Seeking muster rolls & deck logs of USS Runner (SS-275)

Dear Cory Shellman,

In addition to specific materials which NARA facilities may have, you may want to look at the already digitized War Patrol Reports for the submarine which are hosted by the National Park Association associated with San Francisco National Maritime Historic Park.

https://maritime.org/doc/subreports.htm

You also might find additional information is held in the "boat book" for the submarine held by the US Navy Submarine Force Museum and you can place an inquiry regarding whether a mention of this incident is held in that location by emailing the museum librarian at wendy.gulley@navy.mil or by calling them at 860-694-5635.

Dear Mr. Shellman,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

According to the US Navy and Heritage Command’s article on the loss of the USS Runner (SS-275), the submarine left Midway Island on 28 May 1943, not May 1944. The article states that “The submarine was never heard from following her departure from Midway.” She was reported as presumed lost on 11 July 1943.

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941 - 1983 in the Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Record Group 24) that include the deck log of the USS Runner (SS-275) from July 30, 1942  through 30 April 1943. We do not have any logs of the Runner for May 1943 or any subsequent dates, as they would have been aboard the submarine at the time of its loss.

We also located Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 1/1/1939 - 1/1/1949 in Record Group 24 that include the muster rolls of the USS Runner for 27 May 1943. The muster rolls for this date record four crewmembers being transferred to Midway for treatment. There is also a report showing the final disposition of the entire crew, listing those that were declared missing in action on 11 July 1943, and presumed dead on 2 January 1946. For access to and/or copies of the deck logs and muster rolls, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov.

As part of our on-going commitment to preserve our records, the National Archives has entered into partnership with Ancestry.com to digitize some of NARA's holdings. Digitized records include Muster Rolls/Personnel Diaries (crew rosters) of U.S. Naval Ships and Stations for the dates of 1938 thrrough 1949. These records are now available in digital form and can be viewed online at https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/1143/. In order to view the entire muster roll, use “Browse this collection” menu on the right hand side to select “Ship”, “R”, “Runner” and “1943”. There may be a fee for this service. Instead, you may view these records online at one of NARA's facilities for free via a NARA PC. For the nearest NARA location, please consult our web page at http://www.archives.gov/locations/. Additionally, you may check with your local public or university library as these institutions often provide access to Ancestry.com.

If you provide us with further details about the story you are trying to verify, such as the name of the person evacuated or the aviation units involved, we may be able to suggest further possibilities for research.

We hope this information is helpful. Best of luck with your research!

Cory:  I don't know if this would be of any help to your research, but the NARA partner Fold3 military history site has the War Patrol Reports for the first and second war patrols of USS RUNNER SS-275 at https://www.fold3.com/image/1/29105619   .

The last ship's crew is listed here.

https://www.history.navy.mil/research/library/online-reading-room/title-list-alphabetically/u/united-states-submarine-lo…