What sort of information is in the ships original muster rolls?
The ship’s original muster rolls are available in microfilm format through the National Archives and Records Administration. The muster rolls were made up of quarterly rolls, which were published in March, June, September and December of each year, as well as “Change Reports” which were compiled about once a month. The muster rolls contain information for enlisted men in ship’s company only. Though the microfilm records occasionally contain lists of officers, passengers and Flag Staffs, these are the exception rather than the rule. The muster rolls contain virtually no information about air group personnel. The quarterly rolls list men assigned to the ship for duty as of the date of record (the last day of the last month of the quarter). For each man, a single muster roll entry contains the following information: • Branch of Service: Usually ‘USN’ (US Navy) or ‘USNR’ (US Naval Reserve). • Service Number • Name • Current Rate • Date enlisted • Date first received aboard ship The change
