World War II Records in the Cartographic and - National Archives ...

to naval sites are on microfilm. Some plans dating from the World War II period
remain in the custody of the Department of the Navy.
71.2. Maps & Charts: Filed among the architectural plans are numerous maps of
navy yards, naval bases, airbases, training camps, fuel stations, ordnance plants,
radio stations, and hospitals in the United States and abroad (including sites in the
West Indies, the Aleutian Islands, Hawaii, the Philippine Islands, and Guam), many
of which were prepared during World War II. Other maps of naval bases, including
site plans of naval air stations in the United States dating from 1940 to 1942, are on
microfilm.
71.3. Engineering Plans: Included are about 100 plans relating to U.S. Navy ships
and boats, a few of which, such as the U.S.S. Idaho (BB-42), saw action during
World War II.
RG 72 Records of the Bureau of Aeronautics
72.1. Engineering Plans: There are about 1,500,000 plans of U.S. naval airplanes,
including many of the period (such as the Grumman F4F Wildcat, the Douglas SBD
Dauntless, and the Vought F4U Corsair), among the holdings. These plans are
arranged in several series, notably the Bureau of Aeronautics master plan files
(1911-42); the Navy Aircraft Factory (NAF) plans files (1917-42); and the Naval Air
Engineering Center (NAEC) plans files (1942-62), which include those of its
predecessor, the Naval Air Material Center (NAMC). In addition, there are
approximately 4,000 plans relating to U.S. airships and related equipment and
instruments (1919-44) from the Lakehurst Naval Air Station. Only a small number
of these pertain to dirigibles that remained in service during World War II. About
3,000 rolls of negative microfilm include copies of naval airplane and airship
engineering drawings and plans of aircraft engines and related equipment
accumulated by the Naval Air Technical Services Facility, as well as German
research and development documents relating to work on guided missiles conducted
during the war at the Peenemunde Proving Ground. Many of the documents include
plans and photographs, and most are in German, although a few English translations
are included.
72.2. Maps & Charts: The records include a map of Bermuda showing the
locations of U.S. and British military bases (1944). In addition, there are a few
maps of Lakehurst and other U.S. naval air stations, most of which date from the
1920's, filed among the airship plans.
72.3. Architectural Drawings: Plans of buildings and structures, such as mooring
masts at Lakehurst Naval Air Station that date largely from the 1920's, are filed
among the airship engineering plans.
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