Noah's Ark

(Click to view larger image)

Date of Issue: August 13, 1969
Scott #: 394 - 398

Noah's Ark is the vessel which, according to the Book of Genesis and Quran, was built by Noah at God's command to save himself, his family, and the world's animals from a worldwide deluge. The Ark features in the traditions of a number of Abrahamic religions, including Judaism, Christianity, Islam, and others.

The Book of Genesis, chapters 6-9, tells how God sends a great flood to destroy the earth because of man's wickedness and because the earth is corrupt. God tells Noah, the righteous man in his generation, to build a large vessel to save his family and a representation of the world's animals. God gives detailed instructions for the Ark and, after its completion, sends the animals to Noah. God then sends the Flood, which rises until all the mountains are covered, and most living things died, except the fish. Then "God remembered Noah," the waters abate, and dry land reappears. Noah, his family, and the animals leave the Ark, and God vowed to never again send a flood to destroy the Earth.

Lessons to be learnt from Noah's Ark:
1] Don't miss the boat.
2] Remember that we are all in the same boat.
3] Plan ahead. It wasn't raining when Noan built the Ark.
4] Stay fit. When you're 60 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
5] For safety's sake, travel in pairs.
6] Speed isn't always an advantage. The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
7] When you're stressed, float awhile.
8] No matter the storm, when you are with God, there's always a rainbow waiting.

Source: Wikipedia and an article on Times of India supplement March 21, 2010

100 years of Canadian Navy 1910 - 2010

Date of Issue: May 04, 2010

Canada Post issued a set of two stamps and a souvenir sheet to commemorate 100 years of Canadian Navy.

Received this souvenir sheet on enveloped posted on day of issue by Ms. Laura Termes, Canada.

Excerpts from the Canada Post website - “The aim of the Canadian Naval Centennial is to build and strengthen in Canadians an appreciation for their navy and to promote the role of the navy within the Canadian Forces in a maritime nation like Canada. The theme is to “Bring the Navy to Canadians” and the issue of a set of stamps to honour this national institution is most fitting,” says Vice-Admiral Dean McFadden, Chief of the Maritime Staff. “A stamp tells a story and will create a public awareness of the role that the Canadian Navy has played both in war and in peace over the past 100 years. These stamps will be visible reminders that the country is served by men and women of the naval service who safeguard Canada and her values.” The flag at the right is the Canadian Navy flag.

The Naval Service Act brought the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) into being on May 4, 1910. The first day cancellation was done in Ottawa, home to the Canadian Navy’s headquarters.

The two ships depicted on the sheet are HMS Niobe and HMCS Halifax (K237).

HMS Niobe - HMS Niobe was a ship of the Diadem-class of protected cruiser in the Royal Navy. She served in the Boer War and was then given to Canada to form part of their first independent navy as HMCS Niobe. After patrol duties at the beginning of the First World War, she became a depot ship in Halifax. Damaged in the 1917 Halifax Explosion, she was scrapped in the 1920s.

HMCS Halifax - HMCS Halifax (K237) was a Royal Canadian Navy Flower-class corvette which took part in convoy escort duties during World War II. She was laid down at Collingwood Shipyards Ltd., Collingwood on 26 April 1941 and launched on 4 October of that year. She was commissioned into the RCN 6 weeks later on 26 November.

Halifax was decommissioned from the RCN on 12 July 1945 and sold later that year as the mercantile Halifax.

Source: Canada Post website and Wikipedia

Cover #2 from Canada

This is my second cover from Canada and also the second cover sent by blogger Ms. Laura Termes, Canada. Thank you friend for such a lovely cover with full of ship stamps. There are no words to express joy when I saw the ship stamp issued in 1949 on the envelope. This cover definitely will have a special place in my stamp album.

600th Anniv of Zheng-He - Maxi Card

This maxi card is a total surprise from friend and member at MyPhilately.com, Mr. Ajeet Pal Singh, an Indian medical student studying in China. Thank you so much.

This maxi card along with stamp was issued in June 28, 2005 to commemorate 600 years of voyages of Admiral Zheng-He, a Hui Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who commanded voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Africa, collectively referred to as the travels of "Eunuch Sanbao to the Western Ocean" or "Zheng He to the Western Ocean", from 1405 to 1433.

Now that I got mint set, miniature sheet, and maxi card, only the FDC is pending :-)

Click here to see stamps commemorating 580th Anniv of Zheng-He's voyages.
Click here to see complete set of stamps issued on 2005 commemorating 600 years of voyages.

Tall ships in Halifax Harbor

Date of Issue: July 19, 2000
Scott #: 1864, 1865

A breathtaking view in a pair of self-adhesive stamps in serpentine die-cut, showing numerous tall ships at Halifax Harbor, a large natural harbor on the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia, Canada.

Cover from Canada

Received this wonderful cover recently from swap friend, Ms. Laura Termes, Canada with lot of ship stamps. Thought cover looks little damaged, itz prizy in my collection.

French Period Harbor Scene of Malta

Thanks to friend, Anne Marie - Malta for affixing this stamp on postcard, but unfortunately the stamp was without postmark/cancellation.

This is one of the 17 stamps in the new definitive series issued in 2009 by Malta Post, which shows a typical harbor scene during the French occupation of Malta (1798 - 1800).

Card #8 from Finland

Many thanks to postcrosser, Ms. Heide - Finland for sending me this card showing the sketch/blueprint of S/S Suomi, a passenger steamship which was built in 1906.

Seng Yu Proverbs III

Date of Issue: June 01, 2009

This MS was the third in the series of Seng Yu Proverbs, which are considered stories / fables, which gave rise to the Chinese idioms, are a valuable cultural heritage of China. For centuries, these have been applied in the daily life of people, giving an oral literary sense, thus revealing a deep popular wisdom.

Story behind the stamp - Mark the boat for the dropped sword:

Long, long ago, in Chunqu Dynasty of ancient China, a man from Chu state dropped his beautiful well-set sword into the water because of the shake from the boat while he was in the middle of the river ."Oh, God." He cried in dear pity. "What can I do ?" On hearing that, the boatman replied calmly "It doesn't matter. I'm coming to dive for it." But the man from Chu hesitated for a while and said "We can't do that because the water is rapid and deep. But I have a marvelous idea." With these words, he took out his knife and made a mark on one side of the boat where his sword was dropped. "Well, everything is done! " When the boat stopped at the opposite bank, the man undressed himself immediately and dove into the water for his sword from the very place where he had made the mark. Of course, he got nothing. Finally he appeared in the water and murmured: "What's happening? why can't I find my sword from the water just under the mark? " Laughter burst from the passengers.

The conclusion/moral of the story: Man should not stick stubbornly to his own opinion, instead he should make changes according to specific conditions.

Visakhapatnam Port Trust - Platinum Jubilee

Thanks to my friend, Mr. Sekhar Chakrabarti, Kolkata for sending me this meghdoot card.

India Post issued a Meghdoot postcard in 2009 to commemorate Platinum Jubilee (75 years) of the Visakhapatnam Port Trust (1933 - 2008), East Coast Gateway of India; and the only port in India of having three international accreditation - ISO9001, ISO14001, and OHSAS 18001.

Visakhapatnam is also home of the Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy.

The picture at right shows the aerial view of the port.

Battle of the Saints

Date of Issue: May 30, 1975
Scott #: 209 - 212

The Battle of the Saintes (known to the French as the Battle of Dominica) took place over four days, April 09, 1782 – April 12, 1782, during the American War of Independence, and was a victory of a British fleet under Admiral Sir George Rodney over a French fleet under the Comte de Grasse forcing the French and Spanish to abandon a planned invasion of Jamaica.

The battle is named after the Saintes (or Saints), a group of islands between Guadeloupe and Dominica in the West Indies. The French fleet defeated here by the Royal Navy was the same French fleet that had blockaded the British Army during the Siege of Yorktown.

The battle is sometimes credited with pioneering the tactic of "breaking the line", in which the British ships passed though a gap in the French line, engaging the enemy from leeward and throwing them into disorder. But there is considerable controversy about whether the tactic was intentional, and, if so, who was responsible for the idea (Rodney, his Captain-of-the-Fleet Sir Charles Douglas, or John Clerk of Eldin).

Click here to see the ships involved on both sides.

Source: Wikipedia