The Type 3 cancel has the letters "U.S.S." at the top of the dial and the ship's name at the bottom. It also has three killer bars. The killer bars had slots between them where letters could be fit to spell out words.

The following cancel is classified as Type 3s (B)

The "s" variation indicates that serif letters were used for "USS" and the ship's name in the dial. The "(B)" variation indicates that the letters of "USS" are narrowly spaced.

The following cancel is classified as Type 3 (AC-TBT)

The "A" variation indicates that the letters of "USS" are widely spaced. The "C" variation indicates that there is a period after the ship's name. The "TBT" variation indicates the location of the mold line in relation to the killer bar (Top - Bottom - Top) starting with the killer bar at the top. In this example, the mold lines are clearly visible at the top of the top killer bar, at the bottom of the middle killer bar, and at the top of the bottom killer bar.

The following cancel is classified as Type 3ty (C-TTT) ("FLAG SHIP BASE FORCE.") [A-42a]

The "t" variation indicates that the ship's name is at the top of the dial. The "y" variation indicates that additional permanent wording has been added to the dial. The "C" variation indicates that there is a period after the ship's name. The "TTT" variation indicates the location of the mold line in relation to the killer bar (Top - Top - Top) starting with the killer bar at the top. "FLAG SHIP BASE FORCE." is the text associated with the "y" variation. The "[A-42a]" tag indicates that this cancel type for this ship is shown as illustration "A-42a" in the Catalog of United States Naval Postmarks (ISBN 0-9657316-0-X) published by the Universal Ship Cancellation Society.

Locy System for Classifying Naval Postmarks, As Revised ©, of the Universal Ship Cancellation Society is excerpted and reprinted with permission.