RESEARCHING WWll ERA US MERCHANT SEAMEN

Theron P. Snell, Ph.D

Unfortunately for researchers, tracing WWII era merchant seamen and their 
wartime histories is complicated by the fact that the merchant service was 
a business first and foremost. While the War Shipping Administration 
(WSA) requisitioned and managed the merchant fleet, the ships 
themselves...and their crews...were operated and employed by private 
companies. Shipping companies took care of finding crews and the day to 
day operation of the vessels under contract with the WSA. The upshot is 
that the merchant seamen were civilians working for private 
companies. Unlicenced seamen got their jobs through the hiring halls, and 
the licenced officers were hired directly by the companies.

This business practice also complicates locating operational records of 
any given ship. For the most part, the traditional "deck logs" have been 
destroyed. In the words of US Coast Guard Information Paper #77: "Deck 
logs were traditionally considered the property of the owners of the 
ship. After WWII, however, the deck and engine logbooks of vessels 
operated by the WSA [note: almost the entire fleet] were turned over to 
that agency by the shipowners, and were destroyed during the 1970's."

With all of this said, there are still records available, especially if you 
know the name of the ship on which the person being researched actually 
sailed. The rest of this short piece will outline some of these records 
and what information they may contain. This report is divided into two 
major sections: 1. records pertaining to individual ships and 2. convoy 
records that can provide larger contexts for the individual ships in each 
convoy. The records are listed from most useful (the easiest to access by 
mail) to the least useful.

NATIONAL ARCHIVES AND RECORDS ADMINISTRATION (NARA)

The surviving operational records of any ship, managerial records that 
may mention the ship and records of convoy operations are spread throughout 
the various records groups in The National Archives and Records 
Administration (NARA). Fortunately, NARA is on-line at:
http:// www.nara.gov <http://www.nara.gov>. Once in the site, click on "Search" and type in 
the records you want. You will get a list of the Records Groups that 
contain the records and can then "click" on the Group for a general list of 
files within the Records Group. You can also e-mail inquiries directly to 
NARA at: inquire@arch2.nara.gov <mailto:inquire@arch2.nara.gov>

To help with your search, here are several kinds of records, what you might 
find in them , their Records Group in NARA. and which National Archives 
Center holds them. Keep in mind that all the records listed here can vary 
in quality and completeness from voyage to voyage. Some reports are 
detailed while the report filed for the next voyage and written by 
another person might be sketchy at best.

SHIP RECORDS

"Ship Movement Card"

Perhaps the most central record needed is the "Ship Movement Card." This 
card lists all the voyages: ports of call, arrival and sailing dates and 
the convoy designation if any. The Cards may also contain miscellaneous 
information. The Card for the SS SANTA MARGARITA, for example, lists 
specific diversions for submarine threats as well as the record of a 
serious cargo fire while docked at Calcutta, India. These cards, filed by 
ship name, are held at NARA II:

National Archives and Records Administration
8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740

"Armed Guard Voyage Reports" and Ship Files

Once the dates of voyages are known, then specific reports can be ordered. 
The best single source for operational details are usually the "Voyage 
Reports" filed by the commanding officer of the Naval Armed Guard 
Detachment on board the ship. These were the naval ratings who manned the 
guns. These reports can be perfunctory, but can also contain a great 
amount of detail. Reports are filed by ship name in RG 38; each ship file 
may also contain copies of individual messages sent/received, Armed Guard 
crew lists and other material, including survivors' statements if the 
vessel was sunk. Additionally, Naval Armed Guard "smooth logs" can be found 
in RG 24. These logs are the "official" record taken from the "rough" day 
to day log of the Armed Guard detachment. These list formal inspection 
times, times the crew stood to, etc. These records are located at NARA II 
in College Park, MD

"Official Logs"

"Official Log Books" were issued to U.S. registered vessels engaged in 
foreign trade at the beginning of each voyage. The masters turned them in 
after the voyage terminated. During WWII, these books were turned over to 
the U.S. Coast Guard and later filed in the regional archive closest to 
each ship's home port. Official Logs should not be confused with 
the traditional deck logs in which the ship masters recorded daily 
entries listing position, rpm's and the general operations of the ship.

Instead, "Official Logs" included a crew list and went on to record 
incidents affecting the crew's health and welfare. The entries included 
accidents, illnesses and crew disciplinary matters requiring the forfeiture 
of pay as well as routine company business issues such as monies advanced 
to the ship's master by the Shipping Company 's agents overseas. The logs 
also listed ports of call and the arrival/departure dates as well as 
shipboard drills and any accidents involving the ship. Thus, while it is 
not always possible to look up a single individual and trace his career in 
Federal records, it is possible to verify that the person did sail on board 
a specific vessel on a specific trip.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Although these logs are available from The National 
Archives as outlined below, the copies will not be complete. The only 
parts of the log available to the public are the crew list itself, the list 
of ports of call if included, a lists of safety drills and any entries 
involving damage to the ship herself. The crew disciplinary and health 
records are NOT considered public record.

The following information on how to locate the Official Logs comes from the 
U.S. Coast Guard's "Reference Paper #77, UNITED STATES MERCHANT VESSEL 
LOGBOOKS.

To obtain as much of the "Official Log" that is available, you must provide:
The full name of the vessel
The name of the port where the voyage ended (normally the "home port")
The approximate dates of the voyage.

This information is found on the "Ship Movement Card" detailed above.

If the logbook can be located, you will receive the logbook cover, page 3 
showing the inclusive dates of the voyage, name of the master and usually 
the ports visited and the dates. I have also received entries detailing 
damage to the vessel and the lists of safety drills held at sea.

The addresses for each of the eight regional National Archives and the 
ports for which they hold logs are as follows. The ports listed below are 
for WWII only, but these archives hold both prewar and postwar records for 
these ports as well as for a few other ports not included below.
REGION and ADDRESS PORTS INCLUDED

New England Region Boston, Ma; 
Portsmouth, NH; Portland,
380 Trapelo Road ME; Providence, RI
Waltham, MA 02154
archives@waltham.nara.gov <mailto:archives@waltham.nara.gov>
www.nara.gov/regional/boston.html <http://www.nara.gov/regional/boston.html>
New York City
Northeast Region
210 Varick Street
New York, NY 10014-4811
archives@newyork.nara.gov <mailto:archives@newyork.nara.gov>
www.nara.gov/regional/newyork.html <http://www.nara.gov/regional/newyork.html>

NOTE: The logs for the Port of New York are filed by number. To obtain 
the correct logbook number, send requests that include full ship name and 
the dates of the desired voyages to:

The U.S. Coast Guard
Marine Inspection Office
Investigative Section, Room 312
Battery Park Building
New York, NY 10004-1466

The National Archives-Northeast Region needs the logbook number before they 
can search for the book.
Mid-Atlantic Region Philadelphia, PA; 
Baltimore, MD;
9th and Market Streets, Room 1350 Norfolk, VA; 
Wilmington, DE;
Philadelphia, PA 19107
center@philarch.nara.gov <mailto:center@philarch.nara.gov>
www.nara.gov/regional/philane.html <http://www.nara.gov/regional/philane.html>
Southeast Region Savannah, GA; 
Jacksonville, FL;
1557 St. Joseph Ave. Miami, FL; Tampa, 
FL; Charleston, SC
East point, GA 30344
center@atlanta.nara.gov <mailto:center@atlanta.nara.gov>
www.nara.gov/regional/atlanta.html <http://www.nara.gov/regional/atlanta.html>
Southwest Region Corpus Christi, TX; 
Galveston, TX;
P.O. Box 6216 Houston, TX; Mobile, AL; 
New Orleans,
Ft. Worth, TX 76115 LA; Port Arthur, TX
archives@ftworth.nara.gov <mailto:archives@ftworth.nara.gov>
www.nara.gov/regional/ftworth.html <http://www.nara.gov/regional/ftworth.html>
Pacific Southwest Region Los Angeles, 
CA; Port San Luis, CA (in-
P.O. Box 6719 cludes only crew lists and 
shipping articles)
Laguna Niguel, CA 92607
archives@laguna.nara.gov <mailto:archives@laguna.nara.gov>
www.nara.gov/regional/laguna.html <http://www.nara.gov/regional/laguna.html>
Pacific Sierra Region San Francisco, CA
1000 Commodore Drive
San Bruno, CA 94066
archives@sanbruno.nara.gov <mailto:archives@sanbruno.nara.gov>
www.nara.gov/regional/sanfranc.html <http://www.nara.gov/regional/sanfranc.html>
Pacific Northwest Region Seattle, WA; 
Portland, OR;
6125 Sand point Way, NE
Seattle, WA 98115
archives@seattle.nara.gov <mailto:archives@seattle.nara.gov>
www.nara.gov/regional/seattle.html <http://www.nara.gov/regional/seattle.html>

"Secret Logs"

"Secret Logs" contain what was considered to be confidential or sensitive 
information such as convoy designations, ship movements, route changes, 
placement within the convoy and enemy contacts. They include noon and 
evening star positions (longitude and latitude), distance steamed, ships 
contacted and routine events such as arrival and departure times. The 
logs also list miscellaneous events and even occasional radio messages 
received from higher authorities. These logs are, in some senses, a 
"smooth' version of the traditional deck logs. Though not as complete, 
these records provide an overview of a ship's voyage. These "Secret Logs' 
are held by the same regional archive that holds the "Official Logs" for 
each vessel.

NOTE: By luck, I discovered that some of the logs listed as "Secret Logs" 
for the S.S. SANTA MARGARITA were indeed the traditional deck logs. It is 
definitely worth following through with these records.

"Vessel Performance and Cargo Reports"

These reports were filed with the Collector of Customs and include reports 
for vessels both departing from and arriving IN the United States. The 
reports have two parts. The first part lists the vessel's particulars 
including gross tonnage, speed, type of engine, cargo capacity, 
owner/operator, charter agent and agent at port of departure, charterer, 
shipping line, etc.

Secondly, the report lists port of call, date of arrival, time delays in 
port and the cause, tons of cargo loaded and unloaded at each port 
listed. For return trips, the report includes the ports of call prior to 
arrival. The report also provides a summary of cargo carried , cargo 
loaded at each ports and the names of the ports at which the cargo was to 
be discharged. It breaks down the cargo into long tons and cubic feet, 
where stored (under deck and on deck), and it goes on to list cargo by 
major classification and the weights. Any cargo under ten tons was listed 
as general. If troops were carried, the reports only note that cargo was 
loaded for A.T.S. (Army Transportation Service ) with no further 
information forthcoming due to security precautions.

These reports are most valuable for assessing a ship's role in the war 
effort. They provide the best sense of what the ship was carrying both to 
and from the Unites States, and they illustrate the flow of goods and the 
logistical network upon which modern war depends. The records also offer 
the most accurate list of ports of call and illustrate the business side of 
the war. The reports are found in RG 178 Maritime Commission Records, 
Entry 112, Cargo, Mail Passenger Reports.
War Shipping Administration (WSA) Records

Early on during the war, Admiral Emory S. Land and the other Maritime 
Commission administrators realized that the shipbuilding and the ship 
managing roles needed to be separate. To that end, the WSA was formed, 
with Admiral Land taking over its directorship while also maintaining his 
role as director of the Maritime Commission.

The WSA records, held in RG 248, are very convoluted, organized around 
sections of the WSA as well as by the papers of various administrators of 
those sections. Only a few of these records are organized by ship 
name. To use them well, one must know the make-up of the WSA as well as 
details of the voyages taken by the vessel in question. This makes using 
these records by mail very difficult. These would be the last records to 
check, since they were not generated by the ship, but rather by the 
land-based administrative managers of that ship.

To use these records, first access the records guide using NARA's web 
site. Then use the data available from the "Ship Movement Card" to 
pinpoint records that might prove fruitful. There are very useful 
records, especially if the vessel in question made trips to Russia. Some 
of the Russia records are filed by ship name, eg.: "Outward Cargo 
Documentation Russian Shipping Area Vessel Files (E-28)." Additionally, 
The Maxwell Brandwen Papers (E-4) contain several boxes of material 
pertaining to shipping to and from the Persian Gulf, including daily 
loading operations and lists of ships in the area (Boxes 9a-h).

These records (RG 248) as well as most of the WWII Maritime Commission 
records in RG 178 are located at:

National Archives and Records Administration
Old Military and Civil Records
Textual Archives Services Division
Washington, D.C. 20408

U.S. MARITIME ADMINISTRATION

Currently, the U.S. Maritime Administration holds WWII correspondence 
files for individual vessels. These files pertain to both the 
construction and operational histories of each ship and include letters to 
and from WSA, the shipbuilding company and the shipping companies managing 
the particular vessel. Shipbuilding correspondence is held in the MARAD 
files 506-2-2-1 while the operational correspondence can be found in the 
901 files. These files are valuable additions to tracing the operational 
history of a ship. The files on the SANTA MARGARITA, for example, 
contained minor design changes as she was being built as well as 
operational correspondence and extensive reports covering specific 
incidents involving the ship or her management. The records are quite 
varied and are arranged chronologically.

IMPORTANT: Due to their organization and to the fact that there is no 
provision for long distance research, these records are virtually 
impossible to access by mail and require a personal visit to the Maritime 
Administration's Records Management Office. Contact the office at:

U. S. Maritime Administration
Records Management Office
400 Seventh Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20590

Be aware that there will be long delays in the response since the Records 
Management office is small and not staffed to do archival searches.
CONVOY OPERATIONAL RECORDS

The following Records actually provide operational information on the 
convoys in which a ship might have sailed. The convoy designations for 
each trip can be found on the "Ship Movement Card." Keep in mind that 
each convoy had two "commanders:" A convoy commodore managed the ships of 
the convoy, while the escort commander managed the naval escorts. Both 
commanders filed reports. The various records should be compared since 
each focuses upon only one element of the convoy.

"Tenth Fleet Convoy and Routing Files"

These files, located in NARA II at College Park, MD, vary in substance, 
from very sketchy information to substantial. The files can contain lists 
of ships and escorts in the convoy, a map of the convoy route taken, 
messages passed between higher headquarters and the convoy commander, and 
the convoy commodore's report. Much of the message traffic covers routine, 
"housekeeping" issues such as the time of departure of each vessel, changes 
in convoy routing , changes to the destinations of specific ships, and the 
like. They provide some indication of cargo as well. The convoy 
commodore's reports, though, when done well, provide an excellent 
operational narrative of the convoy: ships in difficulty, incidents that 
occurred as well as the arrival and departures of ships from the convoy.

Also in RG 38 can be found the escort commanders' reports for 
convoys. These reports are filed by Task Group, information that can be 
gained from the Tenth Fleet reports just cited. These reports, too, vary 
in content, but can provide useful operational information. These reports 
list escorts, merchant ships and their destinations, convoy 
route, changes to the convoy and contacts or possible contacts with the 
enemy.

"Naval Deck Logs"

Naval deck logs for each escort are also available. These logs record day 
to day incidents on board ship, including house keeping duties, crew issues 
as well as contacts with other ships and with the enemy. These logs become 
invaluable when sorting out rumors and what naval ships had direct contact 
with what merchant ships. The "Convoy Commodores' Reports, however, may 
have much of the same general contact data (though not the house keeping 
details and specific actions) for all escorts; so it would be best to 
start with the various convoy reports and then seek individual deck logs to 
verify or find additional information about specific incidents. These 
records are filed by ship name and are located in Washington, D.C.

"Routing Instructions and Sailing Orders."

Located in RG 276 and held by NARA-Northeast, these records are more 
general. The routing instructions are mimeographed instructions given to 
all vessels in a given convoy. This material includes code names, routes to 
be followed and operational instructions for ships to follow. There is also 
the list of who received these instructions for each ship. Sailing orders, 
on the other hand, contain oversized chart listing all the ships in a 
convoy, masters, a general description of cargo and final destination. 
There also is a smaller chart illustrating the initial position of each 
ship in the convoy itself. The records are organized by convoy and date.