Rare WW2 US Naval Battleship / Submarine / Aircraft Carrier recognition guide - USS Hornet + aircraft - 1942

This is a nice and rare U.S. December 1942–dated ONI 54-R, RESTRICTED (!!), Captain’s recognition guide for United States Naval Vessels. This scarce manual was issued to assist officers and lookout personnel in correctly identifying American ships at sea and preventing misidentification during critical wartime operations.

It provides clear identification standards and detailed references so observers could distinguish between various classes of friendly vessels and accurately assess their capabilities. It contains BEAUTIFUL plates and exceptional technical details of FAMOUS U.S. warships, such as the Iowa-class battleships and Fletcher-class destroyers. In addition to descriptive text, the book includes numerous data tables, designation information, silhouettes, outboard drawings, and photographs.

The information presented in this manual was so important during the war that it was originally classified RESTRICTED.

A fantastic addition to any WW2 collection—you will not find another example like this easily!

See also our other interesting WW2 items offered for auction on Catawiki!