# Shipwrecks in philately



## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

A maximum card issued by Bailiwick of Guernsey-ALDERNEY Post office on 5 May 1987 ( Design: Charles A. Jaques, Printed by: House of Questa ) showing the British steamer "*BURTON*" stranded on Grois Reef, Alderney, on 7th January 1911 . Was a Total Loss .


(...)

_The Court strongly censures *the master*, David Stevenson Hannah, for his default in not stopping and reversing his engines immediately the vessel was out of control and running into danger, and for his neglect to give definite orders to the engineers as to steam, &c., to inquire the whereabouts of the engineers, and to get them back to their posts in the engine-room at an earlier period than he did when and where their services were so urgently required. The Court, however, refrains from dealing with the master's certificate, having regard to all the cir***stances of the case, and to the good reputation he has previously borne. 

The Court strongly condemns the conduct of *the chief engineer*, Henry William Johns, in deserting his post and leaving the ship at such a critical period when his presence in the engine-room might have saved the vessel, for which wrongful act and default the Court suspends his certificate, No. 18 208, for the period of six calendar months from this date. 

The Court censures *the second engineer*, Eskel Ericcson, also for his conduct in leaving his post and the ship without permission from the master. 

_

(...)

more on this ship's disaster here :

http://www.plimsoll.org/resources/S...sp?view=text


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## chadburn (Jun 2, 2008)

? The Old man runs the Vessel aground does not take the correct action to try and get her off, does not give any definite orders to the Engineers and all he gets is a strong censure whilst the Engineers who work below the waterline received the more severe punishments. I highlight the word MIGHT have saved the vessel.


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

SWA ( South West Africa) Post Office issued this maximum card on 1987.10.15 at SWAKOPMUND


*m/s EDUARD BOHLEN *- while on a voyage from Swakopmund to Table Bay, she ran aground off the coast of Namibia's Skeleton Coast on September 5, 1909
more on this vessel , here :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eduard_Bohlen


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

good day marchskipper.m.7th feb.2015.22:39.re:shiprecks in philately.#1.thank you for this most unusual post,it seems a great way to make shipreck history available to the public.thank you for posting,regards ben27


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

Thanks _ben27_


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*Shipwrecks on I.O.M. stamps*

Isle of Man Post office issued in 1980 a set of 4 stamps. 
The 9p value shows the Peel Lugger " WANDERER" ( a small fishing boat ) rescues survivors from the "*RMS LUSITANIA*"

Full story , here:

http://blog.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/2014/05/lusitania-memorial-service-remembers-manx-rescuers/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Lusitania

The author of stamp's design is : J.H.Nicholson, and the printing House is : Questa


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*Shipwrecks from around Jersey Island*

Jersey Post Office issued on 12 July 2011 a set of 6 stamps and a Miniature sheet 

The stamps come with a booklet including illustrations and details of what happened to the ships.The stories are taken from the book _Shipwrecks of the Channel Islands.
_
The illustrations are by stamp artist Tony Theobald, •Printed by: Cartor Security Printing


The £3 stamp ( a Miniature sheet ) featuring the *TSS Roebuck * disaster from 1911 


_On 19 July 1911 the Great Western Railway steamer Roebuck, which had been on the Channel Islands route for 14 years, left St Helier Harbour for Guernsey on what should have been a routine voyage.(...)There was no wind, the sea was calm, but there was a thick sea mist and after rounding Noirmont Point, the ship, with experienced Captain John Le Feuvre at the helm, struck the Kaines rocks off Fliquet Bay, between St Brelade's Bay and Corbiere. 

Capt Le Feuvre had miscalculated his position and maintained a speed of 17 knots despite the visibility(...)

After a Board of Trade inquiry *Capt Le Feuvre's master's ticket was suspended for only three months*, despite this being the second time that a Great Western steamer under his command, had hit rocks off Jersey's south coast. *Fourteen years earlier he lost his ticket for six months *after the Ibex, which had apparently been racing a rival vessel, hit a rock off Corbiere
_
http://www.theislandwiki.org/?title=Roebuck


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*m/v DUNEDIN STAR*

SWA ( South West Afrika) - Skeleton Coast

A maximum card issued by SWA Post Office on 15 October 1987 featuring the Blue Star Line's Imperial Star-class *MV Dunedin Star *which was lost at the end of November 1942 when she ran aground in the South Atlantic on the Skeleton Coast of South West Africa. ( see map attached )

More on " Dunedin Star" fate, here :

http://www.dunedinstar.com/History.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Dunedin_Star

The stamp/maximum card illustration by artist Shelia Mowers


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*Wreck Mail*

UK post card - WRECK MAIL

Copyrights - 1993 Richard Blake Post Cards
The Mardens Tupwood Lane Caterham Surrey CR3 6ET
Second Printing

Post Card illustrations from top :

- *HMS Lutine (1779)
*
_A frigate which served in both the French Navy and the Royal Navy. She was launched by the French in 1779. The ship passed to British control in 1793 and was taken into service as HMS Lutine. She sank among the West Frisian Islands during a storm in 1799.
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Lutine_(1779)
_The bullion was insured by Lloyds of London so they claimed any salvage rights. Many attempts over the years to recover the gold were made but with the exception of some small amounts, they were unsuccessful. The last attempt was in 1990.

One cannon salvaged in 1806 is on display at Windsor castle. Another is on display at the Guildhall, London._

The Lutine Bell 

The ship's bell (engraved "ST. JEAN - 1779") was recovered on 17 July 1858. It was hung from the rostrum of the Underwriting Room at Lloyd's.

_The bell was traditionally struck when news of an overdue ship arrived - once for the loss of a ship and twice for her return. The bell was sounded to ensure that all brokers and underwriters were made aware of the news simultaneously. The bell has developed a crack and the traditional practice of ringing news has ended: the last time it was rung to tell of a lost ship was in 1979 and the last time it was rung to herald the return of an overdue ship was in 1989._

The BELL appears on FDC ( First Day Cover)/stamp issued in 1984 to commemorate 250th Anniversary of first edition of LLOYD'S LIST ( see attached )


- *P&O SS Carnatic*

A British steamship built in 1862-63 by Samuda Brothers at Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs, London, for the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company. She operated on the Suez to Bombay run in the last years before the Suez Canal was opened.
On 12 September 1869, she ran aground on Sha`b Abu Nuhas coral reef near Shadwan Island in the mouth of the Gulf of Suez, in the Red Sea
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Carnatic


- *RMS Empress of Ireland *
An ocean liner that sank in the Saint Lawrence River following a collision with the Norwegian collier SS Storstad in the early hours of 29 May 1914.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RMS_Em...s_of_Ireland


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

Isle Of Man 

_*Lady Elisabeth *_of Castletown


Maximum card issued by I.O.M. Post Office on 14th February 1984 using the 31p stamp ( of Miniature Sheet " Links with Falkland Islands - see attached ) featuring the iron hull, 3 masted barque " Lady Elisabeth" (1879)which lies in Whale Bone Cove in Stanley Harbour, Falkland.

The story of this ill fated ship , here :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Elizabeth_(1879)


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*A large crude oil carrier disaster*

_ *MT Independența *(Independence) was a large Romanian crude oil carrier. She collided in 1979 with a Greek freighter at the southern entrance of Bosphorus, Turkey, and exploded. She caught fire and grounded. Almost all of the tanker's crew members died. The wreck of the Independența burned for weeks, causing heavy air and sea pollution in the Istanbul area and the Sea of Marmara._

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MT_Independența

On stamp the tanker before the disaster, and after on photo.


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*Alderney *1987 - Shipwrecks on set of 5 stamps 

The 11p stamp shows the stranding of the British sailing ship *"LIVERPOOL*" of Liverpool on the eastern end of the Island of Alderney on the 25th February, 1902, whereby serious damage was caused. 

(...)

_(10) The vessel was *not navigated with proper and seamanlike care,* inasmuch as the speed of the ship was not ascertained by either patent or hand log. 

(11) The serious damage to the ship "Liverpool" was not caused by the wrongful act or default of the master, *but he failed in not sufficiently taking into account the dangerous indraught which is known to exist in this part of the English Channel. 

* *The Court*, though it considers that the master showed carelessness in not using the log prior to the stranding, *is yet of opinion that even had the log been hove and the correct speed ascertained, that of itself would not have prevented the casualty*. 

_

More on "Liverpool" stranding here :

http://www.plimsoll.org/resources/SCCLibraries/WreckReports/18141.asp


The stamp(s), and the maximum card(s) issued: 5th May 1987 ; Design: Charles A. Jaques
Printed by: House of Questa


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## Ron Dean (Aug 11, 2010)

Interesting stories & some fine artwork revealed when the thumbnails are opened.
Thanks for posting March Skipper. (Thumb)

Ron.


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*Greek steamship ROCUS*

British Virgin Islands

$1.50 stamp featuring the 380-ft Greek steamship *ROCUS*which foundered on the southern tip of Horseshoe Reef in 1929 whilst was carrying a cargo of cattle bones from Trinidad to Baltimore for the glue industry. The stern of the wreck lies in about 40-feet of water with the bow almost breaking the surface. Due to many hurricanes in the ensuing years the vessel is now largely broken up but the engine, boilers and winches are recognizable. On the port side of the bow stacks of chain are attached to a massive anchor. Her cargo of bones is strewn along the reef intermingled with fine stands of elk horn and stag horn coral.

The stamp illustrator is John Henry Batchelor (born 1936), MBE, English artist and 'arguably the world's foremost technical illustrator' and *'the world's premier stamp illustrator' *


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

Could someone give more details about the Greek steamship *ROCUS* above-mentioned please ? 
I cannot find Lloyd's List of 1929.

Thanks


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*SS Sanct Svithun*

Norway


Postal steamer _* Sanct Svithun *was a 1,376 ton steel-hulled steamship built by the German shipyard Danziger Werft and delivered to the Norwegian Stavanger-based shipping company Det Stavangerske Dampskibsselskab on 1 July 1927. She sailed the Hurtigruten route along the coast of Norway until *she was lost in an air attack on 30 September 1943 *during the Second World War._

About the stamp :

Series: _Victims of the war on sea_

Issued on:1944-05-20

Expiry date:1945-05-14

Printinghotogravure


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

good day marchskipper.m.today.re:shipwrecks in philately.i posted before #4.thank you for your reply.i was wondering if you have stamps of wrecks of britich ships from 1947.on african east-coast.(tabu) thank you in advance for your time regards ben27


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

Hi_ ben27 _

Not clear for me, which is the ship's name ? 
Tks


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

good day marchskipper.m.yesterday.20:54 re:shipwrecks in philately.#18.thank you for your reply.the ship's name i am interested in is the s.s.STANHILL.of the stanhill steamship co.wrecked off the coast east africa,(tabu)may 1947.i was on her at the time.thank you again for your time.regards ben27


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

ben27 said:


> good day marchskipper.m.yesterday.20:54 re:shipwrecks in philately.#18.thank you for your reply.the ship's name i am interested in is the s.s.STANHILL.of the stanhill steamship co.wrecked off the coast east africa,(tabu)may 1947.i was on her at the time.thank you again for your time.regards ben27


Here I found 2 vessels with name STANHILL.
http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/stanhope.shtml

The one you are looking for wrecked off Ivory Coast on 11th May 1947 . So West Africa Coast *not* East Africa Coast.

So far I have not found any stamp to feature this ship .


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

good day marchskipper.m.today.06:05.re:#20.thank you for your reply.the ss stanhill wrecked 11th may 1947.iverycoast off tabu,is the one i was on.thanks about the west coast not the east coast,i always make that mistake.i had seen your link before.its just that i cannot locate a photo.great talking to you.regards ben27


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*Pamir*

*PAMIR* - Germany
A great sailing vessel and its disaster

_A four-masted barque, was one of the famous Flying P-Liner sailing ships of the German shipping company F. Laeisz. 
On 21 September 1957 she was caught in Hurricane Carrie and sank off the Azores, with only six survivors rescued after an extensive search
_http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pamir_(ship)

The vessel features on Aland, Falkland Islands , and Penrhyn- Northern Cook Islands stamps


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*ss Irma (1905)*

*SS Irma *was a 1,322-ton steamship built by the British shipyard Sir Raylton Dixon & Co. Ltd. in Middlesbrough in the north-east of England. She was delivered to the Norwegian passenger ship company Det Bergenske Dampskibsselskab of Bergen in 1905. Irma sailed for the company until _*she was attacked and sunk by two MTBs belonging to the Royal Norwegian Navy on 13 February 1944*_.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Irma_(1905)

Irma was depicted on one of the three postage stamps commemorating war-related shipwrecks released on 20 May 1944 by the Norwegian Postal Service. _*Irma was portrayed on the 20 + 10 øre stamp. *_The shipwreck stamps were designed by German-born Norwegian pro-Nazi propaganda artist and war reporter Harald Damsleth.


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*ss Stanhill*



ben27 said:


> good day marchskipper.m.today.06:05.re:#20.thank you for your reply.the ss stanhill wrecked 11th may 1947.iverycoast off tabu,is the one i was on.thanks about the west coast not the east coast,i always make that mistake.i had seen your link before.its just that i cannot locate a photo.great talking to you.regards ben27


Hi

Here are few more info plus charts. Unfortunately no photos. Or maybe yes but have to pay subscription to get more info !

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?101268


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*RMS Oravia*

*RMS Oravia stranded on Billy Rock* *, Falkland Islands *, 
1984 Falkland Islands stamps commemorating the 250th Anniversary of the first publication of Lloyd's of London daily newspaper , LLOYD'S LIST

Built in 1897 for the U.K. - West Coast of South America run via Straights of Magellan , ORAVIA left Liverpool on her last voyage on 17 October, 1912.
In pitch darkness and a heavy rainstorm she run on to "Billy's Rock" at Port Stanley. Thanks to the crews efficiency and the summoning of a fleet of whalers to their aid by the wireless operator everyone was saved. The church, the chapel and stores were opened to accommodate the survivors and the local Islanders pored out of their beds in the middle of the night to make the passengers and crew comfortable. A poem by W.H.Hunter entitled " The Loss of RMS Oravia " also remembers the nights events. 

More details on this disaster , here :

http://www.wrecksite.eu/wreck.aspx?145519


***

April 1984 was the 250th Anniversary of the first publication of Lloyd's of London daily newspaper , LLOYD'S LIST. 

To commemorate this event , some 16 countries were participating in an omnibus issue in which the stamps share a common background and theme whilst being relevant to each country. 

The Falkland Islands , who have a local Lloyd's Agent, feature on their 4 stamps. ( see attached a First Day Cover )

Among these 4 stamps , one stamp shows *RMS ORAVIA *stranded on Billy's Rock ( see attached )


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## ben27 (Dec 27, 2012)

good day marchskipper.m.yesterday,23:19.#24.re:shipwreck in philately.thank for your reply.i have the link you posted,i also have a copy of the newspaper from 1947 about the stanhill wreck.if you are interested.regards ben27


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*The greatest sea tragedy of all time*

*Deutsches Reich , 1937 - Winterhilfswerk stamps 

*In 1937, a pair of stamps were issued to support a Nazi Party "winter relief" charity _Winterhilfswerk_. The left stamp ( 6+4 ) on this pair is of the cruise liner "*Wilhelm Gustloff *". It has some inconsistencies because the ship was not completed until March 1938. For example the funnel is a solid colour (it had not been installed at the time of launching in May 1937).

The stamp illustration's author is the German artist von Axster-Heudtlass

http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/hendtlas/vah/Biography.html

The 25,484 ton German luxury cruise liner was built to carry 1,465 passengers and a crew of 400. *The Wilhelm Gustloff *and her sister ship Robert Ley were the world's first purpose-built cruise ships. The ship, now converted to a 500 bed hospital ship, set sail from the Bay of Danzig en route to the port of Stettin, overcrowded with 4,658 persons including 918 naval officers and men, 373 German Women Naval Auxiliaries, 162 wounded soldiers of whom 73 were stretcher cases, and 173 crew, all fleeing from the advancing Red Army. Just before midnight, as the ship plowed her way through the icy waters of the Baltic Sea, the ship was hit by three torpedoes from the Russian submarine S-13 (a German designed boat) commanded by Alexander Marinesko. The first torpedo hit the bow of the ship, the second, below the empty swimming pool on E-deck where the Women Auxiliaries were accommodated (most were killed) and the third hit amidships. Indescribable panic reigned as the ship listed and sank in about ninety minutes near the Danish island of Bornholm. Rescue boats picked from the stormy seas 964 survivors, many of whom were landed at Sassnitz on the island of Ruegen and taken on board the Danish hospital ship Prince Olaf which was anchored in the harbour. The exact number of drowned will never be known, as many more refugees were picked up from small boats as the Wilhelm Gustloff headed for the open sea and were never counted. (*Latest research puts the number of people on board at 10,582)* Many of the 964 persons rescued from the sea, died later, and it is likely that well over 7,000 souls perished.


More on this ship's disaster, here :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MV_Wilhelm_Gustloff

photos : http://www.bing.com/images/search?q...C110EAC5858034499714EA5D148C9931C&FORM=IQFRBA


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*"Curlew" ( 1856)*

Bermuda - 6th January, 1986 SHIPWRECKS PART I, set of 5 stamps

10 c stamp features the " CURLEW " 

_The iron hulled three masted, English steamer, Curlew, was Barquentine rigged and poop deck fitted. She was 182 feet in length, had a 22 foot beam and displaced 528 gross tons. She was purchased by the Cunard Steamship company on July 20, 1853, and regularly sailed the Halifax-Bermuda-St. Thomas run. 

On March 14, 1856, she left Halifax under the command of Captain Hunter. According to marine historian Mike Davis, Captain Hunter was below deck sleeping on that Monday morning of the 17th, after having spent all night steering his ship through rough seas. The Captain awoke to find his ship had struck the northern reefs of Bermuda. The Curlew was soon to be doomed; her cabin quickly filled with sea water. Two of her life boats were smashed while attempting to launch them, and a third drifted away. The fourth boat was successfully launched, and it was decided that the officers would stay aboard the steamer while the others would row the lifeboat to shore and then send help. Two Navy ships quickly went to the sinking vessel's assistance. They saved not only the men, who by this time had been forced into the rigging, but also seven of the nine mail bags she had carried. 
_

Source : Capt. Dan Berg's Wreck Valley Collection


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*SS Barøy (1929)*

_*SS Barøy *was a 424 ton steel-hulled steamship delivered from the Trondhjems mekaniske Værksted shipyard in Trondheim in 1929. She had been ordered by the Norwegian shipping company Ofotens Dampskibsselskab for the local route from the port city of Narvik to the smaller towns of Lødingen and Svolvær. After the company suffered ship losses in the 1940 Norwegian Campaign Barøy was put into Hurtigruten service on the Trondheim–Narvik route. *She was sunk with heavy loss of life in a British air attack in the early hours of 13 September 1941.
*
The Nazi regime in Norway used the attack on Barøy, together with other attacks on civilian Norwegian shipping, in propaganda against the Allies. *On 20 May 1944 *the Nazi-controlled Norwegian Postal Service issued a series of postage stamps commemorating three of the most infamous cases of Norwegian ships sunk by Allied attacks. *Barøy was the subject of the 10 øre stamp*,_

Full story, here :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Barøy_(1929)


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## MarchSkipper (May 28, 2013)

*SV Tilly*

SWA ( South West Africa) 

From my collection a maximum card issued by SWA Post Office on 15 October 1987 showing *SV Tilly *. The postmark is from Lüderitz Post Office .

_This sailing ship was owned by the founder of the German colonies of Nambia, SW Africa Adolf Lüderitz. He lost his ship *SV Tilly *on *February 1st 1895*, near Angra Pequena (later named Lüderitz after this famous German pioneer). With her, a valuable cargo of trading goods, postal items and other articles, destined for missionary stations in the Great Namaqualand, was irretrievably lost._

( information received from Allen Tony - http://www.wrecksite.eu/Wrecksite.aspx )


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