How To Learn More About Your Ancestor’s U. S. Military Records
For those of you looking for more information about a relative who served aboard a ship during World War II, the National Archives has a digital catalog containing many US Navy ships and Marine unit rosters. Not all rosters have been digitized; it’s my understanding that Fold3.com, owned by Ancestry.com, is a contractor for the National Archives and hopes to finish the job in the next few years.
If you don’t have an account, go to the National Archives’ home page and create one. (It’s free.)
There is also a page on the archives’ website devoted to helping people locate military records.
National Archives Digital Catalog Access
USS Franklin Muster Rolls 1/31/44-2/1/47
Did you arrive here via a search engine? I am the author of the forthcoming book Heroes By The Hundreds: The Story of the USS Franklin (CV-13). In addition to writing about the bravery of the crews that saved her, I will discuss the lessons we can learn in leadership and decision-making and the changes the US Navy made because of those lessons.
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-Glenn
