WWI 1919 Letter Sailor on USS VERMONT Transporting Troops Home GREAT CONTENT

Description

World War I sailor's letter, 6
pgs., approx. 5-3/8" x 6-3/4", datelined "U.S.S. Vermont, Hampton Roads, Va., May 18th, 1919"
, from David E. Losey, to his cousin.
A scarce letter from a sailor on the
U.S.S. Vermont
, during the time she acted as a WWI troop transport bringing back American soldiers from Europe. The U.S.S. Vermont was commissioned in 1907, and joined the
Great White Fleet
in its around the world cruise of 1907-1909; From Nov., 1918 to June, 1919, she made a series of trips to return American soldiers from Europe before being decommissioned in 1920. During that time, she carried some 5000 men back to the U.S.
A well-written letter with great content, writing of preparations for a trip across the Atlantic to pick up more soldiers, of preparing to load 2000 tons of coal, enough for the round trip, so that they won't have to load with inferior Welsh coal in England. More good content.
Includes:
"Dear Cousin,
...If you wrote me the last letter of our correspondence, it must have been sent to the Kingfisher after I had left her
[U.S.S. Kingfisher was a mine sweeper],
and so I suppose the letter went right on across the Atlantic, as she left for the other side soon after I got off her...
Well you will notice that the heading of this letter reads Hampton Roads and that is where we are lying at anchor, having come up here a couple of days ago from the Navy Yard at Norfolk where we were in Dry Dock for a few days getting painted & repaired up in preparation for this trip across, and now the fellows are putting up the coal chutes in preparation for coaling the ship tomorrow and then we leave Tuesday, so they say.
By putting 2,000 tons aboard tomorrow, with what is now on the Ship, they claim they can make the round trip without coaling on the other side, which will be a very good thing, as the coal they get over there is Welsh coal and of rather poor quality, which means a lot of extra work on the way back till that is used up, as well as dirtying the ship all up over there, and all the hard work of putting it aboard after being about twelve days under way.
They claim that these Battleships are to make two more trips after troops before they are taken out of that transport service and of course that will take up the biggest part of the summer...
The Officials keep discharging & releasing a few men now and again, having let about thirty go yesterday of a crew of about 600 men, so you see a person's chance of getting out are very slim and probably will be for some time to come, at least till the Peace Treaty has been signed and all the troops have been brought back.
I understand nearly all the fellows that I knew that were in the Army have been discharged as well as a few from the Navy & I suppose they are a very well pleased bunch of fellows to think that it has come to pass..."
Very Fine.
COMBINED SHIPPING FOR MULTIPLE ITEMS.
[V]
NO SHIPPING OUTSIDE OF THE U.S.