Over the past 50-plus years, I have developed a propensity or, for lack of other words, the desire to acquire and collect anything and everything relating to Groton’s history.

What began in the late 1960s as a small collection of 50 or so picture postcards depicting local Groton landmarks and street scenes rapidly grew and, over the next 30-plus years, took on a life of its own. The collection, or “stuff,” as my wife calls it, was taking up a considerable amount of space in our home. Two walk-in closets, one containing 22 plastic file drawers and the other having at least 10 large plastic storage bins; a large portion of a spare bedroom; and most of the space in a walk-up attic.

Fortunately, my computer has a large storage capacity to maintain the 30,000-plus (yes, thousands) old Groton photographs, thus eliminating the need to take up more house space.

There came a time when, feeling that this collection should be shared with the public, I decided to donate it to the Groton Public Library where it could be appropriately cataloged, stored and displayed. Approximately three-quarters of the collection is now in the possession of the library. Maybe, when the COVID situation fades, and some sense of normalcy returns to the library, the remaining portion of the collection, including the computer images, will become part of the library’s collection.

One portion of my collection, which I will not relinquish to the library, is what is often referred to as “First Day Covers” (FDC) or “Cachets.” FDCs are usually in the form of postal envelopes that display drawings or illustrations concerning a special commemoration, ceremony or event and date stamped by the U.S. Post Office on the day of the occasion.

My “First Day” collection is specific to several special ceremonies held in Groton that relate to submarines built at the Electric Boat Company during World War II.

The practice of issuing decorative or event cachets by the Electric Boat Company began in 1934 with the launching of the first submarine built there, the USS Cuttlefish. Subsequent to the launching of the Cuttlefish, cachets have been issued to commemorate three key events that included the keel laying, launching and commissioning of each new submarine.

In the beginning, approximately 1,000 cachets were printed on colored stock and distributed to employees as well as Navy and civilian officials. Like greeting cards, they were distributed to convey felicitations of goodwill.

Since the 1930s, the Electric Boat Company has produced over 185 submarines. Thus, if cachets were crafted for each of the three key events for each submarine, an estimated number of over 550 different cachets have been produced. Over the years, the interest in collecting cachets for the key events of each submarine has increased and the number of commemorative envelopes produced has grown to several thousand.

Although an exact date is not known, up until about the mid-1950s, the drawings or illustrations, commonly referred to as “cuts” for the submarine cachets, were the work of designers and draftsmen employed at the Electric Boat Company. Some of the names of EB draftsmen who designed several of the cachets included: W.C. Cyr, M.J. Herald, W.C. Greene, R.W. Dennis, G. Spader and W.F. Spader. Their names were often printed in small letters in inconspicuous areas of the drawings.

Another draftsman at Electric Boat, who drew several cuts for submarine cachets during the period of 1941 through 1944, was my father Kenneth E. Streeter.

I was aware that my father had worked as a draftsman at EB and also knew of his artistic talent through several of his drawings of cartoon characters and images he drew on personal items I had been provided after his death – including the face of a banjo and the leather cover of his work slide-ruler.

I was not, however, aware of his having drawn several submarine cachets until after the deaths of my father and mother, when my sister gifted me 21 original pen and ink “cuts” of several of the submarine cachet illustrations that he had drawn. The designs, which were drawn on white cardboard stock, vary in sizes from about 9 inches to 12 inches square.

Subsequent to receiving the drawings, I have been successful in obtaining original, stamped first day covers (cachets) of each of my father’s 21 original drawings. I have also discovered that in addition to the cachets matching the original pen and ink drawings, my father had also prepared drawings for an additional 14 cachets for which I did not have the “cuts.” Of the total of the 35 drawings by my father, 13 were for keel layings, 14 for launchings and five for commissionings.

Except for one, the launching of the USS Trigger in Mare Island, Calif., all were for events in Groton. Also, to my surprise, the remaining three drawings were for launchings of U.S. Navy battleships which took place in New York, New Jersey and Virginia. This begs the question as to why large ship building companies outside of Connecticut would have had an employee at EB in Groton design and provide cuts for their ships.

Unfortunately, that question will remain unanswered.

I am sure there are specific purposes for the particular designs of each of the submarine covers drawn by my father; however, one in particular that raises some interest was the design for the USS Growler, which was launched on Nov. 22, 1941. Although to many the name “growler” might be associated with a glass container which holds beer, the naming of the submarine actually was for a fish named “growler,” which is of the perch family.

The cachet for this ship displays a small drawing of a growler fish; however, larger drawings of a turkey and an Indian figure head are also prominent in the design. I am sure the purpose of these two particular items on the cover is to bring attention to the Thanksgiving holiday which had occurred two days prior to the launching.

It is estimated that, throughout the United States, there are over 1,000 collectors of the many thousands of naval first day covers that have been issued throughout the years. It is very feasible that there are also a large number of collectors of naval submarine covers, especially among the workers who contributed to the building of these ships and the sailors who voyaged on them.

In speaking with members and officials of naval cachet, collector organizations on both the East and West Coast, I learned that it is extremely rare for original “cuts” for naval cachets to exist.

I am sure there would be a good deal of interest by some avid submarine collectors to purchase the cachet “cuts” produced by my father but, in the interest of maintaining a piece of Groton history, as well as keeping a family keepsake, they will hopefully remain in my family for many years to come.

Jim Streeter is Groton Town historian.