RATEMYVSO | GENERAL SHIP-RECORDS REQUEST EXAMPLE Fill the brackets yourself. This is a records request, not a VA claim statement and not a medical opinion. Follow the receiving office's current instructions; this example does not replace an office's required form. -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Subject: Ship records request: [ship name and hull number], [dates or year] I request copies of [deck logs / Command Operations Report / other specifically identified records] for [ship name and hull number], covering [date range or calendar year]. I am researching [the event or operations] around [approximate date, if known]. Please include the responsive records you hold for that period. If another office holds these records, please identify the appropriate records custodian. Please advise me before incurring any fees. [Your name and contact details] -------------------------------------------------------------------------- RECEIVING OFFICE NARA and NHHC have different custody and request procedures. Identify the vessel type, the year and the record type first. Navy logs, including 1941 to 1978: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy Early Navy logs through 1940: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-online-thru-1940 1979 to 1983 split and later Navy logs: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/navy-deck-logs-post-1978 NHHC deck-log access: https://www.history.navy.mil/content/history/nhhc/about-us/services-and-policies/deck-log-access.html NHHC FOIA instructions: https://www.history.navy.mil/foia/submitting-a-foia-request.html Coast Guard and Revenue Cutter logs: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/revenue-cutter-and-coast-guard Military sea transportation and sealift logs: https://www.archives.gov/research/military/logbooks/sea-transport-and-sealift-command.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- LIMITS Not every record is online, releasable, free, or available on a guaranteed schedule. A missing search result is not proof that a record does not exist. Deck logs are daily administrative records; they are not complete accounts of every duty or exposure and may not name each person involved. Reference instructions reviewed September 12, 2026. https://ratemyvso.net/dc/ship-records