Sinking of U.S.S. Covington [Post Card]; A-R-A T-6 [faint at bottom of the front image]
Post Card. The format is approximately 5.5 inches by 3.5 inches. Photograph (faded) of the U.S.S. Frederick on front side. Small corner portion missing. The reverse is blank except for a center dividing line, Header of Post Card at the top center, and a place to put a stamp. A post card or postcard is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. In some places, one can send a postcard for a lower fee than a letter. Stamp collectors distinguish between postcards (which require a postage stamp) and postal cards (which have the postage pre-printed on them). While a postcard is usually printed and sold by a private company, individual or organization, a postal card is issued by the relevant postal authority (often with pre-printed postage). Production of postcards blossomed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. As an easy way for individuals to communicate, they became extremely popular. The study and collecting of postcards is termed deltiology (from Greek deltion, small writing tablet, and the also Greek -logy, the study of). Cards showing images increased in number during the 1880s. Images of the newly built Eiffel Tower in 1889 and 1890 gave impetus to the postcard, leading to the so-called "golden age" of the picture postcard The Chicago World's Fair in 1893 excited many attendees with its line of "Official Souvenir" postals, which popularized the idea of picture postcards. The golden age of postcards stemmed from a combination of social, economic, and governmental factors. USS Covington (ID-1409) was a German transatlantic ocean liner that was launched in 1908 for the Hamburg America Line (HAPAG) as Cincinnati. In 1917 the United States seized her, had her converted into a troop ship and renamed her Covington. In 1918 SM U-86 torpedoed her, killing six of her complement. Three tugs towed her about 1/3 the way to Brest, but she sank the afternoon of 2 July 1918. F Schichau built Cincinnati at Danzig, launching her on 24 July 1908. Two months later she was joined by a sister ship, Cleveland, built by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg. Cincinnati was 603 feet long and her beam was 65 feet. Her tonnages were 16,339 GRT and 9,733 NRT. She had berths for 2,827 passengers: 246 first class, 332 second class, 448 third class and 1,801 steerage. Cincinnati had twin screws, each driven by a quadruple expansion steam engine. They gave her a speed of 16 knots. Cincinnati began her maiden voyage from Hamburg via Cherbourg to New York on 27 May 1909. From 4 April 1910 until 2 April 1913 her route was Genoa – Naples – New York.
By 1913 Cincinnati was equipped for wireless telegraphy. Her call sign was DDC. On 28 July 1914, the day the First World War began, Cincinnati left Hamburg for Port of Boston via Boulogne and Southampton. At Boston the United States Customs Service interned her along with the HAPAG liner Amerika, Norddeutscher Lloyd liners Kronprinzessin Cecilie, Köln, Wittekind and Willehad and DDG Hansa cargo ship Ockenfels. In March 1916 Cincinnati, Amerika, Köln, Wittekind and Willehad moved from their waterfront piers to an anchorage across the harbor from Boston Navy Yard. Daily "neutrality duty" by United States Coast Guard harbor tug Winnisimmet kept the ships under observation. On 6 April 1917 the United States declared war on Germany. The US authorities seized the German ships and vested them in the United States Shipping Board. On 26 July Cincinnati was transferred to the United States Navy, and two days later she was commissioned as USS Covington, named after Covington, Kentucky. From 18 October 1917, Covington made six voyages from Hoboken, New Jersey, to Brest, France, taking more than 21,000 troops for service with the American Expeditionary Force. On 1 July 1918 U-86 torpedoed her off Brest. Six of her crew were killed, but her escorts rescued 770. Covington remained afloat, and was towed about 50 miles toward Brest, but sank the afternoon of 2 July 1918. Condition: Fair.
Keywords: U.S.S.Frederick, Post Card, Naval Vessels, Warship, Sinking, Naval Operations
[Book #89873]
Price: $50.00