JAMES E WILLIAMS DDG 95
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 July 15 2002 - Christened June 28 2003 |
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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 (2003-2006)
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.
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Postmark Type |
Date From to Date To |
Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image |
Thumbnail Link To Cover Image |
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Locy Type 2 |
2004-09-11
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First Day of Postal Service, Serviced by Wolfgang Hechler
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Locy Type 11 |
2006-01-01
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New Year's Day, cachet by Wolfgang Hechler
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USPS 4-bar |
2003-06-28
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Christening, cachet by Stephen Decatur Chapter No. 4, USCS. Photo of namesake.
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USPS Pictorial |
2004-05-29
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Commissioning, Serviced by Wolfgang Hechler
Other Information
NAMESAKE - Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class James Elliott Williams, USN (November 13 1930 – October 13 1999).
Williams has the distinction of being the most highly decorated enlisted man in the history of the United States Navy.
On October 31 1966, Boatswain's Mate 1st Class Williams, patrol commander for his boat, River Patrol Boat 105, and another PBR was searching for Viet Cong guerrillas operating in an isolated area of the Mekong Delta.
Suddenly, Communist guerrillas manning two sampans opened fire on the Americans. A battle ensued, and as a result of the three-hour battle, the American naval force killed numerous Viet Cong guerrillas, destroyed over fifty vessels, and disrupted a major enemy logistic operation. BM1 Williams not only displayed great courage under fire, but a keen understanding of how his sailors, weapons, and equipment could be used to achieve victory.
For his courage under fire in the face of overwhelming odds, President Lyndon Johnson, on May 14 1968, in the name of Congress, presented Williams the Medal of Honor.
His other awards include the Navy Cross, Silver Star (with one gold award star), the Legion of Merit with Valor Device, the Navy and Marine Corps Medal with gold award star, Bronze Star with Valor device and two gold award stars, Purple Heart with two gold award stars, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Presidential Unit Citation with bronze service star, the Navy Good Conduct Medal with four bronze service stars, the Navy Expeditionary Medal, the National Defense Service Medal with bronze service star, the Korean Service Medal with two bronze stars, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal with two bronze service stars.
His foreign decorations include the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Gold Star and Palm, United Nations Korean Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Korean War Service Medal.
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