The Republic of Cuba (12)

The First Marine Battalion Volunteers of New York landed at Caimanera, Guantanamo Bay, on June 10, 1898, and were the first American force to land on the island. Military Station No. 3 was opened at Guantanamo on September 6, 1898, and was closed when American troops were withdrawn from Cuba in May 1902.

Authorization for the United States to lease lands necessary for coaling or naval stations is found under Article 7 of the “Platt Amendment,” accepted by the Cuban constitutional convention on June 12, 1901. However, nothing was done by the United States to acquire Guantanamo Bay for another two years.

Tome II, p.83: Guantanamo to Steelton, Pennsylvania. 190u.

On July 2, 1903, a treaty was signed by the United States and Cuba, wherein the U.S. leased an area around Guantanamo Bay as a naval facility. However, there was little or no actual construction of the base until about 1906-1907.

On March 25, 1907, a post office named “Bagley” was opened on the base. Bagley was named in honor of Ensign Worth Bagley, a distinguished US naval officer who was killed in action off Cuba. This office remained open until February 27, 1909, although it is known to have unofficially processed mail through April 24, 1909.

After Bagley was closed, mail was processed aboard one of the US naval vessels in the bay, or at the nearby Cuban towns of Caimanera or Boqueron. The vessel assigned to process mail was designated a “US Receiving Ship,” and mail was forwarded through the postmaster at New York.

Some time between July 1922 and January 1923, a naval postal station was established on land at Guantanamo Bay. This cover illustrates a relatively early use of the new naval station postmark.