MITSCHER DDG 35

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.

Mitscher Class Destroyer Keel Laid 3 October 1949 as Destroyer "DD-927" Redesignated Destroyer Leader (DL) 2 February 1951 Launched 26 January 1952 USS MITSCHER DL-2 Commissioned 15 May 1953 - Decommissioned 18 March 1966 USS MITSCHER DDG-35 Reclassified Guided Missile Destroyer (DDG) 15 March 1967 Recommissioned 29 June 1968 - Decommissioned 1 June 1978 Struck from Naval Register 1 June 1978 Sold 1 August 1980 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).

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1. USS Mitscher DL-2 / DDG-35 Covers Page 1    (1953-1978)

 

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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1st Commissioning 15 May 1953 to 18 March 1966

 

Locy Type FDC 2r

1953-05-15

DL-2. First Day in Commission. Ship's cachet, serviced by Wolfgang Hechler

 

Locy Type 2r (B)

1953-05-25

DL-2. Add-on cachet by Michael Hebert (Mh Cachets)

 

Locy Type SLb (35x4)

1957-05-20

DL-2. From the Bob Govern collection.

 

Locy Type SLs (36x3)

1965-07-16

DL-2. Rubber stamp cachet. From the Bob Govern collection.

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2nd Commissioning 29 June 1968 to 1 June 1978

 

Locy Type FDR 2(n+)(USS)

1968-06-29

DDG-35. Ship's text cachet.

 

Locy Type 2(n+) (USS)

1976-02-27

DDG-35. Ship's cachet, serviced by Wolfgang Hechler

 

Locy Type 2-1(n+) (USS)

1978-04-18

DDG-35. Ship's cachet, serviced by Wolfgang Hechler

 

Locy Type 9ef(n+u) (USS)

1975-08-18

DDG-35.

 

Locy Type LDPS 2-1(n+)(USS)

1978-04-23

DDG-35. Last Day of Postal Service, cachet by Tazewell G. Nicholson

 

Locy Type LDPS 9-1(n+u)(USS)

1978-04-23

DDG-35. Last Day of Postal Service, cachet by Tazewell G. Nicholson

 

Other Information

NAMESAKE - Admiral Marc Andrew Mitscher, USN (26 January 1887 - 3 February 1947).
        Mitscher, born 26 January 1887 in Hillsboro, Wis., graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy 3 June 1910 and served 2 years at sea in Colorado. Commissioned Ensign 7 March 1912, he served in USS San Diego during the Mexican campaign, and in September 1915 he reported for aviation training in USS North Carolina, one of the first ships in the Navy to carry an airplane. Designated naval aviator No. 33 on 2 June 1816, he served at various east coast naval air stations and in the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations before reporting to Seaplane Division 1. On 10 May 1919 he took off from Newfoundland as pilot of NC-1. His plane and NC-3 landed in heavy fog near the Azores, but heavy seas prevented them from joining NC-4 in completing the first transatlantic air passage. For his part in this historic operation, Mitscher received the Navy Cross.
         In addition to several shore-based commands, Mitscher, during the next two decades, served in carriers USS Langley and USS Saratoga, seaplane tender USS Wright, and as commander Patrol Wing 1. Between June 1939 and July 1941 he served as assistant chief of the Bureau of Aeronautics. Thence, he fitted out carrier USS Hornet and assumed command at her commissioning 20 October 1941. While under his command, USS Hornet launched Doolittle's Army bombers for airstrikes against Japan 18 April 1942 and thus gained fame as "Shangri La". He captained her during the mighty battle of Midway 4 to 6 June, but was detached from the carrier 30 June less than 4 months before her loss 26 October during the battle of Santa Cruz Islands.
        Mitscher commanded Patrol Wing 2 until December when he became commander fleet air, Noumea. In April 1943 he became commander air, Solomon Islands, and from August to January 1844 he commanded fleet air, west coast. Returning to the central Pacific as Commander, Carrier Division 3, he was appointed Vice Admiral 21 March 1944 and ordered to take command of TF 68. This fast carrier task force, which operated alternately as TF 38, inflicted severe and irreparable damage on Japanese ground installations and against enemy naval and merchant shipping. His hard-hitting, wide-ranging carriers pounded the enemy from Truk to the Palaus, along the New Guinea coast, and throughout the Marianas. His eager, resourceful aviators devastated the enemy in the Battle of the Philippine Sea 19 to 20 June 1944. During the next year his warring carriers spearheaded the thrust-of-death against the heart of the Japanese Empire, covering successively the invasion of the Palaus, the liberation of the Philippines, and the conquest of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. During these operations he repeatedly led the fast carriers northward to pound the Japanese home islands.
        By July 1946 when he returned to the United States to serve as Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Air, Mitscher had received, among other awards, two Gold Stars in lieu of a second and third Navy Cross and the Distinguished Service Medal with two Gold Stars. He served briefly as commander 8th Fleet and on 1 March 1946 became Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Atlantic Fleet, with the rank as Admiral. While serving in that capacity, Mitscher died at Norfolk, Va., 3 February 1947.

The ships sponsor was Mrs. Marc A. Mitscher, widow of Admiral Mitscher.

Two ships of the US Navy have been named in his honor - USS Mitscher DDG-35 and USS Mitscher DDG-57

 

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