The H.A. Betaque Papers document Betaque's career as a resident representative for the United State Shipping Board Emergency Fleet Corporation between 1918 and 1922, with particular emphasis the construction of the SS San Pasqual and the SS Cuyamaca in San Diego, California. Highlights include panoramic photographs of the San Diego Harbor and ship yard, as well as construction photographs of the SS San Pasqual and the SS Cuyamaca. The collection includes correspondence, reports, costs analyses, engineering formulas, Emergency Fleet directives, photographs and photograph albums. The collection is divided into two series: Personal Papers (1918-1921) and Photographs (1918-1920).

The Personal Papers (1918-1922) document Betaque's professional activities with the Emergency Fleet Corporation in Brunswick, GA and San Diego, as well as his personal financial interests, including stocks and oil interests between 1918 and 1921. The series includes correspondence, directives, memorandums, cost analyses, reports, formulas, news clippings, and blueprints. The reports, formulas, blue prints and cost analyses primarily document Betaque's work on the Atlantus, the SS San Pasqual and the SS Cuyamaca. Reports on the Faith and the Palo Alto are also included. Of particular interest are letters from both Betaque and his colleagues referencing a depressed economy, lack of work, and a growing interest in oil. This series is filed alphabetically and primarily dates from 1918 to 1920.

The Photographs (1918-1920) mostly provide visual documentation for the construction and launching of the SS San Pasqual and the SS Cuyamaca, although there are a few photographs of the Palo Alto and the Atlantus. The majority of photographs date from 1919 to 1920. Filed alphabetically by folder title, this series includes two photograph albums and many loose photographs, which appear to have been disassembled from albums. Most of the San Pasqual and Cuyamaca photographs have a number and a brief description on the lower right corner of the image. It is unclear what individual or corporation created these numbers.  The photographs are arranged numerically within folders. Highlights include the two photograph albums, which include images of construction workers, panoramic shots of the San Diego Yard, and the launching ceremonies of the SS San Pasqual and the SS Cuyamaca in San Diego.