VESTAL AR 4

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.

Vestal Class Collier/Repair Ship
Ordered April 17 1904 as ERIE
Renamed October 1905
Keel Laid March 25 1907 - Launched May 19 1908


1. USS VESTAL Collier No. 1
   In Service October 4 1909 - Out of Service October 25 1912
   
   
2. USS VESTAL Fleet Repair Ship No. 4
   Commissioned September 3 1913
   
   
3. USS VESTAL AR-4
   Designated (AR) July 17 1920
   Decommissioned August 14 1946
   
   Struck from Naval Register September 25 1946
   Sold July 28 1950 to the Boston Metals Co. Baltimore, Md. 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 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 Vestal AR-4 Covers Page 1    (1913-44)

 

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

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Post Office Established September 15 1913 - Disestablished August 15 1946

 

Locy Type 1z

1918-02-23

As Fleet Repair Ship No. 4
Censored wartime (WWI) use

 

Locy Type 2z

1944-04-21

As AR-4
Censored wartime (WWII) use

 

Locy Type 3 (A) "HAMPTON / ROADS VA" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8

1913-11-10

As Fleet Repair Ship No. 4
Picture postcard of "Old Point Comfort VA".

 

Locy Type 3 (B) USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8a

1916-03-30

As Fleet Repair Ship No. 4

 

Locy Type 3 (AC) "AT / SEA" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8b

1917-02-28

As Fleet Repair Ship No. 4
Postcard use.

 

Locy Type 3 (AC) " / CALIFORNIA"

1920-02-18

As Fleet Repair Ship No. 4

 

Locy Type 3b (B-XOO)

1916-02-10

As Fleet Repair Ship No. 4

 

Locy Type 3b (A-OOX) "VERA CRUZ / MEXICO"

1914

As Fleet Repair Ship No. 4

 

Locy Type 3r (AC) "GUANTANAMO / BAY CUBA"

1915-02-05

As Fleet Repair Ship No. 4

 

Locy Type 3r (A) "BLOCK I. / R"

1926-06-04

As AR-4
Official Business.

 

Locy Type 3r (AC-BBB) "SAN PEDRO / CALIF"

1938-07-29

As AR-4
Cachet by Walter G. Crosby

 

Locy Type 3r (A-BTT)

1939-06-15

As AR-4

 

Locy Type 3s

1922-12-13

As AR-4

 

Locy Type 3s (A-TTT) "28TH / ANNIVERSARY"

1937-10-04

As AR-4
28th Anniversary, Cachet by Frederick Horton

 

Locy Type 3z (BBT)

1942-03-07

As AR-4
Censored. Add-on cachet by Bruce D. Liddell

 

Locy Type 6

1931-10-30

As AR-4

 

Locy Type 9 (with bars) "GUATANAMO / CUBA"

1924-11-09

As AR-4

 

Locy Type 9 (1925)

1925-02-24

As AR-4

 

Locy Type 9v (1915-27)

1915-02-22

As AR-4
Backside of Registered cover.

 

Locy Type 9v (1918-27)

1918-08-22 to 1918-08-25

As AR-4
Mark from back of cover

 

Locy Type 9v (1937-41)

1937-12-25

As AR-4
Multiple mark cover, Christmas 1937 - New Year 1940

 

Locy Type 9efw

1937-12-25

As AR-4
Multiple mark cover, Christmas 1937 - New Year 1940

 

Locy Type 9x

1937-12-25

As AR-4
Multiple mark cover, Christmas 1937 - New Year 1940

 

Locy Type F Feb 8, 1933 "MARE ISLAND / CALIFORNIA" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. CD-1a

1933-02-08

As AR-4
"North Bay Stamp Club" created postmark.

 

Locy Type F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8c

1940-06-16

As AR-4

 

Locy Type F "WASHINGTONS / BIRTHDAY" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8d

1940-02-22

As AR-4
Blue Ink.

 

Locy Type F "WASHINGTONS / BIRTHDAY" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8d

1940-02-22

As AR-4
Purple Ink. Cachet by Richard Buchwald

 

Locy Type F "SEATTLE / WASHINGTON" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8d

1946-05-07

As AR-4
Black Ink.

 

Locy Type Fz USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. V-8e

1941-06-14

As AR-4
Flag Day, cachet by Jacques Minkus

 

Locy Type SLK (1915)

1915-02-22

As AR-4
Registered cover.

 

Locy Type SLK (1937)

1937-12-25

As AR-4
Multiple mark cover, Christmas 1937 - New Year 1940

 

Locy Type SLKb (53x8)

c1937

As AR-4
Undated straightline mark

 

Locy Type SLPb (53x8)

1937-07-04

As AR-4
Cachet is thermographed. The last digit of the date is illegible. 1937 is a best guess based on the known date range for this postmark.

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N/A

c 1930's

N/A

As AR-4
Unused "Guard Mail" envelope.

 

Other Information

VESTAL earned 2 Battle Stars for WWII service
* Pearl Harbor-Midway
Pearl Harbor, December 7 1941
* Okinawa Gunto operation
April 23 to June 30 1945

The USS VESTAL earned the following awards during her Naval career- Combat Action Ribbon; Mexican Service Medal; China Service Medal; World War I Victory Medal; American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet clasp); American Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with 2 Battle stars; World War II Victory Medal and the Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp).

For his actions on December 7 1941 at Pearl Harbor, T.H., the VESTAL's Commanding Officer, Cdr. Cassin Young, was awarded the Medal of Honor

Members of the VESTAL's Repair Department that proceeded to sea in USS SARATOGA CV-3 before her repairs were completed were awarded the Navy Unit Commendation along with the SARATOGA's crew

NAMESAKE - Named for a virgin—dedicated to Vesta, the Roman goddess of hearth and fire—who tended the sacred fire kept perpetually burning on her altar

Undated postcard of the ship:

 

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