Research Library

AIMM now has over 3,500 volumes of submarine-related books, CDs and DVDs available for museum patrons to enjoy. We are among the largest libraries of submarine-related material in the U.S.

Many books were received as gifts from various donors, but a significant portion of the collection is on long-term loan from the USSVI (United States Submarine Veterans, Inc.) Through an agreement with the USSVI, AIMM will be the home to this unique collection of books and will make them available to researchers as well as museum patrons.

Library

Some of these books are long out of print and extremely rare, such as the 14-volume set History of US Naval Operations in WWII and several US Navy Technical manuals.

Another extremely rare book in the library is I Attacked Pearl Harbor by Kazuo Sakamaki, the Commander of one of the Midget Submarines launched the morning of the attack. The gyrocompass on LT Sakamaki's submarine failed, and he ended up beaching his submarine near Kanohe, on the north side of the Oahu, where he was captured.

Not just limited to American submarines, the library has books about German, Russian, British, Canadian, and even Italian submarines.

In addition to the many reference books, the Library also includes submarine-related fiction, including The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy and Cold is the Sea and Dust on the Sea, both by CAPT Edward L. Beach, USN (ret), a submarine captain who commanded both WWII diesel-electric submarines and nuclear-powered submarines.

A spreadsheet of all cataloged items is available for download.

If you would like to donate books to our research library, please contact us.

Library

The entire library has been cataloged, but new volumes are added to the shelves almost every day.

Notable titles include

  • World War II Submarine Patrol Reports
  • The Submarine Review - Naval Submarine League (1983 - Present) - 88 Volumes
  • The Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships (DANFS)
  • History of the United States Naval Operations in World War II - RADM Samuel Eliot Morison, USN (ret)
    (15 volumes including a General Index)
    This long out-of-print set is one of the definitive (and nearly impossible to find) resources on WWII Naval Operations
    • The Battle of the Atlantic (1939 - 1943)
    • Operations in North African Waters (October 1942 - June 1943)
    • The Rising Sun in the Pacific (1931 - April 1942)
    • Coral Sea, Midway and Submarine Actions (May 1942 - August 1942)
    • The Struggle for Guadalcanal (August 1942 - February 1943)
    • Breaking the Bismarcks Barrier (22 July 1942 - 1 May 1944)
    • Aleutians, Gilberts and Marshalls (June 1942 - April 1944)
    • New Guinea and the Marianas (March 1944 - August 1944)
    • Sicily - Salerno - Anzio (January 1943 - June 1944)
    • The Atlantic Battle Won (May 1943 - May 1945)
    • The Invasion of France and Germany (1944 - 1945)
    • The Liberation of the Philippines: Luzon, Mindanao, the Visayas (1944 - 1945)
    • Victory in the Pacific (1945)
    • Supplement and General Index

  • U.S. Submarines in World War II - An Illustrated History - Larry Kimmett and Margaret Regis
  • Naval Historical Foundation Manuscript Collection
  • Naval Historical Foundation - Manuscript Collection 1975-1994