VESTAL AR 4

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.

Vestal Class Collier/Repair Ship Ordered 17 April 1904 as ERIE Renamed October 1905 Keel Laid 25 March 1907 - Launched 19 May 1908 USS VESTAL Collier No. 1 In Service 4 October 1909 - Out of Service 25 October 1912 USS VESTAL Fleet Repair Ship No. 4 Commissioned 3 September 1913 USS VESTAL AR-4 Designated (AR) 17 July 1920 Decommissioned 14 August 1946 Struck from Naval Register 25 September 1946 Sold 28 July 1950 for scrap

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. USS Vestal AR-4 Covers Page 1    (1913-1944)

 

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	Postmark Date	Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image	Thumbnail Link To Cover Image

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Post Office Established 15 September 1913 - Disestablished 15 August 1946

 

Locy Type 1z

1918-02-23

Fleet Repair Ship No. 4, Censored WWI use.

 

Locy Type 2z

1944-04-21

AR-4. Censored WWII use.

 

Locy Type 3 (A) "HAMPTON / ROADS VA" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8

1913-11-10

Fleet Repair Ship No. 4. Picture postcard of "Old Point Comfort VA".

 

Locy Type 3 (B) USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8a

1916-03-30

As Fleet Repair Ship No. 4

 

Locy Type 3 (AC) "AT / SEA" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8b

1917-02-28

Fleet Repair Ship No. 4. Postcard use.

 

Locy Type 3 (AC) " / CALIFORNIA"

1920-02-18

Fleet Repair Ship No. 4

 

Locy Type 3b (B-XOO)

1916-02-10

Fleet Repair Ship No. 4

 

Locy Type 3b (A-OOX) "VERA CRUZ / MEXICO"

1914

Fleet Repair Ship No. 4

 

Locy Type 3r (AC) "GUANTANAMO / BAY CUBA"

1915-02-05

Fleet Repair Ship No. 4

 

Locy Type 3r (A) "BLOCK I. / R"

1926-06-04

AR-4. Official Business.

 

Locy Type 3r (AC-BBB) "SAN PEDRO / CALIF"

1938-07-29

AR-4. Cachet by Walter G. Crosby

 

Locy Type 3r (A-BTT)

1939-06-15

AR-4

 

Locy Type 3s

1922-12-13

AR-4

 

Locy Type 3s (A-TTT) "28TH / ANNIVERSARY"

1937-10-04

AR-4. 28th Anniversary, Cachet by Frederick Horton

 

Locy Type 3z (BBT)

1942-03-07

AR-4. Censored. Add-on cachet by Bruce D. Liddell

 

Locy Type 6

1931-10-30

AR-4

 

Locy Type 9 (with bars) "GUANTANAMO / CUBA"

1924-11-09

AR-4

 

Locy Type 9 (1925)

1925-02-24

AR-4

 

Locy Type 9v (1915)

1915-02-22

AR-4. Backside of Registered cover.

 

Locy Type 9v (1918-27)

1918-08-22

AR-4. Mark from back of cover

 

Locy Type 9v (1937-41)

1937-12-25

AR-4. Multiple mark cover, Christmas 1937 - New Year 1940

 

Locy Type 9efw

1937-12-25

AR-4. Multiple mark cover, Christmas 1937 - New Year 1940

 

Locy Type 9x

1937-12-25

AR-4. Multiple mark cover, Christmas 1937 - New Year 1940

 

Locy Type F "MARE ISLAND / CALIFORNIA" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. CD-1a

1933-02-08

AR-4. "North Bay Stamp Club" created postmark.

 

Locy Type F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8c

1940-06-16

AR-4

 

Locy Type F "WASHINGTONS / BIRTHDAY" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8d

1940-02-22

AR-4. Blue Ink.

 

Locy Type F "WASHINGTONS / BIRTHDAY" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8d

1940-02-22

AR-4. Purple Ink. Cachet by Richard Buchwald

 

Locy Type F "SEATTLE / WASHINGTON" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8d

1946-05-07

AR-4. Black Ink.

 

Locy Type Fz USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8e

1941-06-14

AR-4. Flag Day, cachet by Jacques Minkus

 

Locy Type SLK (1915)

1915-02-22

AR-4. Registered cover.

 

Locy Type SLK (1937)

1937-12-25

AR-4. Multiple mark cover, Christmas 1937 - New Year 1940

 

Locy Type SLKb (53x8)

c1937

AR-4. Undated straightline mark

 

Locy Type SLPb (53x8)

1937-07-04

AR-4. Cachet is thermographed. The last digit of the date is illegible. 1937 is a best guess based on the known date range for this postmark.

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N/A

c 1930's

N/A

AR-4. Unused "Guard Mail" envelope.

 

Other Information

USS VESTAL earned the Combat Action Ribbon; the Mexican Service Medal, the China Service Medal, the World War I Victory Medal, the American Defense Service Medal w/ Fleet clasp, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 2 Battle stars, the World War II Victory Medal and the Navy Occupation Service Medal w/ Asia clasp during her Naval career.

NAMESAKE - Named for a virgin—dedicated to Vesta, the Roman goddess of hearth and fire—who tended the sacred fire kept perpetually burning on her altar

Undated postcard of the ship:

 

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