ID: 30443436
Closed
This item is no longer available for sale.
USS GUAM PR-3 Naval Cover 1939 RICHELL Cachet HANKOW, CHINA #855
$19.99
Seller:
RNallenweg (667)
USS GUAM PR-3 Naval Cover 1939 RICHELL Cachet HANKOW, CHINA #855 It was sent 28 Dec 1939. It was franked with stamp #855 "Baseball". This cover is in good, but not perfect condition. Please look at the scan and make your own judgement. Member USCS #103 ... Read More
Item Specifics
- Country
- United States - Guam
- Catalog Number
- 855
- Stamp Type
- General Issue
- Condition
- Cover (Postal History)
- Stamp Format
- Pair
Item Description
USS GUAM PR-3 Naval Cover 1939 RICHELL Cachet HANKOW, CHINA #855It was sent 28 Dec 1939. It was franked with stamp #855 "Baseball".
This cover is in good, but not perfect condition. Please look at the scan and make your own judgement.
Member USCS #10385 (I also earned the stamp collecting merit badge as a boy!). Please contact me if you have specific cover needs. I have thousands for sale, including; navals (USS, USNS, USCGC, Coast Guard, ship, Maritime), military posts, event, APO, hotel, postal history, memoribilia, etc. I also offer approvals service with FREE SHIPPING to repeat USA customers.
Uss wake (pr-3) was a united states navy river gunboat operating on the yangtze river, that was captured by japan on 8 december 1941.
Originally commissioned as the gunboat guam (pg-43), she was redesignated river patrol vessel pr-3 in 1928, and renamed wake 23 january 1941.
Contents
1 Service History
1.1 u.S. Navy
1.2 japanese service
1.3 post-war
2 awards
3 Footnotes
4 References
5 External Links
Service History
U.S. Navy
She was launched on 28 may 1927 as guam by the kiangnan dock and engineering works in shanghai, china, and commissioned on 28 december 1927. Her primary mission was to ensure the safety of american missionaries and other foreigners. Later, the ship also functioned as a "radio spy ship," keeping track of japanese movements.[3] however, by 1939, she was "escorted" by a japanese warship wherever she went, as china fell more and more under imperial japanese control.
On 23 january 1941, she was renamed wake, as guam was to be the new name of a large cruiser being built in the u.S. On 25 november 1941, lcdr andrew earl harris, the brother of field harris,[4] was ordered to close the navy installation at hankow, and sail to shanghai. On 28 november 1941, lcdr harris and most of the crew were transferred to gunboats and ordered to sail to the philippines. Columbus darwin smith—an old china hand who had been piloting river boats on the yangtze river—was asked to accept a commission in the u.S. Navy and was appointed captain of wake with the rank of lt. Commander.[3]
When pearl harbor was attacked on 7 december 1941, shanghai had been under japanese occupation since the 1937 battle of shanghai. Smith was in command on 8 december 1941 (7 december in hawaii), with a crew of 14, when the japanese captured the ship, which was tied up at a pier in shanghai. Smith had received a telephone call the night before from a japanese officer he knew. The officer asked where smith would be the next morning as he wanted to deliver some turkeys for smith and his crew. The japanese did the same to other american officers and officials so as to determine where they would be on 8 december. However, commander smith received word from his quartermaster about the pearl harbor attack and rushed to the ship only to find it under guard by the japanese.[3] surrounded by an overwhelming japanese force, the crew attempted unsuccessfully to scuttle the craft. Wake surrendered, the only u.S. Ship to do so in world war ii.
Commander smith and his crew were confined to a prison camp near shanghai, where the u.S. Marines and sailors captured on wake island were also later imprisoned.[3]
Japanese Service
The japanese gave wake to their puppet wang jingwei regime in nanjing, where she was renamed tatara (多多良). The following activities are known to have occurred during the war.
Date Activity
15 dec 1941 refit began at kiaguan engineering and dock works.
26 jan 1942 refit finished.
11 oct 1942 runs aground off nanking.
12 oct 1942 returns to kianguan e. & d. W. For repairs.
5 nov 1942 repairs finished.
3 june 1944 attacked by b-24s without damage.
18 june 1944 attacked by three b-25s without damage.
2 dec 1944 attacked by six p-51 mustangs.
7 dec 1944 attacked by two p-51s.
18 dec 1944 attacked by three p-51s.
24 dec 1944 sails for kianguan.
1 jan 1945 enters kianguan e. & d.W. For repairs and an aa upgrade.
3 feb 1945 repairs finished.
Post-War
In 1945, at the end of the war, she was recaptured by the u.S. The u.S. Gave the ship to the chinese nationalists, who renamed her tai yuan (太原). Finally, the ship was captured by communist chinese forces in 1949.[5]
As of 2019, no other ship of the u.S. Navy has been named wake, though a casablanca-class escort carrier launched in 1943 was named wake island.
Awards
Yangtze Service Medal
China Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal With "Fleet" Clasp
Asiatic-pacific campaign medal with one battle star
World War Ii Victory Medal
Seller Information
- Seller
- RNallenweg (667)
- Registered Since
- 01/22/2020
- Feedback
- 100%
Sales History
The listing has not been sold.
- Item Location
- North Carolina, United States
- Ships To
- Worldwide
Postage Calculator
- Select Country
- Quantity
- Returns Accepted
- Yes
- Returns Policy
- Money Back - Returns Accepted within 30 Days (Buyer pays Shipping Cost)
You need to be logged in to ask the seller a question.
Click here to login
Click here to login
Listing viewed 18 times
Listing watched by 0 users