SS Normandie - Treasures of Philately series

Date of Issue:  23.09.2016

A set of 10 souvenir sheets were issued in pouch - Treasures of Philately, among which one sheet is on SS Normandie

SS Normandie was an ocean liner built in Saint-Nazaire, France, for the French Line Compagnie Générale Transatlantique (CGT). She entered service in 1935 as the largest and fastest passenger ship afloat; she is still the most powerful steam turbo-electric-propelled passenger ship ever built.

Her novel design and lavish interiors led many to consider her the greatest of ocean liners. Despite this, she was not a commercial success and relied partly on government subsidy to operate. During service as the flagship of the CGT, she made 139 westbound transatlantic crossings from her home port of Le Havre to New York. Normandie held the Blue Riband for the fastest transatlantic crossing at several points during her service career, during which RMS Queen Mary was her main rival.

During World War II, Normandie was seized by US authorities at New York and renamed USS Lafayette. In 1942, the liner caught fire while being converted to a troopship, capsized onto her port side and came to rest on the mud of the Hudson River at Pier 88, the site of the current New York Passenger Ship Terminal. Although salvaged at great expense, restoration was deemed too costly and she was scrapped in October 1946.

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Centenary of Underwater Weapon / Submarines - 1915 - 2015

Date of Issue: February 20, 2015

The submarine weapon was created by Act of February 17, 1915, signed by Alfonso XIII, and known in the history of the Spanish armada as Miranda Act, having been proposed by the Minister of Marine and Admiral Augusto Miranda and Godoy. The law authorized the construction of 28 submarines, and several

surface ships, and to give more speed to the launch of the naval program allowed the purchase of four submersible abroad, having built the remaining 24 in Spain. It also provided for the organization of the service in submarines, with official body, machinists, foremen and other subordinate staff, and authorized staffing needed for the teachings and practices of personal material.

In the stamp are displayed submarines S61 (Dolphin Class) and S71 (Galerna Class), and the slogan 'Utrumque Paratus' (prepared for everything), on the shield of the centenary of the flotilla, and small flags "b" and "z" - international maritime signal flags.

Text source: Correos.es