Seeking record of uncle's death on USS Pennsylvania

Question

My Uncle died after falling from the rigging of USS Pennsylvania in November 1925. How can I get more information about the incident, possibly an official report about what happened?&#160; My uncle was Frank James Green. He was born 5 July 1905 in either Knox or Sevier County Tennessee. He died 5 November 1925.

Rebecca Collier · Answer

Dear Lee Hawn, &#160; Thank you for posting your request on History Hub! &#160; We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Index to Muster Rolls of Naval Ships and Shore Establishments, 1/1898 - 6/30/1939 (A3442) and the Muster Rolls of Naval Ships and Shore Establishments, 1/1898 - 6/30/1939 in the Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Record Group 24) that may contain the muster rolls of the USS Pennsylvania for November 1925. For more information about these non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives at Washington, DC - Textual Reference (RDT1) via email at archives1reference@nara.gov . &#160; We also located the Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships, ca. 1801 - 1940 in the Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Record Group 24) that may include the deck logs of the USS Pennsylvania&#160; for November 1925 . These logs have not been digitized. For more information about the non-digitized logs, please contact RDT1 via email at archives1reference@nara.gov . The deck logs may include information about the accident. &#160; In addition, we located Navy and Marine Corps Casualty Records, 1898 - 1970 &#160; in the Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Record Group 24) that may include a file for Frank James Green. For more information about these non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives at St. Louis (RL-SL) via email at stl.archives@nara.gov . &#160; Next, we located a series titled Court of Inquiry Proceedings, 1909 - 1971 in the Records of the Office of the Judge Advocate General (Navy) (Record Group 125) that may include USS Pennsylvania. For more information about these non-digitized records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov . &#160; Lastly, we suggest that you request a copy of his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) . OMPFs and medical records of enlisted men of the U.S. Navy who were separated from the service after 1885 and before 1960 are located at NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO&#160; 63138-1002.&#160; To request these records, please mail a completed GSA Standard Form 180 to NPRC. If there is any information requested by the form that you do not know, you may omit it or provide estimates (such as for dates), but the more information you provide, the easier it will be to locate the correct file. For more information see Official Military Personnel Files (OMPF), Archival Records Requests . &#160; Due to the continued impact of COVID-19, you may experience a delay in receiving an initial acknowledgment as well as a substantive response to your reference request from RDT1, RL-SL, and RDT2. &#160; We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience as we balance mission-critical work and the safety of our staff during the pandemic. Please check NARA&#8217;s web page about COVID-19 updates for the latest information. Also, NPRC will continue servicing requests ONLY associated with medical treatments, burials, homeless veterans seeking admittance to a homeless shelter, and those involving the VA Home Loan program. If your request is urgent, please see Emergency Requests and Deadlines . Please refrain from submitting non-emergency requests such as replacement medals, administrative corrections, or records research until NPRC returns to pre-COVID staffing levels.&#160; Please check archives.gov/veterans for updates to the NPRC operating hours and status. We apologize for this inconvenience and appreciate your understanding and patience. &#160; We searched the Naval History and Heritage Command Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships and located a history of the USS Pennsylvania . &#160; We hope this is helpful. Best of luck with your family research! &#160;