LEARY DD 158

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.

Wickes Class Destroyer
Keel Laid March 6 1918 - Launched December 18 1918


1. USS LEARY Destroyer No. 158
   Commissioned December 5 1919
   
   
2. USS LEARY DD-158
   Designated (DD) July 17 1920
   Decommissioned June 29 1922
   Recommissioned May 1 1930
   SUNK (Torpedoed) December 24 1943 by German U-275 North of the Azores
   97 of her crew were lost and remain on duty

 

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    (1937-43)

 

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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2nd Commissioning May 1 1930 to December 24 1943

 

Locy Type 3 (A-BTT) "GUANTANAMO / BAY CUBA"

1936-09-18

Naval Reserve Cruise 1936
Cachet by Walt Munson and Meyer Tuchinsky

 

Locy Type 3b (A-XTT) "NORFOLK / NAVY YARD"

1938-02-15

Cover by Tazewell G. Nicholson for the LDC of NOKOMIS PY-6.

 

Locy Type 3b (A-XTT) "WASHINGTON / D.C."

1938-04-11

Note:

 

Locy Type 3r (A-BTB) "BOSTON / MASS"

1939-11-11

Ship cachet by Louise C. Weigand

 

Locy Type 3r (A-BTB) "NORFOLK / V.A."

1940-05-22

R/S marking on back from Paul J. Gross

 

Locy Type 3s (A)

1932-01-06

Note:

 

Locy Type 3s (A)

1933-03-04

Note: FDR's first inaugural this date.

 

Locy Type 3s (BC-BXT) "SEATTLE / WASHINGTON"

1933-06-27

Middle killer bar is missing (X). From the Tom Kean collection.

 

Locy Type 3s (BC-BBT) "RICHMOND / VA"

1936-04-04

Note:

 

Locy Type 3z

1943-09-08

Censored wartime (WWII) use

 

Locy Type 9v

1938-04-11

Note:

 

Locy Type 9x

1938-04-11

Note:

 

Locy Type F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-7

1939-10-27

Navy Day, Ship's seal embossed

 

Locy Type RECD USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. L-7b

1939-11-11

Ship cachet by Louise C. Weigand

 

Other Information

LEARY received one battle star for her World War II service.

NAMESAKE - Lieutenant Clarence F. Leary, USNRF (January 11 1894 – July 20 1918).
Born in Fowey, England, Leary came to the United States with his family as a boy. After the United States entered World War I he was commissioned Lieutenant in the Naval Reserve June 12 1918, and appointed executive officer in "Charlton Hall". He died of burns and smoke inhalation when he entered the ship’s burning hold July 20 in an attempt to save both ship and crew. He was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross for his self-sacrificing valor

Two US Navy ships were named in his honor; USS Leary DD-158 and USS Leary DD-879.

 

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