I was sorting through my covers this past week and came across this set I had forgotten about for a while. These are mostly partial covers (front only; trimmed cover) that bear US stamps canceled on board US warships serving at British Treaty Ports in China. These date from the late 1920s to late 1930s. I've researched some history for each of these eight pieces. These represent an intersection of two collecting areas, which is why I'm always on the look out for more: British treaty ports in China (including Hong Kong), and paquebot/ship canceled mail. Each thread here represents one cover, with it's description and a bit of history about the ship.

Cheers,
Peter

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re: Cancels from US warships at British Treaty Ports (ca. 1920s-30s)

Piece 2: USS Black Hawk

Part of a cover sent from Chefoo on the South China coast to Rochester, NY. It bears a 2c Washington stamp (Scott #707) tied by a duplex cancel, March 8, 1932, Asiatic Station Type II. Violet (or mauve) cancels such as this were less common than the usual black cancel.

This ship was a destroyer of 5,600 tons, launched in 1913. It kept a main base at Chefoo, known as the Asiatic Station by the US Navy, from 1929 to 1934. Early in 1934 it was at Shanghai for about three months before returning to Chefoo.

 
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re: Cancels from US warships at British Treaty Ports (ca. 1920s-30s)

Piece 4: USS Simpson

Part of a registered cover with typed heading “U.S.S. Simpson / Via Seattle, Wash. / OFFICIAL BUSINESS”; it has a 15c US “Statue of Liberty” stamp (Scott #566) tied by a double circle cancel in mauve “USS Simpson / Registered” and dated June 3, 1931. Also has a boxed handstamp “REGISTERED / No. 132,” also in mauve.

This ship was a destroyer of 1,190 tons, launched in 1920. It served at Chefoo in Northeast China from late 1930 for over a year. It then moved to Swatow in Southeast China in early 1932 before leaving China.

 
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re: Cancels from US warships at British Treaty Ports (ca. 1920s-30s)

Piece 6: USS Richmond

Part of the front of an official printed cover with the heading “Navy Department / Official Business” partially shown. Sent by registered mail to the USA, with two stamps: a 5c Roosevelt and a 10c Monroe (Scott #s 557 and 562 respectively) tied by a double circle cancel in brown, USS Richmond, July 18, 1927. At the lower right corner is a brown handstamp “Aug 1927” which is a filing arrival date in Washington, DC.

This ship was a gunboat stationed at Shanghai early July, 1927, until the Spring of 1928.

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re: Cancels from US warships at British Treaty Ports (ca. 1920s-30s)

Piece 8: USS Canopus

A full cover sent from Hong Kong to Aurora, IL; it bears a 3c Rhode Island Tercentenary stamp (Scott #777) tied by a black suplex cancel “USS Canopus” dated 30 Oct 1938 with “Hong Kong / BCC” bar cancel (BCC stood for British Crown Colony). On the back is a Hong Kong arrival handstamp dated Nov 23, 1936.

This ship was originally named Santa Leonara but renamed Canopus when it was sent to China. It was a submarine tender of 8,100 tons, launched in New York in 1919. It served at Hong Kong for 3 months in 1932 and moved north to Tsingtao until the middle of 1933. It later moved back to Hong Kong and was finally lost during WW-II in 1942.

 
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