Rhode Island Registered and Official Mail
Penalty (Official) Mail - Registered Letter - February 17, 1942
(Scroll Down for Background/History)

This is a registered letter sent during World War II from the Commander in Chief Atlantic Fleet, (CINCLANTFLT) stationed aboard the USS Constellation in Newport, Rhode Island to the Commandant, Eleventh Naval District in San Diego, California.

NOTE: During World War II the USS Constellation served as the Flag Ship for the Atlantic Command.

The letter is official government mail and as such, there was no postage charge against it. However, there was a charge for sending it registered mail of 15 cents that is covered by the 15 cent James Buchanan definitive (Scott #820), which was issued  beginning in 1938. The register number is 2391 and there is also a nice script (V) for Victory cancel on the stamp.

The reverse of the envelope has two  February 27, 1942 USS Constellation cancels and a March 4, 1942 San Diego receiving cancel.

It should also be noted that official mail, which needed some protection, such as confidential material, but was not of a high enough security classification to warrant more stringent control was often sent via registered mail.