As SSBN-601<br/>First Successful Launching of their POLARIS missle. The first launch (Blue Crew) was actually on Dec. 22; this was mailed while she was back at the Cape changing crews for the Gold Crew's first launch on Jan. 11. Cocoa (Beach) Fla. was the nearest post office before they put one at Cape Canaveral.
As SSN-601<br/>Last Day of Commission, cachet by [[Cachet_Maker_Tom_Armstrong_ | Tom Armstrong]], sponsored by [[Cachet_Maker_USCS_Chapter_74_USS_Puget_Sound_ | USS Puget Sound Chapter No. 74, USCS]]
ROBERT E. LEE (Blue Crew) received the Meritorious Unit Commendation in October 1969<br/><br/>
USS ROBERT E. LEE (Blue Crew) received the Meritorious Unit Commendation in October 1969<br/><br/>
'''NAMESAKE''' - Robert Edward Lee, born at Stratford, Va., on 19 January 1807, entered the U.S. Military Academy in 1825; graduated second in his class; and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Engineer Corps on 1 July 1829. Advanced to the rank of captain by 1838, he served as chief engineer under General Wool and General Scott during the Mexican War. According to General Scott the fall of Veracruz was due in part to Lee's "skill, valor, and undaunted energy." By the end of the war he had risen to the rank of colonel.<br/>
'''NAMESAKE''' - Robert Edward Lee, born at Stratford, Va., on 19 January 1807, entered the U.S. Military Academy in 1825; graduated second in his class; and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Engineer Corps on 1 July 1829. Advanced to the rank of captain by 1838, he served as chief engineer under General Wool and General Scott during the Mexican War. According to General Scott the fall of Veracruz was due in part to Lee's "skill, valor, and undaunted energy." By the end of the war he had risen to the rank of colonel.<br/>
After serving as Superintendent of West Point from 1852 to 1855, Lee was assigned to duty in Texas. He refused to aid the rebellion and returned to Virginia. After Fort Sumter was fired upon, Lee was offered command of the Federal Army. He declined, and following Virginia's secession on 19 April 1861, resigned his commission the following day, to accept command of Virginia forces.<br/>
After serving as Superintendent of West Point from 1852 to 1855, Lee was assigned to duty in Texas. He refused to aid the rebellion and returned to Virginia. After Fort Sumter was fired upon, Lee was offered command of the Federal Army. He declined, and following Virginia's secession on 19 April 1861, resigned his commission the following day, to accept command of Virginia forces.<br/>
This section lists the names and designations that the ship had during
its lifetime.
The list is in chronological order.
George Washington Class Ballistic Missile Submarine
Keel Laid 25 August 1958 - Launched 18 December 1959
USS ROBERT E. LEE SSBN-601
Commissioned 16 September 1960
USS ROBERT E. LEE SSN-601
Redesignated Attack Submarine (Nuclear) (SSN) October 1981
Decommissioned 30 November 1983
Struck from Naval Register 30 November 1983
Disposed of through NPSSR 30 September 1991
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).
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.
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.
>>> If you have a better example for any of the postmarks, please feel free to replace the
existing example.
USS ROBERT E. LEE (Blue Crew) received the Meritorious Unit Commendation in October 1969
NAMESAKE - Robert Edward Lee, born at Stratford, Va., on 19 January 1807, entered the U.S. Military Academy in 1825; graduated second in his class; and was commissioned second lieutenant in the Engineer Corps on 1 July 1829. Advanced to the rank of captain by 1838, he served as chief engineer under General Wool and General Scott during the Mexican War. According to General Scott the fall of Veracruz was due in part to Lee's "skill, valor, and undaunted energy." By the end of the war he had risen to the rank of colonel.
After serving as Superintendent of West Point from 1852 to 1855, Lee was assigned to duty in Texas. He refused to aid the rebellion and returned to Virginia. After Fort Sumter was fired upon, Lee was offered command of the Federal Army. He declined, and following Virginia's secession on 19 April 1861, resigned his commission the following day, to accept command of Virginia forces.
After organizing and equipping the troops of his State, he served as adviser to President Jefferson Davis. Succeeding to command of the Army of Northern Virginia when General Joseph E. Johnston was seriously wounded, Lee, with inferior forces, forced McClellan to retreat from the outskirts of Richmond, then marched north to push Union forces toward the Potomac. General Lee's advance ended in the Battle of Antietam on 17 September 1862. He repulsed northern thrusts at Fredericksburg on 13 December 1862 and at Chancellorsville 2 to 4 May 1863, then marched north again until forced to turn back after the battle of Gettysburg.
In March 1864, General Grant, appointed to the supreme command of the Federal Armies, engaged Lee several times in an advance from the Rappahannock to Petersburg. On 2 April 1865, Lee abandoned his lines around Richmond in hope of uniting with Johnston in North Carolina but Grant pursued the retreating Southern Army and forced Lee to surrender at Appomattox Court House on 9 April.
Noble in peace as in war, Lee devoted his remaining years to rebuilding Washington College (now Washington and Lee) at Lexington, Va., where he died on 12 October 1870. {DANFS}
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