COMTE DE GRASSE DD 974

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.

Spruance Class Destroyer Keel Laid April 4 1975 - Launched March 26 1976 USS COMTE DE GRASSE DD-974 Commissioned August 5 1978 - Decommissioned June 5 1998 Struck from Naval Register June 5 1998 Sunk June 7 2006 as a target

Naval Covers

This section lists active links to the pages displaying covers associated with the ship. There should be a separate set of pages for each incarnation of the ship (ie, for each entry in the "Ship Name and Designation History" section). 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.

1. Covers Page 1    (1979-90)

 

Postmarks

This section lists examples of the postmarks used by the ship. There should be a separate set of postmarks for each incarnation of the ship (ie, for each entry in the "Ship Name and Designation History" section). 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.

 

Postmark Type --- Killer Bar Text	Date From to Date To	Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image	Thumbnail Link To Cover Image

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Post Office Established July 30 1978 - Disestablished June 5 1998

 

Locy Type FDC 2-1(n+) Aug 5, 1978

1978-08-05

Commissioning, cachet by U.S.S. America Chapter No. 71, USCS

 

Locy Type 2-1(n+) (USS, DEGRASSE)

1978-08-21

Welcome to Norfolk - HMS CHARYBDIS, cachet by the Tazewell G. Nicholson

 

Locy Type 2-1(n+) (USS, DE GRASSE)

1979-12-05

Note:

 

Locy Type 9-1(n+u) (USS, DEGRASSE)

1987-06-02

Note:

 

Locy Type F "ARMED / FORCES / DAY '87" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56b

1987-05-016

Note:

 

Locy Type F "ARMED / FORCES / DAY '87" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56b

1987-05-16

Armed Forces Day '87, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "SOLID / SHIELD / '87" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56

1987-05-01

Note:

 

Locy Type F "SOLID / SHIELD / '87" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56

1987-05-01

Solid Shield '87, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "DEPENDENT'S / CRUISE '87" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56b

1987-06-02

Note:

 

Locy Type F "DEPENDENT'S / CRUISE '87" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56b

1987-06-02

Dependent's Cruise '87, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "MED / CRUISE / '87" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56a

1987-06-14

Med Cruise '87, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "/1987/" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56a

1987-10-13

Navy Day 1987, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "/FPO 09566/" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56

1987-11-11

Memorial Day 1987, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "MERRY / CHRISTMAS" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56b

1987-12-25

Note:

 

Locy Type F "MERRY / CHRISTMAS" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56b

1987-12-25

Merry Christmas, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "NEW YEAR'S / DAY" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56b

1988-01-01

New Year's Day, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "LINCOLN'S / BIRTHDAY" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56b

1988-02-12

Lincoln's Birthday, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "WASHINGTON'S / BIRTHDAY" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56b

1988-02-22

Washington's Birthday, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "CHECK / MATE / SEVEN" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56b

1988-08-16

Law Enforcement Operations, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "SEASONS / 1988 / GREETINGS" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56c

1988-12-25

Merry Christmas, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type F "CHANGE / OF / COMMAND" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56d

1989-03-14

Note:

 

Locy Type F "CHANGE / OF / COMMAND" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. C-56d

1989-01-09

Change of Command, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type LDC 2-1(n+) (USS,DEGRASSE)

1998-06-05

Decommissioning, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Locy Type LDC 9-1(n+u) (USS,DEGRASSE)

1998-06-05

Decommissioning, cachet by the Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS

 

Other Information

NAMESAKE - François Joseph Paul, marquis de Grasse Tilly, comte de Grasse (1722 - January 14 1788) a French admiral
At the age of eleven, de Grasse entered the Order of Malta as a page of the Grand Master. In 1734, de Grasse became an ensign on the galleys of the Knights Hospitaller and, in 1740, he entered the French Navy. In 1776, the American War of Independence against Great Britain began and the French Navy was assigned to assist the American cause. As a commander of a division, de Grasse served under Louis Guillouet, comte d'Orvilliers at the First Battle of Ushant from July 23 to 27, 1778. In 1779, he joined the fleet of Count d'Estaing in the Caribbean and distinguished himself in the battles of Dominica and Saint Lucia during 1780 and of Tobago during 1781. He contributed to the capture of Grenada and took part in the three actions fought by Guichen against Admiral Rodney in the Battle of Martinique. He came to the aid of Washington and Rochambeau, setting sail with 3,000 men from Saint-Dominique. de Grasse landed the 3,000 French reinforcements in Virginia, and immediately afterwards decisively defeated the British fleet in the Battle of the Chesapeake in September 1781. He drew away the English forces and blockaded the coast until Lord Cornwallis surrendered, ensuring the independence of the United States of America. He was less fortunate at Battle of St. Kitts, where he was defeated by Admiral Hood. Shortly afterwards, in April 1782, he was defeated and taken prisoner by Admiral Rodney at the Battle of the Saintes. Some months later, he returned to France, published a Mémoire justificatif and, in 1784, was acquitted by a court-martial

 

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