2020 EUROPA, ANCIENT POSTAL ROUTES

The 2020 Europa stamp theme is ancient postal routes, and the Åland contribution shows the Postal Boat Race across the Sea of Åland. Following the ancient postal route between Åland and Sweden, the Race is arranged in June every year in remembrance of the Åland and Swedish postal-farmers’ obligation to convey mail as well as passengers in all kinds of weather. Starting in 1638, the conveyance of mail continued for almost 400 years until early 1900s.

Orca with a fishing trawler released on 17 April 2020

Norway issued a  single stamp, a killer whale(orca) with a fishing trawler.

Most killer whales are found in Antarctica, but there are also around 3,000 in the Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea.

The stamp was released on 17 April 2020. Its a beautiful stamp issued by Norway, waiting to have my hand on the stamps 

Shipwrecks in the Falkland Islands - WRECKS PART 4

The extraordinary voyages of 16th century seafarers transformed history as newly-developed deep-water sailing ships, equipped with the mariner’s compass, enabled Europeans to venture beyond the horizon and scour the oceans for new land, dreams and gold. During one such voyage in 1592, to the Magellan Straits, the little recognized but most accomplished navigator, John Davis, in his ship, Desire, was storm-blown under bare poles amongst these apparently unknown and unpeople islands. But it is likely that the archipelago had been quietly known about for years by the major sea powers, as an ill-defined cluster of blobs appear, vaguely positioned near the eastern end of the Magellan Strait, on maps from 1507 on wards. Amerigo Vespucci may well have seen them from the deck of a Portuguese ship as early as 1502.

The 700 islands, islets, rocks and reefs which comprise the Falklands are situated some 315 nautical miles down-wind and down-stream from Cape Horn. Battered by frequent gales and surrounded by strong currents, the Islands have always provided both peril and sanctuary for the seafarer. Over 180 ships are known to have met their end in the wild seas which surround the Falklands. Without doubt there will have been others which sank without trace.

During the 1850’s there was a sudden upsurge in sea-borne traffic around Cape Horn. Vessels trading in Californian and Australian gold, Chilean copper and Peruvian guano began calling into Stanley for repair and provisions. The nearest alternative port was Montevideo a thousand miles to the north. Some ships attempting to round the Horn were overloaded, some unseaworthy, and others simply unlucky. Many suffered severe battering and, riding the prevailing westerlies, limped back into harbour to lick their wounds. A few lame ducks never recovered. Others were deliberately wrecked and their cargoes sold by unscrupulous dealers. The growing port gained a notorious reputation and a flock of worn-out windjammers. Several are still stuck in the Stanley harbour mud. But time and tide and two pernicious sea worms, the teredo and the gribble, have hastened their demise and in many cases their crumbling woodwork has all but disappeared.

This issue, the fourth in the Shipwrecks series of Falkland Island, depicts some of those vessels which finished their days beached along the Falklands’ shorelines. They remain an integral part of the Islands’ history and a reminder of the salty folk who sailed in them.

32p Samson

The 94’ tugboat, Samson, built in Hull in 1888, was brought down in 1900 by the Falkland Islands Company in the aftermath of the City of Philadelphia disaster. Her value was shown on Christmas Eve 1910 when the Samson towed the iron ship Wavertree into Stanley after she had been dismasted off Cape Horn. In November 1912, the PSNC liner Oravia struck the Billy Rock near the entrance to Port William. At night and in heavy seas, Captain Thomas took the Samson alongside the stricken vessel, disembarking 150 passengers to safety. In 1924, the ageing tug was converted and she finished her working life as a lighter. During a heavy gale in 1945, the Samson broke her moorings and came ashore on the beach close to the north-east corner of Stanley Harbour.

78p St. Mary

In the fall of 1889 veteran shipbuilder, Charles V Minott, laid the keel of an unusually large vessel in Phippsburg, Maine. 241’ long and with a registered tonnage of 1942, St Mary was to be one of the last-built, finest constructed, and shortest lived of all the great “Downeasters”. She was launched just before noon on Thursday, 20th March 1890. Under command of Captain Carver, St Mary departed Manhattan, bound for San Francisco by way of Cape Horn. 67 days out and making good speed, she was about 130 miles west of Islas Diego Ramirez. It was a quiet moonlit night, at 1.13am on 7th August, when she collided with the 176’ steel-hulled Magellan. The Magellan foundered almost immediately with all hands, while the badly damaged St Mary limped downwind for Port Stanley. Three days later, just a few miles shy of the port, St Mary struck the Pinnacle Rock. The distressed Captain refused to leave his ship and later died on board. The cause of his death was never confirmed. The crew took to the lifeboat without him and made for the nearby farm at Fitzroy. Two weeks later the wreck split in two with one half washing ashore at Whale Point, near Fitzroy. The oaken bones of the St Mary remain today, like a stranded leviathan, where she washed ashore just five months after her triumphant launch.

£1.04 Weddell

The Weddell was a carvel-built schooner, constructed of Sandy Point timber in 1940 by Cia Doberti in Punta Arenas, Chile. She had a registered tonnage of 23.6 and was 44’7“ long. On February 1 1941, captained by Bill Radcliffe, she was registered in Stanley under “John Hamilton Ltd” and thence sailed to Weddell Island where Chris Bundes took over in charge. She was used mainly to transport sheep and wool around those islands which made up the Weddell Island group. At first, the Weddell had no engine and worked entirely under sail. In 1947 Duncan McRae took over as Captain and three years later, she was taken to Stanley to have her first engine installed. In 1976, after 35 years as the Weddell Island Farm boat, Bob Ferguson sailed her to Stanley where she was sold and gradually fell into disrepair. In June 1994, the Weddell was transported down to the Stanley’s Canache where she now lies beached above the tide line near Boxer Bridge.

£1.26 Garland


A three-masted, 599 tonne steel barque built in Liverpool in 1865, Garland put into Stanley on 6th March 1900, under command of Captain H Meyer, together with a crew of 16, while on passage from Hamburg to Talcahuano, Chile. Spillage from jars of acid amongst the cargo had caused extensive damage to her bottom plates and she was subsequently condemned. In September 1910 Garland was towed by the tug Samson to Darwin Harbour in connection with the canning plant. By 1912 she was being used at Goose Green to store coal from the Gaito. In October 1919 her owners, the Falkland Islands Company, reported that she had become useless as a hulk. Three years later she broke her moorings and came to rest, where she lies today, on the eastern shore of Darwin Harbour across the water from Goose Green. In October 1966 divers discovered the figurehead which had long since fallen off and lay covered in silt. It was brought to Stanley and restored by the then Museum Curator, John Smith. Today the Garland’s figurehead is proudly on display in Stanley’s Dockyard Museum. It depicts a young woman dressed in white and holding a garland of golden flowers. Unfortunately the head is missing.

Looking to acquire the stamps.

Info from : https://www.falklandstamps.com/falkland-islands.irc?catHdrId=6011584

Tristan da Cunha - Island Life - Through Their Eyes

 

Issue date: 1st October 2019

First Day Cover

Stamp Design Details
45p -MFV Edinburgh at Anchor by Shannon Swain aged 13

Shannon: "I chose to draw a picture of the MFV Edinburgh being offloaded because it is a very important vessel to the island bringing us many supplies."

The MFV Edinburgh is one of two vessels operated by the fishing factory owners; Ovenstone Agencies. The other is the MFV Geo Searcher. Between them, they make nine return voyages per year between Cape Town, South Africa and Tristan da Cunha, carrying passengers, cargo and mail, and undertaking fishing operations. The drawing shows the MFV Edinburgh at anchor off the settlement - Edinburgh of the Seven Seas - with the motorised raft transporting cargo into Calshot Harbour. The building behind the ship is St Mary's School, and the building to its right is the Residency.

70p - Fishing off Tristan island by Calvin Green aged 11

Calvin: "I drew this picture because here on Tristan da Cunha people go out in fishing boats to catch crawfish. My Dad is a fisherman and I also like going out in the fishing boats."

This underwater view shows a factory boat fishing off Tristan da Cunha island, with the volcanic cone soaring up to Queen Mary's Peak. Traps and nets have been set attached to floats to catch crawfish, and a hooked line (known locally as a long line) is catching Five Finger (named after their vertical markings)), Blue Fish and Steambras. The crawfish fishery is the mainstay of the island's economy, marketed as Tristan Rock Lobster, whereas other white fish are caught for local consumption.

£1.10 - Nightingale Island & the Great Shearwater by Deanna Rogers aged 10

Deanna: "I chose to draw this picture so I can show people one of the islands neighbouring Tristan, what it looks like and the important wildlife that live there."

This drawing shows the Conservation RIB Artic Tern passing in front of Nightingale Island with its distinctive profile. It is the breeding ground for many sea birds such as Northern Rockhopper Penguins, Yellow-nosed Albatrosses, Storm Petrels and the Great Shearwater, who nest in their millions.

£1.60 - Old Year's Night Okalolies by Chantelle Repetto aged 13

Chantelle "I decided to draw this picture because I wanted to show everyone how inspiring our traditions are to us as Tristanians. We as the future generation of Tristan want to keep our traditions alive."

No one knows for certain where the names Okalolies or alternatively Oka Bargees came from, but they are unique to Tristan. These names are what islanders call the men who go round the village on Old Year's Night (New Year's Eve) blowing whistles and making friendly mischief. They are masked and totally disquised from head to foot, and woe betides anyone that they catch!

FDC - Four island views by Amber Repetto aged 11

Amber: "I chose to draw these pictures as it is my opinion of the unique culture and hard work of the Tristan community. I feel Tristan da Cunha is a very important and special place."

The first day cover has a picture with four panels - clockwise from top left: Out in the Seaspray collecting trays of crawfish from the fishing boats and fishing. Also showing the different species of fish found in Tristan waters. Climbing to the base of the mountain with dogs. Working in the Potato Patches. Potatoes are an important crop being part of the islander's staple diet. A yacht sailing off Tristan Island. Many yachts call at Tristan for fresh water, food, fuel and a rest.

Tristan da Cunha , is a remote group of volcanic islands in the south Atlantic Ocean which includes Gough Island. It is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying approximately 1,511 miles (2,432 km) off the coast of Cape Town in South Africa, 1,343 miles (2,161 km) from Saint Helena and 2,166 miles (3,486 km) off the coast of the Falkland Islands.

The territory consists of the inhabited island, Tristan da Cunha, which has a diameter of roughly 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) and an area of 98 square kilometres (38 sq mi), and the wildlife reserves of Gough Island and Inaccessible Island and the smaller, uninhabited Nightingale Islands. As of October 2018, the main island has 250 permanent inhabitants who all carry British Overseas Territories citizenship. The other islands are uninhabited, except for the South African personnel of a weather station on Gough Island.

Tristan da Cunha is a British Overseas Territory with its own constitution.There is no airstrip of any kind on the main island, meaning that the only way of travelling in and out of Tristan is by boat, a six-day trip from South Africa.

I am looking at acquiring the stamps.

Stamp details content and image are from website : https://www.tristandc.com/po/stamps201907.php

Guyana - Golden Jubilee 2020 - Guyana’s 50th Republic Anniversary

In celebrating Guyana’s 50th Republic Anniversary, commemorative stamps and limited-edition gold medallions have been launched for the occasion.

Each medallion is 99.99 per cent pure gold and weighs one Troy ounce. Only 200 pieces have been produced and will go on sale, at over $200,000 each.

However, in addition to the medallions, the entities launched four national commemorative stamps.

According to Public Telecommunications Minister Cathy Hughes, the theme this year is depicted in the stamps. They are inked with the ceremonial mace, the Floating Production Storage and Offloading (FPSO) vessel Liza Destiny, and Mashramani celebrations among Guyanese.

Paquebot Cover "COVER POSTED ON BOARD" South Seaisles CRUISE 1950 SWEDEN

Paquebot Cover "COVER POSTED ON BOARD" South Seaisles CRUISE 1959 SWEDEN Paquebot Cover MS Kungsholm to Lund.

MS Kungsholm was a combined ocean liner / cruise ship built in 1953 by the De Schelde shipyard in Vlissingen, the Netherlands for the Swedish American Line. Between 1965 and 1981 she sailed for the North German Lloyd and their successor Hapag-Lloyd as MS Europa. From 1981 until 1984 she sailed for Costa Cruises as MS Columbus C. She sank in the port of Cadiz, Spain after ramming a breakwater on 29 July 1984. The vessel was refloated later that year, but sent to a Barcelona shipbreaker in 1985 for scrapping.

After the end of World War II the Swedish American Line, the company that had been pioneers of cruising during the 1920s,was left in a difficult situation. MS Stockholm, the large newbuild that had been planned during the late 1930s, never entered service for them because of the war, with the remaining fleet consisting of ageing ships.The company took delivery of their first post-war ship, the fourth MS Stockholm, in 1948. She was a small cargo/passenger liner far removed from the luxury of her pre-war predecessors.

In 1948, during the same year that the Stockholm was delivered, SAL had already begun market research on both sides of the Atlantic, with the prospect of building a new ship in mind. Based on the results of the research, the company decided to order a 20,000 gross register ton combined ocean liner / cruise ship that could accommodate 802 passengers.[1] After contacting 50 shipyards around the world about the prospects of buildings their new ship, SAL placed an order for their new ship with the De Schelde shipyard in The Netherlands on 1 April 1950.

On 18 October 1952 the new ship was launched and christened MS Kungsholm by Princess Sibylla of Sweden.The name "Kungsholm" was a traditional one, having been the name of two previous SAL ships. The newest Kungsholm was delivered to her owners on 30 September 1953.

The brand new Kungsholm set on her maiden voyage from Gothenburg to New York City on 24 November 1953

Don't Talk About Ship - South Africa Cover Durban Wave cancellation

Acquired the World war 2nd period South Africa Cover 1942  slogan cancellation on Ship  "Don't Talk About Ship" in 2 different language English and Afrikaans with a Durban wave cancellation.

The English slogan -  Don't Talk About Ship

The Afrikaans slogan - The full slogan should read “Moenie klets oor skepe nie” or “Don’t chat about ships”.

The exact translation from the English slogan would have been “Moenie praat oor skepe nie”. (Thanks Antonio Luis for providing the slogan details)

Slogans such as "Don't Talk About Ship", " Loose lips sink ships ", "Careless Talk Costs Lives" where used during the World War II .

Check below the slogans used on Posters during the World War II.

 

 

Poster reference : www.usmm.org