U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation Collection: Edsall R. Johnston, Jr., Papers

1951-1952
Manuscript Collection #677-004
Creator(s)
Johnston, Edsall R., Jr.
Physical description
0.50 Cubic Feet
Preferred Citation
U.S. Navy Memorial Foundation Collection: Edsall R. Johnston, Jr., Papers (#677.004), East Carolina Manuscript Collection, J. Y. Joyner Library, East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina, USA.
Repository
ECU Manuscript Collection
Access
No restrictions

The Edsall R. Johnston, Jr., Papers consists of materials pertaining to the USS Mount Olympus (AGC-8), including a European cruise journal (1952) and materials pertaining to the U.S. Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland. All materials are photocopies.


Biographical/historical information

Edsall R. Johnston, Jr.: Edsall R. Johnston, Jr. was born on October 26,1931 to Edsall Johnston and Mabelle H. Johnston. He served in the Navy from March 1950- March 1958.

USS Mount Olympus (AGC-8): The USS Mount Olympus (AGC-8) was an amphibious force command ship of the United States Navy, commissioned on September 24, 1944. Built at the North Carolina Shipbuilding Company in Wilmington, North Carolina, and converted for service as an amphibious flagship, the vessel was designed to provide advanced communications, command, and control functions during large-scale naval operations.

During World War II, Mount Olympus served as the flagship for Vice Admiral Richmond Kelly Turner, Commander, Amphibious Forces, Pacific Fleet. The ship played a pivotal role in the planning and execution of several major Pacific campaigns, including operations at Iwo Jima and Okinawa in 1945. With its sophisticated communication equipment and extensive command spaces, the vessel served as a floating headquarters for coordinating complex amphibious assaults.

Following the war, Mount Olympus continued to serve in a flagship capacity for various fleet commanders during occupation duties in Japan and subsequent Cold War deployments. The ship was decommissioned on June 27, 1973 and struck from the Naval Vessel Register shortly thereafter.


Scope and arrangement

This collection consists entirely of photocopied materials related to U.S. Navy training and service aboard the USS Mount Olympus (AGC-8). Materials include a Christmas menu (1951), a graduation review program (1952), and a graduation yearbook titled The Compass (1951) from the U.S. Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland. Also included are a photocopied journal documenting the USS Mount Olympus's European cruise from August to December 1952 and an undated narrative history of the vessel.

The collection is arranged in a single series and housed in one folder.


Administrative information
Custodial History

June 10, 1994 (unprocessed), 14 items; USS MOUNT OLYMPUS (AGC-8) materials, including copies of a European cruise journal (1952), port-of-call information booklets, photographs, and clippings; as well as literature on the U.S. Naval Training Center, Bainbridge, Md. Donor: Mr. Edsall R. Johnston, Jr.

Source of acquisition

Gift of Mr. Edsall R. Johnston, Jr.

Processing information

Encoded by Apex Data Services

Copyright notice

Literary rights to specific documents are retained by the authors or their descendants in accordance with U.S. copyright law.


Key terms
Corporate Names
Mount Olympus (Amphibious ship)
United States. Naval Training Center (Bainbridge, Md.)

Container list
Box 1 Folder a Christmas Menu from the U.S. Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland (Photocopy), December 25, 1951
Box 1 Folder a Graduation Review for Recruit Training Command from the U.S. Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland (Photocopy), March 1, 1952
Box 1 Folder a "The Compass," Graduation Yearbook from the U.S. Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Maryland (Photocopy), 1951
Box 1 Folder a Journal of the European Cruise for the USS Mount Olympus AGC-8 (Photocopy), August 26, 1952 - December 12, 1952
Box 1 Folder a A History of the USS Mount Olympus AGC-08 (Photocopy), undated