Image courtesy of the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum.
USS North Carolina (BB-55)
Artifact IDMO 1942.119.10
Object Type
Model
Maker
Unknown
Gifter
U.S. Navy
Dateca. 1937
Mediumwood, paint
Dimensionsoverall H 12 in x W 45 1/2 in x D 7 in (30.5 cm x 115.6 cm x 17.8 cm )
Physical DescriptionA large model of the battleship, USS NORTH CAROLINA (BB-55). The ship is made of black, red gray, and brown painted wood. The model is mounted to a base to which is attached a copper plaque with the inscription: U.S.S. NORTH CAROLINA / BATTLESHIP NO. 55. / PRESENTED BY THE / NAVY DEPARTMENT / TO THE COMMANDER IN CHIEF / FRANKLIN DELANO ROOSEVELT / PRESIDENT / OF THE / UNITED STATES / 1937.
Historical NoteSecretary of the Navy Claude Swanson presented this model to President Roosevelt as a Christmas gift in 1937. The NORTH CAROLINA was then under construction as part of a naval expansion program promoted by the Roosevelt administration. FDR wrote to Swanson that he was thrilled with the model. The President kept it in his Study in the White House residence before putting it on display at the Roosevelt Library. The NORTH CAROLINA was commissioned in 1941 and participated in naval operations throughout the Pacific during World War II.Additional Details
Custodial History NoteOriginally deposited at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum by Franklin D. Roosevelt on November 27, 1941. FDR gave the model to his daughter, Anna Roosevelt Halsted, on December 20, 1940. She proceeded to lend it to the FDR Library in 1952, and then donated it in 1966.
Credit LineGift of Anna Roosevelt Halsted
National Archives Catalog CollectionFranklin D. Roosevelt Library Museum Collection (National Archives Identifier 735948)
National Archives Catalog SeriesShip Models (National Archives Identifier 782457)
Use Restriction StatusUnrestrictedCopyrightReproduction or other use of these holdings or images thereof is unrestricted.In Collection(s)
Not on view