World War I
USS Raleigh Receives Official Notification of End of World War I




[WORLD WAR I.] JOSEPHUS DANIELS, Typed Radio Message Received, to USS Raleigh, November 11, 1918. 1 p., 8" x 6.5". Some reinforcements on verso to top corners; residue of paper clip; some edge tear, not affecting text.

Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels (1862-1948) sends a message to all U.S. Navy vessels informing them of the armistice that ended hostilities in World War I. Captain Frank Ridgely, commander of the USS Raleigh, received this message by radio transmission from Key West, Florida.


Excerpt


“#173 Alnav:- Armistice signed at 5:00 a.m., November 11th. Hostilities ceased at 11:00 a.m. – Time G.M.T. –13011–”

USS Raleigh (C-8) (1894-1919) was a protected cruiser of the Cincinnati class built in the Norfolk Navy Yard between 1889 and 1892, launched in March 1892, and commissioned in April 1894. After service in the North Atlantic Squadron and the European Station at Smyrna on the Aegean Sea, the Raleigh transferred to the Asiatic Station in Hong Kong in February 1898. The ship fired the first shot of the Battle of Manila Bay, in which the American Asiatic Squadron under the command of Commodore George Dewey destroyed the Spanish Pacific Squadron in one of the most decisive naval battles in history. The Raleigh returned to the United States early in 1899 and saw intermittent service over the next eighteen years. During World War I, the Raleigh operated primarily in the Atlantic Ocean off South America and Central America. From July to November 1918, the ship was part of the American Patrol Detachment at Key West, Florida, that guarded convoys in the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and the eastern coast of the United States against German U-boat attack.

This item comes with a Certificate from John Reznikoff, a premier authenticator for both major 3rd party authentication services, PSA and JSA (James Spence Authentications), as well as numerous auction houses.

WE PROVIDE IN-HOUSE SHIPPING WORLDWIDE.