Naval History and Heritage Command

Finding aid (Word)

Biographical Note

Frank V. Pelatowski first joined the Navy in 1923. He served in Hawaii during 1925 and 1926, and was discharged in 1927.

Pelatowski returned to the Navy during World War II, serving as a Chief Carpenter's Mate. He had duty at the U.S. Naval Construction Training Center at Camp Peary, Virginia; Camp Endicott, Rhode Island; Naval Construction Training Center, Quoddy Village, Maine; and the Receiving Station in New York City.

Following the war, Pelatowski settled in West Haven, Connecticut. He worked to secure government-funded temporary housing to meet the needs of returning veterans, chairing the Combined Veterans Organizations Housing Committee. He was a member of the AMVETS organization, and ran for the Connecticut General Assembly on the Democratic ticket.

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains personal papers of Chief Carpenter's Mate Frank V. Pelatowski. Most of the material in the collection dates from his World War II service, though there are items from his earlier Navy service and post-war activities. The collection is arranged in four series.

Series I, Correspondence, consists of letters between Pelatowski and his wife, Amie. The bulk of this series is made up of letters sent by Amie between 1943 and 1945. A smaller group of letters that he wrote to Amie in 1943 is also present, as are scattered items from other correspondents. The Correspondence Series is arranged chronologically.

In Series II are photographs, dating largely from his assignment to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in 1925-1926. Also in this series are photographs of the wrecks of seven destroyers--Delphy, Nicholas, S.P. Lee, Young, Woodbury, Chauncy, and Fuller--that ran aground at Point Arguello, California (also referred to as Honda Point) on 3 September 1923. Finally, there is a single photograph of an unidentified child. This series is arranged chronologically.

Series III, Miscellaneous, contains news clippings; the 1943 Christmas menu from Naval Construction Training Center, Quoddy Village, Maine; the Pacific Fleet Submarine Force's Independence Day program for 1926; the rating description for Chief Carpenter's Mate; and several speeches and presentations by Pelatowski. This series is arranged alphabetically.

The final series holds a scrapbook. Much of it consists of postcards from the areas surrounding Pelatowski's various duty stations and from trips taken with Amie while on leave. A number of clippings from his post-war activities are also included.

Preferred Citation

This collection should be cited as Papers of Frank V. Pelatowski, Archives Branch, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington, D.C.