Tutorial 1a: An introduction to index pages and navigation

Let's start by getting a little practice using the indexes. We will find the main page for USS Kalmia ATO-23 ex AT-23 using the U.S. Ships - By Name index first and then by using the U.S. Ships - By Designation index. Although this exercise should be fairly straightforward and hopefully intuitive, it is still useful. Later on you will learn how to update these index pages so it is helpful to see what they look like and how they are used.
 
To find the page for a specific ship, start with the Main_Collection page. You will find the link for this page in the navigation bar at the left hand side of all pages in the Museum. It is best to launch this page in another browser window so you can easily view it and this tutorial page at the same time. Try right-clicking on the link. There should be an option to either launch the page in a new browser window or a new browser tab.
 

<< Image showing link for "Main Collection" page

 
Once you get to the Main Collection page, you will see that there are two indexes that will help you find ship pages quickly:

1. U.S. Ships - By Name lists all ships in alphabetical order.
2. U.S. Ships - By Designation lists ships by their designation and hull number.

Ultimately you end up at the same page for a given ship regardless of which index you use.
 

<< Image showing links for the ship indexes

 
First we'll try finding the main page for USS Kalmia using the U.S. Ships - By Name index:
 

1. From the Main Collection page, click on the link for the U.S. Ships - By Name index page.
    
   
2. The Ships_By_Name page should appear. It has a line near the top with every letter of the alphabet. Each letter is a link to a page listing all the ships whose name starts with that letter. This page also has important information on how ship names are alphabetized. You should read and understand this information before continuing.
    
   
3. Since USS Kalmia starts with the letter "K", click on the letter K link of the index page.
    
   

   

   << Image showing the "Ships By Name" page

   
    
   

4. The Ships_Starting_With_a_K page lists all the ships whose name starts with the letter "K". The ship names are listed in alphabetical order. Both the ship name and its designation and hull number (or series of designations and hull numbers starting with the current one and working backwards) are given. Scroll down until you find the entry for KALMIA ATO 23 ex AT 23.
    
   

   

   << Image showing the "Ships Starting With a K" page

   
    
   

5. The ship name is used as a link to the ship's main page. If the name is a link, you can click it and go to the ship's main page. If the name is not set up as a link, then nobody has created a main page for the ship yet. You will notice that KALMIA is set up as a link so clicking it will take you to the ship's main page. Try it and see.
    
   

   

   << Image showing the main page for "KALMIA ATO 23"

   
    
   

Now let's try finding the main page for USS Kalmia using the U.S. Ships - By Designation index.
 

1. From the KALMIA ATO 23 main page, return to the Main Collection page by clicking on the link in the left hand navigation bar.
    
   
2. From the Main Collection page, click on the link for the U.S. Ships - By Designation index page.
    
   
3. The Ships_By_Designation page should appear. It is a long page that lists all the various ship designations grouped into general categories such as Aircraft Carriers, Battleships, etc. These categories are listed at the top of the page and set up as links. Clicking on one will take you to the section of the page containing the hull designations in that category (alternatively, you can just scroll down the page yourself). Note that if you know the designation but are not sure what category it falls into, you can either search the page or go to the "designations in alphabetical order" page which lists all designations in alphabetical order without category groupings.
    
   

   

   << Image showing the "Ships By Designation" page

   
    
   

4. USS Kalmia had two designations during its lifetime: ATO and AT. Both of these designations are listed under the Auxiliaries section. Go to that section and look for AT and ATO. You can either click the Auxiliaries category link at the top of the page or just scroll down.
    
   
5. You will see entries for AT - Tug (Ocean going) and ATO - Ocean Tug, Old. Try them both!
    
   

   

   << Image showing the links for the AT and ATO designations

   
    
   

6. On the Designation_AT page, scroll down until you find the entry for KALMIA AT-23 (the hull numbers are listed in numerical order). On the Designation_ATO page, scroll down until you find the entry for KALMIA ATO-23. In both cases, you will notice that KALMIA is set up as a link so clicking it will take you to the ship's main page. Try it and see.
    
   

   

   << Image showing the "Designation ATO" page

 
So that's the easy part. You used the indexes to find the main page of a ship and, luckily, the ship actually had a main page already created. What if the ship doesn't have a main page yet? You have two options: either contact the Curator and ask him to create it for you or create it yourself. To learn how to create it yourself, go through Tutorial 2.

 

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