USCS Commemorative Cancellations for 2008
2008 is the 100 th anniversary of the sailing of the around the world voyage Great White Fleet and it is also the 100 th anniversary of the creation of post offices aboard US Navy ships. This is a good opportunity for cover collectors to mark the anniversaries with cancels and cachets.
USCS members Rich Hoffner, Greg Ciesielski, Phil Schreiber and the USS New Jersey Chapter of the USCS have prepared some cancellation designs and are submitting them to the US Postal Service for approval. Rich and Greg have designed the Great White Fleet Station series of cancels, Phil and the New Jersey Chapter have prepared the Type 3 Foreign Ports of Call series of cancels.
The first post offices aboard U.S. Navy ships opened in 1908 and the first cancels bearing ship names were used in this same year. It was an Act of Congress that was approved May 27, 1908 and implemented by Navy Department General Order #74 dated June 27, 1908 that put post offices aboard United States Navy ships. Congress was acting on the need for sailors to have a reliable means of posting letters while sailing around the world as part of the Great White Fleet. Rich and Greg are in the process of preparing four cancels to be used on July 8, 2008 marking the 100 th anniversary of US Navy shipboard post offices. Two other cancels are planned for May and June commemorating the approval and implementation of General Order #74.
The Great White Fleet sailed from Hampton Roads, Virginia on December 16, 1907. The fleet traveled south, around the tip of South America and up the west coast of the Americas, stopping in ports in California. From there the fleet continued north to Washington before turning west to Hawaii. The fleet next visited New Zealand before making port in Australia, the Philippines, Japan and China. The fleet next sailed through the Indian Ocean, through the Panama Canal, into the Mediterranean before returning to Hampton Roads on February 22, 1909. The fleet had visited 6 continents and made port in 20 major cities around the world. For more information on the voyage of the Great White Fleet, see www.navy.mil/gwf/index.htm Cancellations are being designed to trace the route of the fleet.
The planned cancels and cancel dates and address for obtaining the cancels are shown below. The Postal Service allows a window of 30 days after the cancellation date to obtain cancels. As cancels are approved by the Postal Service, the address information will be updated so please check this page throughout 2008.
Cancels marking the Voyage of the Great White Fleet:
(The cancels marked “Great White Fleet Station” will share a common design. See Great White Fleet Station Cancels for illustrations. Those cancels noted with “Type 3” will feature a Locy Type 3 cancel design.)
The date of the cancel is shown.
Norfolk VA 12/16/07 , Great White Fleet Station, send requests to: USPS, Attn: Herver Trymier, 2600 Eltham Ave., #109, Norfolk VA 23513-2504 Click here for an illustration of a cover with this cancel
Staten Island, NY 1/6/08 , Type 3, USS KANSAS (BB-21) STATION /CROSSING EQUATOR
Send requests to: C/O Customer Service USPS, 45 Bay St., Staten Island, NY 10301
Staten Island, NY 1/13/08 , Type 3, USS OHIO (BB-12) STATION/ RIO DE JANEIRO/BRAZIL
Send requests to: C/O Customer Service USPS, 45 Bay St., Staten Island, NY 10301
Norfolk, VA 2/1/08 , Type 3, USS NEW JERSEY (BB-16) STATION/ PUNTA ARENAS/ CHILE
Send requests to: C/O Customer Relations, USPS, 2600 Eltham Ave., STE. 109, Norfolk, VA 23513-2504
Norfolk, VA 2/20/08 , Type 3, USS VIRGINIA (BB-13) STATION CALLAO/PERU
Send requests to: C/O Customer Relations, USPS, 2600 Eltham Ave., STE. 109, Norfolk, VA 23513-2504
Norfolk, VA 2/29/08 , Type 3, USS NEW JERSEY (BB-13) PUNTA ARENAS/CHILE
Send requests to: C/O Customer Relations, USPS, 2600 Eltham Ave., STE. 109, Norfolk, VA 23513-2504
Staten Island, NY 2/29/08 , Type 3, USS OHIO (BB-12) STATION /RIO DE JANEIRO/BRAZIL
Send requests to: C/O Customer Service USPS, 45 Bay St., Staten Island, NY 10301
Staten Island, NY 3/3/08 , Type 3, USS KANSAS (BB-21) STATION /CROSSING EQUATOR
Send requests to: C/O Customer Service USPS, 45 Bay St., Staten Island, NY 10301
San Diego, CA 3/12/08 , Type 3, USS MINNESOTA STATION MAGDALENA/BAY MEXICO
Send requests to: USPS Philatelic, Attention: Elisa Patag, P.O. Box 85530
San Diego CA 92186-5530
San Diego 4/10/08, Postmaster, Great White Fleet Postmark P O Box 85530, San Diego CA 92186-5530
Los Angeles 4/18/08 , Postmaster, Great White Fleet Postmark, 7001 S Central Ave, Los Angeles CA 90052-9990
Santa Barbara 4/25/08 , Great White Fleet Station, send requests to: USPS, 836 Anacapa St., Santa Barbara CA 93102-9998
Monterey 5/1/08 , Great White Fleet Station, send requests to: Monterey Main Post Office, Postmaster, Great White Fleet Postmark, 565 Hartnell St, Monterey, CA 93940-9998
Santa Cruz 5/2/08 , Great White Fleet Station, send requests to: Santa Cruz Main Post Office, Postmaster, Great White Fleet Postmark, 850 Front St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060-9998
San Francisco 5/6/08, Postmaster, Great White Fleet Postmark, Rincon Finance
Attn: Philatelic Department, 180 Steuart Street, San Francisco, CA 94188-9992
Bellingham WA 5/21/08 , Postmaster, Bellingham Post Office, Great White Fleet Postmark, 315 Prospect Street, Bellingham WA 98225-9998
Port Angeles WA 5/21/08 , Great White Fleet Station, send requests to: Postmaster, Great White Fleet Postmark, 424 East 1st Street, Port Angeles WA 98362-9998
Seattle 5/23/08 , Postmaster, Great White Fleet Postmark, Midtown Station, 301 Union St, Seattle WA 98101-9998
Bremerton 5/31/08 , Postmaster, Great White Fleet Postmark, 602 Pacific Ave., Bremerton WA 98337-9998
Tacoma 6/2/08 , Great White Fleet Station, send requests to: U SPS, Customer Relations Coordinator: Attn. Dennis Shimomura, 4001 S. Pine St., Tacoma WA 98413-9996
Honolulu 7/19/08, Honolulu Post Office, Nancy Wong, Retail Manager, 3600 Aolele St, Honolulu HI 96820-9661
Norfolk 2/22/09 , still to be approved
NEW NEWS May 16, 2008
The commemorative Great White Fleet cancels have been delivered to the ships and covers have been reported from numerous ships using this new cancel.