Rare original teletype announcing the surrender of Japanese forces, one page, 8 x 10.5, August 17, 1945. This teletype was received onboard the USS Denver, a Cleveland-class light cruiser, following her return from Okinawa hunting Japanese ships off the China coast. In full: “To the men and women of the United States Navy United States Marine Corps and the United States Coast Guard Quote. The day of final victory has at last arrived. Japan has surrendered. Her fleet which once boasted that it would drive us from the seas has been destroyed. The United States Naval Services played a major role in this mighty triumph therefore we observe this hour with a special pride and satisfaction in our achievements. Especially do we remember the debt we owe the thousands of our comrades of the Navy the Marine Corps and Coast Guard who are absent today because they gave their lives to reestablish a world in which free peoples might live. Our sympathies go out to their relatives and friends. At the same time we extend thanks and appreciation to our companion service of the Army and to the gallant allies who fought beside us and the millions of people on the homefront who supported us with their labors and their prayers. It is as a team we have worked and fought to the victorious conclusion of the war. As we turn now from the vital tasks of war I call upon all members of the Naval Services to rededicate their efforts with the same courage devotion to duty and united spirit to the work of resolving the great problems of peace. Only by so doing can we fulfill our obligation in preserving the freedom which has been gained at such great cost and effort. I am proud to have served with every one of you. Signed Ernest J. King Fleet Admiral United States Navy Unquote.” In fine, albeit fragile condition, with a tear to the bottom edge and chipping to the edges not affecting any text.
Accompanied by additional ephemera including naval operations reports describing the USS Denver's battles at sea and other duties in the Pacific, correspondence, orders, administrative documents, shipboard activity ephemera, and photographs collected by one of the officers aboard the Denver, Lieutenant Commander Stanley D. Cornish, Jr., giving a vivid recounting of life at sea during history's largest military conflict. The USS Denver destroyed numerous enemy ships and took fire herself—including a kamikaze pilot whose aircraft narrowly missed the Denver as it plunged into the sea—earning her 11 battle stars and a Navy Unit Commendation. An exceedingly rare and important historical document to have survived intact, especially from one of the American naval vessels that saw significant action during the war.
