westkent78 Posted 6 July , 2004 Share Posted 6 July , 2004 I was wondering if the naval equivalent of battalion war diaries exist, and if so where they reside now. Also, do you think it is possible using existing records to track down the action stations where individuals served, or is this going to be like looking for a very small needle in a very large haystack? Thanks for any thoughts you may have. Matthew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyDick Posted 6 July , 2004 Share Posted 6 July , 2004 Some submarine patrol reports/logs are held at the submarine museum in Gosport. I think others are held at Greenwich and Portsmouth naval museums. Might be some at the PRO/NA, but not heard of their presence. As to finding out an individuals 'action station' it is difficult, unless they were in a very small branch - e.g. telegraphist or sick berth attendant. It depends on their branch and in some cases even on the watch rota when action commenced. Could be possible if people were commended for their actions, but otherwise one would only get a broad idea if on a large vessel. Richard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MartinWills Posted 7 July , 2004 Share Posted 7 July , 2004 I know that some Naval Ships logs are held at Kew as I tracked one down for a friend some time ago. You just need to do battle with PROCAT to find them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted 7 July , 2004 Share Posted 7 July , 2004 To add to Martin and Richard's replies, it may seem obvious but if the vessel sinks you won't find the logs for the previous couple of months depending on when they were last taken from the ship. Ships logs tend to have more information regarding navigation, fuel consumption and provisions than they do about individuals. You do sometimes see men's names when they on defaulters or discharged to hospital, etc. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westkent78 Posted 7 July , 2004 Author Share Posted 7 July , 2004 Thank you all for those answers. It just occurred to me that there might be muster records for ships which should give some indications of the crews. I know the navy had muster rolls in the Victorian period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kath Posted 8 July , 2004 Share Posted 8 July , 2004 See this N.A. link: http://www.catalogue.nationalarchives.gov....?sLeafletID=129 Kath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Posted 8 July , 2004 Share Posted 8 July , 2004 Matthew I've not seen an equivalent for RN ships, although you will find casualty records for ships. Mick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris basey Posted 16 July , 2004 Share Posted 16 July , 2004 Sorry, I have only just seen your post about ships' logs. The National Archive reference for these documents is ADM 53 in which you could find documents from 1799 to 1974. It's well worth looking but don't assume that a ship sinking is the only reason for not being able to find the log!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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