Pathfinder (Survey vessel)

[john sefton]

On February 11th 1957, a new commemorative stamp honouring the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Coast and Geodetic Survey of the United States of America was released at Seattle Washington, the survey's head quarters. At first sight the stamp design is disappointing to the ship stamp collector for the three ships depicted at the base of the picture are so small compared with the size of the flag as to be practically unrecognisable. The stamp designer. Mr. Harold MacEwen, a cartographer in the National Chart Branch of the Coast Survey, decided to make the survey's flag the predominant feature of the stamp.
In his original design, Mr. MacEwen showed this flag in colour, a red triangle in a white circle on a blue field, and if these colours had been adhered to the stamp would have been a most attractive issue. However, the stamp is printed in a single colour, blue, and the effect the artist was hoping to achieve the flag standing out over the sea falls a little flat, the flag simply tones in with the background and, of course, is printed in the wrong colours.
Basis of the design was a photograph of the survey vessels Pathfinder, Explorer, Surveyor and Derickson leaving Lake Union, Seattle, on their way to Alaskan waters. The last‑named vessel was however omitted from the design. Modern single‑screw vessels capable of 15 knots, the Pathfinder and Explorer each has a cruising radius of 6,000 nautical miles. Slightly larger than the Explorer, the Pathfinder has a length of 229.3ft., a beam of 39ft. and a draft of 15.5ft, The Explorer is 219ft. in length with a beam of 38ft. and a draft of l5ft.
Both ships have crews numbering 79 but the Explorer carries 23 officers to the 19 of the Pathfinder. The latter's displacement (loaded) is 2,000 tons and that of the Explorer, 1,900 tons. The third ship of the group is a very much older vessel dating from 1917 and smaller than her consorts. All three ships are employed in the Alaskan area of survey and are equipped with the latest navigational aids and electronic measuring devices.
The Coast Survey, as it was originally called, was established by Act of Congress, signed by President Jefferson on February 10, 1807. The Act authorised a survey of the United States coast under the jurisdiction of the Treasury Department and appropriated 55,000 dollars to begin the work. A Swiss‑born engineer, Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler, who was teaching mathematics at West Point, became the first superintendent of the survey. He submitted a scheme to the Secretary of the Treasury but no action was taken until April 16, 1811 when Hassler's ideas received official approval and it was decided to send him to Europe in order to secure the necessary instruments.
Operations were delayed by the war of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States and it was not until August 6, 1816 that work began. The first survey was in the neighbourhood of New York and continued until 1818.
Originally published in Sea Breezes May 1957.
USA SG1090

[aukepalmhof]

The first vessel on the stamp is the PATHFINDER.

She was built as a Coast Guard Survey vessel under yard no. 518 by the Lake Washington Shipyard, Houghton for the US Navy.
20 February 1941 laid down.
11 January 1942 launched as the USS PATHFINDER.(AGS-1), christened by Eleanor Roosevelt Boettinger, granddaughter of the at that time USA President.
Displacement 2,000 ton, dim. 68.89 x 11.89 x 4.72m. (draught)
Powered by steam turbines 2,000 ihp., one shaft, speed 15 knots. Radius 6,000 miles.
Armament: 2 – 3 inch guns, 2 depth charge tracks, and 2 depth charge projectors.
Crew 19 Off. and 79 men.
31 August 1942 commissioned. The building cost US$ 1,265,448.
USS PATHFINDER (AGS-1) was a survey vessel for the United States Navy during World War II. Before and after the war she was USC&GSS PATHFINDER (OSS-30) for the United States Coast and Geodetic Survey. PATHFINDER was built by the Lake Washington Shipyard of Houghton, Washington in 1929. She was acquired by the U.S. Navy and commissioned 31 August 1942, with Capt. Bascom H. Thomas, USNR, in command.

U.S. Navy service
A sea-going arm of the U.S. Navy's Hydrographic Office, PATHFINDER spent the war years paving the way for amphibious invasion.
After shakedown in the Puget Sound area of Washington and a stop at San Francisco, California, PATHFINDER got underway 10 November 1942 and proceeded via Pearl Harbor and Palmyra Island to the Ellice Islands arriving Funa Futi 26 December.
For nearly two years PATHFINDER operated along the dangerous New Guinea-New Britain-Solomon Islands areas allied land-air-sea forces fought to break the Japanese grip on the area. An isolated reef, an uncharted harbor, a lonely stretch of enemy hold coastline—each presented a different problem. At Bougainville, Treasury Island, Green Island, Emirau and Guam, advance PATHFINDER parties were sent ashore under the noses of the Japanese to work in close cooperation with Allied amphibious elements in laying out harbor charts or surveying inland channels.
During most of 1943, the ship operated in the Solomons and neighboring groups; the Russell Islands, Admiralties, Loyalties, and New Caledonia. PATHFINDER , although nominally a noncombatant, experienced some fifty bombing raids while working close to the front lines. She showed that she could retaliate at Guadalcanal 7 April 1943 when her antiaircraft gunners shot down two Japanese planes.
At the end of September 1944, after some three months of scientific probing around New Guinea, PATHFINDER departed for Espiritu Santo, with written commendations from Admirals Nimitz, Kinkaid, and Halsey. She reached Pearl Harbor 11 October and Alameda, California, 21 October.
The proud veteran headed back toward the war zone on 18 December 1944. By this time the tide of battle had swept northward to the Philippines. She reached Guam 4 February to prepare for landings at Casiguran Bay, Luzon 13 March 1945. This first on the eastern coast of Luzon greatly helped to liberate the Philippines. On 28 March two enemy aircraft attacked the ship but she escaped damage.
On 1 May 1945, one month after the initial beachhead was established on Okinawa, PATHFINDER churned into Hagushi Anchorage. On 6 May 1945 at "Suicide Slot", Sesoko, a Japanese kamikaze plane crash-dived into the veteran survey ship's after gun platform killing one man, starting fires and setting off ready ammunition. Emergency parties quickly brought the flames under control.
Between her arrival at Okinawa and the final cessation of hostilities 15 August, the ship was at General Quarters 170 times.
PATHFINDER anchored at Yokosuka Naval Base, Tokyo Bay, 13 October 1945 and wound up her U.S. Naval career with a series of surveys among the Empire's home islands to assist the Allied occupation.

PATHFINDER departed Yokosuka, Japan, 5 December 1945. Touching at Pearl Harbor 16 December, the ship arrived in Seattle, Washington, 24 December, she decommissioned 31 January 1946 and was transferred to the Commerce Department on 22 August. On 1 October 1946 PATHFINDER was returned to the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey. She was struck from the Navy List 13 November 1946.

Deactivated 23 December 1971.
1972 Scrapped at General Auto Wrecking Co. of Ballard, Washington.

Honors and awards
PATHFINDER received two battle stars for World War II service.

United States 1957 3c sg 1090, Scott 1088.
Source: Internet and Wikipedia.