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Chief Gunner's Mate John Henry Kauffman, USN

An Inventory of His Collection in the Navy Department Library

Table of Contents

Overview of the Collection

Biographical Note

Scope and Contents

Arrangement

Detailed Description of the Collection

Official Correspondence, 1919-1945

USS Von Steuben (Id No. 3017), 1918

Christmas Cards, Menus and Programs, 1925-1948

The Keystone, USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) Ship's Newspaper, 1931-1934

Form Letters, USS Barker (DD-213), 1934-1935

Certificates, c. 1940

Benefit Guide for Officers and Enlisted Men, 1940

Beachmaster, U.S.N.A.T.B, Solomons, Maryland, Vol. 1 No. 4, 5 May 1944

Small Notebook Containing Notations on 40mm Machine Cannon

Notebook - 1919

Notebook- 1921

Restrictions

Index Terms

Administrative Information

Overview of the Collection

Repository: Navy Department Library
Creator: John Henry Kauffman
Title: John Henry Kauffman Collection
Dates: 1918-1945 (inclusive)
Dates: 1918-1936 (bulk)
Quantity: 1 box
Abstract: Programs, Christmas cards, ship newspapers on other ephemera related to ships of the US Navy collected by Chief Gunner's Mate John Henry Kauffman while serving as an enlisted man in the US Navy.

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Biographical Note

Biographical information on John Henry Kauffman is sketchy at best. From the materials in the collection it appears that Kauffman enlisted in the Navy during World War I and was assigned to USS Von Steuben (Id. No. 3017). After the war, Kauffman, who was promoted to Gunner's Mate Third Class (GM3c), served on a series of ships including USS Preston (DD-327), USS Tulsa (PG-23), USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), and USS Chaumont (AP-5). On 4 May 1936, GM1c Kauffman was transferred to the fleet reserve. He was recalled to duty on 30 September 1939 and served on USS Breese (DD-122) before the United States entered World War II. He was promoted to chief gunner's mate sometime thereafter and spent the better part of World War II at the US Naval Amphibious Training Base, Solomons Island, Maryland.

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Scope and Contents

The collection consists of several file folders and loose material containing a small collection of official documents relating to Chief Gunner's Mate John Henry Kauffman's naval service, as well as programs, Christmas cards, ship newspapers and other ephemera relating to the ships on which he served.

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Arrangement

The material is arranged in files by subject matter.

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Detailed Description of the Collection

Official Correspondence, 1919-1945
Partial collection [25 items] of orders and official correspondence.
USS Von Steuben (Id No. 3017), 1918
Instructions for troops and programs from the "Follies Bourgois" held aboard ship.
Christmas Cards, Menus and Ship's Programs
Menu: USS Preston (DD-327), US Naval Forces Europe, Destroyer Division 27, at sea 4 July 1926.
Greeting Card: USS Tulsa (PG-23) with ship's roster, c. 1928.
Official Program: 4 July 1928, Celebrating the 152d Anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America, Christobal, Canal Zone.
Menu: Thanksgiving 1933, USS Pennsylvania (BB-38), San Pedro, CA.
Boxing Program: Smoker, USS Chaumont (AP-5), enroute Honolulu, TH to Guam, MI, 17 November 1934.
Happy New Year Greeting to the Officers and Men of Destroyer Squadron Five, Manila, PI, 29 December 1934.
Post Card: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year [in German], Chefoo, China, 1935.
Christmas Card: USS Barker (D-327), 1936.
Menu: Cafe Monte Carlo, Honolulu, Hawaii, 3 March 1940.
The Keystone, USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) Ship's Newspaper, 1931-1934
Incomplete starting November 1931, ending June 1934.
Form Letters, USS Barker (DD-213), 1934-1935
Printed form letters for crew correspondence describing recent activities and cruises of the USS Barker.
Certificates, c. 1940
Includes Silent Mysteries of the Bering Sea Certificate.
Benefit Guide For Officers and Enlisted Men, 1940
Beachmaster U.S.N.A.T.B., Solomons, Maryland Vol. 1 No. 4, 5 May 1944

Small Notebook Containing Notations on 40mm Machine Cannon

Notebook - 1919 (black) prepared by J. H. Kauffman, USN, 3rd division of the transport USS Von Steuben, shortly after World War I. Kauffman, from Chicago, Illinois, prepared this bound notebook containing a collection of clippings from magazines and newspapers, featuring political cartoons that depict the impressions of soldiers' return after the Great War. There are also complete magazine articles about USS Von Steuben, and the loss of USS Cyclops. Included are original photographs of USS Von Steuben, and her crew and a passing view of the Statue of Liberty and of the troop transport USS Kaiserin Auguste Victoria. Attached is an official advisory to troops being transported on the ship regarding their safety, including instructions on abandoning ship. Of particular note is a Ships Special Order, dated March 31, 1919, which provided guidance on the prevention of cooties (lice) and the penalties for failure to report their presence.

Notebook - 1921 (grey), Seaman Gunner School, a pocketsize notebook prepared by John Henry Kaufman, USN, containing notes taken during the Seaman-Gunner Course, July 1921, in Washington, DC. These notes include the disassembly, operation and safety features of naval guns of various calibers and their component assemblies. Also included are details pertaining to various fuses, primers, firing mechanisms, and the manufacture of smokeless powder. A non-related entry in the notebook is a poem of romance, presumably authored by Kaufman, titled “The Blue Velvet Band.”

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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 few 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:

Kauffman, John Henry

Corporate subject:

Barker (DD-213)
Chaumont
(AP-5)
Pennsylvania
(BB-38)
Preston (DD-327)
Tulsa (PG-23)
Von Steuben (transport)

Subject term:

Sailors--History--20th Century

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Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Cite as: Historical Manuscripts, Navy Department Library, Naval History and Heritage Command, Washington DC, John H. Kauffman Collection.

Processing Information

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

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Published: Fri Jul 20 10:17:06 EDT 2018