Valuable Navy ship reference to be digitized
03 October 2003
Dr. David F. Winkler

NHF Chairman Admiral James L. Holloway III, recently donated $32,000 to digitize the Dictionary of American Fighting Ships (DANFS), an eight-volume hard-covered reference series that was produced over three decades by the Ship's History Branch of the Naval Historical Center. "The problem is that once in print, the books become dated," says former DANFS editor and current NHF historian John Reilly. "The first volumes of the book were published in the 1960s, and several are out of print." With the digitization of the series, Naval Historical Center historians will be able to continuely update this series as historical documentation arrives from the fleet and from hundreds of ship reunion organizations across the country. "We are very grateful for our Chairman's contribution," states Captain Todd Creekman, the NHF Executive Director. When the four month project is completed, the digital version of DANFS will be posted on the Center's website for public access, satisfying one of the most frequent research questions posed to either the Center or the Foundation.