Is there a way to look up historical Navy members by service number?

January 25, 2023 11:27 AM

I have the service number, last name, and first/middle initials of someone who was in the navy around 1952. In short, is there a service that just lets me search for a person knowing their service number (and maybe last name)?

I have access to the US Navy Muster Rolls which include the service number, but there is no way to search by service number. I also submitted a request through archives.gov but they didn't find anything, which I suspect is because I had to provide more information than I knew, like whether he was an officer. Since the data is in Ancestry in the muster rolls, I would hope service number is indexed and searchable somehow.

posted by beyond_pink to Law & Government (4 answers total)

Have you set up a free Ancestry.com account to actually see?

Honestly, they have locked away so damn many records now that it's difficult to do online research without them. But they have so many great things!
posted by wenestvedt at 11:44 AM on January 25, 2023

Response by poster: Yes, I actually have a paid ancestry account. All the data is there, but you can't search by service number, only by name etc. :(
posted by beyond_pink at 12:09 PM on January 25, 2023

“In the navy around 1952” means “quite possibly still alive.”

So in general, no, because you could be trying to do identity theft. But if they’re dead, or if you’re an immediate relative, yes, but that’s why the government is asking for more information.
posted by DaveP at 4:56 PM on January 25, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: @DaveP According to archives.gov, military personnel records are open to the public 62 years after they leave the military. Certain information may be restricted but there is definitely information that is public under FOIA
posted by beyond_pink at 6:20 AM on January 27, 2023 [1 favorite]