SUMNER AGS 5

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.

Bushnell Class Submarine Tender Keel Laid 3 June 1914 - Launched 9 February 1915 USS BUSHNELL Submarine Tender Commissioned 24 November 1915 USS BUSHNELL AS-2 Designated (AS) 17 July 1920 USS BUSHNELL AG-32 Reclassified Miscellaneous Auxiliary (AG) 25 July 1940 USS SUMNER AG-32 Renamed 23 August 1940 USS SUMNER AGS-5 Reclassified Survey Ship (AGS) 1 December 1943 Decommissioned 13 September 1946 Transferred 19 September 1946 to the Maritime Commission for disposal

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 Bushnell AS-2 Covers Page 1    (1917-1940)
2. USS Sumner AGS-5 Covers Page 1    (1940-1946)

 

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 --- Killer Bar Text	Postmark Date	Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image	Thumbnail Link To Cover Image

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USS BUSHNELL AS-2

 

Locy Type 1u

1920-06-21

As BUSHNELL Submarine Tender

 

Locy Type 1z

1918-03-26

As BUSHNELL Submarine Tender. Censored WWI use

 

Locy Type 3 (AC) "KEY WEST / FLORIDA"

1917-01-21

BUSHNELL Submarine Tender. Courtesy of the Jim Myerson Collection.

 

Locy Type 3 (AC) (with provisional bars)

1917-04-21

As BUSHNELL Submarine Tender. Censored WWI use

 

Locy Type 3 (B-BBB) "SAN DIEGO / CALIFORNIA"

1934-07-04

As BUSHNELL AS-2. Independence Day, cachet by Henry Kraus

 

Locy Type 3 (B-BBB) "PEARL HARBOR / HAWAII"

1934-08-28

As BUSHNELL AS-2. Add-on cachet by Bruce D. Liddell

 

Locy Type 3 (B-BBB) "LABOR DAY / SAN DIEGO"

1935-09-02

As BUSHNELL AS-2. Labor Day, Add-on cachet by Bruce D. Liddell

 

Locy Type 3 (A-TBT)

1935-05-07

As BUSHNELL AS-2. Aloha Gobs!, Cachet by John Rodgers Chapter No. 26, USCS

 

Locy Type 3 (AC-TBT) "NEW LONDON / CONN"

1936-06-18

As BUSHNELL AS-2. Sailor's mail

 

Locy Type 3 (AC-TBT) "U.S. FLEET / COM SUB FOR"

1937-11-24

As BUSHNELL AS-2. 22nd Anniversary of Commissioning cachet by Frederick Horton

 

Locy Type 3 (AC-TBT) "ENDERBURY / ISLAND" (American Polynesia)

1939-08-21

As BUSHNELL AS-2

 

Locy Type 3 (A-BBT) "GULF OF / GUAYAQUIL"

1940-07-11

As BUSHNELL AS-2. Cachet by Walter G. Crosby

 

Locy Type 3r (A-BBT) "SAN DIEGO / CALIFORNIA"

1940-03-21

As BUSHNELL AS-2

 

Locy Type 3s 1924

1923-12-15

As BUSHNELL AS-2

 

Locy Type 3s 1928 "JOIN / THE NAVY"

1928-05-25

As BUSHNELL AS-2

 

Locy Type 5s (C) "NAVY YARD / PHILA PA"

1930-11-28

As BUSHNELL AS-2. Add-on cachet by Bruce D. Liddell

 

Locy Type 5bs (C,OOX) "NEW LONDON / CON"

1929-06-14

As BUSHNELL AS-2

 

Locy Type 5hks "MARE ISLAND / CALIFORNIA"

1932-06-29

As BUSHNELL AS-2

 

Locy Type 9v USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. B-74a

1928-08-10

As BUSHNELL AS-2

 

Locy Type 9efw

1939-12-19

As BUSHNELL AS-2
Note: Cancel not "tied" (no postal ink on cover) to cover. Possible case of "Cancelled to Order" favor postmark and stamps later applied to blank envelopes. Look closely at the postmark illustration with special attention to the center perforations.

 

Locy Type F "SUBMARINE BASE / NEW LONDON" USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. CD-2

1935-08-13

As BUSHNELL AS-2. Add-on cachet by Bruce D. Liddell

 

Locy Type SLK

c 1926

BUSHNELL Submarine Tender. Courtesy of the Jim Myerson Collection.

 

Locy Type 3 (A-TBT) "BALBOA / CANAL ZONE"

1940-10-19

Last Day as USS BUSHNELL Submarine Tender. Add-on cachet by Richard F. Hoffner.

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USS SUMNER AGS-5

 

Locy Type FD 3 (A-BBT) "BALBOA / CANAL ZONE"

1940-10-19

First Day as USS SUMNER AG-32. First Day of Postal Service

 

Locy Type 3 (A-BBT) "ENROUTE / BALBOA C.Z."

1940-11-24

25th Anniversary, cachet by Loring W. Stannard, sponsored by the David Bushnell Chapter No. 48, USCS

 

Locy Type 3z (BTT)

1941-08-11

As SUMNER AG-32. Manuscript ship's name and Paul Gross' R/S on back.

 

Locy Type 9v

1941-02-07

As SUMNER AG-32

 

Locy Type 9efw

1946-06-17

As SUMNER AGS-5. On the back of the 17 June 1946 cover

 

Locy Type 9x

1946-06-17

As Sumner AGS-5. On the back of the June 17 1946 cover

 

Locy Type F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. S-71

1946-05-12

As SUMNER AGS-5

 

Locy Type F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. S-71

1946-06-17

As SUMNER AGS-5

 

Locy Type P "USS SUMNER / AGS-5"

1946-01-01

As SUMNER AGS-5

 

Locy Type LDC F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. S-71

1946-09-13

As SUMNER AGS-5. Last Day in Commission

 

Locy Type LDC F USCS Postmark Catalog Illus. S-71

1946-09-13

Note:

 

Other Information

USS BUSHNELL
USS BUSHNELL earned the World War I Victory Medal (with Patrol clasp) for her service in World War I.
NAMESAKE - Named in Honor of David Bushnell (c1742 - 1824). A graduate of Yale University in 1775, he managed to explode gunpowder underwater which is thought to have suggested to him the idea of a submarine mine or torpedo. In 1775 he completed a man-propelled, wooden submarine boat, on the outside of which was attached a powder magazine with clock mechanism enclosed for igniting it. Bushnell's vessel was unsuccessful in her attempts to blow up British vessels in 1776-77. Bushnell commanded the Corps of Engineers at West Point in 1783; later became the head of a private school in Georgia

SUMNER
USS Sumner was at Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941
USS SUMNER earned the Combat Action Ribbon, the China Service Medal, the American Defense Service Medal (with Fleet clasp), the American Campaign Medal, the Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal (w/ 3 Battle stars), the World War II Victory Medal, the Navy Occupation Service Medal (with Asia clasp) and the Philippines Liberation Medal for her service in World War II

NAMESAKE - Thomas Hubbard Sumner (March 20 1807 – March 9 1876).
Sumner was a sea captain during the 19th century. He is best known for developing the celestial navigation method known as the Sumner Line or line of position.

There has been two ships of the US Navy named after Thomas H. SUMNER -
USS SUMNER (AG 32 / AGS 5) was originally the submarine tender BUSHNELL; commissioned in 1915, converted to a survey ship in World War II, and a participant in the nuclear tests at Bikini Atoll; decommissioned in 1946 and USNS SUMNER T-AGS 61.

 

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