Seeking USS Smalley documents

Dear Ms. Ordman,

Thank you for posting your request on History Hub!

We searched the National Archives Catalog and located the Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1941 - 1983 and the Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 1/1/1939 - 1/1/1949 in the Records of the Bureau of Naval Personnel (Record Group 24) that include the deck logs of the USS Smalley (DD-565) for 31 March 1944 through 9 July 1946 and the muster rolls of the USS Smalley for 1944 through 1946.  We also located World War II Action and Operational Reports in the Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (Record Group 38) that may include reports submitted by the USS Smalley. For access to and/or copies of these records, please contact the National Archives at College Park - Textual Reference (RDT2) via email at archives2reference@nara.gov.

The Muster Rolls have been digitized and can be viewed online via http://www.ancestry.com. 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 sometimes provide access to Ancestry.com for their patron.

We also located World War II War Diaries, Other Operational Records and Histories, ca. 1/1/1942 - ca. 6/1/1946 in the Records of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations (Record Group 38) which contains war diaries and reports concerning the USS Smalley’s activities during World War 2. These records have been digitized and can be viewed online through the Catalog.  Please keep in mind that the Catalog does not always list files in chronological order.

In addition, we searched the website of the Naval History and Heritage Command and located an article about Smalley (DD-565).

You also may wish to request his Official Military Personnel File (OMPF). OMPFs and medical records of officers and enlisted men of the U.S. Navy who served during World War II and were separated from the service after prior to 1957 are located at NARA's National Personnel Records Center (NPRC), (Military Personnel Records), 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO  63138-1002. To request these records, please mail a completed GSA Standard Form 180 to NPRC.

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