Website Updates

7/13/26 — New page: Naval Mines — a complete guide gathering everything in the archive on naval mines: how they work and are classified, aircraft minelaying, mine warfare strategy and countermeasures (degaussing, mine hunting, minesweeping), Japanese mine intelligence, and identification.   New page: Naval Mine Identification Manual (OP-898) — the U.S. Navy's official 1943 mine identification manual in a page-turning viewer with a jump-to-type index: how mines are classified (controlled vs. independent, contact vs. influence, drifting vs. moored vs. ground), what to look for when identifying one, and outline drawings with dimensions for all 67 mine types covered in the manual.   New page: The 5-Inch/38 Caliber Gun — a complete resource on the Navy's standard dual-purpose gun: the official gun book, range tables and ballistics, gun mount data for every Mark, fire control, and action videos.   

7/12/26 — New page: About This Archive — the story behind Gene Slover’s US Navy Pages: Gene’s service as a Navy Fire Control Specialist, how naval museums worldwide turned to him to identify unknown equipment, and how the Ordnance Pamphlets from his collection became this archive. Includes ready-to-use citation formats (MLA, APA, Chicago) for researchers and authors.   New page: The 16-Inch Guns of the Iowa-Class Battleships — one page gathering everything in the archive on the 16″/50 Mark 7 guns of USS Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, and Wisconsin: turret manuals, gun books, range tables, ballistics, projectile data, and film of the guns firing.   The US Navy Ranks, Rates & Insignia page now opens with a complete quick-reference chart of every pay grade in order, enlisted and officer.   

7/11/26 — New page: ▶ Home for the Seabees — Narrated by John Wayne (1977) — a documentary on the history of the U.S. Navy Seabees, from the men who built the Holland Tunnel, the George Washington Bridge, and the Hoover Dam turning to the war effort after Pearl Harbor, through hands-on construction and combat training, to a tour of the Seabee Museum in Port Hueneme, California.   

7/9/26 — Converted to new format: OP-1180 (Vol. 1) — 8-Inch 3-Gun Turrets, USS Salem Class (1947) — the complete Bureau of Ordnance manual for the rapid-fire, automatic 8-inch turrets that armed USS Salem-class heavy cruisers, in a page-turning viewer with a jump-to-section Table of Contents: turret structural assembly, ordnance and auxiliary installations, personnel duties and stations, firing operations, gun casualty procedures, securing, and stowing ammunition, plus appended general turret and ordnance data.   

7/7/26 — Converted to new format: OP-1112 — Gun Mount and Turret Catalog (1945) — the complete 566-page Bureau of Ordnance reference catalog in a page-turning viewer with a jump-to-mount Table of Contents: individual data sheets — dimensions, elevation and depression limits, weights, and line drawings — for every U.S. Navy gun mount and turret in service, from the 20-mm single mount through 16-inch battleship turrets.   

7/2/26 — Converted to new format: Understanding Soviet Naval Developments (1991) — the complete 1991 US Navy publication in a page-turning viewer with a jump-to-chapter Table of Contents: purpose, background of Soviet naval development, the Soviet Navy as of 1991, Soviet naval equipment, personnel, other Soviet maritime activities, the future of the Soviet Navy under Gorbachev and perestroika, order of battle, warship and maritime aircraft descriptions, a missile guide, and glossary.   

7/1/26 — Converted to new format: Text-Book of Ordnance and Gunnery — Fullam & Hart (1903) — the complete two-volume U.S. Naval Academy textbook in a page-turning viewer, with jump-to-chapter Tables of Contents for both volumes: gun metals and forgings, the construction of naval guns, breech mechanisms and the Dashiell, Fletcher, Mark VI, Driggs-Schroeder and Hotchkiss systems, gun and turret mounts, sights and firing attachments, automatic and machine guns, small arms, explosives and gunpowder, primers and projectiles, fuses, ammunition stowage, armor and the penetration of projectiles, the proving ground, submarine mines, field fortifications, and practical naval gunnery.   

6/30/26 — Converted to new format: The Seabees — Origin of the Naval Construction Battalions — who were the first Seabees? The story of the two units that both bore the designation “First Construction Battalion” in early World War II: the under-strength “Bobcats” rushed to Bora Bora in January 1942, and the full-strength battalion formed that March at Camp Allen, Norfolk — and how the Bobcats became the First Construction Detachment, fought through the Marshall Islands, and never had any connection with the Second and Third Detachments. Drawn from the U.S. Seabee Museum.   

6/29/26 — Converted to new format: Powder Index — Lot Numbers and Weight — how to read U.S. Navy powder index and lot numbers off a real ammunition list and off the powder bag itself: the war-diary ammunition list of the battleship USS Massachusetts (“Big Mamie,” BB-59) with its 16-inch lot numbers and design velocities, the markings stamped on a 16-inch powder bag, and the powder index lettering scheme — what IHHA, SPDW, and the manufacturer and caliber letters mean.  —  ▶ Robot Planes Learn Carrier Deck Hand Signals — with video: MIT’s machine-learning system that teaches carrier drones such as the Northrop Grumman X-47B to read the standard hand signals deck crews use to direct planes.  —  USS Truxtun DDG-103 — Charleston Commissioning Photos — a restored 66-photo gallery of the Arleigh Burke-class Aegis guided-missile destroyer USS Truxtun during her April 2009 commissioning visit to Charleston, SC; click any photo to enlarge.  —  Ohio-Class Submarines — America’s Fleet Ballistic Missile “Boomers” — a restored 79-photo tour of the Trident ballistic-missile (SSBN) and guided-missile (SSGN) submarines: reactor and propulsion, range, the rotating “Blue” and “Gold” crews, Mark 48 torpedoes, Trident I/II missiles and MIRV warheads, Tomahawks and Navy SEAL delivery; click any photo to enlarge.   

6/28/26 — Converted to new format: Iowa-Class Battleship Projectile Stowage — how the 16-inch/50 projectiles are stowed in the Iowa-class turrets: the per-turret capacity of the upper and lower projectile flats and inner rings, the total loadout of 1,220 projectiles plus drill rounds, the Mark 8 AP and Mark 13 HC projectile data with their range tables, the gun firing order and recoil timing, and the ship and turret dimensions.    Projectile Seating — how a shell seats in the gun bore: the Chamber Front Slope and Band Front Slope centering slopes, why the rotating band seats in the same place in a new or a worn gun, ramming in the 16-inch/50 gun to a jammed stop, and the design of the rotating band — engraving, fringing, and where the band sits relative to the projectile base.    Naval Ordnance & Gunnery, Vol. 1 — Subject Index (A–Z) — the complete alphabetical subject index to the standard 1957 Navy weapons textbook: every topic from ammunition, armor, and gun mounts to turrets, rockets, guided missiles, torpedoes, mines, and antisubmarine weapons, each with its article number, now as clean searchable text and linked from the Volume 1 book.    Drift of a Projectile — why a spinning shell drifts in flight: the three causes — gyroscopic action, the Magnus effect, and the cushioning effect — followed by Gene Slover’s own correction to the standard textbook explanation, showing why a right-hand-spun projectile does not precess to the right as the books claim, and how the air cushion under the shell actually carries it to the right.    The USN Provided Information to the Officers and Men — Gene Slover’s commentary on how the Navy trained its officers and men in gunnery and fire control, how Dahlgren tested every lot of powder, and why powder from the same lot does not vary gun initial velocity — the only things that change gun IV being barrel wear, projectile weight, and powder temperature.   

6/27/26 — Converted to new format: Temperature of the Gun After Repeated Firing — how rapid firing heats a naval gun, with the measured breech and muzzle temperatures of the 5-inch/50 and 3-inch/50 guns, how a hot chamber can raise muzzle velocity, and how the heat of firing leaves the bore with the fine longitudinal “heat cracks” that work slowly into the metal over a gun’s accuracy life.    Accuracy of Shipboard Gun Fire — why a salvo never lands on one point: the accidental errors that scatter the fall of shot, Gene Slover’s own explanation of how a ship’s hogging, rainbowing, bending and twisting in a seaway throws the guns off a common aim point and changes pattern size, and the standard conditions on which all range tables are built.    Some Details from Gene Slover About the Major-Caliber Bag Guns — his own first-hand notes on loading a 16-inch battleship bag gun: the turret lookout, the gun captain’s base and cover sleeves, ramming the projectile and powder bags, the six-inch rule, the Lock Combination Primer and the misfire procedure — now wired to the 16-inch loading video it describes.    Boiler & Fireroom Controls — nine photographs from inside a U.S. Navy fireroom: the boiler firing-control station and gauge boards, the main steam pressure and superheated steam temperature gauges, the engine order telegraph repeaters, a superheater soot blower plate, and the oil burner fronts of a 600 psi steam plant — each one identified by John Hudak, a U.S. Navy boiler room sailor who served aboard the destroyer USS Laffey (DD-724). Click any photo to enlarge.    FT 8-I-1 Firing Tables — 8-Inch Gun Mk VI Mod 3A2 (1941) — the complete 265-page Bureau of Ordnance firing tables for the 8″/55 cruiser gun, now fully readable: a Table of Contents hub with the scanned official index, plus four searchable PDF viewers (Parts 2A-1, 2A-2, 2B-1 and 2B-2) each with a jump-to-page index and download link. Covers the H.E. 240-lb M103, A.P. 260-lb Mk XX and T.P. 260-lb Mk XVIII projectiles.   

6/25/26 — Converted to new format: Gene’s Perfectly Timed Photos — Naval Gunfire & Fire Control — a page of well-timed firing photographs with Gene’s own notes on fire control: why the white plume stands out from the muzzle, how the cigar-shaped blast keeps pushing the projectile after it leaves the bore, and the three things that affect range — bore wear, projectile weight, and powder temperature — through projectile initial velocity (IV) and the modern gun fire control systems that measure roll, pitch, and yaw on the fly. Closes with a few carrier-life photos Gene enjoyed. Click any photo to enlarge. — Iowa-Class Battleship Pictures — a photo gallery of the Iowa-class battleships that carried the 16-inch/50-caliber three-gun turrets of the gun book and Ordnance Pamphlet OP 769: USS Iowa (BB-61), USS New Jersey (BB-62), and USS Wisconsin (BB-64), including a 1945 cutaway drawing of USS Iowa and a battleship entering Hong Kong in 1986. Click any photo to enlarge. — Coriolis Force — how the Coriolis force, the apparent deflection caused by the Earth’s rotation, affects naval gunfire, with Gene Slover’s plain-language worked examples of firing north and south from the Equator and the resulting right- and left-hand drift, plus a pointer to the earth-rotation corrections in the 8″/55 range table.   

6/24/26 — Converted to new format: Railway Artillery 1921 — Characteristics and Scope of Utility — the 1921 Ordnance Department report on railway artillery (Document No. 2034), now in a two-volume PDF reader with a hot-linked table of contents. Volume I gives the historical introduction, the classification of types of railway artillery, the scope of their utility, and the detailed descriptions of the American railway mounts — from the 4.7-inch howitzer through the 14-inch Navy guns. Volume II covers the French railway artillery, some forty mounts from the 120-millimeter gun up through the 400-millimeter howitzer, with their guns, recoil and elevating mechanisms, car bodies, and systems of anchorage. — Russian Submarine Kursk (K-141) — the story of the loss of the Russian nuclear submarine Kursk in the Barents Sea on 12 August 2000 and her 2001 salvage, now rebuilt with a large photo gallery: the boat at sea, her bow and conning tower, the explosion and salvage damage to the hull, more than ninety exterior and interior photographs documented during recovery, and the crew memorial. Click any photo to enlarge. — Flow Schematic — Ford Instrument Rangekeeper Mark 10 — the functional flow schematic of the Ford Instrument Mark 10 Rangekeeper, drawn by the Publications Section of the Ford Instrument Co. in 1944, presented as eight click-to-enlarge sheets, together with the wartime recollections of Franklyn Kirk, a Ford Instrument test engineer from 1937 to 1945, and photographs of the Ford Mark 1 fire control computer.   

6/23/26 — Converted to new format: 16″/50 Gun Book — USS New Jersey Three-Gun Turret Data (OP 769) — a summary of the 16-inch/50-caliber three-gun turrets of USS New Jersey (BB-62) as configured for the 30 April 1968 reactivation under Ordnance Pamphlet OP 769. It gathers the turret maintenance manuals, the Mark 8 AP and Mark 13 HC projectile and range-table data, the gun firing order and recoil figures, the projectile stowage counts for all three turrets, and the turret positions and trunnion heights aboard the Iowa-class ship.   

6/22/26 — New page: Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 26: Relative-Rate Antiaircraft Fire Control Systems — the complete Fire Control chapter on the lead-computing sights and director systems built to solve the close- and intermediate-range antiaircraft problem, consolidated from nine scanned sub-pages into one large illustrated page with a section table of contents. It covers the fire control problem and lead angles, the basic elements of lead-computing sights (the rate-of-turn gyro, torque motor, and pick-off transformer), Gun Sight Mark 15, the Gun Fire Control System Mark 63 for the 40-mm and 3"/50 guns, and the Gun Fire Control System Mark 56 with its stabilized director, automatic radar tracking, and dual-ballistic computer. — Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 27: Torpedo Fire Control — the complete Fire Control chapter on aiming and launching a destroyer’s torpedoes, consolidated from four scanned sub-pages into one illustrated page with a section table of contents. It covers the nature of the destroyer torpedo attack, the torpedo fire control problem with its speed and distance triangles and the methods of firing spreads, the destroyer torpedo fire control system (the Torpedo Director Mark 27, the torpedo course indicator, and the Torpedo-Tube Mount Sight Mark 5), and the part the Combat Information Center plays in the radar-aim torpedo attack. — Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 28: Antisubmarine Warfare — the complete Fire Control chapter on detecting, tracking, and attacking submerged submarines, consolidated from five scanned sub-pages into one illustrated page with a section table of contents. It covers the antisubmarine fire control problem with depth charges and hedgehogs, underwater detection and the limitations of sonar, the QHBa scanning sonar equipment, controlling the attack with the tactical range recorder and the antisubmarine attack plotter, the OKA-1 sonar-resolving equipment, and the depth-determining sonar equipment. — Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 29: Missile Control and Guidance Systems — the complete Fire Control chapter on the systems that control and guide a missile in flight, consolidated from three scanned sub-pages into one illustrated page with a section table of contents. It covers the principal parts of a guided missile, the missile control systems (attitude control of the missile’s yaw, pitch, and roll, and path control of its course, altitude, and range), and the eight basic guidance systems — pre-set, terrestrial reference, inertial, celestial navigation, radio navigation, command, beam rider, and homing. — Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 30: Organization and Communications — the complete Fire Control chapter on how a warship’s gunnery is organized and how its stations talk to one another, consolidated from two scanned sub-pages into one illustrated page with a section table of contents. It covers the battle bill and chain of command, the Combat Information Center, the Gunnery Officer and battery control, and the shipboard communications systems — the sound-powered battle telephones and their procedures, the ship’s service telephones, the battle announcing (MC) systems, and the signal systems. — Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 31: Junior Gunnery Officer — the final Fire Control chapter, addressed to the junior officer reporting aboard ship to the Gunnery Department, consolidated from four scanned sub-pages into one illustrated page with a section table of contents. It covers the organization of the Gunnery Department and the duties of the Gunnery Officer and his assistants, the administrative duties of a division officer (training, material maintenance, repairs, alterations, the Current Ship’s Maintenance Project, and the Ordnance History), the sources of ordnance information available aboard ship, and the conduct and analysis of gunnery exercises.   

6/21/26 — New page: Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 21: Battery Alignment — the complete Fire Control chapter on aligning a ship’s guns, directors, and instruments to a common reference, now consolidated from five scanned sub-pages into one illustrated, scrollable page with a section table of contents. It covers gun-sight alignment and boresighting, train and elevation alignment in drydock, the gunner’s quadrant and the reading of roller-path data, realigning the battery afloat by bench-mark and horizon checks, and the firing-stop cutout cams that keep a ship from firing into her own structure. — Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 22: Naval Gunfire Support — the complete Fire Control chapter on the use of a ship’s guns to support troops ashore, consolidated from the scanned sub-pages into one illustrated page. It covers the mission, advantages, and limitations of naval gunfire in amphibious landings, the selection of guns and projectiles, the phases of support before, during, and after a landing, the special problems of firing at land targets, the Military Grid Reference System for designating targets, and spotting by the target-grid system. — Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 23: Aircraft Fire Control — the complete Fire Control chapter on naval aviation ordnance, consolidated from six scanned sub-pages into one illustrated, scrollable page with a section table of contents. It covers the functions and history of aviation ordnance, the problem of aircraft gunnery with its turrets and lead-computing sights, the weapon systems that carry, arm, and release aircraft bombs and rockets, the theory of horizontal bombing, the dive, glide, skip, and toss bombing modes, and the special problems of aircraft rocketry. — Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 24: Antiaircraft Problem (Analytical) — the complete Fire Control chapter giving the analytical solution of the antiaircraft gunnery problem, consolidated from three scanned sub-pages into one illustrated page with the equations and diagrams. It covers target positioning (present, generated, and advance target position and the rates of relative target motion), the ballistic computations that build the lead angles (prediction, gravity superelevation, drift, wind, initial-velocity and air-density corrections), and gun positioning (sight angle and deflection, the make-up of gun orders, trunnion-tilt correction, and fuze settings). — Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Vol. 2 — Chapter 25: Linear-Rate Antiaircraft Fire Control Systems — the complete Fire Control chapter on the Gun Fire Control System Mark 37, the standard dual-purpose system of the World War II and early Cold War fleet, consolidated from four scanned sub-pages (including the former standalone Mark 37 Director page) into one large illustrated page with a section table of contents. It describes the system in general, the Mark 37 director, the Mark 1A computer with its rate control mechanism and star-shell computer, and the Mark 6 stable element. — ▶ The Silent Service — US Navy Submarine Force Overview — a short U.S. Navy video on the submarine force that patrols the deep with deadly weapons and skilled crews, operating from the Arctic ice to the deep oceans on missions ranging from long-range missile strikes to special forces delivery.   

6/20/26 — New page: NAVPERS 15555D — Navy Military Funerals — the Bureau of Naval Personnel manual on military funeral honors and burial at sea, presented in a full-document PDF reader with a table of contents covering eligibility, the funeral detail, the folding and presentation of the National Ensign, the sounding of Taps, the ceremonial procedure for burial at sea, and committal services for the Protestant, Catholic, Jewish, Eastern Orthodox, Muslim, and Buddhist faiths — the source document behind our article on Military Funerals and Burial at Sea. — OP 1507 — Japanese Underwater Ordnance — the U.S. Navy ordnance pamphlet of 20 April 1945 summarizing captured and observed Japanese mines, depth charges, and torpedoes, with identification data, tactical characteristics, and detailed drawings, now in a full-document PDF reader with a hot-linked table of contents. — 20-mm Anti-Aircraft Gun — a new index page for the U.S. Navy 20-mm Oerlikon, the most widely fitted close-range anti-aircraft gun of the World War II fleet, gathering Ordnance Pamphlets OP 909, OP 911, and OP 1439 on the single and twin mounts along with the Mark 14 gun sight.   

6/18/26 — New pages: 40-mm Quadruple Mount Mark 2 (O.D. No. 4391) — the U.S. Navy descriptive handbook for the 40-mm anti-aircraft quad gun mount Mark 2 — the four-barrel Bofors mounting that became the standard heavy automatic anti-aircraft battery aboard battleships, cruisers, carriers, and destroyers in World War II — presented in a full-document PDF reader with a chapter table of contents covering the construction, operation, and assembly of the mount. — Aircraft Carriers — a new index page gathering the site’s aircraft-carrier stories in one place: the launching of a new Lexington, the loss of Wasp, Langley and Hornet, the carrier raids on Japan, the rise of the escort carriers, and on into the postwar nuclear fleet — eighteen All Hands articles from 1942 to 1969 plus modern carrier flight-deck video.   

6/17/26 — New page: Quartermaster 1 & C (NAVTRA 10151-D) — the U.S. Naval Training Command rate training manual for Quartermaster First Class and Chief, presented in a full-document PDF reader with a chapter table of contents. It covers advancement, magnetic and gyro compasses, piloting and dead reckoning, electronic navigation, celestial navigation, assisting the Officer of the Deck and ship handling, assisting the navigator, the Rules of the Road, weather, records and publications, and security. — OP 945 — Range Table for the 20-mm A.A. Gun — the firing tables for the 20-mm antiaircraft gun (the Oerlikon that armed nearly every WWII Navy ship) at 2,725 feet-per-second initial velocity, now shown as eighteen click-to-enlarge scanned pages. — ▶ EA-6B Prowler Trap — a short video clip of a Grumman EA-6B Prowler electronic-warfare aircraft making a carrier arrested landing, with a description and specifications of the Prowler. — Cold Gun Correction — an explanation of the old naval gunnery term: why the first round fired through a freshly swabbed gun fell slightly short in range, why a range-reduction spot was applied to that first round, and how the rotating band and bore oil actually caused the effect.   

6/16/26 — Converted to new format: Torpedo Squadron 8 Is Avenged — a wartime article from All Hands Magazine (Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin), May 1943, recounting the sacrifice of Torpedo Squadron 8 at the Battle of Midway and how Navy carrier aviators avenged them — Mouth Plugs — how the brass mouth cup that sealed separate-case ammunition was replaced by cork plugs after the brass cups proved dangerous to gun crews — Preface, Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Volume 2 (Fire Control) — the preface to the fire-control volume of the 1958 U.S. Naval Academy and NROTC textbook — Preface, Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Volume 1 (Naval Ordnance) — the preface to the weapons volume (guns, ammunition, warheads) of the 1957 edition — Dry Docks & Fleet Repair — a new index gathering the Navy’s dry-dock story: wartime dock construction, ship cradles, seagoing repair ships, and USS Laffey and USS Missouri in dry dock — OP 1457 — Abridged Range Tables, 16″/50 AP Mk 8 — the eight-page abridged range tables for the 16-inch armor-piercing Mark 8 Mod 0, 2700-lb projectile fired from the 16″/50 caliber main battery of the Iowa-class battleships, now shown as click-to-enlarge scanned pages.   

6/14/26 — New page: NAVORD OD 8044 — Ordnance Equipment List for Submarine, Nuclear Power, SSN — the Bureau of Ordnance equipment list for the U.S. Navy’s first nuclear-powered submarines, in a three-part PDF reader with full table of contents: the original issue of 11 February 1952 (USS Nautilus, SSN-571), the First Revision of August 1953 (adding a Demolition Equipment section), and the Second Revision of May 1955 (expanded to cover both SSN-571 USS Nautilus and SSN-575 USS Seawolf). Covers fire control equipment, small arms, pyrotechnics, torpedo and mine loadouts, and spare parts. Scanned and submitted by John Haggerty.   

6/6/26 — Converted to new format: The Mechanical Analog Computers of Hannibal Ford and William Newell — IEEE paper by A. Ben Clymer tracing the history of mechanical analog computers from early developments through their World War II peak and 1950s obsolescence; the Ford Instrument Company’s role in the superb gunnery of the US Navy; the naval fire control problem; and bombsight applications. PDF viewer with full table of contents.   

5/28/26 — Converted to new format: NAVPERS 10783-B — Principals of Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — complete 551-page Navy training manual in two-part PDF viewer; Part 1 covers Chapters 1–7 (gun construction, projectiles, propellants, primers, fuzes, torpedoes, mines) with front matter; Part 2 covers Chapters 8–15, three appendices, and index (fire control, exterior and interior ballistics, gunnery, fire control systems).   

5/27/26 — Converted to new format: 40mm Anti-Aircraft Gun — Firing, Training & Ordnance Pamphlets — hub page for all U.S. Navy 40mm Bofors references: ordnance pamphlets for the Twin Mark 1 mount (OD 3782), Quad Mark 2 mount (OD 4391), and OP 820 hydraulic drive mounts; training video; Mark 14 Gun Sight; and Gene’s notes on the York Safe and Lock drives and the 40mm’s combat record as the war’s top aircraft killer.   

5/26/26 — Converted to new format: OP 127 — United States Naval Guns, Their Marks and Modifications — all four editions of the Bureau of Ordnance’s standard gun identification reference on one page: the 1st Edition (December 1916), 2nd Revision (June 1924), 3rd Revision (April 1942, 140 pages), and 4th Revision (31 August 1956, 115 pages, organized by caliber section from Cal. .50 through 16-inch). Consolidates 19 separate pages into one combined viewer.    OP 253 — Range Tables for the 8-Inch Gun, 260-lb Projectile, IV 2100 F.S. — PDF viewer for the complete ordnance pamphlet. Includes explanatory notes and full range tables covering all elevation angles.    OP 245 — Range Tables for the 8-Inch Gun, 260-lb Projectile, IV 2750 F.S. — PDF viewer for the complete ordnance pamphlet. Includes explanatory notes, curvature of earth table, multipliers, and full range tables.   

5/25/26 — Converted to new format: United States Navy Range and Ballistic Tables, 1935 — PDF viewer for the complete 125-page volume. Part I provides fourteen range tables (Tables A through N) for U.S. Navy guns from 1-pounder to 16-inch, giving firing data across each gun’s full effective range envelope. Part II provides seven ballistic tables including the Gav̀re retardation function, altitude-density function, surface density factor, ballistic density factor, multipliers for Column 12, extracts from the A.L.V.F. Tables of 1918, and U.S. Army Exterior Ballistic Tables. Consolidates 23 separate pages into one.    OP-1171 — Optical Equipment, Rangefinders Mark 58 & 65 (17 April 1944) — PDF viewer for the complete Ordnance Pamphlet covering Rangefinders Mark 58 and Mark 58 Mod 1 (used in Gun Director Mark 50) and Rangefinders Mark 65 and Mark 65 Mod 1 (exposed deck mount). Includes optical systems, internal adjuster system, structural detail, adjustments, accuracy, care, and a summary of principal differences among all four variants.   

5/24/26 — Converted to new format: OP-1064A — Computer Mark I and Modifications Maintenance, Volumes 1 & 2 (18 July 1947) — PDF viewer for the complete two-volume maintenance manual for the Computer Mark 1 analog fire control computer. Covers all test procedures (Parts One–Three), readjustment procedure (Part Four), locating casualties, lubrication, removal of mechanisms, factory adjustment procedure, and sketch lists — 871 pages in four PDF files.    OP 911 — 20-mm Antiaircraft Gun, Marks 2 and 4 — PDF viewer for the complete Bureau of Ordnance manual covering all aspects of the 20-mm antiaircraft gun. Includes chapters on gun mechanism, trigger mechanism, recoiling parts and buffer, magazine, sight, shoulder rest, ammunition, maintenance instructions, cocking and uncocking procedures, and complete and partial stripping, plus parts lists and cross-index.    OP-658 — Fire Control Radar, Mark 8 (January 1943) — complete PDF with full table of contents covering the principal units, data presentation and interpretation, operating instructions, measurements of range and bearing, and performance characteristics of the Mark 8 radar used with the Mark 38 gun director.   

5/22/26 — Converted to new format: OP 909 — 20-mm A.A. Gun Mounts, Marks 2, 4, 5, 6, and 10 — PDF viewer for the complete Bureau of Ordnance manual covering all marks of the 20-mm anti-aircraft gun mount. Includes chapters on description, construction, operation, lubrication, stripping, and reassembly for each mark, plus parts lists and cross-index to OE and Bureau of Ordnance numbers.   

5/21/26 — Converted to new format: OP-1100 Range Tables for the 16″/50 HC Mk 13 Mod 0 — PDF viewer for the complete OP-1100 range tables covering explanatory notes, range table, effects of Earth’s rotation, erosion data, and trajectory sheet for the Iowa-class battleship main battery.    16″/50 Gun IV — Initial velocity data table for the Iowa-class battleship main battery guns, from OP-1100.    16″/50 Gun Jump — Gun jump data: minus 9.7 minutes of angle below the angle of elevation, accounted for in the OP-1100 range table computations.    16″/50 Wear and Erosion Data — Bore erosion and IV loss photographs comparing the 1,900-lb HC projectile (OP-1100) and 2,700-lb AP projectile (OP-770) for the Iowa-class guns.    Effect of Gun IV Variation — How powder IV variation would affect range for the 16-inch HC Mk 13 projectile, and why Dahlgren tested every powder lot before fleet issue.    A.A. Range Table Trajectories — Trajectory chart for the 16-inch 50-caliber gun from the anti-aircraft range table.    16″/50 Range Pattern — How range pattern size changes with gun elevation for the 16-inch/50 caliber gun.    As Gun Elevation Increases the Range Pattern Decreases — First-person account of 9-gun salvo firing tests from an Iowa-class battleship, with a mathematical worked example showing how pattern length changes with range.    OP 1091 — A.A. Range Table for the 16″/50 Caliber Gun — Complete PDF viewer for Ordnance Pamphlet 1091: trajectories, drift, wind deflection, and ballistic corrections for anti-aircraft fire with the Iowa-class battleship main battery.

5/20/26 — Converted to new format: USN Gunnery and Fire Control — Hub index page for range table fundamentals and powder characteristics, linking all gunnery sub-pages.    USN Powder — Gene Slover’s explanation of how Navy propellant powder is manufactured, tested at Dahlgren, assigned lot numbers, and standardized to produce consistent muzzle velocity across all guns of a given type.    USN Range Tables — How range tables are prepared: experimental firings at the Naval Proving Ground, determination of the ballistic coefficient, and computation of trajectory elements by mechanical and electronic computing machines.    The Standards — Standard conditions for range tables; the first eight columns used to design the ballistic cams of the fire control computer.    The Non-Standards — The ten non-standard correction columns (10–19) used by Fire Controlmen and the fire control computer to correct for initial velocity, projectile weight, air density, wind, gun motion, target motion, and sight bar variation.    Range Table Column 10 (initial velocity), Column 11 (projectile weight), Column 12 (air density), Columns 13 & 16 (wind), Columns 14 & 17 (gun motion), Columns 15 & 18 (target motion), Column 19 (danger and hitting space) — worked explanations of each non-standard correction column from the U.S. Navy range table.    Battleship Texas BB-35 Armament Summary — Ordnance equipment list for USS Texas (BB-35), dated March 1945, with a supplementary ordnance summary from 25 August 1945. Covers main battery gun directors, 5”/51 secondary battery directors, 3” DP and AAMG anti-aircraft directors, radar equipment Marks 3 and 10, and stable vertical and stable element fire control instruments.

5/18/26 — New page: ▶ Normandy Landing Slideshow — D-Day June 6, 1944 — A 7-minute 58-second video slideshow of the Normandy landings, with archival photographs covering the five beaches, the airborne drops, and the naval bombardment. Background reading covers Operation Fortitude (the Allied deception plan), the five assault beaches, the 82nd and 101st Airborne drops, naval gunfire support from destroyers and battleships, and the securing of the beachhead. Linked from the D-Day Photos page.

5/16/26 — Converted to new format: OP-1063 — The Stable Element Mark 6 and Modifications (January 1944) — The U.S. Navy’s complete technical manual for the Stable Element, the gyroscope-based instrument that keeps gun sights on target despite the pitch and roll of the ship. Covers theory of gyroscope operation, synchro-transmission systems, follow-up electronics, full construction details of the sensitive element and bottom chassis, installation, operating instructions, maintenance, disassembly and reassembly, twelve adjustment procedures, and a comprehensive casualties section with voltage check charts and circuit components. Includes data on Control Panels Marks 7 and 8. Now presented as a full-document PDF viewer with table of contents.    OP-1064 — Computer Mark 1 and Modifications: Theory and Operation (29 June 1945) — The U.S. Navy’s complete theory and operation manual for the Computer Mark 1, the analog electro-mechanical fire control computer of the Gun Director Mark 37 system. Covers general description of the nine computing groups (Deck Tilt, Relative Motion, Integrator, Rate Control, Prediction, Trunnion Tilt, Synchronize Elevation, Parallax, and Star Shell Computer), operating instructions for all four modes, and detailed engineering description of every mechanism. Includes the Appendix (limits of accurate computation, modification differences, alphabetical index) and Addendum 1 (September 1951) covering the Computer Mark 1A. Now presented as a two-part PDF viewer with full table of contents.

5/15/26 — Converted to new format: Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 19: Surface Fire Control Problem — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 19 (Vol. 2: Fire Control). Analytical, graphic, and mechanical solutions to the surface fire control problem; the target course triangle and speed triangle; relative motion and approach course problems; the rangekeeping problem including the Ford Rangekeeper Mk 1 and mechanical range rate equipment; the stable vertical and gyroscopes. Seven sections consolidated from original sub-pages.    OP-4 — Ordnance Pamphlet 4: Ammunition (May 1943) — The U.S. Navy's handbook covering care, preservation, stowage, inspection, and testing of service explosives and ammunition. 20 chapters covering black powder, smokeless powder, high explosives, detonating substances, projectiles, cartridge cases, fuzes, primers, assembled charges, aircraft ammunition, and pyrotechnic materials. Now presented as a full-document PDF viewer with table of contents.    OP-831 — Depth Charge Projector Mark 6 Mod 1 and Mod 2 (July 1944) — Complete U.S. Navy manual for the Depth Charge Projector Mark 6, which replaced the older “Y” gun type projector. Covers description of components, operating procedures for loading and firing, safety precautions, and full maintenance including disassembly of the breech, firing pin, and sear bracket mechanisms. Now presented as a full-document PDF viewer with table of contents.    OP-2081 — Use of Explosives in Underwater Salvage (February 1956) — The U.S. Navy’s practical guide to underwater demolition for salvage operations. Covers priming of charges, firing systems, blasting equipment, rock blasting, harbor and channel bottom alteration, concrete and masonry blasting, steel cutting, ship dispersal, timber and pile cutting, and propeller removal. Scanned copy courtesy of First Class Diver Jack Lehman, USN Ret. Now presented as a full-document PDF viewer with table of contents.    OP-2074 — Computer Mark 48 Mod 1 (September 1956) — The complete technical manual for the analog fire control computer used exclusively by Iowa-class battleships for indirect shore bombardment. Covers all four operating modes (Shore Bombardment, Local Control, Ship-to-Ship, Dead Reckoning), theory of the horizontal and deck-tilt computing sections, full maintenance and troubleshooting procedures including test forms and schematic diagrams, and installation. Now presented as a full-document PDF viewer with table of contents.    OP-1700 — Standard Fire Control Symbols (31 May 1950) — Three-volume Ordnance Pamphlet establishing the standard symbols for Naval fire control systems: Vol. 1 covers antiaircraft fire control (symbol system, present target position, motion, wind, linear and angular offsets, gun orders, and a 143-page dictionary of symbols); Vol. 2 covers underwater fire control symbols; Vol. 3 covers missile fire control symbols. Now presented as a three-volume PDF viewer with table of contents.

5/14/26 — Converted to new format: Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 17: Exterior Ballistics — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 17 (Vol. 2: Fire Control). Forces affecting projectile trajectories; construction and use of range tables including meteorological and ballistic corrections; practical computation of range and deflection corrections; and target-practice post-firing analysis including error sources, spot analysis methods, and evaluation of gun battery performance. Four sections consolidated from original sub-pages.    Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 18: Spotting — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 18 (Vol. 2: Fire Control). Laws of probability as they govern dispersion and MPI error; determining the probability of hitting a target; the spotter's duties and visual estimation techniques; and methods of spotting including direct, bracket-and-halving, ladders, barrages, tracers, and radar spotting. Three sections consolidated from original sub-pages.    Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 14: Antisubmarine Weapons — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 14. Complete text covering ASW operations, depth charges and their pistols, depth bombs, 7.2-inch throwing weapons including the hedgehog and K-gun projectors, and submarine nets and booms. Five sections consolidated from original sub-pages.    Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 15: Introduction to Fire Control — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 15 (Vol. 2: Fire Control). Historical development of naval fire control from the Civil War through 1948, including range and accuracy milestones, followed by a survey of modern fire control systems on guided missile cruisers and the armament of USS Salem. Two sections consolidated from original sub-pages.    Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 16: Radar and Optics — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 16 (Vol. 2: Fire Control). Principles of radar and types of radar equipment (surface search, air search, fire control, height finder, IFF); special purpose equipments; principles of geometrical and physical optics; types of optical equipment including gun-sight telescopes, periscope sights, and coincidence and stereoscopic rangefinders; and the Combat Information Center. Seven sections consolidated from original sub-pages.    Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 12: Torpedoes — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 12. Complete text with 36 figures covering the Mark 15 gas-steam torpedo in full detail: head section and exploder mechanism, air system, superheating system, main engine, gyro and depth control systems, and tail section. Also covers aircraft torpedoes (Mark 13), other fleet types (Marks 14, 16, 18, homing), electrically set torpedoes, and above-water torpedo tube mounts. Ten sections consolidated from original sub-pages.

5/13/26 — Converted to new format: Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 10: Automatic Control Equipment — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 10. Complete text with 34 figures covering synchros (transmitters, receivers, differential types, dial mechanisms, servos), electric-hydraulic power drives (5"/38 twin mount train drive, variable-speed gear, indicator-receiver-regulator), amplidyne follow-up systems (synchro control transformer, amplidyne generator, 5"/54 train drive), other drive types (thyratron, York Safe and Lock, 16"/50 turret, fuze setters), and shipboard testing with dummy directors. Six sections consolidated from original sub-pages.    Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 8: Semiautomatic Weapons — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 8. Complete text with 27 figures covering semiautomatic gun operating principles, the 5"/38 caliber twin mount assembly (breech mechanism, extractors, recoil system, rammer, training and elevating gear, projectile and powder hoists, sights), and the 5"/54 caliber Mark 39 mount. Three sections consolidated from original sub-pages.    Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 11: Rockets and Guided Missiles — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 11. Complete text with 26 figures covering aircraft rockets (2.75-inch Mighty Mouse FFAR, 5-inch HVAR, 11.75-inch Tiny Tim), surface-craft rockets (5-inch spin-stabilized, 7.2-inch AR-7), and guided missiles (Terrier, Sparrow, Sidewinder, Regulus, Petrel). Includes rocket propulsion principles, guidance and control fundamentals, and aircraft and surface launching systems. Four sections consolidated from original sub-pages.

5/12/26 — Converted to new format: Engineering, Operation and Maintenance — NAVPERS 10813-B — Complete U.S. Navy training manual covering boilers, boiler maintenance, fuel oil equipment, boiler water and feed water tests, turbine operation and maintenance, reduction gears, piping systems, pumps, heat exchangers, distilling plants, refrigeration and air conditioning equipment, air compressors, internal combustion engines, and engineering casualty control. 17 chapters, 508 pages. Now presented as a full-document PDF viewer with a table of contents.   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 7: Turret Installations — NavPers 10797-A, Chapter 7. Complete text with figures covering the 16"/50 Iowa class 3-gun turret, 6"/47 Worcester class dual-purpose turret, and 8"/55 Salem class rapid-fire turret. Gun and breech assembly, slide assembly, elevating and training gear, ammunition handling, and firing operations.   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 1: Introduction to Ordnance and Gunnery — Chapter 2: Explosives — Chapter 3: Ammunition — Chapter 4: Armor and Penetration — Chapter 5: Elements of Guns and Mounts — Chapter 6: Gun Barrels and Interior Ballistics — NavPers 10797-A, Chapters 1–6 (Chapter 7 listed above). Complete text with figures covering the fundamentals of naval ordnance and gunnery: the chemistry of explosives and propellants, naval ammunition design, armor history and penetration testing, gun and mount design, and gun barrel construction and interior ballistics.

5/11/26 — Converted to new format: Principles of Guided Missiles and Nuclear Weapons — NavPers 10784-A — US Navy textbook covering guided missile theory, propulsion, control, and guidance systems (Part I, 11 chapters), plus nuclear physics, weapon design, and weapons effects (Part II, 3 chapters). Full PDF viewer with table of contents.

5/9/26 — Converted to new format: Prop Thrust Turns Carriers — A page from All Hands Magazine, June 1946, on how aircraft propeller thrust could be used to help swing large carriers at slow speeds.  ——  OP 820 — 40mm Antiaircraft Gun: Description and Operation — Complete official U.S. Navy description and operation manual for the 40mm Antiaircraft Gun (Bofors type), Marks 1 and 2. Covers the slide assembly, breech mechanism, loader, and recoil cylinder; the 40mm gun barrel Mark 1; Mark 3 and Mark 4 sights; cyclic operation; loading and unloading; casualty procedures; assembly and disassembly for all major subassemblies; parts list; and appendix. Now presented as a full-document PDF viewer with a table of contents drawer.  ——  Our Largest Prison Camp for Japs — Two scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1943, reporting on the U.S. Navy’s largest prisoner of war camp for Japanese prisoners captured during the Pacific campaign.  ——  It Happened on Guadalcanal — Five scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1943, with firsthand accounts of naval combat during the Guadalcanal campaign, published weeks after the island’s liberation.  ——  How Japs Struck Pearl — Five scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1946, tracing how the Japanese carrier striking force planned and executed the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  ——  List of Ships and Service Craft by Type and Designator — Two scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1956, listing every U.S. Navy vessel type with its two-letter designator code.  ——  Our Defenseless Coasts — Two historical essays on U.S. coastal defense: F.V. Greene’s 1887 Scribner’s Magazine article and 1st Lieutenant Solon F. Massey’s 1886 military policy essays, now readable in an in-page PDF viewer.

5/8/26 — Converted to new format: First Account of the Kiska Bombing — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1943, on the first public report of U.S. bombing raids against Japanese forces occupying Kiska in the Aleutian Islands.   Life Saving Fishing Instructions for Castaways — Five scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1943, on the U.S. Navy’s instructions for how castaways in the South Pacific could catch fish and survive at sea.   Head — The Navy Toilet — A photo and Gene Slover’s personal commentary on the open-trough toilet system used aboard U.S. Navy warships, including the famous burning toilet paper tradition.   History of the Manufacture of Armor Plate for the USN — A detailed history of the development of naval armor plate, covering compound, Harvey, and Krupp cemented armor and face-hardening techniques used for American battleships and cruisers. Now presented as a full-document PDF viewer.   New Ships — July 1939 — A seven-page 1939 announcement listing new U.S. Navy ships entering service, including battleships USS Iowa and USS New Jersey, cruisers, destroyers, submarines, and seaplane tenders.   Quad 1.1 — Photographs from Gene Slover’s US Navy Pages collection showing Quad 1.1.   Turret Rangefinders — North Carolina-class battleship turret rangefinders — the coincidence rangefinder (single eyepiece) in No. 1 turret and the stereoscopic rangefinders (two eyepieces) in turrets No. 2 and No. 3.   NAVPERS 10111 — The 5″/38 Caliber Gun — Complete technical manual for the 5″/38-caliber gun system, First Edition 1965. Covers the Mk 30 gun mount in nineteen chapters (introductions, all major mechanisms, full disassembly and assembly procedures, maintenance, and operational casualties), plus the Northern Pump Company rammer and the Mk 2 projectile hoist. Over 500 scanned pages presented in a two-part PDF viewer with a full table of contents drawer.

5/7/26 — Converted to new format: OP-1040 — Gun Sight Mark 14 — Complete technical manual for the gyroscopic lead-computing gunsight used on U.S. Navy antiaircraft gun mounts during World War II. Covers theory, physical description, operation, installation, maintenance, and training devices. Now presented as a full-document PDF viewer with a table of contents drawer.   OP 1439 — 20-mm A.A. Assemblies (Twin) — Complete maintenance and parts manual (28 April 1945) for the twin 20-mm antiaircraft gun mounts (Mk 20 and Mk 24) used aboard World War II warships. Prepared by Pontiac Motor Division, General Motors Corporation. Now presented as a full-document PDF viewer with a table of contents drawer.   Navy Beans — Two scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1968, on the long tradition of navy beans as a staple of the U.S. fleet mess.  

5/6/26 — Converted to new format: My Bowditch — Two scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1940, on the beloved Nathaniel Bowditch navigation manual that has guided American sailors since 1802.   Naval Firepower Down Through the Centuries — Two scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1984, tracing the evolution of naval firepower from ancient oared warships through the age of sail to modern guided weapons.   Report from Home — Two scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, 1945, featuring news of the day including the new Presidential Seal and the Japanese Fu-Go balloon bomb campaign that reached the American mainland.   Training for Today’s Nuclear Navymen — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1960, on the Navy’s specialized schools developing nuclear-qualified enlisted personnel as the Polaris submarine fleet expanded.   The USN and Atomic Energy — A curated index of All Hands articles on the Navy and atomic energy from Japan’s surrender through Operation Crossroads at Bikini Atoll, September 1945–August 1946.   Galley Steam Kettle — A U.S. Navy galley steam kettle capable of cooking 300 pounds of potatoes in three minutes, with Gene Slover’s personal commentary on the results.   Emergency Generator — A Fairbanks Morse engine driving a 120V AC 3-phase 100 KVA generator, with Gene Slover’s explanation of why Navy ships use an ungrounded electrical system.   Powder Magazine — USS North Carolina BB-55 — Photos from inside the powder magazine showing powder bag conveyors, red ignition pads, and stacked powder canisters, with Gene Slover’s notes and technical specifications for magazine cooling and ventilation.

5/5/26 — Converted to new format: Faulty Firing Pins — One scanned page from All Hands Magazine, April 1956, revisiting the defective torpedo firing pins that hampered U.S. submarine operations during World War II.   Proven in Battle — Seven scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1956, assessing the Navy weapons and systems that proved their effectiveness across World War II and Korea.   Meanwhile, Back at the Gun Factory — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, September 1956, on the manufacture and refurbishment of the Navy’s 16-inch battleship guns, including those regunned on USS Missouri in 1954 and still in service during Desert Storm.   Cutaway: Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine (Nuclear) — Two scanned cutaway diagram pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1960, revealing the internal layout of the nuclear-powered Polaris submarine.   The Fleet Ballistic Missile Submarine — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1960, describing the George Washington-class SSBN and the Polaris A-1 missile system that put America’s nuclear deterrent beneath the ocean.   Fleets In: The First Fleet — Two scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1960, photographing USS Midway (CVA-41), USS Kearsarge (CVA-33), and USS Hancock (CVA-19) emerging from fog banks to enter San Francisco Bay under the Bay Bridge.   Sewing Up the Subs — Five scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1960, on the specialized overhaul and maintenance work that kept U.S. Navy submarines combat-ready as the Polaris program expanded the Silent Service.   Three Destroyer Veterans Chalk Up Matchless Records — Three scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, June 1968, profiling veteran U.S. Navy destroyers with outstanding service records.   USS Enterprise: Back Into Action — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, May 1969, marking the return of USS Enterprise (CVN-65) to active service following the fire of 14 January 1969 that killed 27 men and required extensive repairs at Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard.   The First Public Account of Radar — Three scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, August 1945, the first public disclosure of how radar worked and the decisive role it played in Allied victory at sea.   Armor — Three photographs of naval armor plate construction and installation, including gun port armor fabricated for the Imperial Russian battleship Peresviet.

5/4/26 — Converted to new format: Captain McVay’s Sentence Remitted — One scanned page from All Hands Magazine, April 1946, reporting the remission of USS Indianapolis Captain McVay’s court-martial sentence following the ship’s sinking in July 1945.   Sub Raiders of Tomorrow — Five scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, June 1946, on the future of U.S. Navy submarine warfare in the postwar era.   One Year After — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, August 1946, reflecting on the first anniversary of Japan’s surrender and the atomic bomb’s impact on naval strategy.   Bottling Up the U-Boats — Five scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1953, a retrospective on Allied anti-submarine warfare operations that defeated the German U-boat threat in World War II.   Atomic Age Goes Beneath the Surface — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1953, previewing the Navy’s nuclear submarine program as the USS Nautilus neared completion.   American Boy and 18-Inch Guns — One scanned page from All Hands Magazine, April 1953, a photographic feature illustrating the extraordinary scale of major-caliber naval ordnance.   Fueling at Sea — Two photographs from All Hands Magazine, July 1953, showing USS DeHaven (DD-727) refueling from USS Oriskany (CVA-34) during underway replenishment operations.   Seagoing Dry Docks — Three scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1955, on floating dry docks and repair ships supporting fleet operations at forward bases.   Nautilus Blazes Silent Service Trail — Six scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1955, documenting USS Nautilus (SSN-571) as the world’s first nuclear-powered submarine entered active service following her historic underway run in January 1955.   School for Navy’s Nuclear Sailors — Eight scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1956, on the specialized training program for the Navy’s first nuclear sailors and what life is like aboard a nuclear powered submarine.   A Year in the Log of USS Nautilus Without Refueling — One scanned page from All Hands Magazine, April 1956, charting a full year of USS Nautilus operations completed without a single refueling stop.   There’s Going To Be a Wedding — Three scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1956, a human-interest story about a wedding involving a USS Nautilus crew member.   How a Submarine’s Nuclear Power Plant Operates — Two scanned diagram pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1956, illustrating how the reactor, steam system, and propulsion chain of USS Nautilus work.

5/2/26 — Converted to new format: Submarine Operations — One scanned page from All Hands Magazine, January 1946, covering submarine operations as the Pacific Fleet transitioned from wartime patrols to peacetime.   Strong and Silent — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, February 1946, on the Silent Service’s wartime record, reviewing the submarine force’s decisive role in cutting Japan’s supply lines.   The Month’s News — Eleven scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, February 1946, the monthly naval news digest covering postwar fleet operations and demobilization.   Balloon Bombs — One scanned page from All Hands Magazine, March 1946, revealing Japan’s secret Fu-Go balloon bomb campaign that sent incendiary devices across the Pacific, reaching North America.   Big Boom at Bikini — Six scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1946, covering the planned Operation Crossroads nuclear weapons tests at Bikini Atoll in the Marshall Islands.   Facing the Atomic Age — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1946, examining how the Navy was adapting to the strategic implications of nuclear weapons as it prepared for Operation Crossroads.   Testing the Eugen — One scanned page from All Hands Magazine, March 1946, on the capture of the German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and her designation as a nuclear test target at Bikini Atoll.   Atomic ABC’s — Seven scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1946, a primer on atomic energy and nuclear weapons for enlisted naval personnel preparing for the Operation Crossroads era.   Backstage at Bikini — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1946, behind the scenes of the preparations for Operation Crossroads, including the assembly of a target fleet of captured warships.   Rendezvous with a Bomb — Four scanned pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1946, describing Operation Crossroads as a calculated encounter between the Navy’s surface fleet and the atomic bomb.

5/1/26 — Converted to new format: Legislative Matters of Naval Interest — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1945, covering legislation affecting Navy and Marine Corps personnel as the Pacific War entered its final phase.   February 1945 — Four pages from the All Hands Bureau of Naval Personnel Bulletin, February 1945, covering naval operations during a pivotal month that saw the first carrier strikes against Japan and the Marine landings on Iwo Jima.   Yanks Land on Luzon as Navy Planes Sweep China Coast — Five pages from All Hands Magazine, February 1945, on the Luzon landings at Lingayen Gulf and Navy carrier operations sweeping the China coast and South China Sea.   Luzon Express — Three pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1945, on the Luzon campaign and USS Pennsylvania leading the battle line into Lingayen Gulf, January 1945.   Navy Planes Hit Japan; Marines Invade Iwo — Three pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1945, on the first carrier strikes against the Japanese home islands and the Marine Corps invasion of Iwo Jima, February 1945.   Inside Japan — Three pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1945, a wartime feature on the Japanese homeland as American forces prepared for the final campaigns.   Here’s Your Enemy — Five pages from All Hands Magazine, May 1945, a briefing on Japanese forces and tactics for Navy personnel during the Battle of Okinawa.   This Month’s News — Five pages from All Hands Magazine, June 1945, the monthly naval news digest as the Battle of Okinawa neared its conclusion.   Japs Do Give Up — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, August 1945, on Japanese prisoners of war and enemy surrenders, published the month Japan announced its imperial surrender.   They Return to Fight — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, August 1945, on Navy personnel returning to combat in the final months of the Pacific War.   Quotes of the Month — One page from All Hands Magazine, September 1945, featuring notable quotes from Admiral Halsey and other naval leaders at the close of the Pacific War.   This Month’s News: October 1945 — Ten pages from All Hands Magazine, October 1945, covering fleet operations during the first full month of the Allied occupation of Japan.   Fueling at Sea — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, November 1945, on underway replenishment, with personal commentary by Gene Slover who served aboard.   MacArthur and Hirohito — One page from All Hands Magazine, November 1945, on General MacArthur’s meeting with Emperor Hirohito at the American Embassy in Tokyo, September 1945.   Navy Unveils New Jet Fighter — One page from All Hands Magazine, November 1945, revealing the Ryan FR-1 Fireball hybrid fighter combining a piston engine in the nose with jet propulsion in the tail.   Secret Fuze — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, November 1945, revealing the secret VT proximity fuze that transformed anti-aircraft gunnery during World War II.   The ‘Big E’ of the Fleet — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, November 1945, a tribute to USS Enterprise (CV-6) and her 20 battle stars earned in World War II.   They Ran But Won — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, November 1945, a Pacific War naval action story.   The Navy and World War II — Nineteen pages from All Hands Magazine, December 1945, a comprehensive review of the Navy’s role across all theaters of the war.   Battle Cruisers — One page from All Hands Magazine, December 1945, on the Alaska-class large cruisers USS Alaska (CB-1) and USS Guam (CB-2).

4/30/26 — Converted to new format: New Lexington Launched — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, October 1942, announcing the launching of USS Lexington (CV-16) to carry on the name of the carrier lost at the Battle of the Coral Sea.   The Japanese “Zero” Fighter — One page from All Hands Magazine, November 1942, Navy intelligence on the Mitsubishi A6M’s performance characteristics and vulnerabilities.   Texas Is Just One of Our States — One page from All Hands Magazine, November 1942.   Six Men Battle Japs and Jungle — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, December 1942, the ordeal of six American servicemen fighting Japanese forces and jungle terrain in the Pacific.   The Navy Reports on Pearl Harbor — Five pages from All Hands Magazine, December 1942, the Navy’s official account of the Pearl Harbor attack published one year after December 7, 1941.   USS Wasp and USS Langley — One page from All Hands Magazine, December 1942, a tribute to USS Wasp (CV-7) and USS Langley (CV-1), two carriers lost in the first year of the Pacific War.   Saga of a U.S. Battleship — Five pages from All Hands Magazine, February 1943, following an American battleship and her crew through the Pacific War’s opening campaigns.   Navy’s Dry Dock Construction — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, May 1943, on the wartime construction of fixed and floating dry docks to maintain the fleet across the Pacific.   The Role of Naval Ordnance in War — Five pages from All Hands Magazine, May 1943 (Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 314), on the contributions of naval guns, fire control, torpedoes, mines, and depth charges to the Allied war effort.   Atomic Energy: A New Era — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, September 1945, on what atomic energy means for the Navy — published in the same issue that announced Japan’s formal surrender.

4/28/26 — Commanding Officer of USS Salinas Reports on Torpedoing — Three pages from All Hands Magazine, December 1941. USS Salinas (AO-19) was torpedoed by German submarine U-106 on 30 October 1941, six weeks before Pearl Harbor.   “Junior” in the Navy — One page from All Hands Magazine, June 1942, on junior enlisted life in the wartime Navy.   Let’s Get Really Mad and Stay Mad — One page from All Hands Magazine, June 1942, an editorial on sustained wartime determination six months after Pearl Harbor.   Periscope Photos / Keep ‘Em Sinking — Submarine periscope photography from All Hands Magazine, June 1942 and November 1945.   Valuables Belonging to Filipinos — Three pages from All Hands Magazine, June 1942, on Navy procedures for safeguarding Filipino civilian property.

4/28/26 — New index page: All Hands Magazine — complete listing of all Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin articles on the site, organized by year 1941–1968.   Converted to new format: Flying Shark Squadron — One page from All Hands Magazine, August 1942, profiling a Navy carrier-based combat squadron in the Pacific.   Greatest Man-o’-War — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, October 1942, a feature on the Navy’s most formidable fighting ship, published during the Guadalcanal campaign.   Field Day for ‘Fighting 6’ — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, December 1942, recounting a successful combat action by VF-6, the fighter squadron of USS Enterprise.   1440 Saved from Princeton — One page from All Hands Magazine, 1945, on the rescue of 1,440 survivors from USS Princeton (CVL-23), sunk at the Battle of Leyte Gulf.   Cradles for Ships — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1945, on floating dry docks supporting Pacific Fleet ship repair operations.

4/28/26 — Converted to new format: The Saga of the Marblehead — Five pages from All Hands Magazine, June 1942, on USS Marblehead (CL-12) — bombed and disabled in the Dutch East Indies, she made a 12,000-mile voyage home under her own power for repairs.   Escape Through the Lines — Three pages from All Hands Magazine, October 1942, documenting how American servicemen evaded capture and escaped through enemy lines in the early Pacific War.   Behind Our Sky Fleets — Six pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1945, on the logistics, organization, and manpower sustaining the U.S. Navy’s fast carrier task forces in the Pacific.   The Battleships Opened Up — One page from All Hands Magazine, March 1945, depicting U.S. Navy battleships delivering shore bombardment in support of Pacific amphibious operations.   Radar — Three pages from All Hands Magazine, September 1945, tracing the development and combat application of naval radar — published at the moment of Japan’s formal surrender.

4/27/26 — Converted to new format: USS California: Back in the Fight — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, November 1942, showing USS California’s (BB-44) 14-inch gun turrets during her reconstruction at Puget Sound following her salvage after Pearl Harbor.   December in Naval History — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, November 1942, a retrospective on the month of December in U.S. naval history, from early engagements of the sailing-ship era through the War of 1812 to Pearl Harbor.   Echoes of an Earlier African Campaign — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1943, recalling the Barbary Wars of 1801–1815 and earlier American naval operations on the North African coast, drawing parallels with the current Allied campaign.   Beachheads to Manila — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, March 1945, documenting the U.S. Navy’s Pacific island-hopping amphibious campaign through the liberation of Manila in February 1945.   Bismarck Direct Hit — One page from All Hands Magazine, March 1946, presenting photographic evidence of direct hits scored on the German battleship Bismarck during the British pursuit and sinking in May 1941.

4/27/26 — New Navy Torpedo Bomber at Midway — One page from All Hands Magazine, July 1942, on the Grumman TBF Avenger torpedo bomber’s combat debut at Midway — the new aircraft that replaced the obsolete TBD Devastator.   Round Two: 28 Ships Sunk — Three pages from All Hands Magazine, October 1942, reporting U.S. Navy victories in the Guadalcanal naval campaign, including the Battle of Cape Esperance on October 11–12, 1942.   First Year of War — Seven pages from All Hands Magazine, December 1942, reviewing the U.S. Navy’s first year of World War II — from Pearl Harbor through Midway, Guadalcanal, and Operation Torch in North Africa.   Revealed: Tokyo Bombed From ‘Hornet’ — One page from All Hands Magazine, May 1943, formally revealing that USS Hornet (CV-8) was the carrier from which Doolittle’s raiders launched their April 1942 bombing raid on Tokyo.   War’s First Shot: USS Ward at Pearl Harbor — Three pages from All Hands Magazine, February 1945, on USS Ward (DD-139), the destroyer that fired the first American shot of World War II by sinking a Japanese midget submarine at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.   The Battle of Midway — Eleven pages from All Hands Magazine, August 1942, covering the U.S. Navy’s decisive victory at Midway in June 1942 — the turning point of the Pacific War, where four Japanese fleet carriers were sunk.   The Battle of the Solomon Islands — Ten pages from All Hands Magazine, September 1942, on the naval campaign for Guadalcanal, including the fierce night engagements and carrier battles that defined the struggle for the Solomon Islands.   ‘Hornet’ Takes a Heavy Toll — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, February 1943, reporting on USS Hornet (CV-8)’s combat operations before her loss at the Battle of Santa Cruz in October 1942.   The Destroyer Escort Program — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, May 1943, on the U.S. Navy’s urgent wartime program to build destroyer escorts to combat the U-boat threat in the Atlantic.   Fleet Admiral King Reports — Eleven pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1946, presenting Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King’s final wartime report to the Secretary of the Navy, summarizing the U.S. Navy’s role in World War II from Pearl Harbor to V-J Day.

4/26/26 — Polaris, Missiles and Men — 1968 Recruiting Brochure — Twenty-three scanned pages of a U.S. Navy recruiting brochure contributed by former submarine sailor John Alagna, who served aboard SSBN-class “boomer” submarines. Covers the Polaris fleet ballistic missile program, the men who crewed the submarines, and the Navy’s nuclear deterrence mission during the Cold War.   It’s Polaris for 1960 — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1960, on the Polaris fleet ballistic missile becoming operational and the new class of SSBN submarines entering service.   SP Plus PERT Gave Polaris Its Spurt — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1960, on how the Special Projects office and PERT scheduling gave the Polaris program its remarkable speed — making PERT one of the most influential management tools to come out of the Cold War Navy.   Today’s Navy — January 1960 — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1960 (pp. 28–29), covering Polaris Fleet Ballistic Missile briefs and the Navy Missile Center at Point Mugu, with a photograph of an F-3H Demon cat shot from USS Midway in heavy seas.   Final Victory Is Ours — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, September 1945, marking the U.S. Navy’s victory in the Pacific in the month of Japan’s formal surrender aboard USS Missouri.   The Story of Auxiliary Carriers — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, May 1943, on the role of escort carriers (CVEs) in convoy protection, anti-submarine patrol, and amphibious support during World War II.   Commander Decorated — One page from All Hands Magazine, August 1942, showing a U.S. Navy destroyer commander receiving a decoration eight months after Pearl Harbor, during the early campaigns of the Pacific War.   The Part Carriers Played Off North Africa — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, February 1943, on carrier air power’s role during Operation Torch, the Allied amphibious invasion of French North Africa in November 1942.   The Action in North Africa — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, January 1943, covering the U.S. Navy’s role in Operation Torch, including USS Massachusetts (BB-59) silencing the Vichy French battleship Jean Bart off Casablanca.   Admiral Scott’s Triumph Revealed — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, December 1942, revealing the details of Rear Admiral Norman Scott’s victory at the Battle of Cape Esperance, one of the first decisive U.S. naval wins of the Guadalcanal campaign.   Avengers of Pearl Harbor — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, June 1942, recounting how U.S. Navy forces struck back against Japan six months after the Pearl Harbor attack, from early carrier raids to the battles of Coral Sea and Midway.   Secretary Knox: Amendment of Neutrality Act — Two pages from All Hands Magazine, December 1941, carrying Secretary of the Navy Frank Knox’s statement on the November 1941 amendment to the Neutrality Act — published on the eve of America’s entry into World War II.   Anti-Blackout Suits — One page from All Hands Magazine, February 1945, describing the Navy’s anti-G suit program for carrier aviators flying high-G combat missions in the final year of the Pacific War.   Battle for Iwo — Five pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1945, covering the Battle of Iwo Jima (February–March 1945) — one of the bloodiest amphibious assaults of the Pacific War — including the famous flag raising on Mount Suribachi.   Battle of the Atlantic — Six pages from All Hands Magazine, June 1945, looking back at the six-year anti-submarine campaign against German U-boats — from the 1942 East Coast crisis to the final defeat of the German submarine fleet one month before publication.   13 Rugged Old Ladies — Six pages from All Hands Magazine, July 1945, on the battleships of the U.S. Pacific Fleet in the final year of the war.   BB-59 Bombards Japan — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, August 1945, on USS Massachusetts (BB-59) bombarding targets on the Japanese home islands during the final weeks of the Pacific War.   Ships and Stations: Regunning the USS Pennsylvania — One page from All Hands Magazine, August 1945, documenting the replacement of worn main battery gun barrels aboard USS Pennsylvania (BB-38) — the battleship that survived Pearl Harbor in dry dock and served throughout the Pacific War.   How the African Landing Was Effected — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, February 1943, on the execution of Operation Torch, the Allied amphibious landings in French North Africa in November 1942 — America’s first large-scale amphibious operation of World War II.   Action in the South Pacific — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, April 1943, covering U.S. Navy operations across the South Pacific as the Guadalcanal campaign concluded and the drive up the Solomon Islands chain toward Rabaul began.   104-Day Continuous Cruise — Four pages from All Hands Magazine, October 1942, on a U.S. Navy carrier’s record-setting 104-day continuous cruise during the critical first year of the Pacific War.   800 DE’s To Be Built — One page from All Hands Magazine, May 1943, announcing the Navy’s ambitious destroyer escort construction program to counter the U-boat threat in the Atlantic.   Tokyo Rose — One page from All Hands Magazine, September 1945, on the Tokyo Rose broadcasts — Japanese propaganda radio aimed at Allied troops throughout the Pacific War.

4/25/26 — Gunner’s Mate Missile 3 & 2 Rate Training Manual — NAVTRA 10199-B (1972), scanned by Phil Hays of the USS Oklahoma City CLG-5. Covers the Talos, Terrier, Tartar, and ASROC missile systems and the information required for advancement to GMM3 and GMM2 ratings. 509 pages in a fully searchable PDF viewer with table of contents.   Gunner’s Mate Missile 1 & C Rate Training Manual — NAVTRA 10200-B (1972), scanned by Phil Hays of the USS Oklahoma City CLG-5. Covers advanced topics in guided missile launching systems for candidates advancing to GMM1 and GMMC ratings. 12 chapters, fully searchable PDF viewer with table of contents.

4/24/26 — OP 0 — Ordnance Pamphlet Zero Master Index (1946) — Complete 440-page master catalog of every U.S. Navy ordnance publication in effect as of 7 May 1946, including numerical listings of all OPs, ODs, OTIs, OHIs, OMIs, NAVORD Charts, and War Department publications, a subject index by type of equipment, and a checklist for ships armed with 5-inch or smaller caliber guns. Fully searchable PDF viewer with table of contents.   USS New Jersey BB-62 — 30 April 1968 Reactivation — Documents and photographs from the reactivation of USS New Jersey at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard for Vietnam War service, together with photographs from her career including her 1986 visit to Hong Kong and an Iowa-class cutaway diagram.   The Pecking Order — Precedence of Ratings of Petty Officers — Gene Slover’s account of the historical basis for the ranking of Petty Officers, tracing it from the age of wooden ships to the post-WWII abolition of Right Arm Ratings. Includes the official November 1942 tables of rating precedence.

4/23/26 — NAVORD OP-769 — Configuration of the Three Gun Turrets, USS New Jersey — Complete 589-page Naval Ordnance Pamphlet documenting every mechanical and electrical system of the Iowa-class 16-inch triple gun turret, prepared for the 30 April 1968 reactivation of USS New Jersey. All 19 chapters, four appendices, and the complete alphabetical index in a full PDF viewer with table of contents. Includes Title and Foreword section. Three-part split for performance (Chapters 1–5, 6–10, and 11–19 with appendices).   USS New Jersey BB-62 in Transit — Panama Canal 1983 — Twenty-one photographs taken by Jimmy Lee Slover, Senior Control House Operator at Miraflores Locks in the Canal Zone, as the New Jersey transited south to the Pacific Ocean in 1983 — the last time she navigated the canal under her own power. Includes photographs and explanation of the canal’s electric Mule locomotive rack-and-pinion traction system.

4/21/26 — Exterior Ballistics 1935 — Lt. Cdr. Ernest E. Herrmann, U.S. Navy — Complete 323-page Naval Academy textbook covering trajectory theory, Siacci’s method, ballistic tables, drift, range-table construction, gunfire correction from ships, probability of hitting, and salvo analysis. All 15 chapters and 4 appendices in a full PDF viewer with table of contents covering both Part 1 and Part 2. Full PDF downloads included.   USS Wisconsin BB-64 — Turret Weld Cracking from Muzzle Blast — Photograph and explanation of weld cracking between the faceplate and sideplate of Wisconsin’s 16-inch turret, caused by the rainbow effect of thick armor plate flexing under muzzle blast. Photograph furnished by Scott Chipman.

4/19/26 — USS Wisconsin BB-64 — Main Battery Plotting Room 360° Panorama — Interactive 360-degree tour of the main battery plotting room aboard the Iowa-class battleship Wisconsin. Features the Mark 48 Shore Bombardment Computer, Mark 8 Rangekeeper, Stable Element, and Mark 13 Radar, with supporting fire control diagrams. — USS Pampanito SS-383 — Forward Torpedo Room 360° Panorama — Interactive 360-degree panoramic view of the forward torpedo room aboard the WWII fleet submarine USS Pampanito. Home to 14 crewmen and 16 Mark 14 torpedoes. Drag to pan, Shift to zoom in, Ctrl to zoom out. — ▶ USS Wisconsin BB-64 — 16″ Guns Fire for the Last Time — Watch the final firing of Wisconsin’s 16-inch guns, with detailed footage of the powder bag loading procedure, rammer operation, and breech closure for the 16″/50 Mk 7 gun. — OP-1480: VT Fuzes for Projectiles and Spin-Stabilized Rockets — Ordnance Pamphlet 1480 (1st Rev., May 1946) covering U.S. Navy Radio Proximity VT fuzes—operation, characteristics, and usage. Includes two videos: Raytheon’s development of the VT fuze (with Gen. Omar Bradley) and silent live-fire testing at Dahlgren, Virginia over a wire mesh screen 70 feet above the water. Full PDF download (9.1 MB) plus excerpts from The Deadly Fuze. — Fleet Submarine — March 1968 — Four-page magazine spread covering the U.S. Navy fleet submarine program: design, weapons systems, operations, and crew life aboard a Cold War–era attack submarine. — Greatest of Its Kind in History — December 1942 — Four-page magazine article on the Vought V-173 Flying Pancake experimental aircraft and its place in U.S. Navy aviation history. — ▶ Tin Can Sailors — Battleship Cove — Ernest Borgnine narrates a 10-minute video about the state of destroyer museum ships around the country and what veterans are doing to preserve them for future generations. — Naval Ordnance Books: History 1861–1946 — Bibliography of Naval Ordnance and Gunnery publications prepared for midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy, covering all revised editions from 1861 through 1937, plus related range and ballistic tables.

4/18/26 — Converted to new format:   FT 8-I-1 Firing Tables, 8-Inch Gun Mk VI Mod 3A2, Part 2A-2 — Official Bureau of Ordnance firing tables (August 1941) for the 8-inch cruiser gun covering Shell H.E. 240 lb M103, Shell A.P. 260 lb Mk XX, and Shell T.P. 260 lb Mk XVIII; pages 68–137. Full PDF viewer with table of contents. — OP-1188 Abridged Range Tables for U.S. Navy Guns (June 1944) — Complete abridged surface range tables for 20-mm through 16-inch naval guns; covers range, maximum ordinate, and terminal trajectory data for AP, common, and high-capacity projectiles. Full 18.9 MB PDF download. — Naval Gun Barrel Construction — A detailed guide to modern naval gun barrel design, rifling, breech mechanisms (interrupted-screw, Welin stepped-thread, DeBange gas-check, sliding-wedge, and bolt types), and interior ballistics including built-up, radially expanded, and monobloc gun construction.

4/17/26 — Converted to new format:   OP 770 — Range Tables for the 16″/50 Caliber Gun (Mark D, October 1941; 2700-lb projectile, IV 2500 F.S., to 42,345 yards) — OP 757 — Range Tables for the 16″/45 Caliber Gun (Mark VI; 2700-lb projectile, IV 2300 F.S.) — Both documents now consolidated into single PDF viewers with full table of contents.  

4/15/26 — Converted to new format:   ▶ Inside the Navy Command Center of the Future — A 2009 look at SPAWAR’s prototype facility in San Diego, featuring glass walls, AI-assisted displays, and video teleconferencing for tomorrow’s Navy decision makers.   — ▶ Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) — Fast, maneuverable vessels built for shallow coastal warfare, with swappable mission modules for mine warfare, anti-submarine, and surface threats.   — ▶ Carrier Landings from the Cockpit — Two cockpit-view videos of carrier traps, including an S-3 Viking approach with audio of power changes and glide slope management. Includes S-3 Viking background and specifications.   — ▶ Iowa Class Battleship Firing the 16″ Guns — Video of an Iowa class battleship firing its massive 16-inch guns — each projectile the weight of a Volkswagen, reaching a height of over 33,000 feet.

4/14/26 — ▶ Life Aboard a WWII Carrier in the Pacific — Rare color footage of daily life aboard a US Navy aircraft carrier in the Pacific during World War II.   ▶ US Navy Aircraft Carriers 1922–1945 — Four-minute film tracing the development of US Navy carrier aviation from USS Langley in 1922 through the Essex-class carriers of World War II. — ▶ Phalanx CIWS — Added a general overview video of the Phalanx 20mm Close-In Weapon System to the existing live-fire test page. Three videos now on one page.
— Naval Ordnance 1937 — Index rebuilt as combined tabbed TOC + PDF viewer. Eight sequential-scan chapters (IV, VI–XI, XIV) assembled into two PDFs (Part 1: Ch. IV–VIII, 143 pp; Part 2: Ch. IX–XIV, 177 pp)

4/13/26 — Converted to new format:   Naval Ordnance 1937 — Index.   Chapter I — Introduction.   Chapter II — Explosives.   Chapter III — Interior Ballistics.   Chapter IV — Guns: Properties and Description.   Chapter VI — Construction of Naval Guns.   Chapter X — Recoil and Recoil Brakes.   Chapter XI — Naval Gun Sights.   Chapter XII — Armor.   Chapter XIII — Projectiles.   Chapter XIV — Ammunition.   Chapter XV — The Naval Proving Ground.   Chapter XVII — Small Arms.   The Naval Landing Gun.

4/13/26 — Converted to new format:   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Volume 1 — NavPers 10797-A (1957).   All 14 chapters assembled into two PDF parts from scanned source images.

4/12/26 — Converted to new format:   Puu-O-Hulu Military Reservation, 1923–1945.   Oahu’s WWII 5-Inch Naval Antiaircraft Shore Batteries.

4/11/26 — Converted to new format:   5-Inch Emergency Naval Gun Batteries on Oahu, T.H. 1942–1943.   Naval Ordnance 1937: Chapter IX — Naval Gun Mounts.   Conquest of Guadalcanal — March 1943.   USN Fire Control Equipment — Ford Rangekeeper & Deflection Converter.   OP 460 — Ford Rangekeeper Mark II, 1917.   OP 460 — Ford Rangekeeper Mark II, 1922.   OP 460A — Deflection Converter Mark I, 1922.   US Navy Steam Turbines — Reduction Gear, HP & LP Turbines.   The Black Gang — US Navy Engineering Crew, January 1955.   The Problems of Supplying Halsey.   The Value of Our Solomons Bases — March 1943.   B-29 Pilot Taking Off from Okinawa — Seabees Built the Airfields.   Simmons: Heavy Ordnance, 1837 — Effect of Hollow Shot on Ships of War.   Coast Defense Shore Batteries — Defense of the Hawaiian Islands.

4/10/26 — Converted to new format:   Signalman 3 & 2 — US Navy Training Manual.   High Living Below The Waves — USS Nautilus, All Hands Magazine April 1956.   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery Vol. 2: Fire Control — Table of Contents.   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery Vol. 2: Fire Control — Appendix B, 8″/55 Range Table.   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery Vol. 2: Fire Control — Appendix C, 5″/38 Range Table.   Naval Ordnance 1937: Chapter VII — Breech Mechanisms.   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery Vol. 2: Fire Control — Appendix D, Natural Trigonometric Functions.   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery Vol. 2: Fire Control — Appendix E, Fire Control Definitions.   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery Vol. 2: Fire Control — Appendix F, Standard Fire Control Symbols.   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery Vol. 2: Fire Control — Appendix G, Bureau of Ordnance Functions and Controls.   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery Vol. 2: Fire Control — Chapter 25B, The Mark 37 Director.   Naval Ordnance 1937: Chapter VIII — Firing Attachments and Gas-Expelling Devices.   Oahu’s 8-Inch Naval Turret Batteries 1942–1949.   8-Inch Turret Removal from USS Lexington, 30 March 1942.   Battery Arizona and the Kahe Point Military Reservation.  

4/9/26 — Converted to new format:   ▶ USS George H.W. Bush CVN-77 Deck Ops.   ▶ AV-8B Harrier Landings on USS Bataan.   ▶ F/A-18 To Extremes: Cat Shot to Trap.   ▶ CIWS Phalanx Tests on USS Kitty Hawk and USS Normandy.

4/8/26 — Converted to new format:   Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Volume 1 (1957).   Bloomers — 16"/45 Gun and Mark 37 Director.   US Navy Trivia.   The Gooney Birds of Midway Island.

4/7/26 — Converted to new format:   ▶ F/A-18 Guides Cruise Missile From USS Kidd to Moving Target.   ▶ F/A-18 High Speed Maneuvers Over USS Enterprise CVN-65.   ▶ Vought V-173 Flying Pancake.

4/5/26 — Converted to new format:   Selsyn and Synchro Devices — Reproducing Angular Rotation.

4/4/26 — Converted to new format with embedded PDF viewer and full table of contents:   All Hands Magazine May 1946.

3/27/26 — Converted to new format:   ▶ Victory in Japan (VJ) Day — Honolulu, Hawaii August 14, 1945.   ▶ WWII Posters — War Bonds, Victory Gardens & Canning.   ▶ USS North Carolina BB-55 — The Showboat.   ▶ USS Nimitz Aircraft Handling — How Do They Do It?.   ▶ USS Forrestal CVA-59 — Trial By Fire 1967.   ▶ The Most Dangerous Job In The World — Carrier Deck Operations.   ▶ Major Caliber 16″/50 Guns and Turrets — 1955 Training Video.   ▶ Magnetic Catapult EMALS — From Zero to 150 in Less Than a Second.   ▶ Carrier Traps in Daylight on a Pitching Deck.   ▶ Carrier Traps at Night on a Pitching Deck.   ▶ USS Texas — Updates Bring the Past Alive for Visitors.   ▶ USS New Jersey Guns of Freedom — 16″/50 and 5″/38.   ▶ USS New Jersey BB-62 — Floating Fortress Korean War Film 1952.

3/26/26 — Converted to new format:   ▶ Mighty Mo — USS Missouri BB-63: The Grand Lady Comes Home.   ▶ Mark 110 57mm Naval Gun.   ▶ Navy Laser Weapon System (LaWS).

3/25/26 — Converted to new format:   ▶ USS Pennsylvania SSBN-735 — U.S. Navy’s Largest Submarine.   Coastal and Riverine Craft Armament — Chapter 11.   ▶ ASROC Weapons System.

3/24/26 — Converted to new format:   The Day a Japanese Plane Bombed Oregon.   OP-1303 US Navy Synchros December 1944 — with embedded PDF viewer and full table of contents.   US Navy Cook Book 1920.

3/22/26–3/23/26 — Converted to new format:   Military Funerals and Burial at Sea.   ▶ Soviet Naval Ships — two-video playlist.   Understanding Soviet Naval Developments 1991 — with full table of contents.   US Navy Cook Book 1920 — with embedded PDF viewer and complete table of contents.

3/21/26 — New pages: Submarines Index.   USS Virginia Class Submarine Photo Tour.   Submarine Emergency Ascent Balloons 1963.   DARPA HYDRA Underwater Drone Platform.   Submarine Hunting Drone Named Wanda.   USS Barb — The Sub That Sank a Train.   Naval Ordnance Chapter 13A — Mine Types & Components.   Chapter 13B — Aircraft Minelaying.   Chapter 13C — Mine Warfare & Countermeasures.   USS Wahoo — Running and Gunning.   Converted to new format: ▶ Japanese Final Surrender 1945, ▶ USS Missouri Gulf War Guns & Tomahawks, ▶ Vought V-173 Flying Pancake, ▶ First C-130 Hercules Carrier Landing, ▶ 40mm Anti-Aircraft Gun 1943 Training Video, ▶ USS Clamagore Fox News Interview, ▶ X-47B UCAS Carrier Drone.

3/20/26 — Converted to new format: ▶ USS Laffey Memorial 2014, ▶ USS Laffey Smithsonian Combat Ships, ▶ Holystoning USS Missouri, ▶ USS Missouri Launch 1944, ▶ Japanese Balloon Bombs, ▶ Doolittle B-25 Reunions, ▶ North Platte Canteen, ▶ Panama Canal Videos, Gene’s Inside Story: Panama Canal Locks, ▶ Naval Health Clinic Joint Base Charleston, ▶ Ray Stevens “Thank You”, ▶ Medal of Honor Society Convention, ▶ Medal of Honor Society Gala 2010, ▶ USS Cassin Young Weapons, ▶ Night Engagement Empress Augusta Bay, ▶ Soviet Naval Ships, ▶ Navy SEALs vs. Somali Pirates, ▶ US Navy of 1915, ▶ US Navy Presidential Drill Team, ▶ Go Navy Video, ▶ Navy Proving Ground Dahlgren VA 1951, ▶ Memorial Day 2012 Tribute, Brinkley Bass Newsletters, USS Laffey Drydock photos and videos, NAVPERS 10797-A Naval Ordnance and Gunnery, Battleship Turret Parbuckling, 40mm Bofors History and Relocation.

3/14/26–3/19/26 — Major conversion effort: all index pages (Ships, Guns, Videos, Sailors’ Stories, Humor, Battleships, Cruisers, Destroyers, Submarines, Updates, Reunions, Search) converted to new format. All 23 Sailors’ Stories pages converted. All 29 R&R Humor pages converted. Key root pages converted: Aviator Slang & Acronyms, D-Day 1944 Photos, The Pacific Theater WWII, Rate Insignia of Enlisted Personnel, USS Recruit, USS Missouri Drydock 2009, USS Reuben James, Navy SEAL War Dogs, Gene Slover’s Page, Gene Slover’s Obituary. Video pages converted: ▶ USS Yorktown Tour, ▶ USS Laffey Tour, ▶ Submarine Escape Trunk, ▶ Blue Angels, ▶ Take ‘er Down 1954, ▶ Cormorant Unmanned Aircraft, ▶ USS Clamagore Slide Show, ▶ F-35B Sea Trials, ▶ AV-8B No Nose Gear Landing, ▶ Fire Control Analog Computers, ▶ Rail Gun Electromagnetic Canon, ▶ Raytheon Laser Drone Killer, ▶ GBAD Ground-Based Anti-Drone Lasers, ▶ Sneak Craft of Italy & Germany, ▶ Iowa Class Battleship, ▶ Loading the 16″ Guns, ▶ 16″ Main Battery Fire Control, ▶ Naval 14″ Railway Guns 1918, ▶ USS John C. Stennis, ▶ USS Gerald R. Ford Catapult Test, ▶ Sea Dart Water Takeoff and Landing, ▶ US Naval Aviation Museum Pensacola, ▶ Japanese Balloon Bombs, ▶ Doolittle B-25 Reunions. Engineering pages: New US Battleship 1943, Chapter 7 Reduction Gears. Destroyers: USS Brinkley Bass, Brinkley Bass Birthday. USNAVY: USS Massachusetts War Diaries.

2/28/26 — Quantum Leap. On the afternoon of 28 February 2026 I have begun a totally new design for the site. Using AI I am now able to recode much faster and make the updates I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

Since I started working with Gene, many years ago, we each ‘did our own thing’, coding our own pages. I tried to give the overall site a similar look with the lavender background, adding the menu and the videos. Many of Gene’s original pages still have the white background and are coded with methods no longer used.

At the request of countless ‘youngsters’, whom I really want to reach, I am in the process of re-coding the entire site. It will become “responsive”, which means it can shrink and grow to fit the device being used. Since so many now use their phones, it’s important that the site be usable on that small screen.

First, as a tribute to Gene, the site now has a new header and blue background. That’s Gene when he served and in later retirement years. He never used an apostrophe in the title, so as kind of an ‘inside joke’ I continue that spelling, only the anchor has been added ‘for effect’. I think Gene would approve.

Due to other volunteer obligations over the past few years I have not had time to work on the site and have only done minor updates. That’s changing now.

I am working my way through the menu, so if you see the new parchment color design with sidebar, those pages have been recoded. The blue background with red menu buttons are the previous iteration; the blue menu buttons were before that and the lavender background pages before that… AND if you see a page with a white background, they are the oldest and are Gene’s original coding. I can assure you, THIS is the last time I am doing this.

In between updating pages, I will be adding new ones. I am working my way through almost 1000 pages, so it will be a process, as they say.

The guest book has been updated and is now working again. All comments welcomed along with constructive feedback. If you find any mistakes or problems with any pages, please drop me an email directly.

For any of you who have subscribed to new pages, you should be getting an email or news reader update whenever I add new pages. You can subscribe here and you will get an email whenever a new page is added or one is updated. Your name will never be sold or shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Thank you all for your support. Please share the links with your shipmates, contacts and friends. I know Gene is smiling.

JJ