LAWRENCE DD 8

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.

USS LAWRENCE Destroyer No. 8
Commissioned April 7 1903 - Decommissioned November 14 1906
Recommissioned July 23 1907 - Decommissioned June 20 1919

Stricken September 15 1919
Sold January 3 1920 to Joseph G. Hitner, Philadelphia 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).

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.

Covers Page 1 (1910)

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	Date From to Date To	Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image	Thumbnail Link To Cover Image

2nd Commissioning July 23 1907 to June 20 1919

Locy Type 1

1910-10-09
to
1910-10-09

Post Office Discontinued on March 29 1910, postmark still being used.

Other Information

NAMESAKE - James Lawrence (October 1 1781 - June 4 1813)
Though educated in the field of law, Lawrence joined the infant United States Navy in September 1798 as a Midshipman and served in the ship GANGES and Frigate ADAMS during the undeclared war with France. Commissioned in the rank of Lieutenant in 1802, he served in the Schooner ENTERPRISE during the War with Tripoli, taking part in a successful attack that burned enemy craft ashore on June 2 1803. In February 1804 he was second in command of Ketch INTREPID during the daring expedition to destroy the captured Frigate PHILIDELPHIA in Tripoli harbor. Later in the conflict he commanded ENTERPRISE and a gunboat in battles with the Tripolitans. He was also First Lieutenant of the Frigate JOHN ADAMS and, in 1805, commanded the small Gunboat Number 6 during a voyage across the Atlantic to Italy. Subsequently, Lieutenant Lawrence commanded the warships VIXEN, WASP and ARGUS. In 1810 he also took part in trials of an experimental spar-torpedo. Promoted to the rank of Master Commandant in November 1810, he took command of the Sloop of War HORNET a year later and sailed her to Europe on a diplomatic mission. From the beginning of the War of 1812, Lawrence and HORNET cruised actively, capturing the Privateer DOLPHIN on July 9 1812. Later in the year HORNET blockaded the British Sloop BONNE CITOYENNE at Bahia, Brazil, and on February 24 1813 captured HMS PEACOCK. Upon his return to the United States in March, Lawrence learned of his promotion to Captain. Two months later he took command of the Frigate CHESAPEAKE, then preparing for sea at Boston, Massachusetts. She left port on June 1 1813 and immediately engaged the Royal Navy Frigate SHANNON in a fierce battle. Captain Lawrence, mortally wounded by small arms fire, ordered "Don't give up the ship" as he was carried below. However, his crew was overwhelmed by British boarders shortly afterwards. James Lawrence died of his wounds on June 4, while CHESAPEAKE was being taken to Halifax, Nova Scotia, by her captors. His body was later repatriated to New York for burial

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