August 2004 Cover |
by Steve Shay |
|
USS HUMPHREYS |
|
|
This cover is addressed to Dr. Francis Locy, the same Locy who developed the Locy system for classifying Naval Postmarks. The cover is cancelled in August 1928; Locy's article would be published in the American Philatelist in February 1929. This postmark as described today using the Locy System is known as a Type 3s(B). The small "s" refers to a serif type style and the capital "B" refers to narrow spacing of the "U.S.S." The USS Humphrey was a Clemson class destroyer launched in 1919. Within a month of commissioning in 1920, she was sent to the Crimea where she served as a station ship and evacuated civilians caught up in the Russian revolution. Humphreys then began a less eventful service, participating in training exercises along the East and West Coasts. In 1928, Humphreys tool part in annual summer reserve training cruises. Chances are she was close to the Pennsylvania area when this cover was postmarked as the reverse shows a postmark 2 days later at the US Naval Hospital, League Island, PA. Humphreys would be decommissioned in 1930 only to be recommissioned in 1932. She took part in Neutrality patrols in 1939-1941. After the United States was brought into the war, she served for a time in Alaska waters and was then converted to a high speed transport as so many other destroyers of her vintage were. She earned seven battle stars for her WWII service, much of it in the South West Pacific area. She was later converted to carrying Navy "frogmen" and participated in the Battle of the Philippines and the Battle of Iwo Jima. She was decommissioned October 1945 and sold for scrap the following year. |
