BEATTY DD 640

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.

Gleaves Class Destroyer Keel Laid May 1 1941 - Launched December 20 1941 USS BEATTY DD-640 Commissioned May 7 1942 SUNK November 6 1943 by German aircraft off Cape Bougaroun Algeria 12 of her crew were lost with the ship 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 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     (1942)

 

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.

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

 

USPO Charleston S.C. Navy Yard Machine

1941-12-20

Launching

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Locy Type 3z

1942-05-23

Censored wartime (WWII) use

 

Other Information

BEATTY earned 3 Battle Stars (WWII)

NAMESAKE - Frank Edmund Beatty (November 26 1853 - March 16 1926)
Beatty graduated with the Naval Academy Class of 1875, and then served at sea in the wooden screw-sloop TUSCARORA before receiving his Ensign's commission in 1876. After service at sea in a succession of ships, MINNESOTA, RICHMOND, DESPATCH, and TALLAPOOSA, between 1878 and 1889, he completed two tours of duty on shore, first in the Library and War Records Office (among the predecessor offices of the present Naval Historical Center) and then participating in the deliberation of the International Marine Conference. In the spring of 1892, Beatty returned to duty afloat, serving briefly in RANGER before being ordered to the monitor MIANTONOMH. After torpedo instruction, the young officer, by then a Lieutenant, served in the dynamite cruiser VESUVIUS; and spent the next few years alternating between duty ashore at the Naval Academy and afloat, in MONONGAHELA. Reporting to the gunboat ADAMS in the summer of 1897, he became that ship's Executive Officer in October and served in that capacity until transferred to the monitor USS MONTEREY BM-6 in March 1898. The following spring, Beatty became the Executive Officer of gunboat USS WHEELING PG-14. Shore duty at the Washington Navy Yard preceded a tour in charge of the Department of Yards and Docks in the Navy Department from 13 February 1901 to 21 January 1902. Two commands followed in succession: first, the nautical school ship Saratoga and then Gloucester, before he became Commander, Naval Base, Culebra, Puerto Rico, in February 1904, with additional duty commanding Gloucester. After a brief tour first as assistant inspector and later as the inspector of the 9th Light House District, headquartered at Chicago, Ill., Beatty spent the next decade alternating between ordnance duty ashore and service afloat, commanding in turn the cruisers USS COLUMBIA CA-16 and USS CHARLESTON CA-19 and the battleship USS WISCONSIN BB-9. His shore duty included a tour as Assistant Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory, Washington Navy Yard; one in the Bureau of Ordnance as a member of the board on sights; and, ultimately, a stint as Commandant of the Washington Navy Yard and Superintendent of the Naval Gun Factory. While holding the latter post from 1905 to 1907, Beatty was instrumental in the development of an electric range finder. Upon attaining Flag Rank in the spring of 1912, Beatty became a Fleet Division Commander. Rear Admiral Beatty commanded a succession of Atlantic Fleet divisions--4th, 1st, and 3d--in 1913 and 1914. The outbreak of war in Europe in the summer of 1914 found him in command of Division 3, with his flag in USS VIRGINIA BB-13. Detached from that duty in December 1914, he took up new duties as Commandant of the Norfolk Navy Yard and of the Norfolk Naval Station on January 4 1915. Temporary duty in command of forces engaged in a war game in the spring of 1915 interrupted his tour at Norfolk; but, he soon returned to his duties there and carried them out until June 1916. Reporting to the Chief of Naval Operations for "temporary duty in connection with naval districts" in October 1916, Beatty served briefly as the Commandant, 5th Naval District, before being switched to the 6th Naval District, at Charleston, S.C., in February 1917. He served in that post for the rest of World War I and into 1919. Detached from all active duty in September 1919, he retired on October 6 1919. Rear Admiral Beatty died at Charleston on March 16 1926

 

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