Naval-History.Net
Histories of various navies in several wars,
casualty lists, war diaries and in-depth information about ships and men.
A labour of love from the late Gordon Smith, assisted by Don Kindell.
Now maintained by OW volunteers.
Histories of various navies in several wars,
casualty lists, war diaries and in-depth information about ships and men.
A labour of love from the late Gordon Smith, assisted by Don Kindell.
Now maintained by OW volunteers.
Collections of information
- Maikel's Journey Plotter
This list of links has been accumulated by editors.
They are used as a source for research whilst editing the official log-books of Royal Navy ships from the World War 1 era, and Arctic voyages of United States vessels from the mid 19th century onwards. - A Naval Encyclopædia: Comprising Dictionary of Nautical Words and Phrases; Biographical Notices, and Records of Naval Officers;
Special Articles of Naval Art and Science; Principal Naval Stations and Seaports of the World, 1881
NEW Another great find by Caro
- Maritime Park Association: Navy Manuals and Documents online [old and new]
- Penobscot Marine Museum
- The Dreadnought Project: The period 1880-1920
- The Great War Primary Documents Archive: World War One - The Maritime War
Nautical
Note: Some of these references date to well before our ships, but they are still very useful.
Ships and seamanship:
- The Elements and Practice of Rigging And Seamanship, 1794, by David Steel
- Nautical Routine and Stowage: With Short Rules in Navigation, 1849, by John McLeod Murphy
- The young sea officer's sheet anchor, by Darcy Lever, Esq., 1853
- The Kedge-anchor: Or, Young Sailors' Assistant, by William N. Brady, 1882
- Text-book of seamanship; the equipping and handling of vessels under sail or steam, by Rear Admiral S. B. Luce, 1898
- Ships & Shipping: A Handbook of Popular Nautical Information; With Numerous
Diagrams Plans And Illustrations, Edited by Francis Miltoun, 1903 - Seamanship, by Commander Wilfred Henderson and Details of ship construction, by E. H. Mitchell, 1907
- The Bluejackets' Manual, United States Navy, 1917
- The merchant marine manual, by ODonnel, 1918
- Wooden ship-building, by Charles Desmond, 1919
- Seamanship, Bureau of Naval Personnel - Training - Standards and Curriculum Division, 1944
- Quartermaster 1 and C, Rate Training Manual, Original edition 1949, Revised 1964, 1969, and 1972
Discussed are commonly used methods and procedures of operating magnetic compasses and gyrocompasses, determining a ships position. - Basic Seamanship from Basic Military Requirements [US Navy], Current
- Seaman - Military manual for the Seaman rate, Current
- Quartermaster - Military manual for the Quartermaster rate, Current
- COAST GUARD CUTTER SEAMANSHIP MANUAL
- Rigging:
Terminology:
- An universal dictionary of the marine, by Falconer, William, 1769 [Includes French translations]
Universal Dictionary of the Marine, by William Falconer, 1780 [Transcription of a later edition by South Sea] - The Sailor's Word-Book, by Admiral W. H. Smyth, 1867
- Illustrated bilingual glossary of nautical terms from the age of fighting sail 1780-1830
Although the main purpose of this work is to translate the terms, the illustrations are often very helpful. - A Dictionary of Sea Terms for the use of yachtsmen, amateur boatmen, and beginners, by A. Ansted, 1898
- Naval History and Heritage Command: Speak Like a Sailor
- Shiploading: A Picture-Dictionary of Shiploading Terms, US Naval Supply Operational Training Center, 1945
- WWII USN abbreviations
- NAVY TACTICAL REFERENCE ... SUPPLEMENT TO THE DOD DICTIONARY OF MILITARY AND ASSOCIATED TERMS, 2012 [PDF]
Definitions of terminology and abbreviations. - Nomenclature of Naval Vessels, by The division of personnel supervision and management
with the cooperation and assistance of the bureau of ships, 1942 - Nautical Glossary
- Sailing Terms
Navigation:
- The new American practical navigator, by Nathaniel Bowditch, 1802
- The American Practical Navigator, being an epitome of navigation and nautical astronomy, by Nathaniel Bowditch, 1888
- Admiralty manual of navigation, 1914 [PDF]
American practical navigator: an epitome of navigation and nautical astronomy, originally by Nathaniel Bowditch, 1916- Wrinkles in practical navigation, by Squire Thornton Stratford Lecky and William Allingham, 1918
- American Practical Navigator, by NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY, Current
- International Dictionary of Marine Aids to Navigation
Miscellaneous:
- Practical Motor Boat Handling, Seamanship and Piloting, by Charles Frederic Chapman, 1917
- Coaling Ship from a Collier, 1908
- Seabed Symbols for Safer Sailing Navigation, Current
- NOAA Ocean Exploration
- Traditional mariners' compass points, 2008
Military
United States Coast Guard (formerly Revenue Marine and United States Revenue Cutter Service):
- US Coast Guard
- US Coast Guard Historian's Office
- United States Coast Guard - History and Images
- The Coast Guard & the Greenland Patrol by John A Tilley [PDF]
- The Great Life I've Had! by Captain David W. Sinclair
- Coast Guard Stories ... the real day to day history of the Coast Guard life written by the people who lived it
- Jack's Joint: Unofficial library of Coast Guard stories, articles, poems, essays, and downright lies
- Annual report of the United States Revenue-Cutter Service, 1911/1912, 1912/1913, and 1913/1914
Annual Report United States Revenue-Cutter Service, 1881
Annual Report United States. Coast Guard, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1915
Annual Report United States. Coast Guard, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1922
Some other years are available.
United States Navy:
- US Navy
- Naval History and Heritage Command
- Rules for the Regulation of the Navy of the United Colonies of North-America, 1775
- An Act for the Government of the Navy of the United States, 1799
- Articles of War, 1806
- Navy Regulations, 1814
- A method for classifying offences and punishments on board vessels of the U.S. Navy, with directions as to good-conduct lists,
badges, and discharges, and as to liberty on shore and liberty money, 1870 - The Enlistment, Training, and Organization of Crews for Our New Ships, by Ensign A. P. Niblack, U. S. Navy, 1891
- Articles of War, 1920
- Articles for the Government of the United States Navy, Department of the Navy - Bureau of Navigation, 1930
- Aboard the Farragut Class Destroyers in World War II: A History with First-Person Accounts of Enlisted Men, by Leo Block
- Seamanship, Bureau of Naval Personnel - Training - Standards and Curriculum Division, 1944
- Ratings and the Evolution of Jobs in the Navy
- Naval Orientation - Military manual for administrative purposes, Current
- Basic Military Requirements, Current
- Traditions of the United States Naval Services
Royal Navy:
- Royal Navy
- Late 18th, 19th and early 20th Century Naval and Naval Social History
- Naval-History.Net: Naval Life and Customs (WWII)
- Big data at sea: How the Royal Navy charts the world's oceans
- Navy Slang, by Commander A. Covey Crump, 1955
- HMS Richmond: Royal Navy & Marine Customs and Traditions
- Articles of War - 1757
- Articles of War - The Naval Discipline Act, 1866
- Articles of War - The Naval Discipline Act, 1884
- Queen's Regulations & Admiralty Instructions for the Government of Her Majesty's Naval Service, 1862
- The king's regulations and admiralty instructions for the government of His Majesty's naval service. 1906
- The king's regulations and admiralty instructions for the government of His Majesty's naval service. 1913, vol 1
- Queen's Regulations & Admiralty Instructions for the Government of Her Majesty's Naval Service, 1953
- Naval Punishment in the British Navy during the age of sail
- The [Royal] Navy Goes to Work [roughly 1910 to 1940]
Terminology:
- A Military and Naval Dictionary, by John Philip Wisser, Henry Colford Gauss, 1905
- Bluejacket.com - Terms, Traditions and Customs of the Naval Service
- Glossary of basic terms used in ship's logs and reports, WWII
- GLOSSARY OF U.S. NAVAL CODE WORDS, WWII
Weapons and defenses:
- Fire Control
- Ordnance, Explosives, and Related Items [like pyrotechnic signals]
- Ordnance, Gunnery and Fire Control
- Torpedoes & Depth Charges
- The Vickers Machine Gun, 1908-1975
- Mine Sweeping Manual United States Navy 1917
- British Aid to Portugal in WW1-minesweeping in the River Tagus 1916
- The 'Art' of Minesweeping
Medicine:
- Navy Medicine Live: Official blog of the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery has some historical information:
A Look Back: Navy Medicine in 1913
A Look Back: Navy Medicine in 1914
A Look Back: Navy Medicine in 1915 - The Navy As A Special Field For Medical Work by the Surgeon General - Illustrated, by U.S. Navy. Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, 1916
- Annual Report of the Surgeon General, U. S. Navy, Chief of the Bureau of Medicine and Surgery for the Fiscal Year 1918
- United States Naval Medical Bulletin Vol. 30, Nos. 1-4, 1932, by U.S. Navy. Bureau of Medicine and Surgery
Please post questions and suggestions for additions or changes in OWpedia: discussion.