Inventory of the Naval Records Collection of the Office of Naval Records and Library

Staff of the Old Military and Civil Records Branch of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) compiled this inventory. All of the Record Group 45 documents are located at NARA, 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20408, and all inquiries about these records should be made to them. The Naval History & Hertitage Command provides this online version of the inventory as a service to researchers.

Acknowledgements				iii
Preface				v
Introduction				1
	Secretaries of the Navy			4
	Assistant Secretaries of the Navy			5
	Under Secretaries of the Navy			5
	Assistant Secretaries of the Navy (Air)			5
Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Navy, 1798-1921 (1-211)				6
	Correspondence, 1798-1918			6
			Letters and Telegrams Sent	6
			Letters and Telegrams Received	15
			Other Correspondence	26
	Directives, 1798-1913			27
	Muster Rolls, Payrolls, Officer Rolls and Related Records, 17981-1889			28
	Fiscal Records, 1798-1890			32
	Personnel Records, 1803-97			36
		*Records Relating Primarily to Civilian Employees*		36
			Letters Sent	36
			Registers of Letters Received and Other Registers and Lists	37
		*Records Relating to Naval Officers' Service*		38
			Letters Sent	38
			Letters Received	40
			Other Correspondence Concerning Naval Service	42
			Registers and Lists Pertaining to Applicants for Positions and Reinstatements	42
			Registers and Lists Pertaining to Orders	44
			Statements of Service and Compilations of Service	45
			Other Registers and Lists	49
		*Records Relating to Enlisted Men*		49
	Legal Records, 1807-83			50
			General Records	50
			Records Relating to Blockade Running	51
			Prize Case Records	52
			Records Relating to Navy Yard Cases	54
			Records Relating to Contracts	55
	Registers and Other Records Pertaining to U.S. Naval Vessels, 1797-1919			55
	Records of Chief Clerk John W. Hogg, 1875-92			56
	Records of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy, 1898-1921			56
Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, 1887-1945 (212-301)				57
	Records of the Assistant for Naval Operations			57
	Records of Divisions, 1897-1940			59
		*Ship Movement Division*		59
		*Communications Division*		61
		*Division of Operating Forces*		63
			Air Operations	63
			European Operations	64
			U.S. Atlantic Fleet	65
		*War Plans Division*		65
	Records of the Historical Section, 1917-26			66
			War Diaries and Related Records	66
			Carded Reference Compilations	67
			Histories	69
	Records of the Office of Naval Intelligence, 1887-1927			70
			Correspondence and Records of Naval Attachés	73
			Correspondence Concerning Disturbances in Foreign Countries	74
			Miscellaneous Records Primarily Relating to Foreign Nations	77
	Other Records, 1945			78
Records of Boards and Commissions, 1812-90 (302-385)				78
	Board of Navy Commissioners			78
			Journal of Meetings	79
			Letters Sent	79
			Letters Received	81
			Reports	85
			Contract Records	86
			Miscellaneous Records	87
	Naval Inventions Boards			90
			Board for Examination of Naval Inventions	90
			Permanent Commission	91
	Naval Policy and Planning Boards			92
	Naval War Board			92
	Officer Examination Boards			93
			Naval Examining Board for Officers Seeking Promotion	93
	Commission to Ascertain the Cost of Removing the Naval Observatory			94
	Other Boards			95
Records of Bureaus, 1823-1933 (386-422)				95
	Bureau of Construction, Equipment, and Repair			95
	Bureau of Ordnance and Hydrography			96
	Bureau of Yards and Docks			99
		*Timber Reservations*		99
			Letters Sent	99
			Letters Received	99
			Other Timber Reservation Records	100
		*Other Records*		101
	Bureau of Equipment			102
	Bureau of Navigation			102
Records of Shore Establishments, 1814-1919 (423-498)				103
			Baltimore Naval Station	103
			Boston (Charlestown) Navy Yard	104
			Gosport (Norfolk) Navy Yard	104
			Havana, Cuba, Naval Station	105
			Mare Island Navy Yard	106
			Mound City, IL, Navy Station	106
			New Orleans Naval Station	107
			New York (Brooklyn) Navy Yard	107
			Newport Torpedo Station	110
			Pensacola Navy Yard	110
			Philadelphia Navy Yard	112
			Portsmouth, NH, Navy Yard	113
			Rio Grande Station	113
			U.S. Naval Academy	114
			Washington Navy Yard	114
Records Created and Organized by the Office of Naval Records and Library (499-674)				116
		*Collections for 1775-1910*		116
		*Collections for 1910-27*		118
		*Compiled and Other Records Relating to Naval Service*		121
		*Records Relating to the Acquisition and Publication of Documents in the Collection*		122
			Records Relating to Donors	122
			Records Relating to Publications	123
		*Copied Records Relating to the Early Navy*		125
	Records Acquired From Other Executive Departments, 1794-1903			127
			War Department Records	127
			Treasury Department Records	129
			State Department Records	129
	Records Acquired From Foreign Sources, 1775-1915			130
	Records Acquired From Private Sources in the United States, 1775-1908			134
			Correspondence	134
			Logs, Journals, and Related Records	135
			Registers and Lists	136
			Fiscal Records	138
			Other Records	139
	Records Relating to the Confederate States Navy, 1861-65			141
		*Confederate States Navy Department*		141
			Correspondence	142
			Muster Rolls, Payrolls, Shipping Articles, and Pay Records	143
			Logs, Journals, and Diaries	144
			Fiscal Records	145
		*Confederate Army Records*		146
		*Other Records*		146
Appendixes
	Appendix A: List of Subseries of Letters from Officers Commanding Cruises and Expeditions (Entry 40)			149
	Appendix B: List of Volumes in Letters Received from Commanding Officers of Squadrons (Entry 45)			152
	Appendix C: List of Muster Rolls and Payrolls of U.S. Navy Vessels (Entry 68)			173
	Appendix D: List of Muster Rolls and Payrolls of U.S. Navy Shore Establishments (Entry 69)			196
	Appendix E: Glossary of Abbreviations Used in Communications by Naval Forces Operating in European Waters (Entries 229, 231, 245 and 272)			211
	Appendix F: List of War Diaries of Vessels, 1917-27 (Entry 254)			212
	Appendix G: List of War Diaries for Naval Commands, Convoys, Stations, and Detachments (Entry 254)			236
	Appendix H: Geographic Designations Used in the U.S. Navy Area Files (Entries 500, 501, and 517)			246
	Appendix I: File Designations Used in the U.S. Navy Subject Files (Entries 502 and 520)			248
	Appendix J: File Designations Used in the Confederate Navy Subject File (Entry 503)			259
	Appendix K: Outline of Logistics File (Entry 522)			262
	Appendix L: List of Vessels For Which There Are Logs and Journals (Entry 608)			270
	Appendix M: List of Logs and Journals (Entry 608)			274
	Appendix N: Naval Officers' Personal Letterbooks (Entry 603)			294
	Appendix O: List of Muster Rolls, Payrolls, and Related Records for Confederate Vessels (Entry 651)			304
	NARA Microfilm Publication Reference in Inventory 18			305
	Index			307

Acknowledgements

This publication was made possible through a contribution in memory of Rita P. Shea.

The following additional individuals made archival, editorial, and technical contributions to this publication:

ARCHIVISTS
Ivadnia Scott-Cora	cheerfully undertook the enormous task of transcribing handwritten entries into machine readable format.
John VanDeeredt	wrote descriptions of records that were added to the inventory after the original compilation was complete and incorporated them into the inventory.
Robert Gruber	substantively edited the completed manuscript for adequacy of archival description and records coverage, taking a somewhat unformed manuscript and making it clear and comprehensible and identifying areas where more work was needed.

PUBLICATIONS STAFF AND CONTRACTORS
Sandra Tilley	copy edited the completed manuscript and improved its usability by making it grammatically and stylistically correct and by identifying places where information was confusing or incomplete.
Rosemary Land	input the editorial corrections and did yeoman service formatting the manuscript so the designer could work with it. In many cases, she provided a backup to the editor by catching problems and inconsistencies.
Brian Barth	designed and typeset the completed publication in record time and created a handsome look to an eminently readable volume.
Susan Carroll	produced a comprehensive index that will facilitate the use of the publication for users for years to come.

Preface

This inventory describes Records of the Naval Records Collection of the Office of Naval Records and Library, Record Group (RG) 45. The nearly 3,000 cubic feet of material in RG 45 span the years from the Revolutionary War to World War II. The Office of Naval Records and Library collected most of the official files created by the Office of the Secretary of the Navy before 1897 as well as significant historical records created by the bureaus, boards, stations, and offices of the Navy Department before World War II.

NARA's descriptive program produces a variety of publications--inventories, lists, guides, reference information papers, and databases--to help people find their way through the voluminous records in our holdings. To best serve our researchers and disseminate information in an efficient and cost-effective manner, these publications are increasingly being made available in electronic as well as microfilm and paper formats.

As the nations' recordkeeper, NARA safeguards records of all three branches of the Federal Government. NARA meets an almost unlimited range of information needs, ensuring access to records on which both the credibility of government and the accuracy of history depend. We welcome any comments you may have on the information products and services NARA provides. Please e-mail your ideas to inquire@nara.gov.

JOHN CARLIN
Archivist of the United States

The NHHC's Early History Branch and the Navy Department Library gratefully acknowledge the National Archives and Records Administration for their support and encouragement in posting this online edition.