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This Great Old Relic Has Been Sold. Thank you! VERY RARE BELFRY FROM THE NAVAL VETERAN'S ASSOC OF THE 1st USS KEARSARGE DATED 1888     FROM A COLLECTION OF RELICS FROM THE FIRST USS KEARSARGE'S VETERANS ASSOCIATION Presented is a great old Navy relic that is from an archive of interesting items that originally belonged to the KEARSARGE ASSOCIATION OF NAVAL VETERANS (A.N.V.). This one consists of a small belfry holding a 5 inch by 4 inch bell with fancy macramé bell rope marked USN. It is mounted on the original dark wood base that is 18 1/2" W x 9 1/2" D x 1"T. On the front of the base hand painted in gold on four lines is, Presented to/KEARSARGE, A.N.V./ BY JOHN G. MEISSNER/ 1888. Showing the dedication on the base of the belfry KEARSARGE HISTORY: USS KEARSARGE, a 1550-ton Mohican class steam sloop of war, was built at the Portsmouth Navy Yard, Kittery, Maine, under the 1861 Civil War emergency shipbuilding program. She was commissioned in January 1862 and almost immediately deployed to European waters, where she spent nearly three years searching for Confederate raiders. In June 1864, while under the command of Captain John Winslow, Kearsarge found CSS Alabama at Cherbourg, France, where she had gone for repairs after a devastating cruise at the expense of the United States' merchant marine. On 19 June, the two ships, nearly equals in size and power, fought a battle off Cherbourg that became one of the Civil War's most memorable naval actions. In about an hour, Kearsarge's superior gunnery completely defeated her opponent, which soon sank. After searching off Europe for the Confederate cruiser Florida, Kearsarge went to the Caribbean, then to Boston, where she received repairs before returning to Europe in April 1865 to try to intercept the ironclad CSS Stonewall. With the end of the Civil War, she remained in the area until mid-1866, when she was placed out of commission. Looking from the left side of the belfry The Kearsarge returned to active service in January 1868 and was sent to the the Pacific coast of South America. During 1869, she cruised across the ocean as far as Australia, then returned to Peru. The next year, Kearsarge sailed north to Hawaii, then moved on to Mare Island, California, where she decommissioned in October 1870. In 1873-78, she was back in commission, cruising in Asiatic waters until September 1877, then transiting the Suez Canal to return to the U.S. East coast, where she decommissioned in early 1878. Two more tours of duty awaited Kearsarge during the next decade and a half. She operated in the North Atlantic and Caribbean areas in 1879-83, then went back to Europe and Africa until late 1886. From 1888 on-wards, she was stationed in the West Indies and Central American areas. While en route from Haiti to Nicaragua on 2 February, she was wrecked on Roncador Reef. An effort to salvage her proved fruitless, and USS Kearsarge was stricken from the Navy List later in the year. Credit US Navy History The hand engraved USN letters are irregular CONDITION: The wood belfry shows its age and there are some areas where the finish is worn off. There are some of the other expected marks of age and handling.  The bell is in good condition. The letters USN are on a  slight slant from left to right and are slightly irregular in size. There is an old gromet on the bell's clapper shank. For its small size the bell has a good ring and resonates with a strong vibration. The belfry from the rear        DIMENSIONS: BELL: Diameter at crown 3" Diameter at mouth 5" Height to crown 4"  Height overall 9" WOOD BELFRY 18 1/2" W x 9 1/2" D x 1"T      Weight: 7 pounds  5 ounces   This unique and rare US Navy relic will make a wonderful conversation piece or it can be used as a dinner bell. STANDARD FLAT RATE SHIPPING & PACKING to 48 contiguous States, $40.00 OUR UNCONDITIONAL NO NONSENSE GUARANTEE: If not completely satisfied with your purchase it may be returned, if without damage, within five days of receipt in its original packaging. Return items must be insured for their full value. Only a prior email authorization by us for the return is required. Shipping charges within the continental United States are  included in this offer if the error is due to our fault. International buyers welcome, but inquire first. We have satisfied customers in Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Canada, Chile, Republic of China, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Denmark, Estonia, England, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kuwait, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Martinique, Mexico, New Hebrides (Vanuatu), New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Nova Scotia, Panama, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, St. Maarten, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, USVI, Vanuatu (New Hebrides) and the Eastern Caribbean STANDARD FORMS OF PAYMENT are Bank wire transfer, cashier's check, money order, or personal check in which case the item will be held until cleared. Our prices are quoted net to us so that the use of credit cards or PayPal incur extra charges. Terms on overseas sales are different.    Copyright 2014 by Land And Sea Collection™, All Rights Reserved