CAPPS DD 550

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.

Fletcher Class Destroyer Keel Laid June 12 1941 - Launched May 31 1942 USS CAPPS DD-550 Commissioned June 23 1943 - Decommissioned January 15 1947 Struck from Naval Register October 1 1972 LEPANTO D-21 (Spanish Naval Service) Transferred to Spain May 15 1957 and renamed Stricken by Spanish Navy December 31 1985 and scrapped

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 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).

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1. USS Capps DD-550 Covers Page 1     (1943-45)

 

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.

 

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

 

Locy Type 2z*

1943-08-23

Note:

 

Locy Type 3z (BTB)

1943-09-01

Mark from back of cover

 

Locy Type 9efu

1945-11-26

Type 2 bars added

 

Other Information

CAPPS earned 7 Battle Stars for WWII service

NAMESAKE - Washington Lee Capps USN (January 31 1864 - May 31 1935)
Capps was appointed to the Naval Academy in 1880. Upon graduation, he served in the Screw Frigate TENNESSEE for the two years sea duty then customary prior to commissioning. After becoming an Ensign in 1886, Capps studied naval architecture at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. After returning to the United States in 1888 and brief duty at the Navy Department, he was assigned to Cramp's shipyard in Philadelphia. Capps moved to the New York Navy Yard in 1889 and remained there joining the Bureau of Construction and Repair in 1892. Three years later he became the superintending constructor at the Union Iron Works in San Francisco. There, he supervised the construction of USS OREGON BB-3, USS WISCONSIN BB-9, FARRAGUT (Torpedo Boat No. 11), USS MARIETTA PG-15, and USS WHEELING PG-14. Later attached to the staff of Rear Admiral Dewey, commander of the Asiatic Squadron, he was present during the Battle of Manila Bay. After the capture of Manila, he had three of the Spanish warships salvaged and repaired. Next Capps spent two years with the Board of Inspection Survey, followed by a tour of duty as the Head, Construction and Repair Department at the New York Navy Yard. In 1903, he became the Constructor of the Navy and Chief of the Bureau of Construction and Repair with the rank of Rear Admiral. During his tenure as Constructor of the Navy, numerous new ideas in warship design were tested and adopted. Notable among his innovations was the decision to mount the main batteries of battleships on the centerline, thereby increasing their broadside weight of metal to the maximum. During his tenure, Rear Admiral Capps served on a number of American and international committees which had been established for such purposes, among others, as improving the organization of the Navy and adopting new safety measures at sea to prevent a recurrence of disasters such as the sinking of the TITANIC in April 1912. During World War I, he was senior member of the Navy's Compensation Board which oversaw the cost aspect of the Navy's expanded ship acquisition program. He was also general manager of the United States Shipping Board's Emergency Fleet Corp. Forced by poor health to relinquish these duties for a time, Capps returned to his position on the Compensation Board, became the senior member of the Naval War Claims Board, and served on other boards and committees. Although placed on the retired list effective January 31 1928, Rear Admiral Capps continued on active duty until the day of his death at Washington, D.C., on May 31 1935.

Two ships of the US Navy were named in his honor - USS Capps DD-550 and USS Admiral W. L. Capps AP-121

 

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