Skip to main content Skip to footer site map
Nimitz Library
Nimitz Library

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.

Back to Top

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.

Back to Top

Arrangement

The Richards T. Miller Papers are organized into the following two series:

  • Series 1: Writings, 1969-2000
  • Series 2: Subject Files, 1940-2000
Back to Top

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.

Back to Top

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.

Back to Top

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.

Back to Top

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.

Back to Top

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
Back to Top

Contents List

Series 1: Writings, 1969-2000 Box 1

Series Description

Articles, 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 Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by title.

Box 1 Folder 1

Comment on Richard J. Newman's "For the Navy, an Engine of Change", 1999 December

Commentary submitted to U.S. New & World Report.

Box 1 Folder 2

"Guidelines to the Use of Vibration Monitoring for Predictive Maintenance of Ship Machinery", 1982-1985

Edited by Miller for the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Ship Machinery Panel M-20.

Box 1 Folder 3

"Maritime Applications of an Advanced Gas-Cooled Reactor Propulsion System", 1977

Paper submitted for the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers 1977 Spring Meeting.

Box 1 Folder 4

"A Note on High Power Density Nuclear Power Plants", 1997 January

Box 1 Folder 5

"A Note on Hull Form", 1996 October

Box 1 Folder 6

"A Note on Platform [Ship] Design, 1996 April

Box 1 Folder 7

"A Note on Ship Power System Technologies", 1996 July

Box 1 Folder 8

"Notes on Naval Boat Building in Easport and the Annapolis Yacht Yard", 1994 September

History of PT Boat and small craft production for the U.S. Navy in Annapolis.

Box 1 Folder 9

"The Same Sub Design-Again?, 2000 June-August

Article in Naval Institute Proceedings, as well as a response by Admiral James D. Watkins.

Box 1 Folder 10

"Ships", 1969

Correspondence with Phil Mandel regarding Miller's chapter in the Handbook of Ocean and Underwater Engineering.

Box 1 Folder 11-12

Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers Historical Transactions, 1989-1993

Includes Miller's manuscript for Chapter 6.6 "Fighting Boats of the Navy."

Box 1 Folder 13

"The U.S. Navy in Review", 1999 May-August

Comment for Proceedings on the DD-21 Land-Attack Destroyer.

Back to Top

Series 2: Subject Files, 1940-2000 Boxes 1-6

Series Description

Documentation 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 Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by topic.

Box 1 Folder 14

Air Cushion Vehicles, 1961-1967, undated

Documentation on the Navy's Hydroskimmer SKMR-1 hovercraft, British Hovercraft Corporation, Douglas's Ground Effect Machine proposal, the Bell XHS-4, the Bell Hydrokeel, and Bell SK-10. Includes photographs.

Box 1 Folder 15

Alpine Geophysical Associates Directorship, 1976-1977

Documentation from Miller's time on Alpine Geophysical's Board of Directors.

Box 1 Folder 16

American Arbitration Association, 1993

Box 1 Folder 17

Anti-Submarine Surface Ship of the '80's, 1962

Report on the Black Lace study by Saunders-Roe on the potential for ground effect vessels in anti-submarine roles.

Box 1 Folder 18

Anti-Submarine Surface Ship of the '80's, 1970-1972

Notes on and a copy of the National Security Industrial Association's study "ASW Surface Ship of the '80's," as well as supporting research.

Box 2 Folder 1

Anti-Submarine Surface Ship of the '80's, 1970-1972

Includes a copy of "Superconducting Electrical Machines for Ship Propulsion," by David L. Greene.

Box 2 Folder 2

Arctic Marine Commerce Symposium, 1973

Arctic Marine Technology Workshop documentation and final report of the Arctic Marine Commerce Study.

Box 2 Folder 3

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."

Box 2 Folder 4

Drilling Rigs, 1966-1975

SEAFACT concept for deep water drilling, concept for a floating city off Waikiki, and a symposium report entitled "Mobile Drilling Platforms."

Box 2 Folder 5

Electric Drive Integrated Power System, 1996, undated

Notes, as well as brochure and presentation from Newport News Shipbuilding.

Box 2 Folder 6

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."

Box MSOS Folder 1

Form, Power, and Steering, 1944-1945, undated

Destroyer and Light Cruiser speed contour plots from Bureau of Ships Preliminary Design Section speed and power studies.

Box MSOS Folder 2

Frigate Constitution Plans, 1931-1949 (approximate)

Restoration plans from the Boston Navy Yard.

Box 2 Folder 7

Frigate Constitution Plans, 1953

Repair status and oak procurement.

Box 2 Folder 8

General Arrangements, 1956-1960, undated

Primarily copies of the Navy's habitability standards and habitability manual.

Box 2 Folder 9

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.

Box 3 Folder 1

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.

Box 3 Folder 2

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.

Box 3 Folder 3

Management Data, 1944-1972, undated

Box 3 Folder 4

Mine Advisory Committee Project NIMROD, 1969-1970, undated

Study on the present and future role of mines in naval warfare. Notes on mine size comparisons, carriers, and mine layers by country.

Box 3 Folder 5

Minesweepers, 1987-1988

Commissioning program for U.S.S. Avenger (Minesweeper: MCM-1) and article on German remote controlled minesweepers.

Box 3 Folder 6

Naval Architects and Marine Engineers, 1948, undated

Bound corporate histories and design portfolios for Gibbs & Cox, Inc., Philip F. Spaulding and Associates, and Nickum & Spaulding Associates, Inc.

Box 3 Folder 7

Noise Data, 1955-1966

Notes on noise suppression for minesweepers, as well as copies of "A Brief Guide to Noise Measurement and Analysis," and "Shipboard Noise and Vibration from a Habitability Viewpoint."

Box 4 Folder 1

Nuclear Power, 1991-2000, undated

Brochures on floating nuclear plants and gas turbine modular helium reactors, as well as material from the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers' Nuclear Conference.

Box 4 Folder 2

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) - 10 MW Shell-less Trane Type, 1979

Box 4 Folder 3

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) - 50 MW Demonstration Plant, 1980

Baseline design by Miller.

Box 4 Folder 4

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) - 100 MW Closed Cycle, 1977-1978

Notes by Miller on design, capabilities, and costs. Includes a copy of "A Program to Calculate Deep Water Moorings at High Loads."

Box 4 Folder 5

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) - 100 MW Open Cycle, 1976-1978

Notes and plans by Miller, as well as a copies of "A Concrete Answer to LNG Transportation," and Ulrich Finsterwalder's "Concrete Ships in Shell Construction."

Box 4 Folder 6

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC) - Water Plant, 1980

Box 4 Folder 7

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.

Box 4 Folder 8-9

Penn Galvanizing Case, 1974

Miller's deposition and background documents in Penn Galvanizing v. Lukens Steel, with regards to specifications and testing of HY-80 steel for Navy shipbuilding use.

Box 5 Folder 1

Penn Galvanizing Case, 1974

Miller's deposition and background documents in Penn Galvanizing v. Lukens Steel, with regards to specifications and testing of HY-80 steel for Navy shipbuilding use.

Box 5 Folder 2

Professional Liability, 1979-1983

"The Professional Liability of Marine Designers and Constructors," by William N. France and "Ethics and the Engineering Consultant: Some Personal Views," by L. R. Glosten.

Box 5 Folder 3

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."

Box 5 Folder 4

Ship Design, 1965-1967, undated

Includes the Bureau of Ships' "The Conceptual Design of Ships," "The Expanding Scope of Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering," and a guide to ship parametric study.

Box 5 Folder 5

Ship Structure (A), 1949

Ship Design Notebook: Ship Structural Design, consisting of MIT lecture notes and problem on warship structure theory and transverse strength.

Box 5 Folder 6

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."

Box 5 Folder 7

Solar Cell Energy Conversion Study, 1974-1975

Correspondence on photovoltaic power systems and Miller's notes entitled "Notes on Solar Cell Energy Conversion at Sea."

Box 5 Folder 8

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.

Box 6 Folder 1

Sub Drill Rig, 1974-1975

Documentation on Miller's design for a catamaran submarine for Arctic offshore oil drilling.

Box 6 Folder 2

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."

Box 6 Folder 3

Towed Decoy, 1973

Design drawings and feasibility report. Includes photographs.

Box 6 Folder 4

Undersea Pipeline Repair Systems and Aircraft Lift Capabilities, 1974

Box 6 Folder 5

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."

Box 6 Folder 6

Vosper, Ltd., 1957-1961

Design and specification books for the Mark 5 Fast Frigate and numerous patrol craft.

Box 6 Folder 7

Warship Basic Design, 1950

MIT lecture notes for parts one and two of the Warship Basic Design course.

Box 6 Folder 8

Warship General Arrangements, 1949

MIT lecture notes on warship machinery and compartment arrangement.

Box MSOS Folder 3

Warship General Arrangements, 1949

Modular furniture plans.

Box 6 Folder 9

Warship Machinery Design Projects, 1949-1950

MIT warship machinery design projects on steam turbines, reduction gears, condensers, and engine room arrangement.

Box 6 Folder 10

Westinghouse Industry Products Co., 1984

Notes on marketing study for Westinghouse Industry Products Co.

Box 6 Folder 11

Workshop on Oceanographic Research in Taiwan, 1981-1982

Proposal for National Research Council workshop.

Back to Top