Bill Lander
[email protected]
|
|
From: [email protected] Just stumbled across your destroyer page while searching for information on pre-WW2 US Navy ships . I collect Naval postal cancellations and have Well over 100 ships represented from that era of all classes including a number of the ships present at Pearl on Dec 7, 1941. I am retired Navy and served on the USS Richard E. Kraus (DD 849) from July 1969 through Aug. 1972 and the Kitty Kawk from July 86 thru Mar 89. I have a Kraus cruise book from a NATO cruise (STANAVFORLANT) that took place July through Dec. of 1970. During that cruise the Kraus visited NYC, Nova Scotia, Montreal, Newfoundland, Scotland, Denmark, Norway, The Netherlands, and Belgium, with refueling stops in Iceland, The Azores and Bermuda. If at any time in the future you might feel that this cruise book is a suitable subject for scanning I would be happy to make it available to you. In addition I am planning on purchasing a scanner sometime within the next year and should you desire I would be glad to scan the forty eight pages contained within the book and forward those files to you. I also have in my possession an official photograph presenting an overhead view of the Kitty Hawk and Missouri simultaneously refueling at sea from a navy oiler. I would also be glad to forward a scan of this photo once I obtain one. Respectfully
William C. Lander, USN Ret.
From: [email protected] Richard: Thanks for your prompt reply and the advice. I've bookmarked your website and will file your email address for that future time when I will be able to forward you some scans. My collection of ship cancellations is slowly being organized and while I feel that ultimately it would make a very interesting presentation on the web it isn't anywhere near being ready for a public debut. But - giving in to my desire to brag, hopefully to someone who can appreciate the significance of these ships and their contribution to the history of the US Navy, here is listing of the ships represented. Keep in mind that the bulk of these cancellations fall in the years 1936 and 1937, the latest date on any predates Dec. 7, 1941 since for reasons of security immediately after war was declared U.S. Naval Vessels discontinued the practice of including the ship's name and location as part of the cancellation. Until some time after the war ship's cancellations stated simply "U.S. Navy". I have multiple cancellations for a number of the ships. Not all are easily readable and probably wouldn't lend themselves to a useable scan. USS Ranger, USS Saratoga, USS Enterprise USS Nevada, USS Oklahoma, USS Pensylvania, USS Mississippi, USS New York, USS New Mexico, USS Tennessee, USS California USS Chester, USS Cincinnati, USS Concord, USS Detroit, USS Memphis, USS Milwaukee, USS Minneapolis, USS Nashville, USS Northampton, USS Omaha, USS Pensacola, USS Phoenix, USS Portland, USS Raleigh, USS Richmond, USS Salt Lake City, USS Trenton USS Tulsa (think this was not a cruiser but a river patrol boat in China, part of the Asiatic Fleet) USS Aylwin, USS Barker, USS Bushnell, USS Case, USS Chandler, USS Claxton, USS Cole, USS Conyngham, USS Craven, USS Crowninshield (1933), USS Dent, USS Farragut, USS Fox, USS J. Fred Talbot, USS John D. Edwards, USS Maury, USS Phelps, USS Talbot, USS Smith Thompson, USS Stewart ( alias Patrol Vessel 102, the Japanese mystery ship), USS Truxton, USS Tucker, USS Yarnall USS Black Hawk, USS Dixie, USS Whitney, USS Dobbin, USS Rigel, USS Salmon, USS Narwhal, USS Dolphin, USS Nautilus, USS Barracuda USS Oglala, USS Quail (Whose crew made the open boat trip from the P.I. to safety in the south), USS Avocet, USS Thrush, USS Vireo USS Chester (What class?), USS Reina Mercedes (an Academy training ship, I think), USS Beaver, USS Vega USS Ramapo, USS Neches, USS Brazos, USS Cuyama, USS Palos, USS Erie USS Relief, USS Pyro Destroyer Squadron 20 Scouting Force (Sep. 1936) A little history to explain how I came into possession of this bit of naval postal history. From as early as 1933 into at least 1940 an employee of the American National Bank in San Diego collected these off envelopes coming from U.S. Ships. Whether it was for his/her own collection, a family member, or perhaps friend isn't known. It is a pity that they didn't collect the entire cover (envelope). Instead they tore off the portion of the envelope containing the cancellation and stamp. I've trimmed these into what are known as "cut squares". These particular cancellations were probably duplicates as they were not trimmed and show no signs of ever having been mounted in an album or display. A number of them show signs of inadequate preservation which might indicate that they were stored in a less than ideal location, i.e. attic, basement, garage. By the late 1970's they had somehow traveled to Colorado where, stuffed in a large, decaying manila envelope, they were obtained at a swap meet. They were purchased strictly for the stamps by the mother of the woman who introduced me to stamp collecting when I was a kid. She took those which interested her (quite a few I've been told) and removed the stamps from the envelope paper by soaking them (a standard practice), discarding the paper and unwanted cancellations (it hurts me when I think about it). For about 10 years the remainder of these cancellations resided in a closet. In 1987 her daughter (my collecting mentor) mentioned that I was about to retire from the navy and that I had begun collecting U.S. Naval Cancellations. She remembered the envelope full of stamps with navy cancellations and later dug them out and mailed them to her daughter here in Tennessee. When I was presented with the envelope and asked if I wanted them I said "Sure." Then I opened the envelope and went into shock. So there it is. Which ships were on the cancellations which she discarded after soaking off the stamps? Probably better that I'll never know. It would be much too painful. As you can see ships of the Pacific and Asiatic fleet dominate. As well as a number of ships which were at Pearl that tragic Sunday. Well, I've taken up enough of your time. I'll stay in touch and email you something when its finally ready. Bill Lander From: [email protected] Date: Wed, 28 May 1997 19:18:26 -0400 (EDT) Subject: Re: USS Richard E. Kraus (DD 849) Richard: Again, thanks for your prompt reply. I have no objections to you posting the emails, actually in the case of the naval cancellations it might put me in contact with other individuals collecting U.S. Naval postal history which would be great. I'm sure there are others out there who share the hobby, there have to be, but I haven't met them yet. As to the DD-849 page, I'll contribute what I can. I looked through my pictures last night and found that the official picture of the Kraus that I bought years ago from the ship's store is among the missing. I have a few other photos and some might scan with good results. My memories of duty aboard the Kraus are somewhat blurred. I boarded the Kraus as an RMSN straight out of RM "A" School in Bainbridge, Md. and left as an RM3. Looking back on my three years of duty aboard the "Rusty Richard". I find that my most vivid memories are of liberty, bars, and the activities of shipmates that now serve as Sea Storys. I actually kept a somewhat spotty diary for about 18 months while aboard but a plumbing malfunction in our berthing compartment flooded out my locker and destroyed most of my photos and negatives plus the diary. I never started another one, and left the Kraus only a few months later. I do have a nice series of photos taken of our Shellback initiation while underway for Brazil at the beginning of a cruise to the mid-east and Persian Gulf. I'll keep checking for more memorabilia and also ransack my memory. Bill Lander, USN Ret. |
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
These pages do not represent any organization.
Web authoring services provided by Plateau Internet Partnership as a public service.
Copyright 1996 - 2001 Plateau Internet Partnership.