Lot of US Navy First Day Covers for a total of 103 covers of Submarines or Ships to include: 1) Twenty, USS CROAKER (SS-246) with a small black and white photo of the ship. Here is a brief history of the submarine: Construction and commissioning: Croaker's keel was laid down on 1 April 1943 by Electric Boat Company in Groton, Connecticut. She was launched on 19 December 1943, sponsored by the wife of Admiral William H. P. Blandy, and commissioned on 21 April 1944, with Commander John E. Lee in command. Service history: World War II: Croaker arrived at Pearl Harbor from New London on 26 June 1944, and on 19 July put to sea on her first war patrol, sailing to the East China and Yellow Seas. In a series of brilliantly successful attacks which won her the Navy Unit Commendation, she sank the cruiser Nagara on 7 August, an auxiliary minesweeper, Taito Maru, on 16 August, and two freighters, Daigen Maru No. 7 on 14 August and Yamateru Maru on 17 August. During this patrol, she served as lifeguard during air strikes on the Bonin Islands. She refitted at Midway Atoll from 31 August to 23 September, when she sailed in a coordinated attack group for the same area on her second war patrol. Again successful, she sank the freighters Shinki Maru on 9 October, and Hakuran Maru on 23 October. She shadowed a convoy on 23–24 October, sank the freighter Mikage Maru, and damaged Gassan Maru with her last torpedo. Tubes empty, she returned to Midway to fuel, and pushed on to Pearl Harbor, arriving for refit on 10 November. Croaker's third war patrol, in the Luzon Straits and South China Sea from 13 December 1944 to 12 February 1945, found her making no contacts with enemy shipping, but providing essential lifeguard service during strikes on Luzon preparatory to the invasion landings in Lingayen Gulf. She refitted at Fremantle, Australia, and on 12 March sailed for a patrol off the coast of Indo-China twice interrupted by the need to return to Australia for repairs. She refitted at Subic Bay, Philippines from 22 April to 15 May, then sailed for her fifth war patrol, in the Java Sea. On 30 May, she attacked a convoy of three small oilers guarded by an escort, with unconfirmed results, and on 5 June returned to Fremantle. Her final war patrol – from 1 July to 13 August – found her assigned to lifeguard duties in the South China Sea and off Hong Kong as the final series of air attacks on Japan were carried out. Returning to Subic Bay, Croaker sailed for Saipan and continued on to Galveston, Tex., and New London, where she was then decommissioned and placed in reserve 15 May 1946 in the Atlantic Reserve Fleet. Post-War: Recommissioned on 7 May 1951, she served as schoolship out of New London until 18 March 1953, when she was again decommissioned at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard for conversion to a hunter-killer submarine. She was reclassified SSK-246 on 9 April 1953, and was recommissioned on 11 December 1953. Returning to active duty in February 1954, she operated along the East Coast and in the Caribbean, visiting ports in England while taking part in NATO exercises in 1957 and 1958. Croaker was reclassified SS-246 again in August 1959. Special submarine exercises took her to England once more in February 1960, after which she resumed local operations out of New London. In September 1960, Croaker departed on a cruise which saw her sailing through the Mediterranean and Suez Canal to call at various Near Eastern ports and Karachi, Pakistan. She returned to New London in mid-December, retracing her outward track. 2) Eight, USS TIRANTE (SS-420) with a small black and white photo of the submarine. Here is a brief history of the Sub: USS Tirante (SS-420), a Tench-class submarine, was the second ship of the United States Navy to be named for the tirante, a silvery, elongated "cutlass fish" found in waters off Cuba. Her keel was laid down on 28 April 1944 by the Portsmouth Navy Yard of Kittery, Maine. She was launched on 9 August 1944 sponsored by Mrs. Ruth Maynard Sieglaff, wife of Commander William B. Sieglaff (prospective commander of PCU Tench), and commissioned on 6 November 1944 with Lieutenant Commander George L. Street III in command. First war patrol: Following shakedown training in Long Island Sound, and the waters off Panama and Oahu, Tirante departed Pearl Harbor for Japan on 3 March 1945. The submarine patrolled the approaches to Nagasaki. There she sank the 703-ton tanker Fuji Maru on 25 March and followed with the sinking of the 1218-ton freighter Nase Maru three days later. After the latter attack, Japanese escorts kept Tirante down for seven hours, before she slipped away unscathed. On 31 March, Tirante shelled and sank a 70-ton lugger with five-inch (127 mm) and 40-millimeter gunfire and, on 1 April, missed an LST-type vessel with a spread of three torpedoes. The submarine soon shifted to waters off the south coast of Korea, near the Strait of Tsushima. At twilight on 6 April, she battle-surfaced and captured a small Japanese fishing vessel and took its three crewmen prisoner before sinking it. The following day, Tirante torpedoed a 2800-ton cargo freighter loaded with a deck cargo of oil drums. The submarine surfaced and directed a nearby Korean fishing craft to pick up two survivors. Although observers on the submarine reported witnessing the Maru's sinking, post-war examination of Japanese records failed to confirm it. In April 1945 Tirante sank the troopship Nikko Maru, killing 668 people. US naval intelligence had broken the Japanese codes and was able to anticipate their movements. One intercepted message told of an important convoy steaming toward the Tirante's area. In response to this information, the submarine laid an ambush on 9 April. Picking out two targets, she launched three torpedoes at each. One spread missed, but the other struck the 5,058-ton troopship Nikko Maru, carrying homeward-bound Japanese soldiers and sailors from Shanghai. As Nikko Maru sank, enemy escorts went on the offensive. To ward off the counterattack, Tirante fired a "cutie" (homing torpedo) at one of the escorts. Tirante heard an explosion, "breaking-up noises", and even screams. Again, post-war accounting failed to confirm the sinking. Tirante resumed her patrol of the Yellow Sea between Quelpart Island (Cheju Do) and the mouth of the Yangtze River. She soon received an intelligence report informing her that an important Japanese transport was at Cheju, the main port on Quelpart Island. Under cover of darkness, Tirante approaches her on the surface. In spite of possible enemy radar or patrolling planes or ships, she closed the coast and penetrated the mine- and shoal-obstructed waters within the ten-fathom curve line. Tirante then entered the harbor where she found three targets: two escort vessels and the 4000-ton Juzan Maru. The submarine launched three torpedoes at the Maru. The explosion illuminated Tirante and alerted the Mikura-class escort vessel Nomi and Type C escort ship CD-31 which immediately got underway toward the submersible. As she headed back out to sea at flank speed, Tirante launched a spread of torpedoes that hit and destroyed both pursuers. En route to Midway Island, she captured two Japanese airmen (bringing her prisoner total to five) and concluded her first war patrol on 26 April. Tirante's performance earned Commander Street the Medal of Honor. Lieutenant Edward L. Beach, the executive officer—and later commander of Triton (SSRN-586) during the submarine's submerged circumnavigation of the globe—received the Navy Cross. The ship was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. Second and third war patrols: Tirante departed from Midway Island on 20 May as command ship of the nine-boat "wolfpack" dubbed "Street's Sweepers". They patrolled the Yellow Sea and East China Sea on the lookout for enemy targets—by then dwindling in number. Tirante located a four-ship convoy on 11 June, in the familiar waters off Nagasaki. She evaded the three escorts long enough to get a shot at an 800-ton cargo freighter and pressed home a successful attack. Post-war Japanese records, though, did not confirm the hit. The next day, Tirante pulled off a repeat performance of her hit-and-run raid at Cheju. She crept into Ha Shima harbor, some seven miles (11 km) from Nagasaki and picked out the 2200-ton Hakuju Maru moored alongside a colliery. From a range of 1,000 yards (900 m), the submarine fired at the cargoman which exploded. The second "fish" failed to detonate, but the third completed the destruction. As shells from shore guns fell, Tirante bent on speed and cleared the area. Resuming her patrols, Tirante and her sisters played havoc with shipping between Korea and Japan, destroying junks carrying supplies from Korea to the Japanese home islands. Boarding parties from the submarine would take off the captains for questioning, put the crew in lifeboats, and set fire to the craft. Tirante captured a dozen in this manner and destroyed two heavily armed picket boats with surface gunfire before returning to Guam on 19 July. Tirante departed Guam on 12 August on what would have been her third war patrol. The end of the war, however, ended the operation and the submarine was put into Midway Island on 23 August. Eventually sailing for the east coast of the United States, Tirante moored at the Washington Navy Yard in October, at which time Commander Street received his Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony. Shifting to Staten Island, New York, on 31 October, the submarine remained there until moving to New London, Connecticut, on 8 January 1946. After conducting training operations out of New London, Connecticut, Tirante was decommissioned and placed in reserve on 6 July 1946 at her home port. Post World War II and fate: Subsequently converted to greater underwater propulsive power (GUPPY IIA) configuration, Tirante was recommissioned on 26 November 1952, at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. After conducting her shakedown to Bermuda and operating in the Atlantic as far north as Iceland, the submarine returned to the east coast of the United States to prepare for her first deployment with the Sixth Fleet. In the ensuing two decades, Tirante conducted six more Mediterranean Sea deployments, interspersed with a regular schedule of exercises and maneuvers with Fleet units in the North Atlantic, off the east coast and in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The ship participated in joint exercises with NATO forces; sometimes served as a target for anti submarine warfare exercises; and, on occasion, assisted the Fleet Sonar School at Key West, Florida, in the development of ASW tactics and weapons. Decommissioned at Key West, Florida, on 1 October 1973, and struck from the Naval Vessel Register the same day, Tirante was sold on 11 April 1974 to Union Minerals and Alloys Corporation of New York, for scrapping. Tirante received two battle stars and a Presidential Unit Citation for her World War II service. The Tirante is the subject of an episode of the syndicated television anthology series, The Silent Service, which aired during the 1957–1958 season. 3) Twenty Three, USS COLUMBUS (CA-74) with a small black and white image of the ship. Here is a brief history of the vessel: The third USS Columbus (CA-74/CG-12), a Baltimore-class heavy cruiser, was the first ship of the United States Navy named for Columbus, Ohio. She was launched on 30 November 1944 by Bethlehem Steel Co., Quincy, Massachusetts; she was sponsored by Mrs. E. G. Meyers; and commissioned on 8 June 1945. Joining the Pacific Fleet, Columbus reached Tsingtao, China, on 13 January 1946 for occupation duty. On 1 April, she helped to sink 24 Japanese submarines, prizes of war, and next day sailed for San Pedro, California. For the remainder of the year, she operated in west coast waters, then made a second Far Eastern cruise from 15 January to 12 June 1947. After west coast operations and an overhaul at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, Columbus cleared Bremerton on 12 April 1948 to join the Atlantic Fleet, arriving at Norfolk, Va., on 19 May. Columbus made two cruises as flagship of Commander-in-Chief, Naval Forces Eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, from 13 September 1948 to 15 December 1949 and from 12 June 1950 to 5 October 1951, and one as flagship of Supreme Allied Commander, Atlantic, during parts of NATO Operation Mainbrace from 25 August to 29 September 1952. She cruised in the Mediterranean from October 1952 through January 1953, serving part of that time as flagship of the 6th Fleet. Now flagship of Cruiser Division 6, she returned to the Mediterranean from September 1954 to January 1955. Between deployments, Columbus received necessary overhauls and carried out training operations along the east coast and in the Caribbean. Reassigned to the Pacific Fleet, Columbus cleared Boston, Massachusetts, on 8 November 1955 for Long Beach, California, where she arrived on 2 December. Just a month later, on 5 January 1956, she sailed for Yokosuka, Japan, and operated with the 7th Fleet until she returned to Long Beach on 8 July. Columbus made two more cruises to the Far East in 1957 and 1958. During the late summer of 1958, her presence was a reminder of American strength and interest as she patrolled the Taiwan Straits during the crisis brought on by the renewed shelling of the offshore islands by the Chinese communists. In late 1958 she was selected to be converted to carry guided missiles and on 8 May 1959, Columbus entered the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard to begin her conversion to an Albany-class guided missile cruiser. 4) Fifteen USS SEA ROBIN (SS-407) with a small black and white photo of the ship. Here is a brief history of the Sub: USS Sea Robin (SS-407), a Balao-class submarine, was a vessel of the United States Navy named for the sea robin. This is a spiny-finned fish with red or brown coloring on its body and fins. The first three rays of its pectoral fin separate from the others and are used in walking on the sea bottom. Construction and commissioning: Sea Robin was laid down by the Portsmouth Navy Yard in Kittery, Maine, on 1 March 1944, launched on 25 May 1944, sponsored by Mrs. Homer Ambrose, wife of Captain Ambrose, the navy yard's production superintendent, and commissioned on 7 August 1944.First patrol, November 1944 – January 1945: After shakedown off Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and New London, Connecticut, Sea Robin transited the Panama Canal on 12 October 1944 following an incident with a Scandinavian merchant ship which, mistaking the submarine for a German U-boat, frantically scattered shells in the general direction of the surfaced "enemy." Fortunately, Sea Robin was out of range and escaped without damage. After spending six days at Pearl Harbor, Sea Robin sailed for the Luzon Strait and her first war patrol where, on 6 January 1945, she torpedoed and sank her initial victim of the war, the 5,000-ton Japanese tanker Tarakan Maru. Except for dodging floating mines, the remainder of the submarine's first patrol was uneventful; and she returned to port at Fremantle, Western Australia, on 29 January 1945. Second patrol, February – April 1945: Sea Robin's second patrol proved to be her most productive of the war. On 3 March, while patrolling north of Surabaja in the Java Sea, the boat evaded a Japanese escort ship and torpedoed the cargo ship, Suiten Maru (2,500 tons). After several unsuccessful attempts to rescue survivors, the submarine finally hauled three prisoners of war on board and continued her patrol. Two days later, Sea Robin contacted a troop-laden convoy of two cargo ships, a converted gunboat, and several escorts. The gunboat Manyo Maru (2,900 tons) was the first to be sent to the bottom, the victim of three torpedo hits. After evading the suddenly active escort vessels, the submarine commenced an end around and, several hours later, was again in firing position. Shoyu Maru (853 tons), the first of the two vessels, was zigzagging radically but was unable to avoid the three torpedoes that Sea Robin fired at her. She took one hit below her bridge and settled quickly by the bow. Sea Robin then fired a spread of three torpedoes at the remaining ship, but the target zigged and they missed. On the second attempt, the ship was not so fortunate. After watching the target completely reverse course, the submarine fired three more torpedoes at a range of 900 yards (820 m) with one hit amidships that broke netlayer Nagaru Maru (856 tons) in half and sent her rapidly to the bottom. Sea Robin now began to pay the price for her success. For 24 hours, she was pursued by the escorts and accompanying aircraft; but made good her escape and arrived at Subic Bay, Philippines, on 15 March to replenish her depleted torpedo store. Departing Subic Bay on 19 March, Sea Robin set course for the South China Sea in the area of the island of Hainan where, on 23 March, she rescued a downed airman. On 30 March, the submarine found herself in the middle of a group of six Japanese destroyers. Midway between two of them, she launched three torpedoes at the first, but a quick turn of the ship caused them to pass harmlessly across the bow. The second destroyer swerved 90° and began to bear down on Sea Robin. After 20 minutes of depth charging, the submarine extricated herself and, with Hainan a scant 10 miles (16 km) away, again attacked, but a spread of six torpedoes failed to find a target, and the submarine resumed patrol. On 8 April, Sea Robin sank two small Japanese fishing vessels, taking three prisoners of war and, on the following day, took on board 10 more Japanese, survivors of a foundering trawler that had been attacked by Allied aircraft. The submarine terminated her second patrol at Pearl Harbor on 29 April.Third patrol, June – August 1945: Sea Robin departed Pearl Harbor 1 June on her third and final war patrol which was conducted in the Yellow Sea and East China Sea. She was in the East China Sea at 31°30'N 138°37'E, about 105 nautical miles (194 km; 121 mi) southwest of Aogashima in the Nanpo Islands, on lifeguard duty in support of air raids on Japan by United States Army Air Forces B-29 Superfortress bombers on 26 June 1945 when a full load of bombs a B-29 had jettisoned through overcast landed in the sea only 1,000 yards (910 m) from her. She suffered no damage or casualties. After sinking a small patrol craft on 9 July and taking one prisoner, Sea Robin torpedoed and sank the cargo ship, Sakishima Maru, on 10 July. Shortly thereafter, while attempting to sink a large sampan, the submarine was caught on the surface by a Japanese plane. Although the pilot did not drop his bombs on the first pass, thus giving Sea Robin a chance to dive, he dropped two close aboard on the second. Although it was not discovered until the end of the patrol, the submarine's bow tubes were severely damaged causing numerous torpedo misses throughout the remainder of the patrol. With the exception of several trawlers sunk in surface attacks, the remainder of the patrol was unproductive. When the war ended on 15 August, Sea Robin was moored at Midway Island. After a one-day stop at Pearl Harbor, the boat headed for home, transiting the Panama Canal on 20 September and arriving at Galveston, Texas, four days later. 1945 – 1951: Peacetime assignment brought Sea Robin to Submarine Squadron 6 (SubRon 6) based at Balboa, Canal Zone. On 15 May 1947, the submarine commenced a 1+1/2-month simulated war patrol in which she circumnavigated the South American continent and became the first U.S. submarine to round Cape Horn. The year 1948 was spent in fleet training exercises in the Balboa and Key West areas. Following overhaul at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Sea Robin was reassigned to SubRon 8 based at Naval Submarine Base New London, arriving on 20 August 1949. On 23 February 1950, the submarine departed New London for participation in Exercise "Portex," a joint Army-Navy-Air Force exercise in the Caribbean, returning on 23 March. From September through November, she was engaged in her first tour of duty with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean. 1951 – 1955: In 1951, Sea Robin was converted to a GUPPY IA submarine, following which she returned to New London for local operations. In January and February 1952, the submarine participated in Exercise "Micowex" in the North Atlantic testing cold weather gear and procedures under the supervision of the Naval Research Laboratory, New London, followed by a return to warmer waters and participation in Exercise "Pacex" in the Caribbean. For the next two years, Sea Robin was engaged in local fleet and training operations in the New London area. On 30 August 1954, Sea Robin set sail for a six-week northern training cruise which stretched across the Arctic Circle and included stops at Glasgow, Scotland; and Belfast, Northern Ireland. On 4 January 1955, the submarine departed for six weeks in the Caribbean participating in operation "Springboard" and, in September, took part in NATO exercise "New Broom IV," visiting Saint John, New Brunswick, en route home to New London, where she operated locally for the remainder of the year. 5) Twenty, USS JUNEAU (CLAA-119) with a small black and white photo of the ship. Here is a brief history of the vessel: Construction and commissioning Juneau was laid down by the Federal Shipbuilding and Drydock Company in Kearny, New Jersey, on 15 September 1944; launched on 15 July 1945; sponsored by Mrs. B. L. Bartlett; and commissioned 15 February 1946. Service history: Mediterranean, 1946-1949: Juneau spent her first year of commissioned service in operations along the Atlantic seaboard and Caribbean. Prior to the Korean War, she deployed three times in the Mediterranean. The ship cleared New York on 16 April 1947, and joined the 6th Fleet at Trieste on 2 May where she aided in stabilizing the unresolved question of territorial ownership between Italy and Yugoslavia. During an extended tour of Greece, she provided ample warning to the communists that aggression would not go unchallenged. The ship returned to Norfolk on 15 November for training, and was back on duty with the 6th Fleet from 14 June-3 October 1948 and again from 3 May-26 September 1949. As on her first cruise, she ranged the Mediterranean to assure Europeans and Africans of the USA's intention to guard world peace and freedom. Having been reclassified CLAA-119 on 18 March 1949, Juneau departed Norfolk on 29 November for the Pacific.Korean War, 1950-1952: She arrived at Bremerton, Washington, on 15 January 1950 and took part in operations along the Pacific coast. On 22 April, she became flagship for Rear Admiral J. M. Higgins, Commander Cruiser Division 5 (CruDiv 5), and reported for duty in Yokosuka, Japan on 1 June, where she began surveillance patrols in the Tsushima Straits. When the Korean War broke out on 25 June, Juneau was one of the few ships immediately available to Vice Admiral C. Turner Joy, Commander of Naval Forces, Far East. She patrolled south of the 38th parallel to prevent enemy landings, conducted the first shore bombardments on 29 June at Bokuko Ko, destroyed enemy shore installations, engaged in the first naval action on 2 July when she sank three enemy torpedo boats near Chumonchin Chan, and supported raiding parties along the coast. On 18 July, Juneau's force, which included British units such as the Royal Navy light cruiser HMS Belfast, laid down a deadly barrage on enemy troop concentrations near Yongdok which slowed down the North Korean advance southward. The ship departed Sasebo Harbor on 28 July and made a sweep through the Formosa Straits before reporting for duty with the 7th Fleet at Buckner Bay, Okinawa, on 2 August. She became flagship of the Formosa Patrol Force on 4 August, remaining until 29 October when she joined the Fast Carrier Task Force operating off the east coast of Korea. The ship conducted daily plane guard for the attack carriers, and returned to Long Beach, California, on 1 May 1951 for overhaul. In nine months she was updated with improved Mk 37, 56 and 63 fire control and an improved armament of 14 3-inch/50cal (6x2 & 2x1) and 12 5-inch (6x2). Underway on Jan 26 1952 and a period of operations off the Pacific coast and in Hawaii. She returned to Yokosuka on 19 April 1952 and conducted strikes along the Korean coast in coordination with carrier planes until returning to Long Beach on 5 November. Atlantic, 1953-1955: Juneau engaged in training maneuvers and operations until 7 April 1953 when she arrived Norfolk to rejoin the Atlantic Fleet. On 13 May the cruiser departed for duty with the 6th Fleet once again, and returned home on 23 October. She operated in the Atlantic and Caribbean until 18 November 1954, then returned to the Mediterranean for her last tour of duty. 6) Twenty, USS BERGALL (SS-320) with a small black and white photo of the Ship at Service. Here is a brief history of the Ship: USS Bergall (SS-320), a Balao-class submarine in commission from 1944 to 1958, was the first ship of the United States Navy to be named for the bergall, a small fish of the New England coast. During World War II she made five war patrols between 8 September 1944 and 17 June 1945, operating in the South China Sea, Java Sea, and Lombok Strait and north of the Malay Barrier. During these patrols she sank two Japanese merchant ships totaling 14,710 gross register tons and one 740-displacement ton Imperial Japanese Navy frigate. She also damaged the Japanese heavy cruiser Myoko, which was never repaired. After World War II, Bergall served in the United States Pacific Fleet until 1950 and made a cruise in Alaskan waters and a deployment to the Far East. She transferred to the United States Atlantic Fleet in 1950 and made cruises along the east coast of North America and to the West Indies, as well as two deployments to the Mediterranean Sea for service in the United States Sixth Fleet. When Bergall's U.S. Navy career ended, she was transferred to Turkey in 1958 and was commissioned in the Turkish Naval Forces as TCG Turgutreis (S 342). She took part in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. She was decommissioned in 1983 and sold for scrap in April 2000.