Deck Logs And Crew Rosters
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
901 M STREET SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060Crew Member Information
The Naval Historical Center does not have custody of crew lists or currentaddresses for former crew members. However, this information can be compiledfrom several sources. The names of the officers usually appear on the firstpage of each month's deck log. The enlisted men assigned to a naval shipor command are listed on muster rolls which were also submitted monthly.
The Textual Reference Branch, National Archives, Washington,DC 20374 (202-501-5671) holds copies of the deck logs from 1801 throughDecember 1940 , as well as microfilm copies of the muster rolls through 1938.
The Textual Reference Branch, National Archives and Records Administration,8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001 has custody of the deck logsfrom 1 January 1941 through 1961, as well as microfilm copies of the musterrolls from 1939 through 1966. In some cases in the 1950's and 1960's, alist of the officers is included with the muster rolls. The Textual ReferenceBranch at College Park also has custody of the Bureau of Naval PersonnelCasualty Files, which have the official list of Navy casualties for eachWorld War II action. By using the list of officers in the deck logs andthe muster rolls, one can compile a list of the crew. Then by using thecrew list and the list of Casualties the names of the survivors of a WorldWar II ship or vessel can be created.
The deck logs from 1962 through 1978, and from 1990 to the present areat the Washington National Records Center, but access to them is controlledby the Deck Logs Section, Ships History Branch, Naval HistoricalCenter, 901 M Street SE, Washington, DC 20374-5060 (202-433-0824). From1979 through 1989, the logs only exist on microfiche which is held by theDeck Logs Section. For specific informationt contact the that office.
The muster rolls from 1967 to 1974 are in the custody of the Bureauof Naval Personnel (Pers-0243). Washington, DC 20370. From 1975 to thepresent, the muster rolls are held by the Enlisted Personnel ManagementCenter, Diary Control/Research Branch (Code 312), New Orleans, LA 70159.
Basic Reunion Information
Individuals have had success in locating former and retired militarypersonnel by placing advertisements or reunion notices in military orientedperiodicals such as those appearing on the attached list. These magazineshave a combined circulation of over one million and their readership includesmany former and retired military personnel. The editors of the magazinesshould be contacted separately about placing advertisements.
For those that have access to a CD-ROM drive, PHONE-DISC, which costsapproximately $100, provides the names, addresses and phone numbers forall people listed in the U.S. telephone books.
The Armed Forces World-Wide locators will forward letters to formermembers of the Navy, receiving retirement pay for active duty or reserveservice. For this assistance, one should place their letter in a stampedenvelope with just the name of the retired serviceman on the front and withno return address to: Navy Reserve Personnel Center, 4400 DauphinStreet, New Orleans, LA 70149.
The United States Naval Institute in Annapolis, Maryland hasestablished a reunion hot line (410-295-1023) that is operated by Ann Hassinger.The American Legion maintains a reunion service, VETS (900-737-8387).For $1.95 per minute, operators are on call Monday through Friday from 1pm to 9 pm Eastern Standard Time to provide information on scheduled reunionsregistered with The American Legion magazine. The average call takes twominutes.
Military Reunion News Co-Op Mail, P.O. Box 55, Bulverde, TX 78163-0355(210) 438-4177 can provide searches for individual reunions. They requestthat you provide a self-addressed stamped envelope with all reunion searchrequests.
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