The scope of the archival collection includes personal papers, diaries, correspondence, departmental records, maps, navigation charts, action reports, rosters, ships' logs, newsletters, newspapers, menus, postcards, commemorative items, gunnery schematics, technical and training manuals, and books.
Victory Mail - Letters sent to and received from home were essential for boosting every serviceman's morale, however, during World War II each mail bag competed with food, fuel, ammunition and supplies for limited cargo space. In June 1942 the U.S. Government introduced Victory or "V-Mail." A one page letter was written on a combination writing paper and envelope. The Post Office delivered the mail to a V-mail station where military personnel censored the letters. Then the letters were photographed on 16-millimeter film at the rate of 2,000 per hour. Each letter was reduced to a thumb-size negative so thousands fit on one roll of film. The rolls of film were then sent overseas to a receiving station near the addressee where a facsimile of the original letter was printed onto 5x4 inch photographic paper. It was then folded, placed in an envelope and delivered with the rest of the mail.
"U.S.S. North Carolina / Regulations on Transport Duty" from the Armored Cruiser NORTH CAROLINA. During World War I the Armored Cruiser made nine trips across the Atlantic Ocean safely escorting troop transport ships. When the war ended in November 1918, the NORTH CAROLINA was assigned to bring troops home from France. The text is a quick primer on shipboard regulations and a history of the Armored Cruiser and her transport missions from Europe. BB2006.48
Thanksgiving Menu - Elaborate menus were printed for special occasions, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas meals, onboard the Armored Cruiser NORTH CAROLINA. This menu from November 28, 1918, features flags of the allied nations that emerged victorious in World War I: Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, France, and the United States. The feast included pickled beets and eggs, oyster fitters, chicken salad, cold roast loin of pork, baked spiced ham, roast turkey and sweet potatoes (southern style). BB1992.54
Blueprint - The Archival Collection has more than 20,000 blueprints of the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55) documenting the ship’s construction in the New York Navy Yard (1938) and revisions at Pearl Harbor Navy Yard (1942). They were found onboard the Battleship and are in the process of being catalogued. A bound set of photographically reduced plans from the New York Navy Yard drawn from 1937-1940 with corrections from 1941, augment the individual blueprint collection. The blueprints provide remarkable details of the ship, the installed equipment, and locations of furnishings long since removed.
Map of Iwo Jima - The battle for Iwo Jima in February 1945 is one of the best known from World War II and the USS NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55) was part of the action. This colored topographical Special Air and Gunnery Target Map was used in the Battleship’s Secondary Battery Plot during the engagement. The map shows location of the airfield, probable tank barrier and minefield along the beach, and Japanese defensive placement and weapons placement on the island. Ships were assigned areas in which to operate, targets to engage, a firing schedule and the time to “lift fire” to make way for the ship to shore troop movements. The Battleship was assigned to the five-inch guns on specific grids (200, 201, 202, 218, 219, 185) over a four day period in order to eliminate enemy guns and installations. Air spotters in the Battleship’s Kingfisher planes radioed results back to ship, except on the fourth day when rain and fog completely hid the island. A shore fire control party instead directed the ship’s bombardment into grids 198 and 199. BB1999.64.7
Newsletters - A variety of newsletters were published onboard the Battleship NORTH CAROLINA. From April 1941 to October 1942 the Print Shop produced a weekly newsletter, “The Tarheel.” It had news about the divisions and shipboard events. The paper ended when printing equipment was removed to make room for storage. The “Morning Press News” and “Radio Press News” continued through the years and provided details about the war on all fronts as well as gossip, sports and news from the states. The Radio Press featured cartoons drawn by crew member Walter Ashe. “Sock em in the Solomons” was printed after the Battleship’s first battle in the Eastern Solomon islands in August 1942. It contained the usual war and home news, but the front page had a summary of the action and a note from Rear Admiral Kinkaid expressing his “appreciation of your fine performance in action.”
Postcard -
Undated color postcard of the Armored Cruiser NORTH CAROLINA. Coal fueled the 16 boilers creating billowing trails of smoke through the four stacks. The total coal capacity, at 43 cubic feet to the ton, was 2,113 tons. BB2003.16
Commemorative Certificate - Certificate issued to P.J. Pyne, Plumber and Fitter, USN, for crossing the equator on the Armored Cruiser NORTH CAROLINA on April 2, 1910. A ceremony to commemorate crossing the equator is an ancient nautical tradition. Those who crossed the line are called Sons of Neptune or shellbacks. Sailors treasured their decorative certificates issued by the Navy Department. BB1997.26.
