Naval History & Heritage Command - Collections

Collections

• The Command accessions and maintains records, manuscripts, books, photographs, artifacts, and artwork that document the Navy’s history. Extensive collections at the Command’s headquarters on the Washington Navy Yard include:
• Archives—Millions of official operational records, historical documents, personal papers, officer biographies, oral histories, and manuscripts related to naval operations, policy, and strategy, including ships’ deck logs dating back thirty years and annual command operations reports of active U.S. Navy ships, aviation units, and shore commands
• Historical Artifacts—More than 200,000 artifacts, such as shipboard equipment, anchors, bells, uniforms, flags, and weapons from some of the Navy’s most famous fighting ships and personnel
• Archaeological Artifacts-Over 9,000 artifacts recovered and documented from sunken military craft such as personal affects, ordnance, ship's rigging and hull elements, and ceramic vessels
• Photos—More than 500,000 historic still photos in a dedicated photo collection, with thousands more in the records collections housed in the Command’s archives
• Art—More than 18,000 paintings, prints, drawings, and sculptures
• Library—More than 150,000 books and 80,000 manuscripts related to naval, maritime, and military history in the official Navy Department Library

Similar collections that document the Navy’s history in specialized areas of interest are located at the eleven official U.S. Navy museums nationwide.