Ships History Branch
General Information
An element of the Navy's Historical Section, established during
World War I, collected information on the Navy's ships, wrote histories
of ships' wartime service, and responded to requests for information on
naval ships.
In 1927, the Historical Section became part of the Office of Naval Records
and Library.
After World War II a Ships Histories Section in the Office of Public
Information, Navy Department, collected histories written by ships after
V-J Day and edited them for distribution. During the war an Office of Naval
History had been formed, under the Secretary of the Navy, to collect wartime
documents and oversee war history writing.
In 1949, the Office of Naval History was merged with the Office of Naval
Records and Library to form the Naval Records and History Division of the
Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (OPNAV), and the Ships Histories
Section became part of this new organization. The Naval Records and History
Division became the Naval History Division in 1952, and was established
as a field activity called the Naval Historical Center in 1971. What was
by now the Ships History Branch thus became part of the Historical Center.
In 1987, the Ships Deck Logs Section was transferred from OPNAV to the
Ships History Branch.
The Ships History Branch maintains an archive of records on U.S. Navy
ships; conducts research; and writes the multivolume Dictionary
of American Naval Fighting Ships and occasional special studies. It
serves the Navy by providing historical information on naval ships and their
operations. Like other branches of the Historical Center, we give priority
to official requests. The general public is welcome to call, write, or visit
our office.
We can respond to specific queries to the extent of our knowledge and
resources; we have neither the staff nor the facilities to handle extensive
personal research requests or to do large amounts of copying.
Last Update: 1 October 96