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The Hubert S. Smith Naval Letters and Documents collection is made up of individual manuscripts relating to naval and commercial maritime operations.

The Hubert S. Smith Naval Letters and Documents collection is made up of over 380 manuscript letters and documents relating to maritime military, commercial, financial, and legal subjects from the 15th to the 20th centuries, primarily concerning Great Britain and America. The collection includes materials relating to Continental European wars, the American Revolution, the African slave trade, the Civil War, and exploratory ventures. The collection also reflects day-to-day ship operations and naval employment, diplomacy, marine technology, the purchase and sale of ships, insurance, and publications and books relating to maritime affairs. While primarily focused on English and American navies, the contributors discuss a wide variety of places, including continental Europe, the Baltic region, Russia, Asia, Turkey, South America, and Africa.

The William Young journal reflects Young's service aboard HM Transports Zephyr, Lancaster, and Cornwall, and naval operations of the larger British convoy travelling from Great Britain to the Caribbean.

The William Young journal (51 pages) includes daily entries about sea voyages aboard HM Transports Zephyr, Lancaster, and Cornwall. The journal begins in late December, 1795, with Young aboard the Zephyr and under the command of Captain Bowen and General Whyte as they prepare ships for the transatlantic voyage from Great Britain to Barbados. He describes efforts to get various ships ready for sea travel, including the John & Sarah, the Canada, the Bellona, the George & Bridget, the Generous Planter, the Free Briton, the Lynx, and others. Young records information about the provisioning ships, wind and weather, orders, conflicts among crew members, efforts to combat illnesses as they prepared to depart, and the recurring damages incurred from squalls while waiting at the cove. His notes illustrate the complexity of preparing large-scale naval operations.

The ships departed on February 9, 1796, and Young kept a sea log with navigational details and bearings, weather, signals, illnesses, and difficulties with the crew. Young accounted for other ships encountered during the voyage.

The convoy anchored at Barbados on April 1, 1796, and Young worked to provision ships, inspect the division, shift troops, and land stores and baggage. Young transferred to the Lancaster and departed on April 19 amidst roughly 200 ships for Cape Nichola Mole, St. Domingue. Young harbored there from May 2, 1796, through the end of the journal. He worked to arrange the movement and inspection of troops and stores and recorded the movement of ships. Young transferred to the Cornwall on May 23.