K4702

Distinguished Sailors

John McCloy – USS Curlew 

Collins Cover Announcement 

Distinguished Sailors

John C. McCloy

Now ready to begin is my new mini-set of four that honors distinguished sailors who served in the United States Navy. The approach that I decided upon for my individually hand painted cachets is to feature historic naval ships that each served on. Starting with McCloy's U.S.S. Curlew, I will subsequently be depicting the U.S.S. Mugford, a destroyer; the U.S.S. Minnesota, an early battleship; and the U.S.S. West Virginia, a World War II battleship which was attacked at Pearl Harbor. Military covers are always a highly collected topic, and I believe this Collins set will become the most actively sought for this issue. Don't miss out.

John McCloy enlisted in the Navy in 1898. He received the Medal of Honor "for distinguished conduct in the battles of the 13th, 20th, 21st, and 22nd June 1900" during the Boxer Rebellion in China. His second Medal of Honor was awarded for "distinguished conduct and extraordinary heroism" in the Battle of Vera Cruz, Mexico in April of 1914. 

Immediately after World War I, he was given command of the U.S.S. Curlew, a minesweeper. His assignment was to clear mines from that conflict from the North Sea. My watercolored cachet shows the Curlew in excellent detail, and I must add that distinctive paintings of naval ships often become prime collectibles. I'm pleased to honor this distinguished sailor who is one of only 19 individuals to receive two Medals of Honor. John C. McCloy - Collins #K4702. $14.00.