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Notice: Scanning of Vietnam-era Deck Logs

The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) entered into an agreement on August 9, 2019 with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to digitize U.S. Navy and Coast Guard deck logs from vessels with Vietnam-era service. See the press release regarding this agreement

Beginning on August 22, 2019, the VA began scanning more than 20 million images from the U.S. Navy and Coast Guard deck logs. While the scanning project is underway, U.S. Navy and Coast Guard deck logs from 1956 to 1978 will be closed to researchers, but individual deck logs will be made available for research as soon as possible after they are digitized.  NARA expects the digitization to be complete by early 2020. The National Archives will also begin the process of making the digitized records available on archives.gov, after images are transferred by the VA.

This project will support the processing of veterans’ claims, including those related to the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019, and eventually facilitate increased access to these records by researchers in a digital format without having to travel to a National Archives facility. Through this partnership, the National Archives will improve access to and discovery of these historically significant records.

See the U.S. Navy deck logs previously digitized by NARA and currently available online

Current status of Vietnam era deck logs

Navy

  • Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1976-78:  Will close for research at the National Archives at College Park on December 20, 2019.
  • Logbooks of U.S. Navy Ships and Stations, 1956-75:   Closed for research 

Coast Guard

  • Logbooks of U.S. Coast Guard Stations and Vessels, 1960-1972:  Closed for research (closed on September 3rd)

Individual deck logs will be made available for research as soon as possible after they are digitized.  NARA expects the digitization to be complete in early 2020. The digitization is necessary to support the processing of claims by veterans and will also support greater public access.

 

 

 

 

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