Roster of officers, USS New York, 1942-1944

The collection consists of ten boxes that are divided into eleven series, representing both the papers of the admiral and his mother, Katherine Scott Umsted, a writer of fiction, poetry, and travel accounts. Series I, Correspondence, is divided into two subseries: official correspondence, letters both sent and received, 1917–1951, regarding Umsted’s naval career; and personal correspondence, letters both and sent and received, 1908–1971. The latter contains correspondence mainly with his mother regarding his experiences as a naval officer on the Yangtze Patrol in China, 1923–1924; hydrographic research in the USS Niagara, 1927–1930; his command of the USS Tillman, 1932–1933; and duty in USS Raleigh, 1933–1935, where he served as temporary beachmaster, the Canal Zone.

Series II, Writings, contain his Naval War College thesis entitled “Tactics and Command,” 1926, and unattributed writings on submarines as a means of polar explorations, the German Submarine in the Battle of Jutland, The U.S. Navy Charts the Gulf of Panama, and The Chungking, Wanhsein Interlude by Rear Admiral Kemp Tolley.

Series III, Reports, has the survey of Port La Unión, El Salvador, Central America, and Approaches of 1928.

Series IV, Miscellany, houses menus, programs, booklets on historic military topics, newspaper clippings, published journals, museum catalogues, pamphlets, receipts, invitations, Umsted’s Naval Academy grades, a watercolor painting of Seville, Spain, photographs, a map of the Philippine Islands, a chart of Port La Unión, El Salvador, Christmas cards sent and received, a diary, a court case regarding Mrs. Umsted’s permission to carry a concealed weapon (1933), postcards, U.S. Naval Academy bulletins, programs, and instructions for graduation in 1915.

Series V, Photographs, consists of family photographs, photographs of U.S. Navy ships, including the USS Niagara, aerial views of Panama’s coastline, U.S. naval officers, the 1913 University of Pennsylvania-U.S. Naval Academy football game, the West Indies, Scotland, China, Seville, Spain, Charles Lindbergh and his plane, The Spirit of St. Louis, unidentified people, places, street scenes, and several negatives.

The following series contain the papers of Katherine Scott Umsted ( ?–1934). Series VI houses her unpublished writings that include stories, plays, travel writings, and poems. Series VII contains her published travel writings in The Cunarder and The Nomad. Series VIII, Miscellany, contains pamphlets, reports of clubs and associations of which she was a member, travel brochures and literary items, including bulletins, calendars, certificates of copyright registration, and announcements. Series IX, Photographs, has unidentified people, places, and scenes of Jaen, Spain. Series X, Newspaper Clippings, has notices of social and literary events and her February 1934 obituary from The New York Times. Series XI, Personal and Travel Diaries, contains accounts of her travels in the Caribbean, Hawaii, Europe, China, the Philippines, and the United States, as well as a personal daily diary.