Captain William L. Ware, USN An Inventory of His Collection in the Navy Department Library.

Captain William L. Ware, USN

An Inventory of His Collection in the Navy Department Library

Detailed Description of the Collection

Scrapbook: Coronation Review of the Fleet (Royal Navy) 20 May 1937

Photographic Album: USS New York Visit to Copenhagen, Denmark

Scrapbook and Photographic Album: Post World War II

Biographical Note

William L. Ware was born at Norfolk, Virginia, on 19 July 1902. He entered the US Naval Academy on 19 July 1918 and graduated on 3 June 1922. After receiving his commission, Ware served on various ships including USS Wyoming, USS Case, USS S-19, and USS Florida before assuming command of USS O-3. He served on USS New York when that ship represented the United States of America at the Coronation of King George VI of Great Britain. He was in command of USS Kaula when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Ware spent most of World War II on board USS Shasta serving as her executive officer before taking command of that ship on 16 August 1943. His last command was USS Mount McKinley. He retired from active service in 1953. Captain Ware died at New Orleans on 21 January 1992.

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Scope and Contents

The collection consists of three scrapbooks along with personal data, service record and miscellaneous diplomas and certificates.

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Arrangement

The collection is unarranged; personal data and certificates have been placed in folders.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Scrapbook: Coronation Review of the Fleet (Royal Navy) 20 May 1937
	Scrapbook containing photographs and ephemera relating to Ware's visit to England during the Coronation Review in 1937. The bulk of the album consists of photographs and postcards showing various tourist attractions and scenes in England. Only nine of the photographs contain images of the naval review itself. Of these images, the most interesting are:
		HMS Nelson or Rodney "dressed" in lights. Side profile taken at night.
		Tripod mast of USS New York lit up at night.

*Photographic Album: USS New York* Visit to Copenhagen, Denmark**
	The album contains approximately 20 photographs of, or taken onboard USS New York. The bulk of the photographs show ship's company being inspected and the welcoming of visitors including a contingent of high ranking German officers. The album also contains a number of photographs of the scenery and attractions of Copenhagen and the nearby countryside.

Scrapbook and Photographic Album: Post World War II
	The album contains photographs and ephemera relating to Captain Ware's immediate post war service. The scrapbook contains a number of uncaptioned pictures of Captain Ware and other officers, as well as several good shots of USS Mount McKinley. The most interesting item, however, is an extremely rare certificate titled "Grand Council Exclusive Order of the Eniwetok Guinea Pigs" attesting to Captain Ware's presence at the atomic bomb tests in the South Pacific. The certificate states in part that the bearer "having through an exaggerated sense of patriotism subjected his body to the rigors attendant to atomic weapons, gamma rays, rain storms, mermaids,...."

Miscellaneous
	Personal Data and Service Record
	Certificates and Diplomas

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Restrictions

Restrictions on Use

Manuscripts are unavailable for loan and must be consulted in the library. Photocopying of manuscripts is generally prohibited, though the use of digital cameras by researchers to reproduce non-copyrighted materials is permitted. Permission to photocopy a limited number of pages may be granted by the reference staff, contingent upon the physical state of items. All photocopying of materials shall be done by the reference staff, or under their close supervision. The use of personal scanners by non-library staff personnel must be approved by the reference staff on a document-by-document basis (Reference: Naval History and Heritage Command Instruction [NAVHISTCENTINST] 5070.1C.).

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Index Terms

This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.

Personal subject:

Ware, William L.

Corporate subject:

USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7)
USS New York (BB-34)

Subject term:

Sailors--History--20th Century
Scrapbooks

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Cite as: Historical Manuscripts, Navy Department Library, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC, William L. Ware Collection.

Processing Information

The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Thomas Wildenberg in October 2004.

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Overview of the Collection
Repository:	Navy Department Library
Creator:	William L. Ware, 1922-1992
Title:	William L. Ware Collection
Dates:	1922-1953 (inclusive)
Dates:	1937-1953 (bulk)
Quantity:	1 box
Abstract:	Scrapbooks and personal data documenting the naval career of Captain Ware from his graduation from the US Naval Academy in 1922 to his retirement in 1953.