Guide to the Navy Public Works Collection
MS 249
Finding aid prepared by Sandra Kirkwood
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous
funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
San Diego History Center Document Collection
1649 El Prado, Suite 3
San Diego, CA, 92101
619-232-6203
March 7, 2012
Title: Navy Public Works Collection
Identifier/Call Number: MS 249
Contributing Institution:
San Diego History Center Document Collection
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
2.0 Linear feet
(3 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1931-1960
Abstract: The collection contains records from the Navy Public Works Office in San Diego, including projects throughout Southern California.
creator:
Navy Public Works Center (San Diego, Calif.) .
Biographical / Historical Notes
In order to spur development in San Diego following post-World War I, leaders looked to the United States Navy (USN) as a
way to secure a steady supply of contracts, revenue, and development. The USN’s earlier commitment to San Diego had been inconsistent,
despite efforts by General Pendleton and others. In January 1920, Rear Admiral Roger Welles assumed the newly created position
of Commandant, Naval Base San Diego, in charge of all San Diego naval commands. On 26 January 1921, the 11th Naval District
was created encompassing San Diego and five other counties stretching from California to New Mexico. The Public Works Department,
11th Naval District, was also established, with the District Public Works Officer serving on the 11th Naval District staff
headquartered in San Diego. The Navy Public Works Department is responsible for design, construction, and maintenance of naval
facilities and installations.
Eldon Waymire served as a Civil Engineer for Navy Public Works from 1931 to 1960. His various projects included surveying
and reporting on various sites to be used as airfields and bombing ranges, as well as mapping sites connected to other military
bases and projects.
Scope and Content
The collection includes correspondence, charts, maps, survey data, and instruction manuals for projects undertaken in Southern
California by the Public Works Office for the 11th Naval District. Projects range from San Diego and Imperial counties to
Twenty-Nine Palms, as far north as Lompoc, California, and west to San Clemente Island, covering the development of airfields,
bombing ranges, and other military facilities.
Arrangement
Collection is arranged into five series:
Series I: Correspondence
Series II: Projects
Series III: Surveys and Data
Series IV: Reports
Series V: Reference Book
Items within each series are arranged by subject.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Accession number 841016A.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.
Preferred Citation
Navy Public Works Collection, MS 249, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.
Processing Information
Collection processed by Sandra Kirkwood on March 7, 2012.
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous
funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Navy Public Works Center (San Diego, Calif.) .
San Diego Chamber of Commerce.
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey.
United States. Bureau of Yards and Docks.
United States. Dept. of Commerce.
United States. Dept. of the Interior.
United States. Naval Facilities Engineering Command. Southwestern Division.
United States. Navy -- Facilities.
United States. Navy -- History.
United States. Navy Dept.
United States. Navy. Naval District, 11th.
United States. Navy.
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park (Calif.)
Bench-marks
Borrego Springs (Calif.)
Geography
Imperial County (Calif.)
Lompoc (Calif.)
Naval Station San Diego (Calif.)
Otay Mesa (San Diego, Calif.)
Salton Sea (Calif.)
San Clemente Island (Calif.)
San Diego (Calif.)
Twentynine Palms (Calif.)
Ventura (Calif.)
Box-folder 1:1
Correspondence (previously bound),
1943 April-1945 March and undated
Box-folder 1:2
Correspondence (loose papers),
1937 August-1944 July and undated
Box-folder 1:3
San Clemente Island Project,
1933-1934 and undated
Includes:
Triangulation Progress Sketch, San Clemente Island, Project HT-102, 1933-1934 (Map) (in Oversize Collections D5)
Box-folder 1:4
Ventura Airport Project,
1942 January and undated
Box-folder 1:5
Twenty-Nine Palms Air Academy Project,
1942 August-1944 July
Includes:
Diagram of Horizontal Control on U.S. Army Military Grid from Horizontal and Vertical Control Data Book (in Oversize Collections
D5)
Box-folder 1:6
Lompoc Auxiliary Air Field Project,
1933-1945 and undated
Box-folder 1:7
Clarke's Dry Lake Project,
1945 July-August and undated
Includes:
Twenty Ninth Engineers Triangulation Map for Imperial Valley (in Oversize Collections D5)
Explanations of Geographic Positions for Imperial Valley (2 sheets) (in Oversize Collections D5)
Box-folder 1:8
Carrizo Impact Area Project,
1952 and undated
Includes:
Notes and calculations for Carrizo Impact Area and Otay Mesa Bomb Target Area
Series III:
Surveys and Data
Box-folder 1:9
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, First-order and Second-order Leveling,
1935-1944
Includes:
San Diego County, CA; Imperial County, CA; Yuma, AZ; and Santa Ana, CA.
Second-order Releveling from Julian to Westmorland, CA (Datacards, 3 sheets) (in Oversize Collections D5)
Releveling Poway Area, CA, Line 2 (Datacards, 3 sheets) (in Oversize Collections D5)
First-order Releveling from San Juan Capistrano to San Onofre, CA (Datacards, 1 sheet) (in Oversize Collections D5)
Box-folder 1:10
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, First-order Leveling,
1931-1942
Includes:
California, Nevada, Arizona, and San Clemente Island
Box-folder 1:11
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, First-order and Second-order Leveling and Bench Mark Locations,
1944-1948
Includes:
San Diego County
First-order Leveling for Vicinity of San Diego, CA (Datacards, 6 sheets) (in Oversize Collections D5)
Releveling Alpine Area, CA (Datacards, 9 sheets) (in Oversize Collections D5)
Box-folder 1:12
Maps and Blueprints for San Diego and Imperial Counties,
1934-1943 and undated
Scope and Content
Record of Survey, Imperial County, CA (Map, 2 copies) (in Oversize Collections D5)
Inches per Minute, X and Y Coordinates (Chart) (in Oversize Collections D5)
Project G-453 (Triangulation Map) (in Oversize Collections D5)
Sheet No. 5, Project G-145 (Triangulation Map) (in Oversize Collections D5)
Box-folder 1:13
Department of the Interior, U.S. Geological Survey Bulletins 766, Spirit Leveling in California, 1896-1923,
1924-1925
Box-folder 1:14
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey: Geographic Position of Triangulation Stations, California XIV Newport Beach to Mexican Boundary,
1939-1943
Box-folder 1:15
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey: Geographic Position of Triangulation Stations, California XIV Newport Beach to Mexican Boundary,
1939-1943
Box-folder 2:1
Geographic Positions from Coronado to Alameda (chart),
1939
Box-folder 2:2
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey information and Salton Sea Project information,
1942-1950 and undated
Includes:
Triangulation Station Data from Imperial County, CA, Southern California, and Arizona
Description of Triangulation Stations from Niland, Ca, to Calexico, CA, to Yuma, AZ (Datacards, 6 sheets) (in Oversize Collections
D5)
Report on Survey of Salton Sea
Project Correspondence
Box-folder 2:3
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, Tidal Bench Marks, California Coast,
1942 March
Box-folder 2:4
U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey: Triangulation Stations, Mexican Boundary to San Pedro, CA, and Riverside, CA via San Diego,
CA,
1943 and undated
Box-folder 2:5
Topographic Instructions of Geological Survey, Bulletin 788 (Instruction Manual),
1928
Box-folder 2:6
"Multiple Use Coordination Report, San Diego Area, Volume 1: Narrative,"
1960 December
Box-folder 2:7
"Multiple Use Coordination Report, San Diego Area, Volume 2: Maps,"
1960 December
Box-folder 2:8
"Multiple Use Coordination Report, San Diego Area, Volume 2A: Maps,"
1960 December
Box 3
"Public Works of the Navy, NAVDOCKS P-184, Data Book, Vol. 2,"
1947