Gibraltar 2012 Centenary of RMS Titanic

Date of Issue: January 30, 2012

The 2012 marks 100 years of the Titanic disaster and many countries around the world issued stamps, miniature sheets, stamp sheets, FDC, and other memorabilia.

Gibraltar issued a set of five stamps as shown above. The reverse side of the presentation pack comes with the technical information of the stamps as well as a brief note about RMS Titanic.

HMS Victory - Postcard

This picture postcard with wonderful view of HMS Victory with 1/2 d stamp of H.M.S. Victory and First Day of Issue (03.04.1967) postmark of Gibraltar was sent to me by my friend, Laura Termes, now in U.K.

If only the stamp was fixed on the front side of card, it would have become a nice Maxi Card.

Europa 1992 - Gibraltar PNC

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Date of Issue: February 06, 1992
Scott: 611a, 613a

Today I would like to share my first PNC (Philately and Numistaic Cover) in my collection.

The stamps as part of Europa theme, were issued on February 06, 1992 and this official stamp and coin  cover (PNC) was issued by Gibraltar on August 03, 1992 with a £2 coin depicting Christopher Columbus and his flag ship Santa Maria to commemorate 500th anniversary of discovery of the Americas.

24p - Columbus and Santa Maria

24p - map and Nina

34p - map of Columbus' many voyages and Pinta

34p - map and sailor - Rodrigo de Triana

Few interesting words from the information printed on the card - ".....the fleet weighed anchor on the 3 August 1492 arriving at the Canaries on the 10 August. It was not until the 6 September that the 3 caravels set sail from the Canaries into the unknown - The NEPLUS ULTRA.

Despite various false alarms probably through the eagerness by mariners to claim the reward for sighting land it was not until 2 o'clock in the morning of 12 October that land was clearly sighted by Rodrigo de Triana (honored on the fourth stamp, see FDC), a sailor on board the Pinta about 6 miles away.

The land sighted turned out to be an island called Guanahani by its inhabitants and renamed San Salvador by Columbus. The island is now knows as Watling Island in the Bahamas...."

The coin on the cover shows Columbus and his flag ship "Santa Maria."

Mary Celeste - maritime mystery

Date of Issue: February 12, 1997
Scott: 722-725

The Mary Celeste was a brigantine merchant ship notably discovered in December 1872 in the Atlantic Ocean unmanned and apparently abandoned, despite the fact that the weather was fine and her crew had been experienced and able seamen. The Mary Celeste was in seaworthy condition and still under sail heading towards the Strait of Gibraltar. She had been at sea for a month and had over six months' worth of food and water on board. Her cargo was virtually untouched and the personal belongings of passengers and crew were still in place, including valuables. The crew was never seen or heard from again. Their disappearance is often cited as the greatest maritime mystery of all time.

The fate of her crew has been the subject of much speculation. Theories range from alcoholic fumes, to underwater earthquakes, to waterspouts, to paranormal explanations involving hypothetical extraterrestrial, unidentified flying objects, sea monsters, and the hypothetical phenomena of the Bermuda Triangle. Click here to know more in detail.

Commemoration - At Spencer's Island, Nova Scotia, the Mary Celeste and her lost crew are commemorated by a monument at the site of the brigantine's construction and by a memorial outdoor theatre built in the shape of the vessel's hull.  The ship's origins and fate are explored in an exhibit at the nearby Age of Sail Heritage Centre. At the hometown of Benjamin Briggs in Marion, Massachusetts, the Sippican Historical Society maintains a permanent Mary Celeste exhibit with artifacts from the brigantine's final voyage. The Mariners' Museum in Newport News has a detailed waterline model of Mary Celeste, depicting the brigantine exactly as she was found in 1872.

Source: Wikipedia

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

A wish made TRUE

I thank Ms. Aaron Enriles, Customer Service Manager - Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau, and other staff of the bureau for favoring my request. Getting a ship stamp of Gibraltar on envelope addressed to me was one of my wishes and I got my favorite stamp, which makes me much more happy. The £1.60 stamp issued in 2005 shows Lord Nelson's flagship, HMS Victory. What makes this stamp more special and a collector's item is that the actual wood from the ship has been taken, processed, and sprinkled upon the stamp through a special process.

Anyone interested to buy this set of stamps, click here to go to the online store page of Gibraltar Philatelic Bureau.

Gibraltar Packet Agency - 200th Anniv

Date of Issue: September 15, 2006

Illustrator: John Batchelor

In these days of instant communication it is difficult to conceive the difficulties that existed regarding mail communication 200 years ago. After Gibraltar came under the British crown in 1704, mail was carried by ships whose Masters agreed to carry packets. However over one hundred years later, the Gibraltar Packet Service was created and commenced in July 1806. The first Gibraltar marks on letters were then introduced by the Packet Agency. After the first Packet Agent, John Hardcastle, had been in post for a few months, he asked for some marks that he could use to apply to letters. Two were produced: an arc with the name "Gibraltar", and a further arc reading "Gibraltar Paid". They were the first marks to be used on Gibraltar mail to denote that a letter had originated in Gibraltar in early 1807.

The set comprises of four stamps featuring specially commissioned illustrations on the HMP Cornwallis, HMP Meteor, HMP Carteret and HMP Prince Regent who regularly brought mail to and from Gibraltar during the 1800’s.

Text Source: Gibraltar-Stamps.com

QE2 Last Voyage FDC

Date of Issue: November 14, 2008

As a thematic philatelist, I am very proud to possess this limited edition [Qty - 3000] First Day Cover commemorating the Last Voyage of RMS Queen Elizabeth II, of Cunard Line.

After 40 years of cruising the oceans, this mammoth cruise ship began her final voyage on November 11, 2008 from Southampton, England and reached Dubai on November 27, 2008.

The FDC shows beautiful illustration of the QE2 leaving the Rock (of Gibraltar) for the last time on her way to retirement in Dubai.

At Dubai, she was refurbished as a floating hotel and on July 10, 2009 it was revealed that QE2 may sail to Cape Town, South Africa to become a floating hotel (for use primarily during the 2010 FIFA World Cup), in a Dubai World sponsored venture at the V&A Waterfront*.

* - Source: wikipedia

Death of Lord Nelson - October 21, 1805

Date of Issue: October 21, 2005
Scott #: 1028, for Isle of Man #: 1127

On this very same day, October 21, Vice Admiral Horatio Nelson, a British flag officer famous for his service in the Royal Navy, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars who won several victories, including the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, during which he was killed.

The battle of Trafalgar was the most decisive British naval victory of the war. Twenty-seven British ships of the line led by Admiral Lord Nelson aboard HMS Victory defeated thirty-three French and Spanish ships of the line under French Admiral Pierre Villeneuve off the south-west coast of Spain, just west of Cape Trafalgar. The Franco-Spanish fleet lost twenty-two ships, without a single British vessel being lost.
Extracts from the log book of Manxman Captain John Quilliam on board "Victory" 21st October, 1805 "At 4.15pm the Spanish Rear Admiral to windward struck to some of our ships which had tacked after them, observed one of the enemy's ships blow up and 14 sail standing towards Cadiz and 3 standing to the southward, partial firing occurred until 3.40 when a victory having been reported to Admiral Right Honble Lord Visc't Nelson KB, Commander in Chief died of his wounds."

Nelson was mortally wounded during the battle, becoming Britain's greatest war hero.

A number of monuments and memorials were constructed across the country to honor his memory and achievements, with Dublin being the first city to create its own monument to Nelson, with work beginning on Nelson's Pillar in 1808. Others followed across the country, with London's Trafalgar Square being created in his memory in 1835 and the centrepiece, Nelson's Column, finished in 1843.

Source: wikipedia, gibraltar-stamps.com

Battle of Trafalgar MS

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Nelson first visited Gibraltar in 1776 age 18, as a young midshipman serving on board HMS Worcester a third rate, 64-gun ship which was on convoy duty. Nelson went ashore with dispatches to be forwarded to the British Consul in Cadiz.

In June 1803 Nelson embarked on HMS Victory as Commander in Chief in the Mediterranean. The next time he stepped off her on to land was on 20th July 1805 at Gibraltar. During that time he had been either blockading or chasing the French and Spanish fleets. Nelson's connection with Gibraltar was not finished as it was at Rosia Bay, Gibraltar on the 3rd November 1805 that his body was brought ashore from HMS Victory and re-interred in Spirits of Salts before sailing back to Great Britain.

Extracts from the log book of Manxman Captain John Quilliam on board "Victory" 21st October, 1805 "At 4.15pm the Spanish Rear Admiral to windward struck to some of our ships which had tacked after them, observed one of the enemy's ships blow up and 14 sail standing towards Cadiz and 3 standing to the southward, partial firing occurred until 3.40 when a victory having been reported to Admiral Right Honble Lord Visc't Nelson KB, Commander in Chief died of his wounds."

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Technical Description
Design: John Batchelor
Layout: CASB Studio
Printer: Cartor Security Printers
Process: Offset lithography
No. of colours: 4 colours
Miniature Sheet size: 190 x 90mm
Value: £2

Source: gibraltar-stamps.com

500th Death Anniversary of Columbus - 2006

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After five centuries, Columbus remains a mysterious and controversial figure who has been described as one of the greatest mariners in history and a visionary genius. Columbus's enterprise to find a westward route to Asia grew out of the practical experience of a long and varied maritime career, as well as out of his considerable reading in geographical and theological literature.

The widely published report of his voyage of 1492 in command of three ships: the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria made Columbus famous throughout Europe and secured for him the title of Admiral of the Ocean Sea and further royal patronage. Columbus, who never abandoned the belief that he had reached Asia, led three more expeditions to the Caribbean in 1493, 1498 and 1502.

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Technical Description
Illustrations: Christian Hook
Stamp layout: Stephen Perera
Printer: Lowe-Martin (Canada)
Process: Offset Lithography
No of Colours: 4 Colours
Stamp Size: 30mm x 40mm
Value: £1.60
Issue Date: 1st November 2006

Click here to buy this stamp online.

Source: gibraltar-stamps.com

VE Day 50th Anniversary (1995)

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Victory in Europe Day (V-E Day) was May 8, 1945, the date when the Allies during the Second World War formally celebrated the defeat of Nazi Germany and the end of Adolf Hitler's Reich.

On that date, massive celebrations took place, notably in London, where over a million people celebrated in a carnival atmosphere the end of the European war, though rationing of food and clothing was to continue for a number of years. In London, crowds massed in particular in Trafalgar Square and up the Mall to Buckingham Palace, where King George VI and Queen Elizabeth, accompanied by the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, appeared on the balcony of the Palace to cheering crowds. Princess Elizabeth (the future Queen Elizabeth II) and her sister, Princess Margaret were allowed to wander anonymously among the crowds and take part in the celebrations in London.

The Allies had agreed to mark May 9, 1945 as VE day, but western journalists broke the news of Germany's surrender prematurely, precipitating the earlier celebration.

Source: gibraltar-stamps.com

Cruise Ships - IV series - Gibraltar

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The issue features the ‘Queen Victoria’ (90,000 gross tons); the ‘Grand Princess’ (109,000 gross tons), the ‘Century’ (71,145 gross tons) and the ‘Costa Mediterranea’ (86,000 gross tons) all of which are callers to the Rock of Gibraltar during the year. It is truly a fantastic sight to view these magnificent ships coming in through the Strait of Gibraltar, early in the morning, with the sun rising off its back and the mountains of Africa in the background on a sharp, clear day.

The Queen Victoria is of the same basic design as other Vista class passenger vessels, though slightly longer and more in keeping with Cunard’s interior style. At 90,000 tons, she is the second largest Cunard ship ever built, after the RMS Queen Mary 2. Interestingly, she will not carry mail and thus will not receive Royal Mail Ship (RMS) status.

The Grand Princess is a large cruise ship owned by Princess Cruises. Built by Fincantieri Cantieri Navali Italiani in Monfalcone, Italy, at a cost of approximately US$450 million, she was the largest and most expensive ship ever built at the time, a distinction now carried by Royal Caribbean International’s Freedom of the Seas. Grand Princess primarily operates in Europe during the summer to early autumn, and then operates in the Caribbean during winter to late spring.

The Century is the lead ship of the Century Class of cruise ships for Celebrity Cruises, and the co-flagship of the Celebrity fleet, along with Millennium class ship Constellation. Century was launched in 1995 and went into a 5 week dry-dock in April 2006 whilst undergoing complete refurbishment. Designed to incorporate a variety of Celebrity’s most popular Millennium-class attributes, the revitalization of Century is the line’s most extensive refurbishment to-date, and the largest cruise ship modification completed by Fincantieri’s Palermo, Italy, shipyard.

The Costa Mediterranea is a Spirit class cruise ship operated by Costa Cruises. She was constructed at the Kvaerner Masa-Yards (currently Aker Finnyards) in Helsinki, Finland at a cost of over 400 million euros. Her design, like sister ship Costa Atlantica’s, was derived from Carnival Cruise Lines’ Spirit Class ships (Carnival Spirit, Carnival Pride, Carnival Legend and Carnival Miracle). On June 16 2003 she departed on her maiden voyage from Genoa to Spain and Portugal.

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Technical Description
Illustrations: Simon Williams
Design: Stephen Perera
Printer: Lowe-Martin Security Printers, Canada
Process: Offset Lithography
Stamps: 40.5 x 30mm
Miniature Sheet: 168 x 67mm Values: 42p, 44p, 51p, 73p
Issue date: 15/9/08

Source: gibraltar-stamps.com