BLAIR DER 147

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.

Edsall Class Destroyer Escort
Keel Laid 19 January 1943 - Launched 6 April 1943


1. USS BLAIR DE-147
Commissioned 13 September 1943 - Decommissioned 28 June 1946
Recommissioned 5 October 1951


2. USS BLAIR DER-147
Reclassified Radar Picket Escort (DER) 1 November 1956
Decommissioned 13 November 1956 for conversion
Recommissioned 2 December 1957 - Decommissioned 1 April 1960

Struck from Naval Register 1 December 1972
Sold 26 September 1974 as 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).

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1. USS Blair DE-147 / DER-147 Covers Page 1     (1953-1960)

 

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 5 October 1951 to 13 November 1956

USS BLAIR DE-147

 

Locy Type 2

1953-01-02

Note:

 

Locy Type 9efu

1954-09-18

Note:

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3rd Commissioning 2 December 1957 to 1 April 1960

USS BLAIR DER-147

 

Locy Type 2t(n+u)

1958-01-03

Note:

 

Locy Type 9fu

1960-04-27

From the Bob Govern collection.

 

Other Information

USS BLAIR earned the American Campaign Medal, the European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal, the WWII Victory Medal and the National Defense Service Medal during her Naval career.

NAMESAKE - Chief Machinist’s Mate Eugene Blair, USN (26 April 1908 - 19 February 1942)
Blair enlisted in the Navy at Richmond, Va., on 23 November 1929. After instruction at the Naval Training Station, Hampton Roads, Va., Blair served in four ships during his first two-year enlistment, the destroyer tenders USS DOBBIN AD-3 and USS WHITNEY AD-4, and the destroyers USS PRESTON DD-327 and USS LEARY DD-158, before being transferred to the new destroyer USS McDOUGAL DD-358 two days before Christmas of 1936. Transferring to the transport USS CHAUMONT AP-5 on 4 November 1939, Blair was discharged at the Naval Operating Base, Norfolk, Va., on 8 December of the same year. Blair reenlisted on 3 January 1940 at Boston and, following service at the New York receiving station, joined USS WILLIAM B. PRESTON AVD-7 on 14 June 1940 when that small seaplane tender was recommissioned. He remained with that warship through her transfer to the Asiatic Fleet that December and was still serving in her when war engulfed the Far East in December 1941. WILLIAM B. PRESTON tended the PBY flying boats of Patrol Wing (PatWing) 10 in Philippine waters when the fighting began and continued this duty in the Netherlands East Indies before retiring to Port Darwin, Australia, in mid-February 1942. Planes from four of the six Japanese carriers that had attacked Pearl Harbor struck Darwin on 19 February 1942. Early in the raid, USS WILLIAM B. PRESTON got underway and headed for the open sea. As the attack had developed rapidly, Chief Machinist’s Mate Blair, a member of the after repair party, went below in company with Metalsmith 2d Class LeRay Wilson, to close hatches and watertight doors. Just after they finished that task, a bomb struck the ship in the compartment in which they were standing, killing both instantly. Their efficient performance of duty, however, limited the flooding suffered by the warship to two compartments. Each man received a Silver Star posthumously.

The ships sponsor was Mrs. Vestie Foster, the mother of three sons in the United States Navy.

 

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