintained at the National Archives in College Park, MD
http://www.archives.gov/dc-metro/college-park/index.html

The reports are maintained in Record Group 38.4.15, Records of Other ONI Units

http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/038.html#38.4.15

under the main Record Group 38, Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 1875-1993
http://www.archives.gov/research/guide-fed-records/groups/038.html. Records of the US Naval Technicial Mission to Japan are also in Record Group 38.4.15.

Monday, August 20, 2007

Plans for USS ships

Source of ship's plan (NHC's faq)

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq26-1.htm

Floating Drydock sell plans:
http://www.floatingdrydock.com/TFW2.htm#TFW

P-coat

the origin of the term “P-coat.”
Originally, each coat was tailored from pilot cloth, sometimes called “P-cloth”, and this is how the coats came to be known as a p-coats or pea coats.

The name of these hip-length, double-breasted, wool military coats has been relaxed and now they are usually called pea coats or pea jackets.
The jacket dates back to the 18th century and is typically a cheap-to-produce, tough, warm coat which keeps it a popular choice for the military, particularly the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard.
But don't jump to conclusions. The "p" originally associated with these heavy-duty coats didn't refer to the soupy weather from which the coat offered protection. Rather, it referred to a very heavy, coarse, strong-twilled fabric sometimes called pilot cloth (or p-cloth), of which the jackets were originally made.

Thursday, August 16, 2007

Naval mines

Source books:

Cowie, J.S. Mines, Minelayers and Minelaying. New York: Oxford University Press, 1949.

Duncan, R.C. America’s Use of Sea Mines. Silver Spring, MD: US Naval Ordnance Laboratory, White Oak, 1962.

Katalog otechestvennogo i inostrannogo minnogo oruzhiyi a. Leningrad: Sentral, 1983. (This Russian book has several photos of mines.)

Ledebur, Gerhard Frhr von. Die Seemine. Munich: J.F. Lehmann’s Verlag, 1977. (This book is written in German, but has some photos and many drawings of mines.)

Low, A.M. Mine and Countermine. New York: Sheridan House, 1940.

submarine battle flags

Information about these flags is available on our website.
http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq62-1.htm

Other website:
http://donmac.org/Flags.htm


As well as contact information for the library at the US Navy Submarine Force Museum in Groton, CT.

International signal flags

Contact the North American Vexillological Association, www.nava.org,
Maybe the Association can recommend a flag historian with expertise in signal flags.

Vietnam War : combat action

Vietnam War incidences:
If detailed reports of these combat actions exist, they are presumably located in the records of US Navy Task Force 116 (Operation Market Time, River Patrol) held by the Operational Archives Branch at the Naval Historical Center.

These records are organized by Navy unit.
To assist the Operational Archives small staff to locate the appropriate records within their large collection you should first try to identify which Navy units were involved.

To do this you should probably review the appropriate Commander Naval Forces Vietnam Monthly Summaries posted on the Operational Archives web pages http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org10-8.htm
to see if you can identify the units involved.

You will then need to contact the Operational Archives directly for further assistance with this request.

Wednesday, August 15, 2007

Yakima Indian War.

Yakima Indian War.
Information can be found from our ship files, a page from the 1856 Report of the Secretary of the Navy.

General information about the War:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yakima_War

Japanese ships: color

The most relevant informational materials we found concerning Japanese ship colors were a pamphlet and a chart of paint chips showing colors of the four Japanese shipyards.

Film footage

film footage from World War II :
Naval film footage from World War II is maintained at the Motion Picture Branch of the National Archives and Records Administration.

contact that branch at:
Motion Picture Branch National Archives and Records Administration8601 Adelphi Road College Park, Maryland (301) 837-0526http://www.archives.gov/contact/

Ships' Deck Logs

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq73-1.htm

Only deck logs from commissioned Navy ships are permanently retained by the Naval Historical Center and the National Archives.


Deck logs of commissioned U.S. Navy ships from the earliest times through 1940 :
The National Archives and Records Administration maintains ships’ deck logs and crew lists, and official service records for naval personnel from the 19th century.
Contact the Old Military and Civil Records Branch of the Archives to obtain these records. The address and phone number for the National Archives are as follows: Old Military and Civil Records BranchNational Archives and Records Administration700 Pennsylvania Avenue NWWashington, DC 20408 ph:(202)501-5385

Logs from 1941 through those that are 30 years old or older are in the Modern Military Branch, National Archives, 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park MD 20740-6001 [telephone (301) 837-3510]. These logs are open for research.

Official Service And Medical Records

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq19-1.htm

The Civil and Old Military Records Branch, National Archives, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408 (phone 202-357-5444) has custody of records relating to naval officers from 1798 to 1902 and enlisted men from 1798 to 1885.

The National Personnel Records Center, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100 has custody of the official individual personnel records of Navy commissioned officers separated after 1902 and Navy enlisted personnel separated after 1885.
Veterans or next of kin of deceased veterans can order copies of their military records directly on line from the The National Personnel Records Center. Veterans are entitled to one set of their medals and awards. To request his medals, a veteran should send in a separate completed Standard Form (SF) 180 to the Bureau of Naval Personnel, Naval Liaison Office, Room 5409, 9700 Page Boulevard, St. Louis, Missouri 63132-5100. Please write "Do not open in mailroom" on the outer envelope

For recently retired personnel for the first fifteen months after discharge, transfer to the fleet reserve, or retirement, any personnel questions should be sent to Commander, Naval Military Personnel Command, Washington, DC 20370, while medical questions should be directed to Commanding Officer, Naval Reserve Personnel Center, New Orleans, Louisiana 70149.

Other helpful source;
" Official Records Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion"

Concrete ships

Concrete tankers, Concrete ships were first built during World War I as a steel conservation measure.
During World War II, these ships proved particularly valuable as supply ships in the Pacific.

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Ranks and ratings in US Navy

The development of ranks and ratings in the US Navy is an evolutionary one.
In many cases, there is no exact equivalent between the ranks and ratings used at different times in naval history.

Helpful title:
Stacey, John A. U.S. Navy Rating Badges, Specialty Marks and Distinguishing Marks, 1885 – 1982.
(Ft. Washington, MD: John a. Stacey, 1982.)

Basic history of these ratings at http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq78-4.htm

US Navy in World War II: 1944 issue of the Bluejackets’ Manual.

There was no logic to how the Navy's Bureau of Personnel issued serial numbers to sailors in World War II.
Serial/Service numbers were issued in blocks of numbers in a random manner to various recruiting stations where the numbers were then assigned to individuals.

When a station used up its block of numbers it was then issued another block of numbers.
To determine where a number was issued requires a researcher to look through a set of thick binders until the appropriate block of numbers is spotted. We have the only known set of these binders in our library.

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq78-1.htm

From the Beginning: The Navy of the United Colonies of the 1775 era offered only a few different jobs above the ordinary seaman level. These included Boatswain's Mate, Quartermaster, Gunner's Mate, Master-at-Arms, Cook, Armorer, Sailmaker's Mate, Cooper, Cockswain, Carpenter's Yeoman, and Yeoman of the Gun Room. These were titles of the jobs that individuals were actually performing and thus became the basis for petty officers and ratings.
Also, there were Ordinary Seaman, Loblolly Boy, and Boy, but these are more related to our apprentices of today. During this period in the history of the new Navy, crews were taken directly from civilian life and enlisted only for the duration of one cruise.
Because of this enlistment practice, the job at hand, rather than career possibilities, was the primary consideration.
The Continental Congress back in April 1776, and its "Instruction to Commanders of Privateers" stated "One third, at least, of your whole company shall be landsmen" (that is, men on shipboard with no experience in seagoing). This could have been a colonial recruiting expedient, but at any rate, it had the effect of making more landlubbers sea-conscious and willing to serve in defense of the youthful United States.

World War II: From 1913 to 1948, no major changes in the structure of enlisted ratings were made, although new ratings were authorized as technological changes, expansion of naval aviation for example, demanded. Hand in hand with this system of classification of personnel went the practice of supplying men according to numbers and ratings requested, without any special attention to the individual qualifications of the men or particular demands of the billets.

By the beginning of World War II, the Navy's rating structure was becoming inadequate to the problem of distributing the best qualified personnel to billets in which they were most needed. In short, the structure had to be adjusted to meet the technological advances of the modern Navy.
Under pressure of necessity, during World War II, the Bureau of Naval Personnel and other commands charged with personnel administration found themselves dividing and subdividing existing ratings to reveal special skills.
The Radioman (RM) rating, for example, split into Radioman (RM) and Radio Technician (RT); later some Radio Technicians were transferred to the newly established Radarman (RD) rating, and others to the new Sonarman (SO) rating.

To the SO rating itself was later added SOH (Harbor Defense).To supplement this process of subdividing old ratings, the Specialist (X) ratings were established, and eventually became the catch-all for jobs that could not be fitted elsewhere into the existing rating structure.

Post War Rating : StructureBy V-J Day, the 30-odd prewar ratings had given way to nearly 200 wartime categories. In September 1945, the Navy launched studies directed toward finding a more orderly, scientific classification system which would serve both peacetime and wartime needs. The resulting rate and rating structure, implemented by the new Manual of Qualifications for Advancement in Rating, went into effect 2 April 1948.

It was the product of intensive research by the Bureau of Naval Personnel, of numerous conferences with representatives of various Navy bureaus and offices, and of recommendations submitted by fleet and training commands.
Although the current rating structure was developed during the 1945-47 period its framework was the wartime rating structure, the traditions of the Navy rating system, and many additional factors necessary to develop a structure adapted to the modern Navy. Not the least of these factors were lessons learned from the Navy's successes and failures in personnel management during World War II, and tested principles of personnel management developed in recent years by industry and government.

The result is a dynamic structure designed to meet the needs of the modern Navy today.

Civil War steamer Dragon

Civil War steamer Dragon.
NDL has a small file on this vessel.

Deck logs and other documents concerning Dragon’s actions may be available at the National Archives in Washington, DC:

Old Military and Civil Records Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20408
202-501-5385)
http://www.archives.gov/contact/

Pictures of Dragon may be available through the Photographic Section here at the Naval Historical Center.

Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion, which is available online through Cornell University at http://cdl.library.cornell.edu/moa/browse.monographs/ofre.html

Pearl Harbor Attack, 7 December 1941

NDL's web site about the Pearl Harbor Attack.

http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq66-1.htm

USS Chicago -- armament

37 mm and 47 mm cannons on USS Chicago.
John Alden’s book -- The American Steel Navy-- confirms that Chicago had two 37 mm and four 47mm Hotchkiss revolving cannons.
Additional drawings of naval armament may be available from the National Archives in Washington, DC, in the Records of the Bureau of Ordnance.

Contact information for the National Archives is as follows :

Old Military and Civil Records Branch
National Archives and Records Administration
700 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20408
1-866-272-6272 http://www.archives.gov/contact/

Friday, April 27, 2007

Magic carpet operation

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Immigration/carpet.html
In May 1949, when the Imam of Yemen agreed to let 45,000 of the 46,000 Jews in his country leave, Israeli transport planes flew them "home" in Operation Magic Carpet. The Yemenite Jews, mostly children, were brought to Israel on some 380 flights. This was one of the most wonderful and complex immigration operations the state has ever known. British and American planes airlifted the Jews from Aden, the capital of Yemen, when they reached the city from all over Yemen after extremely dangerous and risky journeys. The operation was secret and was released to the media only several months after its completion.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Magic_Carpet_(Yemen)

*Numerous documents on Magic Carpet from AR that were digitized by Master Chief Leuci were provided

USS America

It likely was the largest ever since the largest warship sank in combat.
It was the Japanese battleship Yamato which was 69,990 tons when fully loaded.

http://www.cdnn.info/news/industry/i050522a.html
USS America 1048-ft aircraft carrier sunk off North Carolina
Powered by CYBER DIVER News Network
NORTH CAROLINA (22 May 2005) -- The retired aircraft carrier USS America is on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean, sunk by the Navy in a series of explosive tests that upset some veterans.
The 84,000-ton, 1,048-foot warship that served the Navy for 32 years rests about 60 miles off the coast and more than 6,000 feet down, according to Pat Dolan, a spokeswoman for Naval Sea Systems Command.
She did not give a location, but the Navy previously said the explosions would take place off North Carolina.
Dolan said the America went down May 14, finally flooded after the series of explosions over 25 days. No announcement was made at the time.
No warship this size or larger had ever been sunk, and plans to sink the America caused controversy.
"Not a day goes by that I don't think about it," said Lee McNulty, president of the USS America Foundation, which wanted to turn the ship into a museum. "Of all the carriers, that one should have been saved, just for the name America."
The America launched warplanes during the Vietnam War, the 1986 conflict with Libya, the first Gulf War, and over Bosnia-Herzegovina in the mid-1990s.

The Navy said in March that the explosive tests would provide valuable data on survivability for the next generation of aircraft carriers, which are now in development.
Since its decommissioning in 1996, the America had been moored with dozens of other inactive warships at a Navy yard in Philadelphia.

Yangtze Patrol : List of commanders

Tolley, Kemp. "Yangtze Patrol : The U. S. Navy in China" pp. 303-304

Navy Directories
and Navy Registers and Bio files

Bio of Rear admiral Kemp:
http://www.geocities.com/songkhla.geo/Tolley.html

Maritime communications

Howeth, L. S. "History of Communications Electronics in the United States Navy."
http://earlyradiohistory.us/1963hw.htm -- full text


"Shore to Ship Via Moon" Message http://www.history.navy.mil/library/manuscript/anderson_george.htm

Care and Training of Homing Pigeons
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/special/homing_pigeons.htm

Manual For Buglers:
http://www.history.navy.mil/library/online/bugle.htm

Navy Network-Centric Warfare…
http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache:A1x6I5fk7SkJ:www.fas.org/man/crs/RS20557.pdf+Navy+Network-Centric+Warfare&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=3&gl=us -- full text


Pearl Harbor attack message

NARA RG-45

Wilson Timothy, "Flags at Sea: A Guide to the Flags Flown at Sea."

Z files in NDL

http://history.navy.mil/library/special/zfile_intro.htm

ZB - Personnel (100 linear feet)
ZC - Ships (30 linear feet)
ZE - Places (3 linear feet)
ZO - Operations (4.5 linear feet)
ZR - Sources of Historical Material (3 linear feet)
ZV - Miscellaneous (5.5 linear feet)

photos of people : US Navy

People (US Navy)
http://www.history.navy.mil/photos/pers-us/uspers.htm

Online image collection from NHC photo section:
http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/org11-2.htm

cutless

http://www.libertyagtr5div.org/Uuniform_history.htm

CUTLASS-- a short saber with a cut and thrust blade and a large hand guard. Issued to enlisted men as a sidearm and maintained in ships armories until the beginning of WWII. The weapons was officially declared obsolete in 1949. The Cutlass was considered an organizational issue item, but was never considered to be a part of the enlisted uniform.

* Some info from the 1866 uniform regulations, and the vertical file.

Band: German naval band

*Found a bunch of information and photos on line through the NHC Photo section

*Suggest to contact the historical society in Hoboken,
also the historical society in NYC,
as well as the Merchant Marine Academy library at SUNY,
and the state library/archives in NJ and NY, port authority, etc., and various other maritime research organizations.

ship model: full-size ship model made for Colombian Exposition in Chicago in 1892

Found info in a book about the Exposition.
Two articles in Proceedings from 1934 and 1937.
Also SecNav report for 1893 had info.

WWII: CBM: history for construction battalions

Admin. Hist.The number is 108.
Available on microfiche but would have to be reproduced through the AR branch, refers to AR. Ms. Jacobs

Vietnam: traditional boats of Vietnam

possible sources of photos at NARA and NHC.
Also referral to Mobile Riverine Force Assn. and Texas Tech’s Vietnam Center.

WWII: Civil-military German and American interactions

NDL has a multi-part administrative history of Commander, Naval Forces Europe (COMNAVEU) covering the period 1940-1946.
One of the volumes (147-G) includes three sections that might provide useful background data: "II. U.S. Naval Forces, German (Task Force 124),"
pages 66-171; "III. U.S. Ports and Bases, Germany (Task Force 126),"
pages 172-203; and "IV. Naval Division, U.S. Group, Control Council, Germany,"
pages 172-203

Also: PhD thesis by Denzil Tim Clifton: Bremen Under US Military Occupation: 1945-1949, the Reform of Education.