RG45: Appendix H.

DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY -- NAVAL HISTORICAL CENTER
805 KIDDER BREESE SE -- WASHINGTON NAVY YARD
WASHINGTON DC 20374-5060

Inventory of the Naval Records Collection of the Office of Naval Records and Library, in Record Group 45.

All of these documents are located at the National Archives and Records Administration, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408, and all inquiries about these records should be made to them.

Appendix H

Geographic Designations Used in the U.S. Navy Area Files, 1775-1937 (Entries 500, 501, and 517)

The Area File of the U.S. Navy, 1775-1910, described in entry 500 is divided into the following geographical areas. The rolls on which each of the areas are reproduced in NARA Microfilm Publicatio M625, Area File of the Naval Records Collection, 1775-1910, are noted. Following the descriptions of the geographical areas for the period 1775-1910 are those for the period 1911-37.

Area File for the U.S. Navy, 1775-1910

Rolls	Area	Dates	Description of Area
1-46	4	1775-1910	The greater part of the Atlantic Ocean (North and South) bounded on the west in the North Atlantic by longitude 50° and on the east in the South Atlantic by longitude 20° below Africa. The area also includes the Arctic Ocean as far east as longitude 80° above Siberia and inland bodies of water, such as the Mediterranean and Black Seas and tributary waters. It extends north and south to include Arctic and Antarctic regions.
47-54	5	May 1861-Nov. 1865	The Mississippi River and its tributaries within the zone of Civil War operations.
55-60	6	Jan. 1861-Dec. 1865	The Gulf of Mexico bounded on the east by a line drawn from Key West due south to Cuba and thence southwest to the Yucatan Peninsula.
61-198	7	1775-1910	The North Atlantic Ocean west of longitude 50° (Area 4) and bounded on the south by a line drawn from Cape Lookout, NC, to Bermuda and thence due east to longitude 50°. Navigable rivers and the Great Lakes are included. The northern limits of this area are not clearly defined.
199-281	8	1775-1910	The Atlantic Ocean off the southeast coast of the United States bounded on the east by longitude 50°. It is directly south of Area 7 and extends through the Caribbean region and west to include the Gulf of Mexico except for the Civil War period, during which the Gulf was separated as Area 6. The Mississippi River and its tributaries make up Area 5 during the Civil War period.
282-344	9	Apr. 1814-Dec. 1910	The Pacific Ocean east of longitude 180°, extended north and south to include Arctic and Antarctic regions.
345-403	10	1798-1900	The Pacific Ocean west of longitude 180°, extended westward to include the Indian Ocean. It also includes the Arctic and Antarctic regions not included in Areas 4 and 9.
404-409	11	1775-1910	This is not a geographical area in the same sense as Areas 4-10. It was set up to cover documentation relating to the Navy Department and other executive agencies in Washington, D.C.

Area File of the U.S. Navy, 1911-37

Area	Name	Description	Dates
E	North Europe	Formerly part of Area 4	1911-28
M	Mediterranean	Formerly part of Area 4	1914-28
A	Azores-Gibraltar	Formerly part of Area 4	1917-21
F	Freetown	Formerly part of Area 4	1917-18
S	South Atlantic	Formerly part of Area 4	1917-22
C	Caribbean	Formerly part of Area 4	1911-30
H	Home (Mid-Atlantic)	Formerly parts of Areas 4, 7, and 8	1911-27 and 1937
NW	Northwest Atlantic	Formerly part of Area 7	1918-23
NP	North Pacific	Formerly parts of Areas 9 and 10	1917-28
CP	Central Pacific	Formerly parts of Areas 9 and 10	1913-28
SEP	Southeast Pacific	Formerly part of Area 9	1911-25
SWP	Southwest Pacific	Formerly part of Area 10	1911-27
SP	South Pacific	Formerly parts of Areas 9 and 10	1912-25
IO	Indian Ocean	Formerly part of Area 10	1917-21
D	Navy Department	Formerly Area 11	1911-26 and 1930-35

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21 June 2005