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::: Spanish American War Soldier Mail – Naval Markings :::

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98 - Sep 10 to Robbins - USFS Phila cachet and handstamps

Mailed on board the United States Flag Ship Philadelphia; this cover with a patriotic cachet was stamped twice with the reddish-purple “USFS Philadelphia, 2nd Rate” ship mark. The ship mark served as a unit endorsement that entitled the sender to the reduced soldiers’ and sailors’ 2¢ postage rate on a letter to the United States. This letter was franked with a brown 2¢ 1894 stamp of Hawaii and went ashore in the ship’s mail bag. The cover was postmarked September 10, 1898 at the Honolulu post office and sent to San Francisco and thence overland to Maine.

Handstamps of Naval Ships on Station or Other Naval Vessels

Numerous United States Navy ships visited Hawaii during the Spanish American War and contributed to the postal history of this period. Naval ship marks were applied by ships rotating station duty at Honolulu Harbor, convoy escorts for troop ships on their way to Manila, colliers and other vessels supporting the war effort. None of these marks is common and some are exceedingly rare. A ship mark served the purpose of a unit endorsement that entitled the sender to the 2¢ postage rate for military personnel. That rate only became available to military personnel in Hawaii after August 12, 1898, annexation day, and all of the recorded naval ship marks during the Spanish American War period date from the post-annexation period of Spanish American War postal history.

Ships On Station at Honolulu

USS Bennington, USS Mohican, USS Philadelphia and USS Iroquois (an AT-46 tugboat) rotated as ships on station at Honolulu beginning with Bennington’s arrival in June, 1898. Iroquois was relieved in May, 1900 without another ship taking her place. The only lengthy gap was a 20 day period in January 1899. Bennington served two rotations on station. The other ships served single rotations. Iroquois served the longest stint: January 28, 1899 to May 19, 1900. Naval ship marks are recorded from all four ships. The number of strikes recorded for each mark and, indeed, the number of styles used by the ships involved likely will rise as more attention is given to naval ship marks.

U.S.S. BENNINGTON

1,710 ton Yorktown class patrol gunboat; arrived at Honolulu, March 10, 1898 from a cruise; on station at Honolulu from the start of war to June 16, 1898, departed Honolulu for San Francisco on June 16; arrived from San Francisco on September 27, 1898; on station again from September 27, 1898 to January 7, 1899 (except for a cruise to Hilo from December 8 to December 21); departed for Guam on January 7, 1899. Two styles of marks are known on Bennington mail from Hawaii; both styles date from Bennington’s second rotation.

Bennington by Rau Wikipedia

USS Bennington (Wikipedia image)

Style 1:

USS Bennington, 3RD 98 – Nov

c. October 26, 1898


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Style 1: U.S.S. BENNINGTON, 3RD RATE (the word "RATE" is covered by a stamp)
No quote marks around Bennington.
Purple
Rarity 1RRRR, two strikes recorded from Hawaii; Oct. 26, 1898 and Dec. 7, 1898

Style 2:

99 - Jan 4 U.S.S. BENNINGTON in quotes detail

January 4, 1899


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Style 2: U.S.S. “BENNINGTON” No rate designation; Bennington in quotes.
Purple
Rarity 1RRRR, two strikes recorded from Hawaii; Nov. 14, 1898 and Jan. 4, 1899

USS Mohican

1,930 ton steam sloop; arrived at Honolulu June 15, 1898 from San Francisco; on station at Honolulu from June 15, 1898 to August 23, 1898 (except a three day cruise from June 25 to June 28); departed for San Francisco on August 23. One style of mark is known used by USS Mohican from Hawaii.

Bennington by Rau Wikipedia

USS Mohican (Wikipedia image)

USS Mohican 98 - Aug 18 obverse detail

August 18, 1898


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U.S.S. MOHICAN
Purple
Rarity 1RRRR, one strike recorded from Hawaii; Aug. 18, 1898

USS Philadelphia

4,393 ton protected cruiser class; arrived from San Francisco August 3, 1898; on station from August 3, 1898 to September 29, 1898 (except for a cruise from August 23 to 27); departed for San Francisco September 29, 1898. Philadelphia visited Honolulu several other times during the Spanish American War period. Two different marks are recorded on mail sent from Hawaii during Philadelphia’s rotation. No covers bearing Philadelphia ship marks are recorded from her other visits.

USS Philadelphia UX3 RPPC

USS Philadelphia (Image from UX3 Real Photo postal card)

Style 1:

98 - Sep 10 USFS Phila handstamp detail

September 10, 1898

Style 1: U.S.F.S. PHILADELPHIA, 2nd RATE.
Reddish purple
Rarity 1RRRR, four strikes recorded from Hawaii; Aug. 23, 1898 – Sept. 14, 1898 at Honolulu

Style 2:

98 - Sep 12 detail

September 2, 1898

Style 2: U.S.S. PHILADELPHIA.
Purple, bluish purple
Rarity 1RRR, six strikes recorded from Hawaii; Sept. 8, 1898 to Sept. 29, 1898 and again Feb. 29, 1899 to June 1, 1899.

USS IROQUOIS

713 ton steam AT-46 tugboat; arrived from San Francisco on January 28, 1899; on station from January 28, 1899 to May 19, 1900 (except for two documented cruises, one from August 13 to 15, 1899 to Kauai to bring to Honolulu survivors of a ship wreck and the other from February 13-16, 1900 to Hilo to investigate a report of plague); Iroquois remained at Honolulu until sometime after Hawaii became a Territory. A wooden steam sloop also named USS Iroquois went back and forth between San Francisco and Samoa in 1889 to 1892, making stops at Honolulu to re-coal. Covers are noted from 1890 and 1892 bearing the USS Iroquois ship mark used aboard the steam sloop. The style of the steam sloop’s mark is different than the steam tugboat’s mark; the letters of the sloop’s mark are serifed, for example. The steam sloop naval mark, not recorded in the Spanish American War period, is illustrated below with the tugboat mark for comparison.

USS_Iroquois_World_War_I_tug

USS Iroquois (AT-46) (Wikipedia image)

Style 1:

USS Iroquois 99 - May 27 detail

May 27, 1899

U.S.S. IROQUOIS/signature/Lieut. U.S.N. Comndg
Endorsement attached
Purple
Rarity 1RRRR, one strike recorded from Hawaii; May 12, 1899

Style 2:

USS Iroquois 00 - Jan 1 detail

January 1, 1900

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U.S.S. IROQUOIS
Stand-alone with no endorsement attached
Unserifed letters; type font differs from the steam sloop mark
Purple
Rarity 1RRRR, two strikes recorded from Hawaii; January 10, 1900 and March 15, 1900.

Style used on the steam sloop USS Iroquois (for comparison)

USS Iroquois - 92 - Mar 18

March 20, 1892

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U.S.S. IROQUOIS steam sloop
Serifed letters; type font differs from the tugboat mark
Purple
Rarity 1RRRR, two strikes recorded from Hawaii; July 11, 1890 and March 20, 1892

Other Naval Ships in Hawaii During the Spanish American War Period

Convoy escorts and support ships, colliers, hospital ships and other U.S. naval ships and troop ships also left their mark on Hawaii postal history. The number of naval vessels visiting Hawaii in the Spanish American War period is too large to list and marks from more vessels than shown here likely will come to light.

USS Oregon

10,288 ton capital ship, famous for service in Cuba; arrived at Honolulu from Callao on February 5, 1899; departed for Manila February 20. Two mark styles are recorded from Hawaii.

USS Oregon-1 cropped

USS Oregon (Wikipedia image)

Style 1:

USS Oregon (II) 99 - Feb 10 detail

February 10, 1899

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U.S.S. “OREGON”
Purple
1RRRR, 1 strike recorded from Hawaii, dated Feb. 10, 1899

Style 2:

UDD Oregon (I) 99 - Feb 13 detail

February 13, 1899

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U.S.S. “OREGON”
Purple
1RRRR, 1 strike recorded from Hawaii, dated Feb. 13, 1899

U.S.S. Badger

4,861 ton auxiliary cruiser; carried the U.S. High Commission to Samoa to settle the partition of Samoa. Arrived at Honolulu May 2, 1899 from San Francisco; departed for Samoa May 5; on the return, arrived July 26 from Samoa; departed July 29, 1899 for San Francisco.

USS Badger Wikipedia

USS Badger (Wikipedia image)

USS Badger 99 - May 4 detail

May 4, 1899


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U.S.S. BADGER
Purple
1RRRR, one strike recorded from Hawaii; May 4, 1899

USS Solace

5,791 ton Navy transport ship engaged in carrying mail, passengers and supplies between San Francisco, Hawaii, Manila, Guam, China and Japan; arrived at Honolulu from San Francisco on May 9, 1900 and put under quarantine; released from quarantine May 10; departed Honolulu for Manila May 14, 1900.

Solace

USS Solace (Wikipedia image)

USS Solace 00 - May 11 - piece - detail

May 11, 1900

U.S.S. Solace
Purple
Rarity 1RRRR, one strike recorded from Hawaii; May 11, 1900

USS Scindia

9,400 ton collier; arrived at Honolulu February 11, 1899 from Callao; departed March 18, 1899 for San Francisco.

USS_Scindia_(1898-1925,_later_renamed_Ajax)

USS Scindia (Wikipedia image)

USS Scindia 99 - Feb 15

February 15, 1899

U.S.S. Scindia.
Purple
Rarity 1RRRR, two strikes recorded from Hawaii; February 15 and February 19, 1899



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