How to Find What Navy Ship a Person Was On

Whether you want to learn more about a passed loved one or simply meet up with an old friend, one of the best ways to reconnect with somebody is to search for them by Navy ship. This can either be extremely easy or extremely difficult depending on how well you know the veteran, how much you know about the veteran's past and how likely the veteran was to register with an unofficial Navy log. Fortunately, there are several steps that you can take to help you find that ship.

Ask any mutual friends or relatives if they know on which ship the veterans sailed. If not, ask them if they have any old Navy patches or newspaper clippings that might include the name of the ship.

Look up your veteran on a Navy registry database, like Navy Log or Deck Log. If your veteran has a record on Navy Log, the entry will include the name of the ship.

If you are the family or next of kin of a Navy veteran, request a copy of the veteran's records from the United States National archive. To protect the privacy of servicemen and women, this information is only available to veterans and the next of kin.

If you are not related to the veteran, narrow down your search as much as possible. Write down anything that could help you in your search including the years during which your veteran served, the city in which he lived when he joined the Navy, the fleet, his base or anything else that may be of use.

Take this information to the library. Look through newspaper archives for any ships that departed or returned carrying sailors from your veteran's city during your veteran's service years. Create another list of potential Navy ships.

Find an online Navy reunion locator or a veteran's community for the servicemen and servicewomen who were aboard those particular ships. Ask them if they remember serving with your veteran.