POTOMAC AG 25

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.

165-foot "B" Class Coast Guard Cutter
Keel Laid 5 March 1934 - Launched 30 June 1934
Delivered to U.S. Coast Guard to enforce prohibition laws


1. USCGC ELECTRA WPC-187
   Commissioned 25 October 1934 - Decommissioned 8 November 1935
   
   Acquired by U.S. Navy November 8 1935 for use as Presidential Yacht
   Designated Miscellaneous Auxiliary (AG) 11 November 1935
   Renamed 30 January 1936
   
   
2. USS POTOMAC AG-25
   Commissioned 2 March 1936 - Decommissioned 15 November 1945
   Returned to U.S. Coast Guard 23 November 1945
   
   Struck from Naval Register 25 February 1946
   Transferred 1946 to The State of Maryland for service with the Tidewater Fisheries Commission
   Sold April 1960 to Warren G. Toone for service as ferry boat between San Juan, Puerto Rico and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands
   Sold to Hydro Capital Co. and used as a traveling historical museum of the Franklin D. Roosevelt era
   Sold January 1964 to Elvis Presley and given to St. Jude’s Hospital, Memphis, TN
   Sold 1980 and fully restored and docked at FDR Pier, Jack London Square, Oakland, CA

 

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.

1. USS Potomac AG-25 Covers Page 1    (1936-41)

 

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	Postmark Date	Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image	Thumbnail Link To Cover Image

 

Locy Type 3 (BC-BBT) "WELCOME / USS.POTOMAC" USS Wyoming AG-17

1936-03-02

N/A

Commissioning of USS POTOMAC AG-25. Cacheted.

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Post Office Established May 1 1936 - Disestablished June 30 1945

 

Locy Type FDPS 3 (A-TTB) "1st, CANCEL / WASH. D.C."

1936-05-22

First Day of Postal Service. Cacheted.

 

Locy Type 3 (A-TTB) "NAVY YARD / WASH, D.C."

1936-09-11

Additional USPO postmark from Washington, D.C., dated the same day.

 

Locy Type 3 (A-TTB) "WASH. / D.C."

1940-11-05

Election Day R/S cachet on a Wendell Willkie postcard.

 

Other Information

USS POTOMAC earned the American Defense Medal, the American Campaign Medal and the World War II Victory Medal during her Naval career.

NAMESAKE - A river on the Eastern seaboard of the United States, emptying into Chesapeake Bay and forming a boundary between Virginia and Maryland.

 

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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.

 

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