Mail Boat Hiorten

Date of Issue: October 08, 1998
Scott #: 2019

This stamp was issued to commemorate "Stamp Day".

This is a Swedish 17th Century two-masted topsail schooner which carried mail and sailed between the German Baltic town of Stralsund and southern Swedish port of Ystad from 1692 to 1702.

There is an error in this stamp: The flags are flying opposite direction of sails.

Source: Wikipedia and Danstopicals.com

The Ark and the Dove

Date of Issue: March 23, 1934
Scott #: 736

U.S. Post issued this 3c stamp to commemorate 300 years of founding of Maryland.

The history of Maryland included only Native Americans until Europeans, starting with John Cabot in 1498, began exploring the area. The first settlements came in 1634 when the English arrived in significant numbers and created a permanent colony.

The present State of Maryland is an American State located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east.

The first settlers of Maryland departed from Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, on November 22, 1633 aboard two small ships, the Ark and the Dove. Their landing on March 25, 1634 at St. Clement's Island in southern Maryland is commemorated by the state each year on that date as Maryland Day.

Maryland, A Middle Temperament: 1634-1980 (Maryland Paperback Bookshelf)

Source: Wikipedia

Seal of New Brunswick

Date of Issue: August 16, 1934
Scott #: 210

This 2 cents stamp was issued to commemorate 150th anniversary of the founding of the Province of New Brunswick.

New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only constitutionally bilingual province (English and French) in the federation (see at right for location of New Brunswick in map of Canada).

The Motto, "SPEM REDUXIT" is commonly translated as 'Hope Restored', representing the establishment of New Brunswick as a 'home for refugee settlers' when a vast influx of United Empire Loyalists flowed into the area following their expulsion from the newly-formed United States in 1784.

The name of the 18th century ship depicted in this stamp is unknown. It must be one of the vessels that brought Loyalists to the province from the former American colonies.

Text source: Wikipedia, sympatico.ca, and crwflags.com

Card from HongKong

Thanks to Ms. Bell Chan for this wonderful card from HongKong. This is my first card from HongKong on my theme.

The card shows a reconstructed (modified) fishing junk in which the boat dwellers traditionally spent lives on boats and seldom went ashore to carry out their daily activities.

A junk is a Chinese sailboat design dating from ancient times and still in use today. Junks were developed during the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD) and were used as ocean-going vessels as early as the 2nd century AD. They evolved in the later dynasties, and were built and used throughout Asia for extensive ocean voyages. They were found, and in lesser numbers are still found, throughout South-East Asia and India, but primarily in China, perhaps today most famously in Hong Kong.

Cover #3 from Canada

Ms. Laura Termes keeps on surprising me with ship stamps on envelope from Canada. This is my third cover from Canada as well as the third from Ms. Laura.

A perfect cover for my collection and on my theme.

Thank you very much friend.

Royal Danish Navy - 500th Anniversary

Date of Issue: June 01, 2010
Design: Michael Jensen
Engraver: Martin Mörck and Bertil Skov Jørgensen
Paper: Self-adhesive
Method of printing: Intaglio/Offset
Format: 29 x 39 mm

Post Danmark issued set of five stamps featuring naval vessels to commemorate 500 years of the Royal Danish Navy (1510 - 2010). I thank Ms. Mette Johnson, Denmark for preparing this stunning cover with excellent postmarks.

Warships are a bit like fast cars and aeroplanes. They bring out the boy in most men. They are all about speed, excitement, adventure and technology – lots of technology. This has been the case throughout the 500 years that the Royal Danish Navy’s ships have sailed the seas, all the way from the carvel Maria, built around 1510, to the frigate Iver Huitfeldt, to be launched in late 2010.

5,50 DKK - the Frigate Iver Huitfeldt - the first in a series of three frigates commissioned for the Royal Danish Navy designed to facilitate the Navy’s participation in international operations. Construction is underway at Odense Steel Shipyard, and the vessel is expected to be launched this year.

6,50 DKK - Niels Iuel - From 1899 to 1908, three small ironclad vessels were built to patrol coastal waters. The keel was laid for a fourth in the series in 1914, but the outbreak of the First World War delayed completion, as the armour had been ordered from Germany. After the War, the political will was lacking to complete the construction of a proper warship and the Niels Iuel became a type of entertainment and reception ship instead, albeit still technically classed as an artillery vessel. On 29 August 1943, while at anchor in Isefjord, Niels Iuel was attacked by German planes during the internment of Danish defence forces. The ship returned fire, but was later run aground by its own crew. The Germans went on to use the vessel as a cadet ship under the name Nordland until the crew scuppered it in Eckernförde Fjord in 1945.

8,50 DKK - the ironclad warship Tordenskjold - launched in 1880, the first steel-built Danish warship and the first to be fitted with electric lighting. The main armament consisted of a single cannon, the largest ever mounted on a Nordic warship. The 35.5 cm gun was capable of firing every 10 minutes, and was so powerful that it shook the whole ship.

9,50 DKK - the screw frigate Jylland - In the 19th century, steam was introduced as a means of propulsion for warships, which at that time were still made of wood. It became technically possible to install steam engines on ships around 1840, when the screw propeller superseded the old-fashioned side-mounted paddle wheel. Transitional hybrids emerged at the time, combining sail and steam. The last ship of this type was the screw frigate Jylland, which was launched in 1860 – the same year that the first iron warships saw the light of day.

16,00 DKK - the kravellen Maria - Maria was built during the reign of King Hans, who held an unusually deep interest in warships.The carvel was a large, three-masted vessel specially designed for naval warfare. Its unique feature was the gun ports that allowed several rows of cannon to be fitted on the broadside. Gun ports were a new invention that probably spread from France to the rest of Europe.

Source: Post Danish website.

Cover from Denmark

Received this stunning cover from Ms. Mette Johnson, Denmark, member at MyPhilately.com, with complete set of five stamps issued on June 01, 2010 to commemorate 500 years of Royal Danish Navy. The cover is also posted on date of issue. Even though the cost of postage is less, she used complete set on cover. This will be a cover to treasure in my collection.

Thank you very much Ms. Mette for the effort.

I shall explain about the stamps in a separate post.

Battle of The Nile - Bicentenary

Date of Issue: August 01, 1998
Scott #: 765 - 769

To commemorate Bicentenary of victory of Battle of The Nile, Gibraltar issued set of five stamps depicting Nelson's ship HMS Vanguard, an aerial action shots of the Battle of the Nile, Nelson's dog, Nileus; Nelson himself and his wife Frances Nisbet, nicknamed "fanny' by family and friends.

The Battle of the Nile (also known as the Battle of Aboukir Bay, or in French as the Bataille d'Aboukir) was a major naval battle fought between British and French fleets at Aboukir Bay or Abukir Bay - a spacious bay on the Mediterranean Sea in Egypt, lying between Abu Qir (Near Alexandria) and the Rosetta mouth of the Nile, from August 01 - 03, 1798.

The British fleet consisted of 13 ships of the line, one fourth rate, and one sloop - His Majesty’s Ships Vanguard (Nelson’s Flagship: Captain Berry, 74 guns), Majestic (Captain Westcott: 74 guns), Bellerophon (Captain Darby: 74 guns), Defence (Captain Peyton: 74 guns), Orion (Captain Saumarez: 74 guns), Minotaur (Captain Louis: 74 guns), Theseus (Captain Miller: 74 guns), Goliath (Captain Foley: 74 guns), Audacious (Captain Gould: 74 guns), Zealous (Captain Hood: 74 guns), Leander (Captain Thompson: 50 guns), Swiftsure (Captain Hallowell: 74 guns), Alexander (Captain Ball: 74 guns), Culloden (Captain Troubridge: 74 guns) and Mutine (Captain Hardy: 74 guns).

The French fleet consisted of 13 ships of the line and four frigates: Orient (Flagship: Commodore Casabianca: 120 guns), Guerrier (Captain Trullet: 74 guns), Conquerant (Captain D’Albarde: 74 guns), Spartiate (Captain Eimeriau: 74 guns), Aquilon (Captain Thevenard: 74 guns), Peuple Souverain (Captain Raccord: 74 guns), Franklin (Flagship of Admiral Hayla; Captain Gillet: 80 guns), Tonnant (Captain Thouars: 80 guns), Heureux (Captain Etienne: 74 guns), Mercure (Captain Cambon: 74 guns), Guillaume Tell (Admiral Villeneuve’s Flagship 80 guns), Genereux (Captain Lenoille: 74 guns), Timoleon (Captain Trullet [jeune]: 74 guns): Frigates: Serieuse (Captain Martin: 36 guns), L’Artemise (Captain Estandlet: 36 guns), Diane (Admiral de Crepe: Captain Soleil: 36 guns) and Justice (Captain Villeneuve: 40 guns).
I assume the design of the 50p stamp is taken and modified from the above painting by Nicholas Pocock, which is at the National Maritime Museum.

Click here to know more about the Battle of Nile in Wikipedia
Click here to view the Order of battle at the Battle of the Nile
Click here for a detailed narration and awesome paintings and pictures of Admiral Nelson's stunning victory at the Battle of The Nile.

Text and picture source: Wikipedia and BritishBattles.com