16How to evaluate oral history sources
A practical source-criticism checklist for interviews, recollections and family recordings.
Reader route / Research Desk
The method behind the history
The Research Desk is the living section of the publication. It turns a reader’s first question into a repeatable research path through deck logs, muster rolls, photographs, oral history and the shared glossary.
05 ways into the recordUpdated August 24, 2026
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23Minesweeper glossary for history readers
A compact vocabulary for reading ship histories, mine-warfare records and catalog descriptions.
24How to read Navy deck logs
A practical route from a catalog entry to a dated observation, with precision matched to the record.
25How to use Navy muster rolls
What muster rolls can show about assignment and continuity, and why they should not become public contact lists.
26How to identify old Navy photo provenance
A source trail for catalog numbers, captions, owners and the permissions that make an image publishable.
A living route
Start with the question that brought you here.
Each page names its source trail and points toward the next record. The route grows when a new document, correction or useful explanation earns a place.
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