BANCROFT DD 256

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.

Clemson Class Destroyer Keel Laid November 4 1918 - Launched March 21 1919 USS BANCROFT Destroyer No. 256 Commissioned June 30 1919 USS BANCROFT DD-256 Designated (DD) July 17 1920 Decommissioned July 24 1922 Recommissioned December 18 1939 - Decommissioned September 24 1940 HMS ST. FRANCIS I-93 (British Naval Service) Transferred to Great Britain (Canada) (Famous Fifty) September 24 1940 and renamed Struck from Naval Register January 8 1941 Collided with WINDING GULF July 14 1945 and sank off Sagonnet Point, Rhode Island

George Bancroft

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).

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1. USS Bancroft DD-256 Covers Page 1    (1940)

 

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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2nd Commissioning December 18 1939 to September 24 1940

 

Locy Type FDPS 3 (A-BBT) "FIRST DAY / SERVICE"

1940-02-13

First Day of Postal Service, cachet by George Neumann and Frederick Horton

 

Locy Type FDPS 3 (A-BBT) "FIRST DAY / SERVICE"

1940-02-13

First Day of Postal Service, cachet by Al Cohen

 

Locy Type 3 (A-BBT) "KEY WEST / FLORIDA"

1940-02-26

Note:

 

Other Information

NAMESAKE - George Bancroft (3 October 1800 - 17 January 1891)
George Bancroft was born in Worcester, Mass. An eminent historian and politician, he wrote "The History of the United States". In 1845 he was appointed Secretary of the Navy and founded the Naval Academy. He also fostered the work of the Washington Observatory and raised the standard of professional instruction. He was later minister to Great Britain, Prussia and the North German Federation, and the German Empire. He died in Washington in 1891 and was buried in Worcester, Mass.

Three ships of the US Navy have been named BANCROFT in honor of George Bancroft. USS Bancroft (1892 gunboat), USS Bancroft DD-256 and USS Bancroft DD-598.

 

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