May is National Military Appreciation Month, and all month long we’re looking back at stamps issued in honor of the nation’s armed forces and dedicated servicemen and servicewomen. Did you know that the first prestige booklet ever created by the U.S. Postal Service had a military theme?
Issued in 2000, U.S. Navy Submarines: A Century of Service to America recounts a century of design advances, from the U.S. Navy’s first submarine (the 54-foot USS Holland, purchased in 1900) to modern Trident “Boomers” (Ohio-class submarines carrying more than half of America’s strategic weapons).
The USS Holland, which was driven by an internal combustion engine on the surface, switched to a battery-powered electric motor when diving. During its final trial this vessel submerged in 12 seconds, ran a straight course at six knots for ten minutes, headed back toward her starting point, and resurfaced. Named for her inventor, John P. Holland, the warship had a crew of six plus the skipper.
After Holland, sub designers not only made improvements that increased the range of their vessels but also introduced diesel engines, allowing submarines to play a larger role in naval conflict. In World War I, for example, the German navy used its U-boats so effectively that they threatened to cut the supply lines between North America and Europe. The sinking of the British liner RMS Lusitania by a German U-boat on May 7, 1915, was one of the catalysts that helped bring the U.S. into World War I.
By then, the U.S. Navy had some 50 subs, including 153-foot K-boats and 165-foot L-boats. During and after the war, the Navy continued to develop sub classes on up the alphabet, like this S-class sub:
The 307-foot Gato-class subs, armed with six torpedo tubes forward and four astern, were among the most important submarine designs of World War II. To help make up for the many surface ships lost in Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. Navy relied heavily on its submarines; despite early problems with faulty torpedoes, the subs fought fiercely and had much success.
After the war, many innovations were made in sub design, and perhaps the most important was the introduction of nuclear power. In the mid-1970s, the 362-foot Los Angeles-class nuclear attack submarines began patrolling the world’s oceans.
Manned by highly skilled officers and crews, Ohio-class ballistic missile submarines have the ability to launch Trident missiles with deadly accuracy over great distances.
Did you collect the submarines prestige booklet when it was issued in 2000? What other kinds of prestige booklets would interest you?
USPS Stamp of Approval 