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Envelope and stamps commemorating chaplains killed on a ship sunk by a German U-boat

Object | Accession Number: 1990.335.5 a

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    Envelope and stamps commemorating chaplains killed on a ship sunk by a German U-boat

    Overview

    Brief Narrative
    Commemorative envelope and stamps with blank stationery, depicting four United States Army chaplains who died after their ship was sunk by a German U boat. Rabbi Alexander Goode, Reverend George L. Fox, Reverend Clark V. Poling, and Reverend John P. Washington were among the 902 people onboard the Army Transport Dorchester during the early hours of February 3, 1943, when it was fatally hit by a torpedo from a German U boat in the North Atlantic Ocean. The explosion killed and wounded many men, and created chaos amongst the rest. The four chaplains attempted to help and comfort the others aboard, and began distributing lifejackets. When they ran out of lifejackets, the four chaplains gave up their own. As the ship sank, they linked arms and prayed together on the slanting deck. The four chaplains were among the 672 men on the Dorchester who died. They were posthumously awarded with the Distinguished Service Cross, the Purple Heart, and a Special Medal for Heroism, which was equivalent to the Medal of Honor, as men who died in service but not under fire. In 1948, the United States Post Office Department issued a three-cent stamp commemorating the four chaplains.
    Date
    issue:  1948 May 28
    commemoration:  1943 February 03
    Geography
    issue: Washington (D.C.)
    distribution: United States.
    Credit Line
    United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection
    Markings
    front, left side, printed, black ink : FOUR CHAPLAINS / MEMORIAL / REV. GEORGE L. FOX / RABBI ALEXANDER GOODE / REV. CLARK V. POLING / REV. JOHN P. WASHINGTON / Unity in Brotherhood / THREE FAITHS • ONE GOD
    front, left side, next to image, printed, black ink : I.N.S. / PHOTOS
    front, bottom left corner, printed, black ink : FIRST DAY OF / ISSUE / Art Craft
    front, top of each stamp, printed, black ink : These IMMORTAL CHAPLAINS… / INTERFAITH / IN ACTION
    front, bottom of each stamp, within image, printed, black ink : S.S. DORCHESTER
    front, bottom of each stamp, printed, black ink : 3¢ UNITED STATES POSTAGE 3¢
    Contributor
    Printer: United States. Bureau of Engraving and Printing
    Issuer: United States Postal Service

    Physical Details

    Language
    English
    Category
    Stationery
    Genre/Form
    Stamps.
    Physical Description
    Unused, rectangular envelope made from cream-colored paper with commemorative stamps and design printed in black ink. On the left side of the envelope is an illustration depicting an open book with square headshots of the four chaplains in military uniforms. Above the book is the name of the memorial organization, next to a cross and tablets adorned with the Star of David. Below the book is a banner with a memorial slogan, and a sketch of the four men, arms linked, standing on a boat deck, knee-deep in water. In the upper right corner of the envelope are four, identical, perforated postage stamps, rubber stamped by a black cancellation mark. Each stamp depicts the silhouette of a sinking ship, with a life preserver in the foreground water. In the sky above the ship are images of the four chaplains, depicted from the shoulders up, and a slogan printed across the top. In the lower right corner of the envelope is a name and address, printed in black ink. The back of the envelope has a triangular flap lined with unused adhesive. The outer edges have light creasing.
    Dimensions
    overall: Height: 3.625 inches (9.208 cm) | Width: 6.500 inches (16.51 cm)
    Materials
    overall : paper, ink, adhesive, graphite
    Inscription
    front, center, stamped, black ink : WASHINGTON / MAY 28 / 9-AM / 1948 / D.C. / FIRST DAY OF ISSUE
    front, bottom right, typed, black ink : HAROLD SCOTT / 243 E. MAIN ST. / ALLIANCE, OHIO
    front, bottom right corner, handwritten, pencil : 3 [superscript 00]

    Rights & Restrictions

    Conditions on Access
    No restrictions on access
    Conditions on Use
    No restrictions on use

    Keywords & Subjects

    Administrative Notes

    Provenance
    The envelope and stamps were acquired by the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 1990.
    Record last modified:
    2023-08-25 18:26:03
    This page:
    https:​/​/collections.ushmm.org​/search​/catalog​/irn3822

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