Sunday, November 5, 2017

Liberia 2012 Titanic - 100 Year Anniversary

Recently acquired the Liberia 2012 Titanic - 100 Year Anniversary sheet-let



Details:

RMS Titanic was a passenger liner that struck an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, and sank on 15 April 1912, resulting in the deaths of 1,517 people in one of the deadliest peacetime maritime disasters in history.

For more details visit the Titanic Link 

Saturday, October 14, 2017

Special Cover by APO - Army Post Office Decommissioning of INS Viraat - Aircraft Carrier 58 years of Glorious Service special cover



Special Cover by APO - Army Post Office Decommissioning of INS Viraat - Aircraft Carrier

INS Viraat was a Centaur-class aircraft carrier of the Indian Navy. INS Viraat was the flagship of the Indian Navy before INS Vikramaditya was commissioned in 2013. The last British-built ship serving with the Indian Navy, she was the oldest aircraft carrier in service in the world. The ship was completed and commissioned in 1959 as the Royal Navy's HMS Hermes, and decommissioned in 1984. It was sold to India in 1987. 

INS Viraat was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 12 May 1987,and served for almost 30 years.

In February 2015, the Navy stated that Viraat would be decommissioned the following year.On 23 July 2016, Viraat sailed for the last time under her own power from Mumbai to Kochi, where she was dry-docked and prepared for decommissioning. She was towed out of Kochi on 23 October, returning to Mumbai on 28 October, where she was laid up. Viraat was formally decommissioned on 6 March 2017.


Sunday, July 23, 2017

JAPAN - CIRCA 1953: Cormorant Fishing Traditional Fishing Method


Today acquired this wonderful block of used stamps of Japan which is on Traditional Fishing method called Cormorant Fishing. 

Cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing method in which fishermen use trained cormorants to fish in rivers. Historically, cormorant fishing has taken place in Japan and China since about 960 AD. It is described as a method used by the ancient Japanese in the Book of Sui, the official history of the Sui Dynasty of China, completed in 636 AD. This technique has also been used in other countries but is currently under threat in China.

To control the birds, the fishermen tie a snare near the base of the bird's throat. This prevents the birds from swallowing larger fish, which are held in their throat, but the birds can swallow smaller fish. When a cormorant has caught a fish in its throat, the fisherman brings the bird back to the boat and has the bird spit the fish up. Though cormorant fishing once was a successful industry, its primary use today is to serve the tourism industry.

The types of cormorants used differ based on the location. In Gifu, Japan, the Japanese cormorant (P. capillatus) is used; Chinese fishermen often employ great cormorants, Darters (anhinga), which are very close relatives of cormorants, are also used for this fishing technique on occasion.

Wednesday, April 26, 2017

Our blog featured on Top 60 Stamp Collecting Blogs And Websites for Philatelists



Recently my blog was judged as the one of the 60 best blogs on stamp collecting. Its a privilege to be a part of the top 60 blogs.

The blog was ranked based on following criteria: 


  • Google reputation and Google search ranking
  • Influence and popularity on Facebook, twitter and other social media sites
  • Quality and consistency of posts.
  • Feedspot’s editorial team and expert review

Special Cover on 50 Years of INS Jeevanti



Recently acquired the Special cover on INS Jeevanti.

India Post, Maharshtra Postal Circle released a Special cover on 15th April 2016  on the momentous occasion of INHS Jeevanti's 50 Glorious Years of service to the nation which is an Indian Naval Hospital Ship in Patient Care at AP Dabolim.

INHS JEEVANTI



Friday, April 14, 2017

Maldive Islands Marie Celeste - Mysteries of the universe



The 1992 Maldive Islands Marie Celeste - Abandoned Ship souvenir sheet (Scott #1772) MINT NEVER HINGED. This souvenir sheet was issued by the Maldive Islands in recognition of the great mystery of the Marie Celeste ship. In December of 1872 the Marie Celeste was found drifting off the coast of the Azores. The ship was abandoned, yet there was no hint of trouble in the log book, the cargo was safely stowed, and the galley and quarters were in order. For over a century the fate of the captain and crew of the Marie Celeste has been an intriguing mystery.
This sheet is on the way to be a part of my collection..

Sunday, April 2, 2017

Commissioning of INS Chennai 15A stealth destroyer India 21 November 2016



INS Chennai (D65) is the third ship of the Kolkata-class stealth guided missile destroyers of the Indian Navy. She was constructed at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL) located in Mumbai. INS Chennai is the last of the three ships built under the code name Project 15A.

She was laid down in February 2006, and was launched on 2 April 2010 by the then Defence Minister Shri AK Antony's wife Smt Elizabeth Antony amidst chanting of Vedic hymns at a function in Mumbai, and is commissioned on 21 November 2016 by the Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar.INS Chennai is the first naval ship named after Chennai, capital of Tamil Nadu.

The indigenously designed ship will have state of the art weapons and sensors, stealth features, an advanced action information system, a comprehensive auxiliary control system, world class modular living spaces, sophisticated power distribution system and a host of other advanced features.

INS Chennai will be fitted with the supersonic BrahMos surface-to-surface missile system. The system enables the ship to engage shore-based and naval surface targets at long range making it a lethal platform for strike against enemy targets. The ship's air defence capability, designed to counter the threat of enemy aircraft and anti-ship cruise missiles, will revolve around the vertical launch, long range surface-to-air missile system, which is being co-developed by DRDO. Four AK-630 rapid-fire guns will provide the ship with close-in-defense capability while an MR gun will enable her to provide effective naval gunfire support. Indigenous developed twin tube torpedo launchers and rocket launchers will add punch to the ship's anti-submarine capability. Indeed, these ships integrate many new features and involve design changes that ensure a far more advanced weapons platforms compared to the earlier Project 15 ships

The uniqueness of the special cover is that it has a combo stamp one of the International Fleet Review 2016 and also INS Niligari

Source: Wiki