Naval History and Heritage Command

Table of Contents

Overview of the Collection

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents

Arrangement

Detailed Description of the Collection

Restrictions

Related Collections

Index Terms

Administrative Information

Biographical Note

Lieutenant Commander Edward R. Morris, USN (Ret.)

Edward Ross Morris was born on 27 August 1903. He was orphaned at an unknown age and enlisted in the US Navy on 28 April 1921. He left the Navy after serving four years and re-enlisted in 1927 serving as an aviation machinist mate on the aircraft carrier Saratoga until 1930 when he was assigned to Naval Air Station at Lakehurst, New Jersey. In 1933 he was assigned to USS Macon, which crashed on 12 February 1935. Morris survived the crash and continued to serve in various aviation billets and was promoted to chief machinist mate. In 1944, Chief Machinist Mate Morris was promoted to and commissioned as a lieutenant (junior grade). Morris retired from the Navy in 1951 after achieving the rank of lieutenant commander.

Lieutenant Commander Morris died in 1990.

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Scope and Contents

The collection consists of memorabilia saved by Edward Morris who served on USS Macon and contains Christmas cards, programs and menus, his statement on the USS Macon disaster, along with a few newspaper clippings and articles on airships.

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Arrangement

The collection is arranged by subject: service record, menus & programs, documents relating to the USS Macon disaster, publications, and newspaper clippings.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Official Service Record

Menus, Christmas Cards, Program, and Postal Cover

- Thanksgiving Menu, US Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, NJ, 1930.
-  Christmas Menu, US Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, NJ, 1930.
-  Christmas cards, USS Macon, circa 1933-34.
-  Franked Postal Cover, "USS Richmond Feb 12 1935 L.P.M," "USS-Macon Disaster"
-  Program: "His Day," A three act "Meal-o-Drama" presented at the United States Naval Air Station, Lakehurst, NJ, Thanksgiving, 1943

Documents, USS Macon Disaster

-  Statement from Edward R. Morris, Air Machinist Mate First Class.
-  Commendation letter from Bureau of Navigation.

Publications

-  The Helium Cell: Devoted to the Interests of Naval and Marine Personnel of the U.S. Naval Air Station Lakehurst, N.J., Vol. 2, no. 52, (27 December 1930).
-  Airships, 2nd Edition, Published by the Navy Relief Society, New Jersey Auxiliary.

Newspaper Clippings

-  "'Macon' Guided to Her Mooring Mast by Smoke and Bombs."
-  "Cupid Flies While Dirigible Awaits Test, Arranges First Macon Romance in Akron."

Certificates

-  Certificate Graduation, Lighter Than Air School, Naval Air Station Lakehurst, New Jersey, 20 December 1930.

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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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Related Collections

Edward R. Morris Collection, Photographic Section, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, DC.

Index Terms

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

Personal name:

Morris, Edward R.

Corporate Name:

USS Macon (ZRS-5)

Subject:

Airships, rigid

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Cite as: Historical Manuscripts, Navy Department Library, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington DC, Edward R. Morris Collection.

Processing Information

The collection was processed and a finding aid prepared by Thomas Wildenberg in February 2007.