BAKER DE 190
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.
Authorized as RABY Renamed September 3 1943 Keel Laid September 9 1943 - Launched November 28 1943 |
This section lists active links to the pages displaying covers associated with the ship. There should be a separate set of pages for each name of the ship (for example, Bushnell AG-32 / Sumner AGS-5 are different names for the same ship so there should be one set of pages for Bushnell and one set for Sumner). 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 (1944-46)
Postmarks
This section lists examples of the postmarks used by the ship. There should be a separate set of postmarks for each name and/or commissioning period. 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 |
Date From to Date To |
Thumbnail Link To Postmark Image |
Thumbnail Link To Cover Image |
|---|
|
Locy Type |
1945-10-27 |
 |
 |
Navy Day 1945
|
Locy Type |
1946-01-15 |
 |
 |
Note:
|
Locy Type |
1944-11-05 |
 |
 |
Censored wartime (WWII) use
Other Information
BAKER earned 1 Battle Star (WWII)
*
Assistance in destruction of German U-233 July 1944 off Newfoundland
Awards, Citations and Campaign Ribbons...
Combat Action Ribbon (retroactive) - American Campaign Medal - European-Africa-Middle East Campaign Medal w/ 1 star - World War II Victory Medal
NAMESAKE - John Drayton Baker USNR (May 31 1915 - May 7 1942)
Baker enlisted in the Naval Reserve as Seaman 2d class on January 21 1941 at Brooklyn, N.Y. After flight instruction at Miami and Jacksonville, he was appointed naval aviator on August 26 1941 and received a reserve Ensign’s commission on September 18. After serving for two months in the Advanced Carrier Training Group, Atlantic, Baker joined Fighting Squadron (VF-42) on December 8 1941. Eight days later, the squadron, embarked in aircraft carrier USS YORKTOWN CV-5 sailed for the Pacific. On the morning of May 7 1942, during the early phase of The Battle of The Coral Sea, Baker flew one of the Grumman F4F 3 “Wildcat” fighters that escorted the planes of Torpedo Squadron (VT-5) in their attack on the Japanese carrier SHOHO. He assisted in the destruction of three fighters from the enemy carrier’s combat air patrol and enabled VT-5 to escape unscathed after its successful attack and to return to YORKTOWN without loss. Late that afternoon, planes from the Japanese carriers ZUIKAKU and SHOKAKU attempted a dusk attack on Task Force 17, but ran into inclement weather and the combat air patrols from YORKTOWN and USS LEXINGTON CV-2. One of the pilots who scrambled in the waning daylight to intercept the Japanese, Baker helped to break up the attack. Skillfully using his homing gear, Baker guided VF-42’s airborne pilots back to the ship. However, as YORKTOWN’s gunners thought the circling planes to be Japanese and opened fire, VF-42’s pilots scattered to avoid destruction. Thereafter, Baker proved unable to pick up the carrier’s homing signal, and became disoriented. Despite the determined efforts of YORKTOWN to guide the young pilot back to the ship by radio, he was never seen again. Baker received a Navy Cross, posthumously, for his achievements during the Coral Sea action
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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