LEONARD WOOD APA 12
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.
Keel Laid 1921 as SS NUTMEG STATE Launched 17 September 1921 Completed as SS WESTERN WORLD and delivered to the USSB on 9 May 1922 Sold February 1926 to the Munson Steamship Line for its Pan America Line service Purchased by the War Department 1939 and renamed Decommissioned 22 March 1946 and returned to the Army Sold 20 June 1948 for scrap |
 Leonard Wood, US Army |
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.
- USS Leonard Wood AP-25 Covers Page 1 (1941-1943)
- USS Leonard Wood APA-12 Covers Page 1 (1943-1946)
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 |
Postmark Date |
Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image |
Thumbnail Link To Cover Image |
|---|
S. S. WESTERN WORLD
|
N.Y. & BUENOS AIRES |
1931-06-15 |
 |
 |
Note:
|
Locy Type |
1942-01-24 |
 |
 |
AP-25. First Day of Postal Service
|
Locy Type 2z* |
1944-04-03 |
 |
 |
APA-12
|
Locy Type 2# |
1946-01-18 |
 |
 |
APA-12
|
Locy Type |
1942-03-01 |
 |
 |
AP-25. Cachet by Tazewell G. Nicholson.
|
Locy Type |
1943-09-08 |
 |
 |
APA-12. Censored, Free, US Coast Guard mail.
|
Locy Type 9v |
1942-03-01 |
 |
 |
APA-12. Postmark on the back of the cover. Cachet by Tazewell G. Nicholson. From the Bob Govern collection.
|
Locy Type 9vz |
1942-03-01 |
 |
 |
APA-12. Cachet by Tazewell G. Nicholson. From the Bob Govern collection.
|
Locy Type |
1942-03-01 |
 |
 |
AP-25. Cachet by Tazewell G. Nicholson.
Other Information
USS LEONARD WOOD earned the Combat Action Ribbon, the Navy Unit Commendation Ribbon, the American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet clasp), the American Campaign Medal, the Europe-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal (w/ 2 Campaign stars), the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (w/ 7 Campaign stars), the World War II Victory Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp), the Philippines Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon and the Philippines Liberation Medal during her Naval career.
NAMESAKE - Major General Leonard Wood, US Army (9 October 1860 - 7 August 1927) Wood was an officer in the US Army during the Indian Wars and The Spanish-American War. In the summer of 1886, he distinguished himself in the Apache campaign and was later awarded the Medal of Honor for voluntarily carrying “dispatches through a region infested with hostile Indians, making a journey of 70 miles in 1 night and walking 30 miles the next day. Also for several weeks while in close pursuit of Geronimo’s band and constantly expecting an encounter, he commanded a detachment of infantry” He was President McKinley’s personal physician. During The Spanish-American War, he joined Theodore Roosevelt in organizing The Rough Riders and commanded the regiment. Immediately after the war, Wood became military governor of Santiago Province from December 1899 to March 1902, then became Governor-General of Cuba. He governed the Maro Province of the Philippines from 1903 to 1906. He was Army Chief of Staff from 1910 - 1914, and reorganized The War Department and prepared the Army for the challenge of World War I. He was a leading candidate for the Republican nomination for president in 1920. In 1921 President Harding appointed Wood Governor-General of the Philippine Islands. He remained at that post until his death.
If you have images or information to add to this page, then either contact the Curator or edit this page yourself and add it. See Editing Ship Pages for detailed information on editing this page.
Copyright 2026 Naval Cover Museum