This commemorative cover honors the men lost on the USS Squalus when it sank off the coast of Porthsmouth New Hampshire in 1939. The picture or cachet depicts an old 3 cent stamp with a photograph of Admiral Charles B, Momsen substituted for one of the sailor's heads. The actual photograph of the diver was used in the design of this cover. The diver on the platform is the first to descend to attach the down haul cables to the sunken Squalus, Martin Sibitzki.

The stamps were cancelled on May 23, 2001at the Portsmouth Navy Yard post office. Used is a vintage 3 cent stamp and the USA 33 cent stamp honoring the Los Angeles Class Submarine.

The cover is signed by Allen Carl Bryson who was one of the 33 survivors of the USS Squalus. He came to the surface in the last load from the sunken submarine and subsequently assisted in the salvage of the boat. He was the last survivor to pass away, living to a ripe old age thanks, he said, to Admiral Momsen. The cover is also signed and numbered by the designer, Helen Hart Momsen, a granddaughter of Admiral Charles Bowers Momsen.

You can read about the rescue in the book THE TERRIBLE HOURS by Peter Maas.

Please look at our other commeorative and first day covers which are "one of a kind". This is a limited edition of 100 of the USS Squalus WE REMEMBER commemorative covers.