Seeking information on Wilbur Lawrence Haltom, name of all the ships he was on

Good Morning Meshelle  -  NARA staff will probably respond with detailed directions on how to obtain a copy of the relevant record, but in the meantime, the 4th Qtr 1943 Muster Rolls for the USS Yorktown CV10 show an individual by that name and service number.

Have a great day.

OH my gosh!  Thank you so much Ernest!!  I want to share our History with our grandchildren. 

We looked a little deeper and found some additional info if you don't already have it.  Wilber Lawrence Haltom reported aboard Yorktown in April 1943 and was rated as WT (Water Tender) and by December 43 had achieved a rating of WT1c (Water Tender 1st Class) which would have likely been senior petty officer in charge of a boiler room.  Assuming he was on Yorktown until his transfer to Champlain in June of 1945, he would have seen a lot of combat during that time including a serious bombing attack and riding out a famous typhoon that sunk several smaller accompanying vessels.  Details of that period can be found at 

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/histories/ship-histories/danfs/y/yorktown-cv-10-iv.html

If he was on USS Helena in 42-43 there is a ton of documentation at NARA and elsewhere on her tragic sinking in early 43.That would be a story in itself.

Complements to you for wanting to pass along family history to the grand children.  Wilber L Haltom had an eventful (and very hazardous) service period.  Good luck on you continued search for enlightenment.

Thank you again Ernest, I had no idea about this.  I know at one time he told me he was a fireman in the boiler room?  Not for sure which ship.  He loved the Navy and eventual retired from the Navy after serving during WWII and Korean War.  He loved the outdoors.  

The official rating Water Tender was (WT) changed to Boiler Tender (BT) sometime after WWII and is most likely something else now.  "Fireman" (FN) in the 60's and 70's was a term used for a sailor assigned to the Engineering department but had not yet achieved a petty officer of 3rd class to 1st class.  I was the Engineering Officer of a destroyer built near the end of WWII and our boiler rooms would have been smaller than the ones on Yorktown.  I can tell you it was a very difficult work environment with temps in the 110-120 range, very noisy, with the pervasive smell of fuel oil.  It was also the last place you wanted to be in the event of an attack. WT's/BT's were unsung heroes..

Note - a fireroom is where WT's/BT's made steam which was then passed to an engine room that was manned mostly by machinist mates (MM's) and which powered the machinery that turned the propellers.

(Sorry - I get a little carried away sometimes.  )

Meshelle 

Thank you for posting your question on History Hub!

To find out which ships, Wilbur Haltom, served on during World War II, we would recommend requesting his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) from the National Archives in St. Louis.

The medical and Official Military Personnel Files (OMPFs) of Enlisted Personnel of the U.S. Navy who were separated from the service after 1885 and prior to February 1, 1994 and Officers of the U.S. Navy who were separated from service after 1902 and prior to February 1, 1994 are located at NARA's National Personnel Records Center, (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO  63138-1002.  You may apply online at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records/. Or you can download Standard Form 180 (SF-180) and send in your request via postal mail.

To download an SF-180 please visit our website at the following: https://www.archives.gov/files/research/order/standard-form-180.pdf

For a complete copy of a personnel file, in Section II, on the line for "Other" (Specify), write "Complete copy of every page of personnel file - not an extract."

For information regarding access to medical records please visit http://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel/public/general-public-clinical.html. 

The OMPF will state what ships he was on and when he was on them. The DD214 or the WWII version called the Report of Separation may only list a few ships/commands and will not state when he was aboard.  The Report of Separation is only a snapshot of a person's service in the Navy.

We invite you to continue the conversation with community members on History Hub, but should you have follow up questions for the staff at Archives II, please email us at archives2reference@nara.gov so that we can assist you further. 

We hope this assists you with your research! 

Sincerely,

Textual Reference Archives II Branch (RR2RR)

[23-48154] - NSP