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Kathleen Weessies
Social Sciences Coordinator; Head, Map Library
Michigan State University
From: Maps-L: Map Librarians, etc. <[log in to unmask]>
On Behalf Of Angela R Cope
Sent: Friday, September 2, 2022 8:15 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Fw: New in the Catalog! U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships Logbooks
From: National Archives Catalog <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, September 1, 2022 10:31 AM
To: Angela R Cope <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: New in the Catalog! U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships Logbooks
More than 500 logbooks of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships are now available to view and download in
the National Archives Catalog. Learn more in this week's newsletter.
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New in the Catalog! U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships Logbooks
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More than 500
logbooks of the U.S. Coast
and Geodetic Survey Ships (USC & GSS) are now available to view and download in the National Archives Catalog. The logbooks are found within the series
Ships’ Records, 1846 – 1963, part of
Record Group 23: Records of the Coast and Geodetic Survey, 1806 – 1981. Information contained within these logbooks may be of interest to genealogists and historians, and should also serve as a rich source
of historical weather data for climate scientists. A typical logbook contains daily entries of the ship’s position, the ship’s movements, weather conditions, and descriptions of the day’s surveying activities. |
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This logbook page shows hourly weather data recorded by USC&GSS Endeavor on June 12-13, 1888, at Hampton Roads, Virginia.
Image
32 from Log of USC&GSS Endeavor: 03/18/1888-10/27/1888.
National Archives Identifier 247017740 |
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“List of Officers,” usually found near the beginning of a logbook, is where the ship’s officers and crew are listed by name, rank, and
date of joining and departing the ship – information useful to those researching family history. |
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The “List of Officers” shown on the left page above, provides basic information about 14 officers and crew members, including the
ship’s surgeon, who served on USC&GSS Discoverer for the period covered by the logbook from July 1 to August 26, 1941.
Image
3 from Log of USC&GSS Discoverer: 07/01/1941-08/26/1941.
National Archives Identifier 247016697 |
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These logbooks also provide a window into daily life aboard the Coast and Geodetic Survey ships, recording both the mundane and the
unusual, such as rescue operations, accidents, and tragic deaths. Over the years, these Coast and Geodetic ships were also involved in a number of rescue operations. For example, on May 30, 1914, USC&GSS McArthur assisted the Ketchikan Power Company scow Blanche from sinking as recorded on the Remarks
page for that day: “8:45 Hove up anchor and went alongside scow “Blanche” at the lumber mill wharf. The Blanche waterlogged. Connections made and pumped
her out. Finished at 12:45. 1:00 cast off from scow and hauled back to Heckman wharf, making fast 1:15.” |
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Image
64 from Log of USC&GSS McArthur: 04/01/1914-06/30/1914.
National Archives Identifier 247052775 |
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The USC & GSS logbooks currently in the Catalog cover the period from 1874 to 1942 for the following seven ships:
Hassler (1874-1895),
Discoverer (1922-1941),
Endeavor (1879-1915),
Explorer (1904-1939),
Gedney (1875-1914),
McArthur (1876-1915), and
Pioneer (1922-1942). Included with the logbooks are
seven volumes of medical journals from McArthur and
one volume from Pioneer. Many thanks to Gina Kim Perry, Archivist in Digitization Archival Services at the National Archives in College Park, Maryland. This
feature was adapted from Gina’s blog post on the Text Message blog: |
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Want to search for a particular logbook within this Ships’ Records Series? Try the Catalog’s “search within” feature!
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This will take you to a page where you can perform a
keyword search within the series. Type a name, subject, or other keyword into the search bar at the top left of the page, and see your results. To refine your search further, you can use the filters on the left side of
the page. Pro tip! You can use this “search within” feature for any Record Group, Series, or File Unit in the National Archives Catalog. Learn
more on the Using
the National Archives Catalog help page. |
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Up for a challenge? Help
transcribe these logbooks of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey Ships! You can help make the information found within these records more searchable. Help transcribe the Remarks and narrative section of the record. You can transcribe lists of officer names, the handwritten events
of the day, descriptions of surveying activity, and more. Every word you transcribe helps to make these records more searchable and accessible online.
Get started transcribing! New to the Citizen Archivist program?
Learn how to register and get started View all our latest missions on the
Citizen Archivist dashboard. |
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Image
22 from Log of USC&GSS McArthur: 08/01/1894-10/31/1894.
National Archives Identifier 247046391 |
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Start your research on History Hub
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Have a question?
Find your answer on History Hub! You can find past questions about U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey records including historic surveys, photos, and employment records, such as: |
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Check out our recent newsletter for more details, information, and instructions about
using
History Hub for your research. Citizen
Archivists, there's a group just for you! You can share tips and strategies, find new challenges, and get support for your work. Get started
with our poll: What
kinds of records do you like to transcribe? Make
History
Hub your first stop! You can ask—or answer—questions on History Hub, or see if your question has already been answered. |
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Questions or comments? Email us at [log in to unmask] |
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National Archives and Records Administration 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, Maryland |