A pocket lighter with applied art work. The lighter is made by the Zippo lighter company of Bradford, PA. The lighter has what is known as a "Town & Country" design applied to the body. This is done by hand applying paint to engraved patterns in the body. Introduced in the 1940's, the application of the paint gradually evolved from painting by hand to silkscreen-type processes through the 1960's. The later silkscreen versions are often referred to by collectors as "transitional".
USS Hancock (CV/CVA-19) was one of 24 Essex-class aircraft carriers built for the United States Navy during World War II. Hancock was the fourth U.S. Navy ship to bear the name of Founding Father John Hancock, who served as president of the Second Continental Congress and first governor of Massachusetts. Commissioned in April 1944, the Hancock participated in several Pacific Theater campaigns, earning four battle stars. Decommissioned shortly after the war, the carrier was later modernized and recommissioned in the early 1950s as an attack carrier (CVA). In this second phase of her career, Hancock operated exclusively in the Pacific, playing a prominent role in the Vietnam War, for which she earned a Navy Unit Commendation. Notably, she was the first U.S. Navy carrier to have steam catapults installed. The Hancock was decommissioned in early 1976 and subsequently sold for scrap later that year.
This lighter was made and purchased toward the end of the Vietnam War, and as illustrious as the history of the Hancock was, it is more pertinent to focus on the period from which a sailor purchased this piece. It played a major role throughout the conflict, right up until the end of the war. The Hancock arrived in Japan on November 19 and soon began patrol operations in the Gulf of Tonkin's Yankee Station. She remained active in Vietnamese waters until early 1965 when she headed home. In November, the carrier returned to the war zone and continued her patrols off Vietnam, with brief respites in Hong Kong, the Philippines, or Japan, until returning to Alameda on August 1, 1966. Hancock's outstanding combat performance during this tour earned her the Navy Unit Commendation.
Following West Coast operations, the Hancock returned to Vietnam in early 1967 and resumed strikes against Communist positions. After fighting through most of the first half of 1967, she returned to Alameda on July 22 and immediately began preparations for her next deployment.
In the summer of 1969, the Hancock was back in Alameda prepping for another Southeast Asia deployment. During night landing exercises in July, a crashed F-8 caused extensive flight deck damage, leading to a round-the-clock repair effort to ready the ship for deployment.
In November 1970, the Hancock, along with USS Ranger and USS Oriskany, conducted air strikes against North Vietnamese missile and anti-aircraft sites in response to attacks on U.S. reconnaissance aircraft (Operation Freedom Bait). Hancock then alternated with Ranger and Kitty Hawk on Yankee Station until May 10, 1971 when she was relieved by Midway.
The USS Hancock returned to Yankee Station with USS Coral Sea by March 30, 1972, flying tactical sorties during Operation Freedom Train against targets in North Vietnam in response to the invasion of South Vietnam. From April 25-30, her aircraft struck enemy-held territory around Kontum and Pleiku.
On March 17, 1975, Hancock offloaded her air wing at Subic Bay. On March 26, Marine helicopters embarked on Hancock, which then supported the evacuation operations of Phnom Penh and Saigon in April 1975. In May, Hancock was alerted but not utilized for the recovery of the seized SS Mayagüez.
The lighter has the date code on the base for having been made in 1974. The lighter is in "New Old Stock" condition having never been struck or filled before. The original box and paper guarantee are also present. A rare and perfect example of a military lighter, now fifty years old.
