Card #5 from Finland

Received this interesting card from Ms. Selma Teran Medrano, a 5-year-old cute little girl from Finland, who sends postcards with the help of her mom.. isn't that wonderful..!! ..and she sent me with the card of my theme with a ship stamp.

What is interesting is that, the painting in the card is done by a German artist - Caspar David Friedrich (1774-1840), the card was printed in Russia, and sent from Finland to India.

The painting is now at The State Hermitage Museum, St. Petersburg, Russia.

See the actual painting and description at the Museum's website - http://www.hermitagemuseum.org/html_En/03/hm3_3_1_10a.html

Card #4 from Finland

Received this card of Cruise Ship today from Ms. Anu, Finland through postcrossing.

This cruise ship travels through the Saimaa canal which connects Lake Saimaa to Baltic Sea. The total length of the canal is 40 Km, of which 23 Km belongs to Finland and the rest to Russia.

Card #2 from Germany

Thanks for Ms. Dagmar from Germany who sent this card through postcrossing.

This is a painting of the ship named "Ubena" of Deutsche Ost-Afrika Linie (German East Africa).

Launched in 1928, built as a passenger ship by Blohm & Voss, Hamburg for Deutsche Ostafrika Linie. Requisitioned in 1939 by the Kriegsmarine, used as a depot ship for the 3rd, 5th and 21st U-Boat Flotillas. Converted in 1945 to a hospital ship, participated in the evacuation of Eastern Baltic countries. Seized in May 1945 at Travemünde. To MoWT and renamed Empire Ken. Conversion to a troopship completed in December 1945. In September 1957, scrapping commenced at Dalmuir, Ayrshire. Hulk arrived on 16 December 1957 at Troon, Ayrshire for final demolition.

Early Water Transport of Gambia, 1953

Date of Issue: November 02, 1953

Scott #: 1p - 154
2-1/2p - 156
3p - 157

Cutter: A small single-masted vessel, fore-and-aft rigged, with two or more headsails, a bowsprit, and a mast set farther back than in a sloop.

Barra Canoe: Type of canoe used in the river of Barra, the non-traditional name of river Niumi, Gambia.

The Lady Wright: A twin-screw motorship launched on June 28, 1949, that was operated on the Gambia river as part of the Government river transport service. She provided weekly service taking passengers, cotton piece goods, tobacco, sugar and rice into the hinterland, and returning with more passengers, palm kernels and groundnuts, of which more than 40,000 tons are exported to Great Britain each year and has on board one of the few traveling post offices in the world. Besides post office, the vessel is also equipped with a bank and hospital.

Card #2 from Croatia

This is my second card from Croatia and also second card sent by my friend, Dragan Buskulic (My Philately World).

The ship in this postcard is "RAB", a general cargo ship built in 1972 for Jugolinija Line of former Yugoslavia and built by 3.MAJ , a well-known shipbuilding company situated in Liburnijska, in Rijeka, Croatia.

Ships of Croatia

(Click to view larger picture)

Thanks to blogger friend, Mr. Dragan Buskulic from Croatia for sending me the complete set of "Ships of Croatia" issued on August 27, 1998, and also sent a ship postcard and some other ship stamps.

1.20 Kuna - Scott 376 - Serilia Liburnica - The archaeological finds of two small Liburnian boats, 6 and 8 metres in length, discovered in the ancient port in the vicinity of Nin, prove the seafaring orientation and shipbuilding skill of the Liburnians (ancient inhabitants who lived in now southwest of Croatia). Both discovered boats have been built completely using wood and wooden parts and joined by sewing, connected by ropes, and wooden wedges. The square sail of the boat on the double mast was probably made of leather. The Liburnian serilia from Nin, that proves the ancient tradition from the era before metals started being used, represents a rare example of a historical sewn boat.

1.50 Kuna - Scott 376A - Condura Croatica - Fighting ship of the 11-12th Century. In 1966, at the entrance to the port of Nin, two small boats were discovered. These are 7 and 8 metres in length. It is believed that these boats could be early Croatian conduras. The design of the boat reminds of the design of the Liburnian serilia, so it could be said that it represents a successful combination of Croatian and Liburnian shipbuilding tradition.

1.60 Kuna - Scott 376B - Dubrovacka Karaka (Dubrovnik Carrack)/The Ragusan Argosy, 16th Century. The shipyards in the city of Dubrovnik of the Ragusan republic built the majority of almost 200 ships for the Adriatic coastal and overseas navigation. The citizens of Dubrovnik were widely known as builders of large argosies and galleons. This is the reason that the name "argosy", derived from Ragusa, the old name for Dubrovnik, and even Shakespeare mentions it in his "Merchant of Venice". From the 14th to the 17th century, the argosy was one of the most important sailing ships on the Mediterranean. The argosy can really be considered the actual forerunner of the three-masted sailing-ships whose development continued until the 19th century.

1.80 Kuna - Scott 376C - Bracera - The bracera, the coastal cargo sailing-vessel is the most characteristic merchant boat along the Croatian coast of the Adriatic 12 to 17 metres in length. The bracera, like other boats in the Adriatic, that have for centuries represented the traditional centre of a certain seafaring social community shows the perfection of form of a small boat, achieved in the course of a thousand-year-long evolution.

2.45 Kuna - Scott 376D - Neretvanska Lada - The ship from the Neretva has been exceptionally useful and popular vessel of the population from the valley of the river Neretva. The ship has always been a stable boat that could take a heavy load and pass through narrow channels or through the dense rushes of the river delta. The ship from the Neretva represents a fossil example of the traditional shipbuilding of the Croats, particularly in the case of a small boat.

2.65 Kuna - Scott 376E - Bark (Barque) - Barques dominated among the 19th century merchant sailing-ships on the Adriatic. These were mostly three-masted sailing ships. At the end of the 19th century, large sailing-ships finally lost the battle with the steamships on all the world seas and oceans, on the Adriatic, too. The new shipbuilding centres have taken over precedence by introducing new ideas and technologies.

4.00 Kuna - Scott 376F - Vila Velerita, The Training Ship - the brig-schooner was the legendary training ship, with almost sixty generations of Croatian seamen acquiring their first seafaring experience there. From the year 1908 "Vila Velebita" sailed as the training ship along the Adriatic and the Mediterranean, mostly as far as Greece. Besides being a training ship, the "Vila Velebita" also served as a vessel for students, excursions and hydrographic research. It has become one of the Croatian nautical legends, owing to its invaluable role in the training of many generations of Croatian seamen.

7.20 Kuna - Scott 376G - Amorela/Amorella, the passenger ship - "Amorella" is the first modern ship for the transportation of passengers and cars built after splitting of shipbuilding in 1988 and 1989. The Croatian shipbuilders have been given great credit for the twin ships "Amorella" and "Isabella": they have been named "ships of the year" in their class for the successive years 1988 and 1989 in the journal "Maritime Reporter & Engineering News".

20.00 Kuna - Scott 376H - Kralj Petar Kresimir IV, the missile gun-boat - In the spring of the war year 1992, the missile gun-boat RO3, the first newly-built war ship in the Republic of Croatia, was launched in the shipyard Kraljevica. It is a small but powerfully armed combat boat, intended as a missile basis of the shock maritime forces. It is equipped in such a way that it could act independently or at the head of a combat group of boats. It is the standard-bearer of the defence forces of the Croatian Navy.

Source: Croatian Post Inc.

SS Bremen (1929)

Thanks to Ms. Lieselotte, Germany for sending this stamp on a postcard through Postcrossing.

From the stamp, we can see the SS Bremen (SS - SteamShip) with the skyline of Manhattan on the background.

Date of Issue: July 08, 2004
Scott #: 2288

This stamp was issued to commemorate 75 years of Record-Breaking speed of Transatlantic voyage by Bremen.

SS Bremen of 1929 was one of a pair of ocean liners built for the Norddeutsche Lloyd line (NDL) for the transatlantic passenger service. She was the fourth ship of NDL to carry the name Bremen. Bremen was designed to have a cruising speed of 27.5 knots. It was claimed that Bremen briefly reached speeds of 32 knots (59 km/h) during her sea trials.

SS Bremen and her sister ship SS Europa were considered for their time as the most modern liners in the world. The high speeds and the comfort and luxury level on board made high demands of technical personnel. Each ship required an engineering crew of some 170 men.

Bremen made her maiden transatlantic crossing departing Bremerhaven for New York City under the command of Commodore Leopold Ziegenbein on 16 July 1929. She arrived 4 days, 17 hours, and 42 minutes later, capturing the westbound Blue Riband from the Mauretania with an average speed of 27.83 knots (51.54 km/h). On her next voyage, Bremen took the eastbound Blue Riband with a time of 4 day 14 hours and 30 minutes and an average speed of 27.91 knots (51.69 km/h). This was the first time a liner had broken two records on her first two voyages.

Source: Wikipedia

Gathering of Tall Ships, Rouen, in France - July 9-18, 1999

(Click to view larger picture)

Thanks for my friend through Orkut, Ms. Emilie Laurent from France for sending me this wonderful Souvenir Sheet.

Date of Issue: July 10, 1999
Scott #: 2736

Simon Bolivar (Venezuela) - Superbly designed and built, launched on 1979, has become a familiar participant in Tall Ship events. Her frequent transatlantic voyages and tours of ports in the Americas have gained a wide following for the class “A” square-rigger, exclusively used as a training vessel for the Venezuelan Navy.

Iskra (Poland) - ORP Iskra is the second sailing ship in Polish Navy with such name. She has taken the name and traditions from the sailing ship which was in service of the Polish Navy for 50 years (from 1927 to 1977). ORP Iskra was launched 06.03.1982 in Gdansk Shipyard. It is famous for a special achievement; she has, as the first of warships and the fourth of Polish sailing vessels, circumnavigated the globe (1995/96). She covered 37,000 nautical miles in her voyage of 300 days.

Statsraad Lehmkuhl (Norway) - A three-masted barque rigged sail training vessel owned and operated by the Statsraad Lehmkuhl Foundation. It is based in Bergen, Norway and contracted out for various purposes, including serving as a school ship for the Royal Norwegian Navy. She was built in 1914.

Asgard II (Ireland) - Asgard II was the Irish national sail training vessel, and the replacement for the previous Asgard. A brigantine, she was designed specifically for service as a sail training vessel by Jack Tyrrell, and built in Arklow, County Wicklow. She was commissioned on 7 March 1981.

Belle Poule (France) - The Belle-Poule is a French naval schooner used as a training vessel. She was launched on February 08, 1932. She is a replica of a type of fishing vessel which was used until 1935 off Iceland.

Belem (France) - A three-masted barque from France. Built in 1896 originally as a cargo ship, and finally in 1979, began a new career as a sail training ship.

Amerigo Vespucci (Italy) - She is a three-masted tall ship of the Marina Militare, named after the explorer Amerigo Vespucci. Her home port is Livorno, Italy. As of 2008[update], she is still in use as a school ship. The Amerigo Vespucci often participates in sailing parades and Tall Ships' Races, where she is in amicable rivalry with the Gorch Fock. When she is berthed in a port, public tours of the vessel are usually offered.

Sagres III (Portugal) - The Sagres (III) is a tall ship and school ship of the Portuguese Navy since 1961 and she is still in service.

Europa (Netherland) - The sailing ship Europa is a steel-hulled barque from the Netherlands, originally built in 1911, as a lightvessel. Europa cruises worldwide and accepts paying voyage crew (trainees) for short or long trip segments, including Ocean crossings, STA races and annual voyages to Antarctica, South Georgia, Tristan da Cunha, Cape Town. In 2002 she rounded Cape Horn.

Cuauhtemoc (Mexico) - A Sail Training vessel of the Mexican Navy, named for the last Aztec Emperor Cuauhtémoc who was captured and executed in 1525. The Cuauhtémoc is a sailing ambassador for her home country and a frequent visitor to world ports, having sailed over 400,000 nautical miles (700,000 km) in her 23 years of service with appearances at the Cutty Sark Tall Ships' Races, ASTA Tall Ships Challenges, Sail Osaka, and others.

Source: Wikipedia and other websites.

Norfolk Island Whaleboat (1895)

Date of Issue: March 18, 1968
Scott #: 110

Whaling was carried out by Norfolk Islanders for many years after 1856. The whaleboats used were mainly built on the island from local timber.

The Pitcairn (1891)

Date of Issue: March 18, 1968
Scott #: 109

A two-masted schooner owned by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, U.S.A. On at least one occasion in 1891 it brought mails from residents of Pitcairn Island to relatives and friends at Norfolk Island, and for the next 10 years it plied between Pitcairn Island, Norfolk Island, and San Francisco.

Southern Cross (1866)

Date of Issue: March 18, 1968
Scott #: 108

This is a second ship by the name "Southern Cross" of Melanesian Mission vessels, used between 1863 and 1873 to visit mission stations in the Pacific, regularly carried mails to and from Norfolk Island usually via New Zealand.

The Melanesian Mission was founded in 1849 and at first its headquarters was at Kohimarama, near Auckland, but in 1866 shifted to Norfolk Island.

The Morayshire (1856)

Date of Issue: August 19, 1967
Scott #: 107

Like The Lady Franklin, The Morayshire was also specially chartered by the British Government to transport the Pitcainers to Norfolk Island.

In 1838, Pitcairn became the first British colony in the Pacific and also the second country in the world, after Corsica under Pascal Paoli in 1755, to give women the right to vote. By the mid 1850s the Pitcairn community was outgrowing the island and they appealed to Queen Victoria for help. Queen Victoria offered them Norfolk Island and on 3 May 1856, the entire community of 193 people set sail for Norfolk Island on board the Morayshire.

The Lady Franklin (1853)

Date of Issue: August 19, 1967
Scott #: 106

Lady Franklin is a government barque, built at Port Arthur, Van Diemens Land (present day Tasmania), in 1841 and was used mainly for conveying stores between Van Diemens Land and Norfolk Island.

The vessel departed Hobart on 16 December 1853, but returned to Hobart on 28 January 1854, her mission uncompleted. She had not reached Norfolk Island as the convicts on board had mutinied and escaped, taking the postage stamps as part of their booty. Strangely, it is on record that some of the stamps, of the value of £6, were subsequently recovered.

HMS Mermaid, Survey Cutter (1825)

Date of Issue: August 19, 1967
Scott #: 105

HMS Mermaid, a survey cutter, bought in 1817 and Captain Philip Parker King commanded it for several years who improvized the maps of the island by Capt. James Cook and Flinders.

Following the re-opening of the penal settlement on Norfolk Island in 1825 the Mermaid was used to carry part of the first contingent of convicts and guards from Sydney.

She was wrecked in Torres Strait in 1829.

The Norfolk (1798)

Date of Issue: August 19, 1967
Scott #: 104

The Norfolk is a sloop built in 1798, was the only ship built on Norfolk Island during its first period as a convict settlement. Later in 1798 she was used by Matthew Flinders and George Bass in their circumnavigation of Van Diemen's Land (the original name used by Europeans for the island of Tasmania, now part of Australia), proving its island status and the existence of Bass Strait.

Source: Wikipedia

HMS Sirius (1790)

Date of Issue: April 17, 1967
Scott #: 103

Originally a merchant ship named Berwick built on 1780 for Baltic trade. After being burnt in a fire, she was bought and rebuilt by the Royal Navy in 1786 and renamed Sirius. She sailed under the command of Captain John Hunter.

Sirius left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, and arrived at Port Jackson on 26 January 1788. On 19 March 1790 Sirius was wrecked on the reef at Norfolk Island.

A Sirius anchor was retrieved from the wreck site and is now mounted in the Pier Museum, Kingston, on Norfolk Island. Another anchor, as well as a cannon recovered from the surf-smashed vessel, is on display in Macquarie Place, Sydney. Other Sirius artefacts can be viewed at the Sydney Maritime Museum.

Source: Wikipedia

HMS Supply (1788)

Date of Issue: April 17, 1967
Scott #: 102

Several ships of the Royal Navy have been named 'Supply.'

The third HMS Supply, launched in 1759 played an important part in the foundation of Australia.

She was built in 1759 and had carried naval supplies between the Thames and Channel ports for 27 years and after that she left Portsmouth on 13 May 1787, and arrived at Botany Bay on 18 January 1788.

After the establishment of the initial settlement at Port Jackson, she was the link between the colony and Norfolk Island, making 10 trips. Following the loss of HMS Sirius in 1790, she became the colony's only link with the outside world.

La Boussole and L' Astrolabe (1788)

Date of Issue: April 17, 1967
Scott #: 101

La Boussole and L' Astrolabe are ships of French Navy famous for their exploration of the Pacific with Jean-François de Galaup, comte de La Pérouse, a French Navy officer and explorer.

On August 01, 1785, both ships left Brest with Astrolabe under command of Paul Antoine Fleuriot de Langle, and Boussole under command of La Perouse.

The expedition vanished mysteriously in 1788 after leaving Botany Bay on 10 March 1788. The fate of the expedition was eventually solved by Captain Peter Dillon in 1827 when he found remnants of the ships the Astrolable and the Boussole at Vanikoro Island (belongs to Solomon Islands) in the New Hebrides. The ships had been wrecked in a storm. Survivors from one ship had been massacred while survivors from the other ship had constructed their own small boat and sailed off the island, never to be heard from again.

Jules Verne dedicates a chapter of his novel Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to this event.

HMS Resolution (1774)

Date of Issue: 1967-68
Scott #: 100

HMS Resolution was a sloop of the Royal Navy, and the ship in which Captain James Cook made his second (1772 - 75) and third voyages (1776 - 79) of exploration in the Pacific. She impressed him enough that he called her "the ship of my choice", and "the fittest for service of any I have seen."

Captain James Cook discovered Norfolk Island on October 10, 1774, during his voyage of exploration in the Resolution.

On 17 January 1773, Resolution was the first ship to cross the Antarctic Circle and crossed twice more on the voyage.

On Cook's third voyage, Resolution crossed the Arctic Circle on 17 August 1778, and again crossed it on 19 July 1779, under the command of Charles Clerke after Cook's death.

Card from Israel

Received this card today from Postcrossing member, Debora from Israel.

The card shows several boats and yacht in the Mediterranean and the skyline of the city of Tel-Aviv, the second largest city in Israel.

Ships of Greenland - 2004 Series

Date of Issue: October 18, 2004
Scott #: 434 - 437

Ships of Greenland - 2005 Series

Date of Issue: June 20, 2005
Scott #: 452 - 455

Quebec City - 400th Anniversary

Date of Issue: May 16, 2008

This is a Joint issue between France and Canada to commemorate 400 years of founding of Quebec City in Canada, an earlier French settlement.

The stamp depicts an extraordinarily detailed scene: Champlain on his ship greets natives approaching in a canoe, while construction of the new settlement proceeds in the background.

This stamp is printed entirely using intaglio process except the date '1608'.

Technical Details:
Design: Fugazi
Dimensions: 39.7 mm x 40 mm (vertical)
Gum Type: P.V.A.
Illustration: Francis Back
Paper Type: Tullis Russell
Perforations: 13+
Printer: Canadian Bank Note
Tagging: General, 4 sides
Quantity: 2,500,000
Engraving: Jorge Peral

Engraving this stamp took nine weeks of work, spread over five months.

Card from Canada

Received this card today from Postcrossing member Liz, from Canada. This card traveled 54 days to reach me.

It also has a ship stamp, which is the reason this card got a place in my blog. It is a joint issue between Canada and France to commemorate 400th Anniversary of founding of Quebec City. More details in separate post.

Thank you much Ms. Liz for sending stamp of my theme.

Port of Haifa, Israel

Date of Issue: September 28, 1980
Scott #: 756

This MS was issued to commemorate the National Stamp Exhibition held at Haifa during September 28 to October 07, 1980.

The sheet shows an artist's impression of the Port of Haifa and Mount Carmel during the 17th century.

The Port of Haifa is the largest of Israel's three major international seaports, which include the Port of Ashdod, and the Port of Eilat. It has a natural deep water harbor which operates all year long, and serves both passenger and cargo ships.

The port served as a gateway for thousands of immigrants to Israel after the Second World War.

The port has been the scene of two maritime incidents; one, the Patria disaster, killing 267, while the other, the loss of the Shelly, killing two people.

The picture above shows the aerial view of present day Port of Haifa.

Russian Navy's Flag with St. Andrew's Cross - 300th Anniv.

Date of Issue: March 24, 1999
Scott #: 6504

This Souvenir Sheet is issued to commemorate 300 years of use of St. Andrew's Cross in the flag of The Imperial Russian Navy (1696 - 1917).

Fyodor F. Ushakov - Mediterranean Cruise - Bicentennial

Date of Issue: February 19, 1999
Scott #: 6495

Fyodor Fyodorovich Ushakov (1744 - 1817) - Russian naval commander and admiral.

This Souvenir Sheet issued to commemorate the Bicentennial of the success of Ushakov's Mediterranean expedition.

In 1799, Ushakov was promoted to full admiral and sent to the Mediterranean to support Suvorov's Italian campaign. During this expedition, Ushakov single-handedly carved out the Greek Republic of Seven Islands.

Distinguishing features of Ushakov's tactics were the using of unified marching and fighting orders, resolute rapprochement with the enemy forces on a short distance without evolution of a fighting order, a concentration of the basic efforts against flagships of the enemy, reserve allocation (Kaiser-flag squadrons), a combination of aim artillery fire and maneuver, chasing the enemy up to its full destruction or capture. Giving great value to sea and fire training of staff, Ushakov was the supporter of generalissimo Suvorov's principles of training of sailors and officers. Ushakov's innovations were the one of the first successful development of naval tactics from its "line" to maneuvering concept.

The picture at the right shows the statue of Ushakov at Saransk.

Maneuver used by Ushakov in Battle of Cape Kaliakra (1791) was also successfully used by British vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson in Battle of the Nile (1798) and Battle of Trafalgar (1805.)

Queen Isabella I and Caravels of Columbus

Date of Issue: March 04, 1952
Scott #: C211

This is one of the five stamps issued on the purpose of 500th Birth Anniversary of Queen Isabella I of Spain, who sponsored Christopher Columbus' voyages that led to the discovery of America, laying the foundations of modern Spain and the Spanish Empire, she is considered one of the most important sovereigns in world history.

In the stamp we can see the portrait of Queen Isabella I and the three ships of Columbus, Santa María, La Niña, & La Pinta.