WANTUCK APD 125
Ship Name and Designation History
This section lists the names and designations that the ship had during its lifetime. The list is in chronological order.
Authorized as Rudderrow Class Destroyer Escort DE-692 Redesignated High-speed Transport (APD) 17 July 1944 Keel Laid 17 August 1944 - Launched 25 September 1944 Struck from Naval Register 4 March 1958 Sold 27 October 1958 for scrap |
This section lists active links to the pages displaying covers associated with the ship. There should be a separate set of pages for each name of the ship (for example, Bushnell AG-32 / Sumner AGS-5 are different names for the same ship so there should be one set of pages for Bushnell and one set for Sumner). Covers should be presented in chronological order (or as best as can be determined).
Since a ship may have many covers, they may be split among many pages so it doesn't take forever for the pages to load. Each page link should be accompanied by a date range for covers on that page.
Postmarks
This section lists examples of the postmarks used by the ship. There should be a separate set of postmarks for each name and/or commissioning period. Within each set, the postmarks should be listed in order of their classification type. If more than one postmark has the same classification, then they should be further sorted by date of earliest known usage.
A postmark should not be included unless accompanied by a close-up image and/or an
image of a cover showing that postmark. Date ranges MUST be based ONLY ON COVERS IN
THE MUSEUM and are expected to change as more covers are added.
>>> If you have a better example for any of the postmarks, please feel free to replace the
existing example.
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Postmark Type |
Postmark Date |
Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image |
Thumbnail Link To Cover Image |
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Locy Type |
1945-12-19 |
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Note:
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Locy Type |
1945-03-18 |
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Note:
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Locy Type 9# |
1945-09-03 |
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Censored WWII use. Mark from back of cover
Other Information
USS WANTUCK earned the China Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 1 Battle star, the World War II Victory Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal w/ Asia clasp, the National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal w/ 7 Battle stars, the United Nations Service Medal and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal during her Naval career.
NAMESAKE - John Joseph Wantuck USMC (November 23 1923 - July 17 1943)
Wantuck enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on January 6 1942. After basic training at the Marine barracks at Parris Island, S.C., he served at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, from June 30 1942 until late in the year. By December 5, Private Wantuck was serving in the Solomon Islands where, on June 30 1943, he went ashore with other marines at Zanana beach on the island of New Georgia. For two weeks, the troops tried to dislodge the Japanese defenders farther inland near Munda while Wantuck served with the beachhead and supply depot antiaircraft defense unit. On July 17, the Japanese mounted a major offensive at the severed and disoriented American forces. Though eventually stymied in their attempt, they managed to reach the perimeter of the beachhead and Private Wantuck's position. Using a light machine gun salvaged from the discard pile, Wantuck stuck to his position through the night. The following morning, after the enemy offensive had been repulsed, Private Wantuck was found dead at his gun with evidence in front of him that he had killed 18 to 20 of the enemy and had probably wounded many more. For his gallant defense and supreme sacrifice Private Wantuck was awarded the Navy Cross, posthumously.
The ships sponsor was Miss Mary Wantuck.
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