These are suggestions on how to search for information in the the USS Whitehurst website.   You will discover that the procedure for entering search information here is not much different from how you would do it using Google, Yahoo, and the other major search sites.  The search engine will search for information that exactly matches all of the words entered in the search entry box.  If unable to find an exact match, it then attempts to locate pages which contain any words in your search query.   If none are found, you will receive the message "No pages were found that match your query.  Please check the search tips and try another search."  A successful search, on the other hand, will display results similar to that shown in the example below:

Search Example

You can tweak the results somewhat by searching for an exact phase using quotes, brackets, and wildcards.

To search for an exact phrase, use quotes around the phrase:

              Example: "anti-aircraft weapons"

To match a near (within a couple of words) phrase, use square brackets [around the words]

             Example: [anti-aircraft weapon]

To match a far (within several words) phrase, use braces { around the words }

             Example: {anti-aircraft weapon}

You can also use + and - qualifiers

      Placing a + before a word (exp. +navy) will make certain the word is on a page.
      Using a - (-navy) will make certain no pages will be displayed that includes the word "navy."

Using the (*) wildcard: If a query word ends with a * all words on a page which start the same way as that query word will match.

              Example: hero*

      Using the (?) wildcard: If a query word contains a ? any character will match that position.

              Example: p?hoto

In addition to the above you can also applying a Boolean search: You do this by placing Boolean operators in your search: AND, OR, NOT. Be sure to use capital letters.

              Example: (ship AND guns) OR (ship AND weapons)