Type P Examples
The Type P or "Provisional" cancel type applied only to a government-issue cancel that has been modified by the mail clerk after it is received. The two most common forms of modifications are the addition of the ship's name to a 2z or 3z cancel, and changing or deleting part of the wording in the dial.
The following cancel is from the U.S.S. Electra (AK-21) and is classified as Type P [E-13]
As you can see, it is a Type 3z (BBT) cancel with the ship's name in the killer bars. The "[E-13]" tag indicates that this cancel type for this ship is shown as illustration "E-13" in the Catalog of United States Naval Postmarks published by the Universal Ship Cancellation Society.
The following cancel is from the U.S.S. Pennsylvania (BB-38) and is classified as Type P [U.S. Fleet Flagship 3ty ("*")] [P-15f]
As you can see, it is a Type 3ty cancel with "U.S. Fleet Flagship" replacing the ship's name. The ("*") indicates that the dial text includes a star. The "[P-15f]" tag indicates that this cancel type for this ship is shown as illustration "P-15f" in the Catalog of United States Naval Postmarks published by the Universal Ship Cancellation Society.
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