Richards T. Miller Papers, 1940-2000: Finding Aid
Published in September 2020
Summary Information
- Publisher: United States Naval Academy. Special Collections & Archives.
- Publisher Address:
589 McNair Road
Annapolis, Maryland 21402-5029, USA
Phone: 410-293-6917
https://www.usna.edu/Library/sca/index.php - Call number: MS 552
- Location: Special Collections & Archives Department - Manuscripts
- Title: Richards T. Miller Papers
- Dates: 1940-2000
- Size: 2.5 linear feet
- Container Summary: 6 manuscript boxes, 3 oversize folders
- Creator: Miller, Richards Thorn
- Language(s) of material: English
- Abstract: Richards Thorn Miller was a naval architect and marine engineer in the United States Navy and for Westinghouse Electric. The Richards T. Miller Papers, spanning from 1940 until 2000, are primarily the product of Miller's studies at MIT, his association with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, his work for Westinghouse Electric's Oceanic Division, and to a lesser extent, his career in the United States Navy. The papers cover various topics relating to naval and marine architecture, from the design of warships of various hull types to Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion technology and offshore oil drilling, as well as Navy boat building in Annapolis during World War II.
Biography of Richards Thorn Miller
Richards Thorn Miller was born on January 31, 1918 in Jenkintown, Pennsylvania. After graduating from Western High School in Washington, DC, he studied naval architecture at Webb Institute, graduating with a bachelor of science in 1940. In 1951, he completed postgraduate study in naval engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Miller's career with the United States Navy began shortly after his graduation from Webb Institute, with his commissioning as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve. In September 1940, he was called up for active duty at the New York Naval Shipyard, where he served as Assistant Hull Superintendent during the construction of U.S.S. Iowa (Battleship: BB-61) and U.S.S. Missouri (Battleship: BB-63). In 1941, he transferred to the Chesapeake Bay region to serve as Assistant Supervisor of Shipbuilding at Annapolis, with inspection responsibilities at ten ship yards constructing PT boats and other small craft.
Following the end of World War II, Miller transferred to the regular Navy, retiring with the rank of Captain in 1968. During his regular Navy career, he served as Head of the Preliminary Design Branch at the Bureau of Ships, Commanding Officer of the Mine Defense Laboratory, and Director of Ship Design at the Naval Ship Engineering Center. After retiring from the Navy, Miller joined the Oceanic Division of Westinghouse Electric, and was appointed an engineering manager in 1970. Retiring from Westinghouse in 1979, Miller served as a consulting engineer and arbitrator. He also remained active in the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, and served as a member of the Panel on Platforms, contributing to Technology for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, 2000-2035. Miller also co-wrote Sailing Yacht Design; an Appreciation of a Fine Art with Robert Goldsborough Henry in 1965.
Richards Thorn Miller died on December 7, 2013 in Annapolis, Maryland.
Description of Contents
The Richards T. Miller Papers, comprising 2.5 linear feet of documentation and spanning from 1940 until 2000, are primarily the product of Miller's studies at MIT, his association with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, his work for Westinghouse Electric's Oceanic Division, and to a lesser extent, his career in the United States Navy. The papers cover various topics relating to naval and marine architecture, from the design of warships of various hull types to Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion technology and offshore oil drilling, as well as Navy boat building in Annapolis during World War II.
Included in the collection are notes, articles, letters, reports, book chapter manuscripts, brochures, photographs, and design drawings.
The Miller Papers are arranged into two series by document type. Series 1: Writings, composed of manuscripts and published writings, consists of works on naval architecture either written or edited by Miller for the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, the Panel on Platforms, and for the Naval Institute's Proceedings. In some cases, the research materials for the writings in Series 1 can be found in similarly titled files in Series 2: Subject Files. The remainder of Series 2 consists of files pertaining to various naval architecture topics, each often composed of Miller's handwritten notes, as well as various journal articles, magazine articles, and trade publications.
Arrangement
The Richards T. Miller Papers are organized into the following two series:
- Series 1: Writings, 1969-2000
- Series 2: Subject Files, 1940-2000
Access and Use
Access
Access to any potentially classified material is restricted.
Copyright and Permission
The Richards T. Miller Papers are 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 Richards T. Miller in April 1995, May 1995, and October 2002. Accession No. 95-25 and 95-27.
Related Materials
Related Archival Material
Additional material pertaining to Miller's career can be found in the Captain Richards T. Miller Collection, MS 86 at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum and the Capt. Richards T. Miller Papers, Manuscript Collection #875 at East Carolina University. Miller also sat for an oral history interview with East Carolina University on June 30, 1997.
Materials Cataloged Separately
No materials have been removed from this collection and cataloged separately.
Processing and Other Information
Miller's "Notes on Naval Boat Building in Easport and the Annapolis Yacht Yard" and "Office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN Annapolis, Maryland History" were originally processed and cataloged as part of the Special Collections Vertical File.
Preferred Citation
Richards T. Miller Papers, MS 552
Special Collections & Archives Department
Nimitz Library
United States Naval Academy
Selected Bibliography
The following sources were consulted during preparation of the biographical note:
"Capt. Richards T. Miller Obituary," on Tributes website, accessed September 3, 2020, https://www.tributes.com/obituary/show/Richards-T.-Miller-97306915.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by David D'Onofrio in September 2020. Finding aid written by David D'Onofrio in September 2020.
Subject Headings
Name and Subject Terms
- Annapolis (Md.) -- History
- Anti-submarine warfare -- United States
- Constitution (Frigate)
- Miller, Richards Thorn
- Mines (Military explosives)
- Naval architecture
- Ocean thermal power plants
- Shipbuilding -- United States
- Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers (U.S.)
Genre Terms
- Articles
- Brochures
- Correspondence
- Design drawings
- Manuscripts
- Notes (documents)
- Photographs
- Reports
Contents List
Series 1: Writings, 1969-2000 Box 1
Series DescriptionArticles, book chapters, and letters to the editor authored or edited by Miller on topics related to naval architecture, propulsion, and ship design. Many of the writings were either produced for the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers or, for those bearing a title beginning with "A Note on," for Technology for the United States Navy and Marine Corps, 2000-2035 in connection with Miller's role as a member of the Panel on Platforms. Included in the series are articles, manuscripts, clippings, and correspondence.
Among the documents in this series is a brief history of boat building in Annapolis for the United States Navy.
Series ArrangementArranged alphabetically by title.
Series 2: Subject Files, 1940-2000 Boxes 1-6
Series DescriptionDocumentation on various naval architecture research topics and projects. Pertaining to topics such as hovercraft, hydrofoils, naval mines, anti-submarine ship design, general warship design principles, and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion, the materials are largely the product of Miller's studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, career in the United States Navy, and work for the Oceanic Division of Westinghouse, as well as his association with the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and time as chairman of the National Security Industrial Association's Conventional Platform Panel (which produced "ASW Surface Ship of the '80's"). Included in the series are articles, notes, letters, reports, brochures, photographs, and design drawings.
Among the materials in the series are the command history/war diary for the Office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding in Annapolis during World War II, a set of plans for the frigate U.S.S. Constitution, and documentation regarding litigation over high yield steel testing.
Series ArrangementArranged alphabetically by topic.
Arctic Marine Technology, 1970-1981, undated
Includes copies of "Sea Ice: Some Polar Contrasts," "Pressure Ridge Characteristics in the Arctic Coastal Environment," "The Economics of Arctic Oil Transportation," "Canada North - Man and the Land," and "A Submarine LNG Tanker Concept for the Arctic."
Form, Power, and Steering, 1940-1977, undated
Ship Design Notebook III: includes "Hull Form by Taylor's Mathematical Method," "On the Transom Stern," "Diagrams for Determining the Resistance of Single-Screw Ships," and notes on wind waves at sea and Appendage Resistance. Also includes copies of F. H. Todd's "The Fundamentals of Ship Form," "The Fundamentals of Ship Propulsion," and "The Fundamentals of Ship Model Testing."
Hull Form, 1950-1996, undated
Includes copies of "A Comparative Evaluation of Novel Ship Types," "What Price Speed," "Comparison of Alternative Hull Forms for Power Boat Application," "Achievements with Advanced Craft," "Fast Attack Craft - A Comparative Analysis," "Ship Impact Studies," "Fast Attack Combatant for Near-Shore Operation," "The Regional Deterrence Ship (RDS 2010)," "A Capable, Affordable 21st-Century Destroyer," "Hybrid Hydrofoil Technology Applications," and documents on TRICATs.
Hydrofoils, 1953-1975, undated
Notes on Russian hydrofoils, the Boeing DEH Conceptual Design, and hydrofoil towing capacity, as well as copies of "The Lycoming Hydrophibian," "Flying on Hydrofoils," Grumman's "A Feasibility Study of Hydrofoil Seacraft." Includes photographs of U.S.S. High Point (PCH-1) and other early hydrofoils.
Machinery Automated Control and Monitoring, 1964-1976
Documents entitled "Automatic Control For Ships," "The Effectiveness of Vibration Analysis as a Maintenance Tool," "Refinery-machinery Surveillance and Diagnostic System Pays Off," "Shipboard Data Multiplex System," "Westinghouse Power Plant Automation for USC&GS Oceanographic Vessel," and "Relief Engineers Training Manual for Automated Vessels," as well as materials on Oceanographic Survey Vessel T-AGS-26.
Office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, USN Annapolis, Maryland History, 1945 December
Command History/War Diary (World War II) of the Office of Supervisor of Shipbuilding, including administrative history, contracts completed, personnel, and copies of photographs of Navy boats built in Annapolis.
Seakeeping, 1944-1978, undated
Notes on ship motion, as well as copies of "A Vibration Manual for Engineers," "Wave Statistics for the Design of Ships and Ocean Structures," "Maximum Wave Conditions for Design," "Seakeeping Criteria and Specifications," "Transfer Functions for Predicting Ship Motions: A Review of the Theory," "Seagoing Qualities of Ships: A Note on the Application of Model Tests to the Prediction of Ship Performance," and "Notes on the Use of Fixed Bilge Keels on the DX Design."
Ship Structure (B), 1934-1952
Notes and documents (some from MIT courses) on hull stresses, strength of damaged ships, strength data by ship class, design of ordnance foundations, and submarine pressure hull design. Includes articles "New Developments in the Hull Design of Wooden Ships," "Continuous Beam Solutions by Moment Distribution," "Section Moduli of Cut Channel Stiffeners," "Stress Analysis of Stayed Kingpost," and "Strengthening of T2 Hulls."
Structural Design Data, 1956-1959, undated
Materials on bulkhead plating and design by M. L. Sellers and D. F. MacNaught, "Design of Typical Platform Deck," notes on steel corrosion allowances, "Quick Calculation of Longitudinal Bending Moments," "Full Scale Ship Structural Experiments and the Effect of Unfair Plating in Tension," "Stresses in the Longitudinal Structure of Steel Merchant Vessels," and memos on ship hull deflection.
Submersibles, 1965-1972
Includes copies of "Undersea Vehicles for Oceanography," "The Development of Manned Deep-Diving Submersibles," "Kawasaki Goes with Submersibles," "Investigation of a Method to Provide Motion Synchronization during Submersible Retrieval," and "Oxygen Systems: Monel vs Stainless Steel."
Underwater Hull Cleaning Systems, 1976-1977
Product brochures, as well as copies of David Wyman's "Underwater Hull Inspections," "In Water Maintenance Grows Up," "In-water Cleaning and Painting," "An Integral Approach to Coating Economy for Long-term Hull Protection," "Development of Underwater Automatic Cleaning and Coating Machines," "Uses of Very High Pressure Water-jet Cleaning in Marine Maintenance," and "A Blast the Cleans Ships."