RUSSELL DD 414

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.

Sims Class Destroyer Keel Laid 20 December 1937 - Launched 8 December 1938 USS RUSSELL DD-414 Commissioned 3 November 1939 - Decommissioned 15 November 1945 Struck from Naval Register 28 November 1945 Sold 28 September 1947 and broken up for scrap

Rear Admiral John Henry Russell, USN

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 Russell DD-414 Covers Page 1    (1940-1942)

 

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

 

Locy Type 3r (A-BTT) "PORTSMOUTH / VA" USS DECATUR DD-341

1938-12-08

Dual Launching along with USS Mustin DD-413, Cachet by Gordon A. Shaw

 

Locy Type 3r (A-BTT) "PORTSMOUTH / VA" USS DECATUR DD-341

1938-12-08

Launching, Cachet by Tazewell G. Nicholson

---

 

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

1940-01-04

First Day of Postal Service, cachet by Leo A. Schupp

 

Locy Type FDPS 3r "FIRST DAY / POST-SERVICE"

1940-01-04

First Day of Postal Service, cachet by Al Cohen, sponsored by Meyer Tuchinsky

 

Locy Type FDPS 9v

1940-01-04

First Day Postal Service

 

Locy Type FDPS 9x

1940-01-04

First Day Postal Service

 

Locy Type 3r (A-BBT) "CRISTOBAL / C. Z."

1940-01-27

Shakedown Cruise, cachet by Loring W. Stannard, sponsored by Tazewell G. Nicholson

 

Locy Type 3z (BTT)

1942-07-06

Add-on cachet by Michael Brock

 

Locy Type 9v

1940-03-21

Note:

 

Locy Type 9x

1940-03-21

Note:

 

Locy Type Fz USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. CD-Z3

1941-09-08

Official Mail

 

Other Information

USS RUSSELL earned the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 16 battle stars and the WWII Victory Medal during her Naval career.

NAMESAKE - Rear Admiral John Henry Russell, USN (4 July 1827 - 1 April 1897).
Born at Frederick, MD, on 4 July 1827, was appointed midshipman 10 September 1841 and served in the sloop USS Cyane in the Pacific until 1843. He returned in the frigate USS United States in 1844 and served in USS St. Marys in the Gulf of Mexico from 1844 to 1846; participating in operations at Galveston, Corpus Christi, Brazos, Resaca, and Vera Cruz. After duty in USS Alleghany in 1847, he graduated at the Naval Academy in 1848. Briefly assigned to coast survey duty, he made a cruise to Brazil in 1849, then served on the New York-West Indies mail line from 1853 to 1856, and served as navigator in USS Vincennes during explorations of the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans. Assigned to the Mediterranean Squadron at the end of the decade, he returned to the United States and ordnance duty at the Washington Navy Yard just prior to the outbreak of the Civil War. In April 1861, he assisted in preventing ships at Norfolk from falling to the enemy; and, in September, he led a boat expedition into Pensacola Harbor to destroy the Confederate privateer Judah. He next assumed command of USS Kennebec and in that gunboat participated in operations on the Mississippi up to Vicksburg and served in the blockade of Mobile. Commanding USS Pontiac in 1863, he returned to ordnance duty at Washington in 1864 and to the Pacific Squadron to serve as commanding officer of USS Cyane in 1864-65. Various duties, afloat and ashore, on both coasts, Atlantic and Pacific, followed, and he completed his last assignment, 3 years as Commandant Mare Island Navy Yard, in 1886. Appointed Rear Admiral 4 March 1886, he retired on 27 August and resided in Washington, D.C., until his death.

The ships sponsor was Mrs. Charles H. Marshall, granddaughter of Rear Admiral Russell.

 

---

 

If you have images or information to add to this page, then either contact the Curator or edit this page yourself and add it. See Editing Ship Pages for detailed information on editing this page.

 

---

Copyright 2024 Naval Cover Museum