W. H. Wood Seaman Gunners Class Notebook, 1916-1917: Finding Aid

Biography of W. H. Wood

W. H. Wood was a gunner in the United States Navy. In 1916-1917, he attended the Seaman Gunners Class at Newport, Rhode Island.

Description of Contents

The W. H. Wood Seaman Gunners Class Notebook, comprising 0.08 linear feet of documentation, is the product of Wood's participation in the thirty-five week long Seaman Gunners Class of 1916-1917 in Newport, Rhode Island.

Wood's notebook features sections on the Whitehead torpedo (pages 2-41), the Bliss-Leavitt Mark 7 torpedo (pages 42-57), gyros (pages 58-61, 84-89, 102-105, 121-123), submerged tubes (pages 62-79, 134-139), diving (pages 80-81), math (pages 82-83), the Bliss-Leavitt Mark III torpedo (pages 90-102, 110-112, 140-141), tube adjustments (page 107), the A.C.R. Device and Exploding Mechanism (page 109), the Platt Air Compressor (pages 113-116), the Naval Defense Mine Mark II (pages 117-120), the J.E. Floating Mine (page 124), the Mark III Contact Mine (pages 125-126), gun cotton and T.N.T. (page 127-128), the Mark 13 and Mark 11 Mahn Air Compressor (pages 130-132), and air flasks (pages 170-173). Beginning on page 144, are sets of instructions for care of torpedoes, daily maintenance routine, and firing preparations. The notebook closes with notes on bench work (such as soldering) and a weekly breakdown of Wood's instructors and grades. An index to the notes appears on page 184.

Included in the notebook are mechanical drawings, cartoons and caricatures, newspaper clippings. Accompanying the notebook are several sets of typescript instructions and a photographic postcard of a diver in deep-sea diving gear.

Arrangement

The W. H. Wood Seaman Gunners Class Notebook is arranged into the following three files:

• File 1: Seaman Gunners Class Notebook, 1916-1917
• File 2: Ordnance and Torpedo Instructions, 1916-1917
• File 3: Postcard, undated

Access and Use

Access

Access is unrestricted.

Copyright and Permission

The W. H. Wood Seaman Gunners Class Notebook is the physical property of Nimitz Library. Copyright belongs to the authors or creators of the works, or their legal representatives. For further information, consult the Head, Special Collections & Archives.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to secure written permission to publish, reprint, or reproduce material from Special Collections & Archives. The researcher assumes responsibility for infringement of copyright or literary or publication rights. Please contact the Head, Special Collections & Archives for permission to publish and for further information.

Acquisition and Appraisal

Provenance and Acquisition

Gift of Mrs. Lulu Neville.

Related Materials

Related Archival Material

Additional notes on mines can be found in Malcolm Stearns' Naval Mine Notebook, MS 401.

Materials Cataloged Separately

No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.

Processing and Other Information

Preferred Citation

W. H. Wood Seaman Gunners Class Notebook, MS 327

Special Collections & Archives Department

Nimitz Library

United States Naval Academy

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Mary R. Catalfamo in 1997. Finding aid written by Mary R. Catalfamo in 1997 and revised by David D'Onofrio in June 2014.

Subject Headings

Name and Subject Terms

• Mines (Military explosives)
• Naval education -- United States
• Naval gunnery
• Submarine Mines
• Torpedoes
• Wood, W.H., fl. 1916-1917

Genre Terms

• Manuscripts
• Notebooks
• Postcards