DORSEY DMS 1

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.

Wickes Class Destroyer
Keel Laid 18 September 1917 - Launched 9 April 1918


1. USS DORSEY Destroyer No. 117
   Commissioned 16 September 1918
   
   
2. USS DORSEY DD-117
   Designated (DD) 17 July 1920
   Decommissioned 9 March 1923
   Recommissioned 1 March 1930
   
   
3. USS DORSEY DMS-1
   Reclassified Destroyer Minesweeper (DMS) 19 November 1940
   Lightly damaged by Kamikaza aircraft on 27 March 1945
   3 of her crew were lost and remain on duty
   Wrecked in a typhoon off Okinawa 9 October 1945
   Decommissioned 8 December 1945
   
   Hulk was destroyed 22 January 1946

 

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 Dorsey DD-117 / DMS-1 Covers Page 1    (1930-1942)

 

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

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2nd Commissioning 1 March 1930 to 8 December 1945

 

Locy Type 3r (AC-BBT)

1938-08-08

As DD-117

 

Locy Type 3s

1930-04-30

As DD-117

 

Locy Type 3z

1942-03-05

As DMS-1. Censored wartime (WWII) use

 

Locy Type F "SAN PEDRO / CALIF" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. D-28

1933-04-21

As DD-117. Add-on cachet by - Bruce D. Liddell

 

Locy Type Fb "FLEET WEEK / JUNE 10-17" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. D-28

1935-06-11

As DD-117. Fleet Week / California Pacific International Exposition, cachet by Norman K. Mary, (ANCS #16) and George P. Stickell, NMC (ANCS #22)

 

Locy Type Fb USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. D-28 (Empty Killers)

1936-10-12

As DD-117. Columbus Day, cachet by C. Wright Richell and Norman K. Mary

 

Locy Type F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. D-28

1937-04-13

As DD-117. Backstamp from "Mare Island Station", Vallejo, CA dated 04/13/1937.

 

Locy Type Fv USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. D-28a

1939-09-02

As DD-117.

 

Other Information

USS DORSEY earned the World War I Victory Medal w/ Escort clasp, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ six battle stars and the World War II Victory Medal during her career.

NAMESAKE - John Dorsey
Appointed Midshipman 28 April 1801, and assigned to Commodore Preble's Mediterranean Squadron on USS SIREN. Dorsey was killed 7 August 1804 while engaging Tripoli shore batteries, when a shell struck his ship's magazine.

The ships sponsor was Mrs. A. Means, distant relative of Midshipman Dorsey.

 

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