United States Navy

Online Resources

See United States Military Online Genealogy Records for more resources.
BIRLS - Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem at US Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA): National Personnel Records Center – index to veterans with files at the VA; includes vital status, service, and beneficiary status

Naval History and Heritage Command

Histories of ships, biographies, and much more are housed available from the Naval History and Heritage Command in Washington, D.C.

National Archives

Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel RG 24

Record Group 24: Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel

Muster Rolls

Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations RG 38

World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories, ca. 1/1/1942 - ca. 6/1/1946. NAID 4697018

Geraldine N. Phillips and Aloha South, comp, Records of the United States Naval Academy : inventory record group 405. Washington, D.C. : National Archives and Records Service, 1975. FamilySearch Digital Library

National Personnel Records

Service Records

BIRLS - Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem at US Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA): National Personnel Records Center – index to veterans with files at the VA; includes vital status, service, and beneficiary status

Additional Records

Muster and Payrolls, 1798–1939: Muster rolls usually provide the sailor’s name, ship, and service dates. Post-1860 records often give a personal description and data concerning discharge, desertion, or death. Payrolls give the sailor’s name, rank, enlistment date, and term of service. Muster and payrolls, 1798 to 1859, are arranged alphabetically by name of ship and then chronologically. These are found in Record Group 45, Naval Records Collection of the Office of Naval Records and Library at the National Archives and are not currently online.
Muster rolls of vessels, 1860 to 1900, are arranged chronologically in three separate series and then alphabetically by name of vessel. They are found in Record Group 24, Records of Naval Personnel at the National Archives.
Enlistment Records. Enlistment records usually give the sailor’s name, enlistment date and place, birthplace, age, occupation, and personal description. Enlistment records have not been microfilmed, but they are available at the National Archives. They include:

Registers of Enlistments, 1845–54.
Quarterly Returns of Enlistments of Vessels, 1866–91. 43 vols.
Weekly Returns of Enlistments at Naval Rendezvous, 1855–91.

The FamilySearch Library has an index to the above records:

Rendezvous Reports, before and after the Civil War, 1846–1861, 1865–1884. National Archives Microfilm Publication T1098. (FS Library films 1570526–57.) Reports include the name, rendezvous, date of return or enlistment page, and record of service.

The weekly returns are also indexed in the following:

Index to Rendezvous Reports, Civil War, 1861–65. National Archives Microfilm Publication T1099. (FS Library films 1570558–88.) The entries contain the sailor’s name, ship or place of rendezvous, and the date of enlistment.

To find specific microfilm numbers for the above two sources, look in the Locality search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS

US Submarine Service Records: Dedicated to all men lost while serving in the U.S. Submarine Force.

Records of Officers

Abstracts of Service of Naval Officers (“Records of Officers”), 1798–1803. National Archives Microfilm Publication M330. (FS Library films 1445969–87.) Alphabetically arranged by the first letter of the surname, then date of appointment. Entries list name, rank, date of naval assignments, and where assigned.
Abstracts of Service Records of Naval Officers (“Records of Officers”) and Related Name Index, 1829–1924 National Archives Microfilm Publication M1328. (FS Library films 1579079–96.) These abstracts are indexed by the first letter of surname available on the first roll with volume and page references. The information includes birth date and place and chronological listing of naval service and death information.
Callahan, Edward W., ed. List of Officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900. 1901. Reprint, New York: Haskell House Publishers, 1969. (FS Library book 973 M2ca; film 1036121 item 4.) Contains the names of officers of the Navy and Marine Corps from 1789 to January 1901 and lists name; assignment; date; and retirement date, if known. The document also contains a list of midshipman, acting midshipman, and naval cadets at the Naval Academy, 1840–1900, arranged alphabetically in annual classes by name, date, and status. It also contains an alphabetical list of vessels from 1797 to 1901.
Cogar, William B. Dictionary of Admirals of the U.S. Navy. 2 vols. Annapolis, Md.: Naval Institute Press, 1989–90. (FS Library book 973 D36cg.) Contains a brief sketch of service history of admirals.
Index to Officers’ Jackets, 1913–1925 (Officers Directory). National Archives Microfilm Publication T1102. (FS Library films 1578411–12.) Location registers for personnel files. They are arranged by file number; name, rank, classification, location of files (as of 1948), and file number.

Pension Records

BIRLS - Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem at US Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA): National Personnel Records Center – index to veterans with files at the VA; includes vital status, service, and beneficiary status

Case Files of Disapproved Pension Applications of Widows and Other Dependents of Civil War and Later Navy Veterans (Navy Widows Originals), 1861–1910. National Archives Microfilm Publication M1274. (FS Library fiche 6333626–802.) These records are arranged by application number. Use the index below to get the application number. National Archives Catalog description Case Files of Approved Pension Applications of Widows and Other Dependents of Navy Veterans, ca. 1861 - ca. 1910. NAID 561929

Lists of Navy Veterans for Whom There are Navy Widows’ and Other Dependents’ Disapproved Pension Files (Navy Widows’ Originals, 1861–1910). National Archives Microfilm Publication M1391. (FS Library fiche 6333805–19.) An alphabetical index to veterans and more pension files for sailors and officers of the Navy who were involved in the War of 1812, Mexican War, Civil War, and later conflicts. To find specific microfilm numbers, look in the Locality search of the FamilySearch Catalog under:

UNITED STATES - MILITARY RECORDS - PENSIONS - INDEXES

Old War Index to Pension Files, 1815-1926

The "Old War Index to Pension Files, 1815-1926" (NARA T316) includes pensioners of the U.S. Navy. The records are available online. They relate mainly to pensions based on death or disability incurred in service between the years of 1816-1861 and cover regular army, navy and volunteer soldiers.

Ship Histories

FamilySearch Catalog Selected List

Battleship USS Alabama (BB-60) : golden anniversary history Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co., c1993 FS Library 973 M3b
USS California (BB-44) Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co., c1995 FS Library 973 M3mca
S Linton Smith, U.S.S. Lunga Point, CVE 94 : a pictorial log covering the ship's career in the War against the Axis, 14 May, 1944-14 May, 1945Raleigh, North Carolina : Edwards & Broughton Co, 1946? FS Library Digital
USS Maryland (BB-46) Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co., c1997 FS Library 973 M3ma
Taking care of business : USS Midway FS Library Digital
USS Missouri (BB-63) : the "Mighty Mo" Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co., c1998 FS Library 973 M3mm
[https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/2001012 A history of the U.S.S. Mount Vernon Brooklyn, New York : Brooklyn Daily Eagle, 1919 FS Library Digital
USS New Jersey BB-62 : the "big J" battleship Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co., c1996 FS Library 973 M3nj
USS Princeton Air Group 15, attack carrier FS Library Digital
USS Rochester CA 124 (1958)
H.W. Arthur, The U.S.S. Topeka, CL 67 : the story of a fighting ship and her gallant men, 1944-1945 (1945)
USS Washington (BB-56) Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co., c1998 FS Library 973 M3mwa
USS West Virginia (BB-48)Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co., c1997 FS Library 973 M3mw

Submarines

FamilySearch Catalog

De Anne Blanton, comp. U.S. submarine war patrol reports, 1941-45 : National Archives microfilm publications pamphlet M1752 Washington, D.C. : National Archives Trust Fund Board. National Archives and Records Administration, 1993 FS Library 973 J53m no. 1752-1788
Paul W. Wittmer, United States submarine men lost during World War II : a compilation of basic information on all the known men who died while in, or attached to, a command of the U.S. Submarine Service; including passengers lost on U.S. submarines 2 volumes Manchester, Missouri : P.W. Wittmer, c2006 FS Library 973 M3wu 2006
Paul W. Wittmer, State index of names, rates/ranks : based on third edition, revised of the two volume publication United States submarine men lost during World War II Manchester, Missouri : P.W. Wittmer, 2006 FS Library 973 M3wu 2006 index
Submarine veterans of World War II : a history of the veterans of the United States naval submarine fleet 4 volumes. Dallas, Texas : Taylor Pub. Co., 1986

Additional Histories

Richard F. Newcomb, U.S. destroyers of the World Wars : history of the "tin cans" Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co., c1994 FS Library 973 M3nd
David Polk World War II Army Airborne troop carriers Paducah, Kentucky : Turner Pub. Co., c1992 FS Library 973 M2pat
Collas G Harris, "Sky Train" : adventures of a troop carrier squadron Australia : Angus & Robertson, 1945 FS Library Digital
Walter W. Jaffee, The Liberty ships : from A (A.B. Hammond) to Z (Zona Gale) Palo Alto, California : Glencannon Press, 2004 FS Library 973 M2jw
Martin Wolfe, Green light : men of the 81st troop carrier squadron tell their story Philadelphia, Pennsylvania : University of Pennsylvania Press, c1989 FS Library 973 M2wmg
Mervin Sharp Bennion, The Story of the Bennion (1947)
Mediterranean cruise of U.S.S. Compton 1953Marceline, Missouri : Walsworth Pub. Co., 1953 FS Library Digital
World cruise : USS Waller, DDE-466Baltimore, Maryland : Horn-Shafer Co., 1952?. FS Library Digital

Additional Records

Lineage Societies

FamilySearch Historical Records

Online collections containing these records are located in FamilySearch.org

Wiki articles describing these collections are found at:

FamilySearch Digital Library

Clifford Merrill Drury, Chaplin Corps, U.S. Navy, 1778-1949. 9 volumes. Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1949-
compiled under the direction of Clifford Merrill Drury, United States Navy chaplains, 1778-1945 : biographical and service-record sketches of 3,353 chaplains Washington, D.C. : U.S. Government Printing Office, 1948 FamilySearch Digital Library
Edward William Callahan. List of officers of the Navy of the United States and of the Marine Corps from 1775 to 1900. FamilySearch Digital Library
Lewis Hamersly The records of living officers of the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps FamilySearch Digital Library
Medal of Honor, Navy, 1861-1949 FamilySearch Digital Library
The history of the Medical Department of the United States Navy in World War II volume 2 A compilation of the killed, wounded and decorated personnel in the Medical Department FamilySearch Digital Library

United States Coast Guard

Records of the U.S. Coast Guard, 1785-2005 NAID 355 - National Archives
Muster Rolls of Coast Guard Ships and Shore Establishments, 1941–1949 RG 26 NAID 594984 - National Archives
Copies of Payroll Records of Officers and Enlisted Men and Muster Rolls, 1916–1937 NAID 6850616 - National Archives

Register of the Revenue Cutter Officers, 1790-1914
Registers of lighthouse keepers 1845-1912, National Archives microfilm publications M1373 DGS 8878557

King, Irving H. . The Coast Guard under sail : the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service, 1789 - 1865. Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press,1989. FS Library book 973 M2ki
Willoughby, Malcolm F. The U.S. Coast Guard in World War II Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, 1958. Revised Printing 1989. Not at FS Library

For Further Reading

Bacon, Lee D. “Civil War and Later Navy Personnel Records at the National Archives, 1864–1924.” Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives 27. (Summer 1995): 178–82. (FS Library 973 B2p.)
Bacon, Lee D. “Early Naval Personnel Records at the National Archives, 1776–1860." Prologue: Quarterly of the National Archives 27. (Spring 1995): 76–80. (FS Library 973 B2p.)
Bauer, K. Jack, and Stephen S. Roberts. Register of Ships of the U.S. Navy, 1775–1990: Major Combatants. New York: Greenwood Press, 1991. (FS Library 973 M2bau.) Contains the description and history of naval vessels. It also contains some photos of some more recent ships.
Bradley, Claudia, et. al., comp. List of Logbooks of U.S. Navy ships, Stations and Miscellaneous Units, 1801–1947. Special list no. 44. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Record’s Service, 1978. (FS Library book 973 M3lo; film 1036253 item 7.) Arranged by name or ship designation, lists, number of logbooks, and dates covered.
Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. 8 vols. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1959–81. This has descriptions and pictures of U.S. Naval vessels. Selected entries of the dictionary are also available on the Internet at www.uss-salem.org/danfs/
Morddel, Anne. " Resources for Tracing Impressed American Seamen." NGS Magazine 44 (April-June 2018): 29 - 34.
Scott, Craig Roberts. “Naval Records in the National Archives” National Genealogical Society Quarterly 79. (Sept. 1991): 207–17. (FS Library book 973 B2ng.)
Murray, Ilene Kanfer, Twentieth-Century Navy and Marine Corps Records. NGS News Magazine 31 #4 (October-December 2005): 45-48.