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Blue Water Navy Update

Every U.S. Navy ship is required to maintain a Deck Log. There is an entry into the Deck Log EVERY DAY even when the ship is just tied to a pier and nothing is happening other than routine activities. If you are after the information on a ships location and what it was doing, you will find this in the Deck Log. If you are after a certain activity but are not certain of the exact date, then the best way to get this is to request the Deck Logs for a range of dates.
E.G. if you know that sometime in April, 1968 an incident occurred and you want to see if it was recorded in the Deck Log, the best thing to do is to request the Log entries for the entire month of April, 1968. Some days the entries are one paragraph. Some days the entries take up one or more pages. The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) can provide you with copies of just about every naval ship's deck logs involved in the Vietnam Conflict. These will be actual copies of the deck log pages, sometimes hard to read because of the handwriting, but none the less original. These are accepted by the VA as proof positive of a ship's activities. You need to specify the exact dates that you want copies of. Cost is less than a dollar per page dependent on page size. If a certified copy is needed an additional $15 fee will be charged.
Navy Deck logs are maintained by two different government agencies dependent on how old they are. Navy deck logs that are more than 30 years old are in the custody of The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA). Navy deck logs from 1980 and later are still in the custody of the Navy at their Naval History and Heritage Command (NHHC).
To obtain copies or additional info contact:
NARA:
 The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration, 8601 Adelphi· Road , College Park , MD 20740-6001
 Email:· mailto:archives2reference@nara.gov
 Tel: (301) 837-3510· or 1-866-272-6272 ; TDD lines: 301-837-0482; Fax: 301-837-1752
 Website:· http://www.archives.gov
Note: The series is ?Logbooks of the U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941-1978? (ARC Identifier 594258/ HMS Entry Number A1 118). In your request, include the ship name as well as the month and the year of the particular log you would like to request.
NHHC
 Telephone requests· will be accepted only from U.S. government offices and agencies at (202) 433-9677, DSN 288-9677.
 All other requests must be submitted in writing to: Naval· Historical Center, Ships History Branch, 805 Kidder Breese SE, Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC 20374-3643.
 Hours of Operation:· Mon & Tue: 0900 - 1600, Wed Closed, Thur & Fri 0900 - 1600.
 Website:· http://www.history.navy.mil/branches/nhcorg15.htm