WALKER DD 517

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 August 31 1942 - Launched January 31 1943 USS WALKER DD-517 Commissioned April 3 1943 - Decommissioned May 31 1946 Reclassified Escort Destroyer (DDE) March 28 1949 USS WALKER DDE-517 Recommissioned September 15 1951 USS WALKER DD-517 Reverted to Destroyer (DD) June 30 1962 Decommissioned June 2 1969 Struck from Naval Register July 2 1969 FANTE D-516 (Italian Naval Service) Transferred to Italy July 2 1969 and renamed Stricken by Italy 1977 and broken up for 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 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. Covers Page 1     (1945-51)

 

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.

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

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1st Commissioning April 3 1943 to May 31 1946

 

Locy Type 2(n)

1946-05-29

As DD-517

 

Locy Type 2z*

1945-08-30

As DD-517
Censored wartime (WWII) use

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2nd Commissioning September 15 1951 to June 2 1969

 

Locy Type FDPS 2

1951-01-14

As DDE-517
First Day Postal Service

 

Locy Type 2

1951-05-14

As DDE-517

 

Other Information

WALKER earned six battle stars for World War II engagements, two for service in Korea, and three for Vietnam service

NAMESAKE - John Grimes Walker (March 20 1835 - September 16 1907)
Walker was appointed a Midshipman on October 5 1850 and graduated at the head of his class at the Naval Academy in 1856. He served in FALMOUTH and ST. LAWRENCE in 1858 and 1859; in SUSQUEHANNA in 1860 and 1861; in CONNECTICUT in 1861; and in WINONA in 1861 and 1862. He distinguished himself under Farragut during the Mississippi River campaigns while serving in WINONA, BARON De KALB (which he commanded), and SACO. He participated in the engagements with Forts St. Philip and Jackson, as well as the Chalmette batteries during the operations which resulted in the fall of New Orleans. He later took part in the Navy's operations against Vicksburg. During the winter of 1862 and 1863, Walker participated in the thrusts against Haines Bluff and Arkansas Post. He also took part in the Yazoo Pass expedition, the attack on Fort Pemberton, and the capture of Yazoo City. At the siege of Vicksburg, Walker commanded the naval gun battery attached to the 15th Army Corps. His subsequent war service included operations which resulted in the capture of Fort Fisher, and he participated in the ensuing bombardments of Forts Anderson and Caswell on the Cape Fear (N.C.) River and in the capture of Wilmington, N.C. Promoted to commander in 1866, Walker served as Assistant Superintendent of the Naval Academy from 1866 to 1869. After commanding SABINE in 1869 and 1870, during which time he took the ship to Europe on a midshipman training cruise, he served as secretary to the Lighthouse Board from 1873 to 1878. From 1881 to 1889, Walker held the post of Chief of the Bureau of Navigation before he went to sea commanding the White Squadron in 1889, with his flag in CHICAGO. Appointed Rear Admiral in 1894, he took the White Squadron to Hawaii in 1895 when a coup d'etat posed a threat to American interests. He received a commendation for his attitude of watchful waiting and his squadron's posture of readiness to respond to a possible emergency. Upon his return to shore duty in 1896, he headed the Lighthouse Board and concurrently chaired the committee investigating locations for deep water harbors in southern California. Soon after retiring as a full Admiral in 1897, Walker was chosen to serve as President of the Nicaraguan Canal Commission. Two years later, in 1899, he was appointed President of the Isthmian Canal Commission to look into possible routes for a canal across the Central American isthmus. Admiral Walker died on September 16 1907, at the age of 72, at Ogunquit, Maine

 

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