Collection Summary
Henry Croskey Mustin
Papers
1886-1924
(bulk 1903-1920)
1886-1924
(bulk 1903-1920)
MSS52860
Mustin, Henry Croskey,
1874-1923
2,400
items
8 containers
3.2 linear feet
English
Collection material in
English
Manuscript Division, Library of
Congress
Washington, D.C.
Naval officer and
inventor. Correspondence, journals, lectures, articles, and other papers
relating to Mustin's inventions, especially his work in sighting equipment for
naval ordnance and his interest in aviation.
Selected Search Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
People
Benson, William Shepherd, 1855-1932.--Correspondence.
Daniels, Josephus, 1862-1948--Correspondence.
Mustin, Corinne M., 1887- --Correspondence.
Mustin, Henry Croskey, 1874-1923.
Saegmuller, George N. George Nicholas, 1847-1934--Correspondence.
Sims, William Sowden, 1858-1936--Correspondence.
Stayton, William H.--Correspondence.
Watson, John Crittenden, 1842-1923--Correspondence.
Wilkinson, Ernest--Correspondence.
Organizations
American Aviation Mission.
United States. Navy--Aviation.
United States. Navy. Pacific Fleet. Air Force.
Subjects
Aeronautics.
Naval aviation.
Ordnance, Naval.
Places
Naval Air Station Pensacola (Fla.)
Occupations
Inventors.
Naval officers.
Provenance
The papers of Henry Croskey Mustin, naval officer and inventor, were
deposited in the Library of Congress by the Naval Historical Foundation in 1962
and converted to a gift in 1998.
Processing History
The papers of Henry Croskey Mustin were arranged and described in
1973. The finding aid was revised in 2011.
Additional Guides
In 1973, the Library published
Colby Mitchell Chester, William Freeland Fullam, Samuel McGowan,
Henry Croskey Mustin: A Register of Their Papers in the Library of Congress
Naval Historical Foundation Collection
.
Copyright Status
The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of Henry Croskey
Mustin is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17,
U.S.C.).
Access and Restrictions
The papers of Henry Croskey Mustin are open to research. Researchers
are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many
collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these
items for research use.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the
following information: Container number, Henry Croskey Mustin Papers, Naval
Historical Foundation Collection, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C.
Biographical Note
Date
Event
1874, Feb. 6
Born, Philadelphia, Pa.
1896
Graduated, United States Naval Academy, Annapolis,
Md.
Duty in USS New York (armored
cruiser)
1898
Duty in USS Cushing (torpedo
boat)
1899
Commanded USS Samar (gunboat),
Asiatic Station
1900
Duty in USS Brooklyn (armored
cruiser)
1901
Duty in USS Newark
(cruiser)
1902
Duty at the United States Naval Academy, Annapolis,
Md.
1905
Duty at the Naval Gun Factory, Washington, D.C.
1906
Duty in USS Brooklyn (armored
cruiser)
1907
Married Corinne DeForest Montague
1909
Duty at the Philadelphia, Pa., Navy Yard
Promoted to lieutenant commander
1913
Duty in USS Minnesota
(battleship)
1915
Commanded Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Fla.
Designated naval aviator
1917
Duty in USS North Dakota
(battleship)
1918
Commissioned captain
1919
Member, American Aviation Mission to Great Britain, France,
and Italy
1919
1920
Commanded USS Aroostok
(minelayer) and Air Detachment, United States Pacific Fleet
1921
Assistant chief, Navy Department, Bureau of
Aeronautics
1923, Aug. 23
Died, Newport, R.I.
Scope and Content Note
The papers of Henry Croskey Mustin (1874-1923) span the years
1886-1924, with the bulk of the material falling between the years 1903 and
1920. The collection consists of journals, correspondence, subject files,
lectures and articles, and miscellaneous material chiefly relating to Mustin's
inventions and his interest in the developing field of aviation.
In 1903 Mustin designed a turret sight mount; his continued
improvements in telescopic ordnance sights made possible the long-range gunnery
for battleships, then called dreadnoughts. In the invention file are letters
from George N. Saegmuller concerning Mustin’s inventions and royalties. There
are also letters from Ernest Wilkinson concerning foreign and domestic patents
on Mustin’s inventions.
Mustin was one of the first naval officers to advocate air power for
the United States Navy and commercial air service for the United States. He was
a member of the American Aviation Mission to Great Britain, France and Italy to
study and report on aviation organizations abroad; he aided in the
establishment of an air base in Pensacola, Fla.; and later he commanded the Air
Detachment, United States Pacific Fleet. He also testified before the United
States Senate in support of a proposed Department of Air. As Mustin’s
interest in aeronautics increased, he designed a sea sled capable of launching
landplanes at sea, water brakes, and other devices to improve seaplanes.
In the correspondence file are typed copies of Mustin’s letters to
his wife, Corinne M. Mustin. Among his correspondents are William Shepherd
Benson, Mark L. Bristol, Josephus Daniels, William Sowden Sims, William H.
Stayton, and John Crittenden Watson. The collection is organized by type of
material.
Arrangement of the Papers
The collection is arranged by type of material.
Container List
Container
Contents
1
Journals, logbooks, and orders to
duty
1
Journal, USS
Taaleno,
1899
1899
1
Journal, USS
Samar (gunboat),
1900
1900
1
Date book,
1907
1907
1
Aviators flight logbook,
1919, 1922
1919, 1922
1
Journal, Air Detachment, United
States Pacific Fleet
1
1919, Dec.-1920, May
1919, Dec.-1920, May
1
1920, May-July
1920, May-July
1
1921, Feb.-Mar.
1921, Feb.-Mar.
1
Orders to duty,
1896-1922
1896-1922
2
Correspondence
2
General,
1899-1924
1899-1924
2
Family,
1907-1917
1907-1917
3
Subject file
3
American Aviation Mission,
1919
1919
3
Boards of inquest,
1915-1916
1915-1916
3
Department of air (proposed),
1919
1919
3
Geometrical optics,
undated
undated
4
Inventions,
1903-1922
1903-1922
4
Turret sight mount,
1903
1903
4
Telescopic gun mount,
1904
1904
4
Patent, gun sight adjustor,
undated
undated
5
Saegmuller, George N.,
1904-1920
1904-1920
5
Wilkinson, Ernest,
1904-1917
1904-1917
5
Projectile,
1917
1917
5
Sea sled,
1917
1917
5
Water brakes for seaplane,
1917
1917
5
Seaplane
5
Blueprint,
1918
1918
5
Blueprint and specifications,
1919-1922
1919-1922
6
Blueprints,
1919-1922
1919-1922
6
Lectures and articles,
1907-1919, undated
1907-1919, undated
6
“Optics,”
1907
1907
6
“The Graphic Solution of Lens
Problems,”
undated
undated
6
“Training of Aviators,”
undated
undated
6
“The Naval Aeroplane,”
1915
1915
6
“Aviation Organization in
Great Britain, France and Italy,”
1919
1919
6
“Single Display Tactical
Signals,”
undated
undated
6
Naval aviation,
1915-1920
1915-1920
6
Panama flight,
1920-1921
1920-1921
6
Naval Air Station, Pensacola,
Fla.,
1914-1917
1914-1917
6
United States Pacific Fleet Air
Force,
1920-1921
1920-1921
6
Miscellany
6
Biographical papers,
undated
undated
6
Genealogy,
1917
1917
6
Holograph and typescript notes,
undated
undated
6
Miscellaneous notebooks,
1886-1904, undated
1886-1904, undated
6
Printed matter,
1900-1918
1900-1918