Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09 Souvenir Sheet

(click image to view larger picture)

Date of Issue: May 08, 2009
Denomination: €3.00
Quantity Printed: 20,000

Thanks to Mr. Brian Kavanagh, Ireland for this mini sheet.

The special limited edition Mini-sheet features a €3 stamp showing the Green Dragon amongst other yachts competing in this spectacular event.

Click here to see the 55c stamp for technical details and other information about the event.

Card #2 from USA

Received this beautiful card from two little cute girls, Cassie and Shannon, from Ohio, ages 4 and 3, through postcrossing. They have been sending cards with the help of their mom and trying to learn different things from different countries through postcrossing. Isn't it wonderful to see kids at this age encouraged by parents to learn new things from far across lands..??

Some information about this ship - Edmund Fitzgerald on back of this card - The 729 ft. Edmund Gitzgerald, built in 1958, is the most famous of modern day Great Lakes shipwrecks. It broke apart and sank during a violent storm off Whitefish Point in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. All 29 crewmen were lost. This photograph was taken in 1975 as the ship passed through St. Marys river.

Card #2 from Great Britain

Received this card today from Ms. Audrey, through postcrossing.

The card shows passenger ferry Stena Europe of Stena Line at Harwich. Earlier I got another card of Stena Line from postcrossing user from Ireland.

India Launches INS Arihant

India’s first indigenously built nuclear propelled strategic submarine named ‘Arihant’ meaning ‘Destroyer of the Enemies’ was launched today, 26 Jul 09, at the Ship Building Center, Visakhapatnam. India has thus joined a select group of nations which have the technological capability to build and operate nuclear propelled submarines.

On this occasion, the Prime Minister congratulated the Director General of the ATV (Advanced Technology vehicle) Program Vice Admiral DSP Verma (Retd) and all personnel associated with it for achieving this historic milestone in the country’s defence preparedness. He noted that they had overcome several hurdles and barriers to enable the country to acquire self reliance in the most advanced areas of defence technology. The Prime Minister made a special mention of the cooperation extended by Russia.

The ATV Program has spawned a new era in the field of cooperation between DRDO, BARC, Navy, PSUs and Private industry in which these organisations have synergized their efforts to achieve a significant technological and strategic milestone.

Following the launch, the submarine will undergo various trials before it is formally commissioned in the Indian Navy.

Tall Ships Race - GDYNIA July 2 - 5, 2009

Date of Issue: June 30, 2009
Quantity printed: 350,000
Printing technique: Steel engraving and photogravure
Paper: Fluorescent
Artist: Kazimierz Bulik
Engraving by: Tomasz Złotkowski

Gdynia is a city in the Pomeranian Voivodeship of Poland and an important seaport at Gdańsk Bay on the south coast of the Baltic Sea.

This year's Tall Ships' Races are held on the Baltic Sea again. The ships started at Gdynia (as they did in 2003) on 5 July and finished the first leg of the races in St Petersburg, Russia. After four days in this enchanting city, the fleet sailed to Turku, the former capital of Finland. This was a Cruise-in-Company leg, where the vessels do not compete. There was a crew exchange, which contributed to the building up of mutual friendship and understanding. The final leg will be a race again, which will finish at Klaipeda, Lithuania. Gdynia's twin city hosted the Races for the first time ever.

On the occasion of the Tall Ships' Races, Poczta Polska issued a stamp in block. The stamp presents a silhouette of "Dar Mlodzieży" against the panorama of the port of Gdańsk. "Dar Młodzieży" is a frigate built in 1982 and also a training vessel of the Gdynia Maritime University (the State Maritime School, Maritime Academy).

Click here to know more about Dar Mlodziezy.

Source: poczta-polska.pl, wikipedia, and zagle.miasto.gdynia.pl

Cover from Poland

Many thanks to blogger friend, Mr. Andrzej Bek (his blog - POSTMAN) for sending me the cover with newly issued souvenir sheet - Tall Ships Race - GDYNIA 2009. There is a surprise inside the cover too, as he also sent me one more souvenir sheet for my collection.

Hovercraft Griffon 2000 TD

Date of Issue: May 05, 1995
Scott #: 2098

The hovercraft 2000 TD is used in the British-Nicaragua Expedition in 1995 in San Juan River, Nicaragua.

This is the most popular craft of the extensive Griffon range, produced by Griffon Hovercraft Ltd, located in Britain, manufacturers of the largest range of amphibious, diesel-engined hovercraft available in the world today. Cruising at high speed, they operate best where it is difficult, if not impossible, for conventional boats to operate, like over land and shallow water, sand, mud, rocks, weeds, logs, debris and rapids.

Source: Scott catalog, griffonhovercraft.com

British-Nicaragua Hovercraft Expedition - 1995

Many thanks to Dr. Jean-Michel MAES, Nicaragua for sending me this Special Cover as part of cover round robin held at MyPhilately.com.

A British team lead by Mike Cole, Director of Peace and Hope Trust, operating in Nicaragua since the end of the civil-war, made this expedition to find a way of linking the isolated Atlantic Coast of Nicaragua with the more affluent Pacific coast.

In 1995, he used two hovercrafts (Griffon 2000 TD - shown in the stamp, and RR501) in San Juan river in Nicaragua, to successfully cross Nicaragua and demonstrate the ability of the vehicles to provide the desperately needed link between the separate regions.

The expedition showed how hovercraft could be used to establish a communication link between the isolated villages of Nicaragua and its larger cities.

Source: hoveraid.co.uk

Ancient trade route along Gulf of Finland and Dnieper

Date of Issue: September 17, 2003
Scott #: 465
Designer: Jaan Saar, Oksana Ternavskaja
Quantity Issued: 396,000

This is a set of two stamps (I got only one shown above) and also a joint issue with Ukraine.

There was a busy transcontinental waterway running through Eastern Europe from the 9th to the 12th century. Probably established in 825–39, the trade route served as a direct link between Scandinavia and Byzantium.

After crossing the Baltic and sailing up the Gulf of Finland down Estonian shores, the waterway ran from the mouth of the Neva via Lake Ladoga, up the Lovat, by overland portage to the Dvina and then to the Dnieper and further across the Black Sea to Constantinople.

The waterway played an important cultural role, that of establishing a contact between the Roman-Byzantine civilization and the civilization of Scandinavian, Baltic, Finnish and Slavic peoples springing up in Northern Europe and in the interior of Eastern Europe.

The design of the stamp is based on a 12th century English miniature, Arrival of Scandinavian Seamen, although in changed colors and a coin of Danish King Svend Estridsen.

Source: scott catalogue, Eesti Post

SS Rakaia, HMS Sappho, and HMS Champion

(Click to view larger image)

Date of Issue: August 14, 1988
Scott #: 307, 308, 309
Artist: Ernest Nisbet

These are high value definitives, of the 12 stamps set (seventh definitive issue) issued under the series - Visiting Ships.

H.M.S. Virago (1853)

Date of Issue: August 14, 1988
Scott #: 306

One of the 12 stamps set (seventh definitive issue) issued under the series - Visiting Ships.

The first steam ship that visited the island on 1853.

LMS Camden (1840)

Date of Issue: August 14, 1988
Scott #: 305

One of the 12 stamps set (seventh definitive issue) issued under the series - Visiting Ships.

L.M.S. stands for London Missionary Society.

HMS Fly (1838)

Date of Issue: August 14, 1988
Scott #: 304

One of the 12 stamps set (seventh definitive issue) issued under the series - Visiting Ships.

S.V. Charless Doggett (1831)

Date of Issue: August 14, 1988
Scott #: 303

One of the 12 stamps set (seventh definitive issue) issued under the series - Visiting Ships.

S.V. Charless Doggett, under the command of William Driver (1803 - 1886), during the extensive voyage to pacific, on August 1831 carried the unhappy descendants of the crew of HMS Bounty in Tahiti back to Pitcairn Islands.

Source: wikipedia, Scott catalog.

Ships on Banknotes - 006 - Australia $10 polymer (1988)

Date of Issue: January 26, 1988

This is a limited issue commemorative polymer note produced and issued only during 1988, by the Note Printing Branch of the Reserve Bank of Australia, R.A. Johnston.

The note is the first of its kind in the world in that it is printed on polymer(plastic) incorporating technology devised and developed in Australia.

Notes from the limited first print run bear the prefix AA and are imprinted “26 January 1988″. These features will distinguish them from subsequent prints of the note : serial prefix AB.

The note shows the ship “HMS Supply” anchored at Sydney cove. The people shown symbolize all who have contributed to Australia, from left the early settlers to right the modern working man. The “Supply” and its ten sister ships of the First Fleet left Portsmouth, England for Botany Bay on May 13, 1787. All the fleet arrived at Botany Bay by January 20, 1788 but it was regarded as unsuitable for settlement Six days later a settlement was established at Sydney Cove.

This issue includes a optically variable device of Captain James Cook who first mapped Botany Bay.

Source: Wikipedia and coincollecting.a-z-series.com

Ships on Banknotes - 005 - Singapore $2

Date of Issue: December 16, 1991 (purple color banknote)

The vessel depicted in this banknote is "Tongkang", a type of light wooden boat used commonly in the early 19th century to carry goods along rivers in the Malay Archipelago. It can be propelled by various methods like rowing, punt poles, and sail.

The early tongkangs were about 20 tons, but the size increased around 1860. The tongkand was one of the two traditional Malay ships that used Junk Rig with local hulls instead of Chinese Junk hull. The last of the tongkangs in Singapore were towed by motorised launch.

The other denominations of ship series are 5, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, and 10,000.

Source: wikipedia, mas.gov.sg

Ships on Banknotes - 004 - Singapore $1

Date of Issue: January 12, 1987

Many thanks to blogger friend, Ms. Malini (Encyclobanknotes), Singapore for helping me add the $1 and $2 banknotes of the ship series to my collection.

This banknote is of 3rd series of Singapore Banknotes commonly termed as "ship" series issued and used between 1984 and 1999. The series starts with the merchant craft of bygone days, and progresses to the modern bulk carrier which is featured on the highest denomination.

The vessel depicted in this banknote is "Sha-chuan" junk (the European word for China's wooden sailboats) or sand junk, 3-masted, flat-bottomed craft that has been used prominently in the rivers and bay area around Hangzhou.

During the reign of Emperor Daoguang of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), there were 5,000 sand ships in Shanghai alone, and over 100,000 in the whole country. Sand ships were widely used, serving both river and sea purposes. Historical records reveal that Chinese sand ships reached Java (Indonesia) as early as in the Song Dynasty (about the 10th century). Frescos depicting sand ships can still be found in India and Indonesia.

Source: wikipedia, mas.gov.sg, chinaculture.org

S.V. Lucy Anne (1831)

Date of Issue: August 14, 1988
Scott #: 302
Artist: Ernest Nisbet

One of the 12 stamps set (seventh definitive issue) issued under the series - Visiting Ships.

Around March 07, 1831, S.V. Lucy Anne which was brought from Sydney, used to transport 86 Pitcairners away from their island for a better life in Tahiti.

Source: scott catalogue, shipstamps.co.uk

Volvo Ocean Race 2008-09, 55c stamp Ireland

Date of Issue: May 08, 2009
Illustration: Vincent Killowry
Printing Process: Lithography
Color: Multicolor with phosphorous tagging
Printer: Irish Security Stamp Printing

The stamp depicts the Irish entry, the Green Dragon (joint Irish and Chinese team) to the Volvo Ocean Race, the world's premier yacht race for professional crews, that began in Alicante, Spain, in October 04, 2008.

The yacht was built by an Irish company, McConaghy Boats, in their workshops in Zhuhai, Southern China.

There are eight competing teams, and the course covered over 37,000 nautical miles starting from Alicante via Cape Town, Kochi, Singapore, Quindao, around Cape Horn to Rio de Janeiro, Boston, Galway, Göteborg, Stockholm and finally reaching St. Petersburg, Russia on June 27, 2009.

The overall rank by the Green Dragon Racing Team was 5.

Click here to see the souvenir sheet.

Source: irishstamps.ie and wikipedia

Card #1 from Ireland

Received this card today from Ireland with recently issued stamp on Volvo Ocean Race from Mr. Brian through postcard round robin in MyPhilately.com.

The card shows passenger ferry of Stena Line at Dun Laoghaire Harbour, 13-km away from Ireland capital, Dublin. The Dun Laoghaire is an important gateway to Ireland via the Holyhead sea route.

HMS Blossom (1825)

Date of Issue: August 14, 1988
Scott #: 301
Artist: Ernest Nisbet

One of the 12 stamps set (seventh definitive issue) issued under the series - Visiting Ships.

She was built in 1806 and is best known for the 1825-1828 Captain Beechey expedition by Frederick William Beechey, an English naval officer and geographer, appointed to command HMS Blossom to explore the Pacific Ocean, primarily and explored as far north as Point Barrow, Alaska, the furthest point into the Arctic any non-Inuit had been at the time.

Source: wikipedia, scott catalogue

HMS Briton and HMS Tagus (1814)

Date of Issue: August 14, 1988
Scott #: 300
Artist: Ernest Nisbet

Commanded by Sir Thomas Staines, these were the two British ships that stopped by at Pitcairn Islands on September 17, 1814 for the first time after settlement in the islands and found John Adams, the last of the Mutineers on board HMS Bounty that occurred on April 28, 1789.

Source: wikipedia, scott catalogue

Card #3 from Japan

Received this card today from Japan through postcrossing user Ms. Miho Watanabe.

The card shows one of the world's largest passenger ship - Queen Elizabeth 2 or QE2 of Cunard lines in Yokohama port. Yokohama Bay Area is the new sight-seeing spot of Yokohama.

QE2 is the world’s most loved ocean liner. She spent 35 years as the Cunard flagship and has travelled over 5.6 million nautical miles, more than any other ship; has carried over 2.5 million guests; has completed 25 World Cruises; and has crossed the Atlantic 803 times. QE2 leaves the Cunard fleet in November 2008 to begin her new life in Dubai as a first class hotel and entertainment destination.

Source: cunard.com

Card #4 from Germany

Thanks to Christa for sending me this postcard through postcrossing.com. The card shows passenger ferries in the River Rhine, one of the most important waterways of Germany, and also one of the longest rivers in Europe, linked by canals.

HMS Pandora (1791)

Date of Issue: August 14, 1988
Scott #: 299
Artist: Ernest Nisbet

One of the 12 stamps set (seventh definitive issues) issued under the series - Visiting Ships.

HMS Pandora was a 24-gun Sixth Rate Porcupine class frigate of the Royal Navy, launched on 17 May 1779.

She was best known as the ship sent in 1790 to search for the Bounty and the mutineers who had taken her. She was wrecked on the return voyage in 1791.

Ducie Island (470 km from Pitcairn) was rediscovered in 1791 by the British Captain Edwards aboard HMS Pandora and named after Francis, Lord Ducie, a captain in the Royal Navy.

Source: scott catalogue, stamps.gov.pn, and wikipedia

HMS Swallow (1767)

Date of Issue: August 14, 1988
Scott #: 298
Artist: Ernest Nisbet

One of the 12 stamps set (seventh definitive issues) issued under the series - Visiting Ships.

So far, 32 ships were named Swallow in the Royal Navy.

This is a sloop, whose crew, commanded by Captain Philip Carteret, discovered the Pitcairn Islands on July 03, 1767.

Carteret, who sailed without the newly invented accurate marine chronometer, charted the island at 25° 2’ south and 133° 21’ west of Greenwich, but although the latitude was reasonably accurate the longitude was incorrect by about 3°. This made Pitcairn difficult to find, as highlighted by the failure of Captain James Cook to locate the island in July 1773.

Source: Scott catalogue and wikipedia

Card #2 from Canada

Received this card from Ms. Buffy from Canada through postcrossing. Guess the ship in this card..? yes, it is one of my favorite ship, Bluenose II. The stamp of Canada depicting bluenose is my profile image in all philatelic communities and websites where I am a member.

Here, the Bluenose II is seen under sail at the Halifax waterfront, Canada.

Belgica, Antarctic Expedition 1897

Date of Issue: September 22, 1997
Scott #: 1671

Issued to commemorate centenary of Belgian Antarctic Expedition 1897-1899.

Belgica - Originally named "Patria" was obtained and re-named Belgica for the Belgian Antarctic Expedition led by Commandant Adrien de Gerlache de Gomery of the Belgian Navy. The main aim of the expedition was to find the position of the South Magnetic Pole. The expedition was intended to be summer only, returning before the Antarctic winter began.

The Belgica left Antwerp on August 16th 1897. She crossed the Antarctic Circle on the 15th of Feb 1898 off Palmer Land on the Antarctic Peninsula. The men of the Belgica made the first ever land excursions into Antarctica, spending a week ashore in an attempt to travel inland.

After more than a year trapped in the ice, the crew again supervised by Amundsen and Frederick A. Cook, sawed a channel through the ice over a period of weeks to free the ship which could then return to Belgium.

Scientifically this was a success expedition, and they manage to map a lot of the coastline in Antarctic. What became of Belgica after the return to Norway is unfortunately unclear, but in April 1940 some information is available. When the Germans invaded Norway in April 1940, Belgica was requisitioned by the British forces, and was laid down at anchor in Brurvika outside the city of Harstad and used as an ammunition barge. While she laid at anchor there, loaded with ammunition, Harstad city were attacked by German airplanes. Belgica was damaged by the bombs that were dropped over the area, and even through she was not hit directly, she started to take in water and sank a while later. Belgica is today in a poor condition, but the remains are worth a visit. The wreck stands on her keel with a listing towards port side on a depth of twelve to twenty meters. The wreck is usually marked with a buoy, and Brurvika can be easily accessed from land.

Click here to see Belgica and explorers on stamps of Romania.

Source: coolantarctica.com and skovheim.org

Card #3 from Germany

An artistic postcard with theme "ships on port" from Ms. Anna Malsam, Germany received through postcrossing.

Card from England

Thanks for Mr. Drew Wilshaw, England for sending me this beautiful card through myphilately.com.

The Paignton Harbor was established in the 18th Century, some 500 years before Queen Victoria’s accession to the throne. The local Council has managed the harbor since 1935. Paignton was a thriving fishing harbor for many years.