ShipStamps.co.uk

Built in East Germany in 1961, the Sierra Maestra came from the V.E.B. Warnow Werft at Warnemunde, and is obviously one of this shipbuilding yard’s type IV class, for she is a double of the Frieden on stamps of East Germany. The type IV’s are 10,000 tons deadweight, 516 ft. overall length, 65 ft. breadth moulded and 27 ft. loaded draft, with slight variations in individual ships. The hull is strengthened for navigation in ice. Four 8-cylinder, direct reversible oil engines, built at VEB Machinenbau Halberstadt, drive twin screws.The Sierra Maestra is an all-welded vessel for general cargo trade, having six holds and four hatches with MacGregor covers and 14 light derricks for cargo handling, as well as a 50-ton heavy lift derrick and two deck cranes. Accommodation is provided for 12 passengers with a separate dining room, smokeroom and bar. Her gross tonnage is 6,747, and net 3,884.SG1124

The Commandante Camilo Cienfuegos is an up-to-date cargo liner built by the Stocznia Gdanska in 1962 and is one of the yard’s noted B54 class with a length of 464 ft. 5 in. (b.p.), 504 ft. 11 in. overall. Her moulded breadth is 63 ft. 8 in, with a designed draft of 27 ft. 4 in. Deadweight tonnage is 10,200, gross tonnage 7,030, and net tonnage 3,930. Cargo capacity is 638,000 cub. ft. bale, 674,000 cub. ft. grain. There are 3 forward holds and 2 aft, The ship is well equipped with derricks, having no less than 20, consisting of one 25-ton, eight 10-ton, eight 5-ton, two 3-ton, and one 11/4-ton. Propelling machinery con¬sists of Sulzer oil-engines, giving a service speed of 16′/2 knots and a cruising range of 12,500 nautical miles. The daily consumption of oil fuel is 32 tons. A crew of 52 is provided for but there is no passenger accommodation. This B54 class of ship has been in demand by shipping companies in Switzerland, China, Poland, Indonesia and the U.S.S.R., as well as Cuba.SG1123

In December 1946, the Rio Jibacoa was built by Lithgows Ltd., at Port Glasgow, and was launched as the Coulbreck for the Dornoch Shipping Co. Ltd., (Lambert Bros., Ltd., Managers). Her gross tonnage is 3,654, and net tonnage 2,155. Engined by Rankin and Blackmore, Ltd., of Greenock, she is fitted for oil fuel. In 1954 she was renamed Dundrennan under the same ownership, but managed by Glen and Company, Glasgow. She became the Rio Jibacoa when bought by the Rota Mambisa in 1957.SG1122

East German built, the Alexandr Pushkin was commissioned in August 1965 and made her maiden voyage on April 13th 1966.
Gross tonnage of 19,860 with two 9-cyl M.A.N. oil engines gave her a speed of 20knts. Accommodation for 662 passengers in two classes.
In 1966 she made six voyages, each of one month’s duration, departing from Leningrad. Each stay in Montreal lastin two or three days. The service was operated within the framework of the North Atlantic passenger Conference, which the Baltic SS joined in Sept 1965.
Russia SG3272-3

On December 20, 1964 a set of three stamps was issued by North Vietnam showing war scenes, the 30c value depicting the sabotage of the U.S.S. Card. This aircraft carrier was sunk by an explosion at 5.15 a.m. on the morning of May 2, 1964, while moored at a commercial wharf at Saigon. It is presumed that Viet Cong saboteurs crept under the wharf and exploded the charge against the hull. The vessel slowly began to sink to the bed of the 48 ft. deep river, but on an even keel. None of the crew was hurt by the blast, which tore a hole 28 ft. long and 3 ft. wide in the engine room, adjoining the crew’s quarters, 10 ft. below the waterline.
“We sank at the rate of one foot a minute until we hit the bottom 24 minutes later”, said Capt. Borge Langeland, of New Orleans, commander of the carrier. A salvage team from the U.S. Navy base at Subic Bay, Phillipine Islands, was called in to help. She was subsequently raised, repaired and returned to service.
The Card had arrived at Saigon on the Thursday before the sabotage occurred with helicopters and fighter bombers and was due to sail for the United States with a cargo of old helicopters. At the time she was assigned to and under the control of the Military Sea Transportation Service and was not a unit of the U.S. Navy’s operational forces. She was manned entirely by a civilian crew, her career as a U.S. naval escort carrier having ended shortly after the Second World War. In 1958 she was recommissioned as an aircraft ferry ship and placed in the service of the M.S.T.S.
Now rated as an aircraft ferry (AKV), the Card was originally classed as an escort aircraft carrier (CVE). In fact she has had four classifications; reclassified from escort aircraft carrier to escort helicopter carrier (CVHE) on June 12, 1955; classified utility aircraft carrier (CVU) on July 1, 1958 on allocation to M.S.T.S.; and to aircraft ferry (AKY) on May 7, 1959.
U.S.S. Card was converted from a mercantile hull built by the Seattle-Tacoma Shipbuilding Corporation and was completed on November 8, 1942. Standard displacement is 9,800 tons, length 465 ft. (p.p.), 496 ft. (o.a.), beam 69′/2 ft. (hull), extreme width 112 ft. and maximum draft 27 ft. Vietnam SG NLF8

Liner. Built by NV Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maats, Rotterdam for Holland-America Line. Launch 13 Sept 1958. Completed Aug 1959. 38.644Gt. L749′. B93.8′. Dr55ft. Six double reduction geared steam turbine engines. 2 screws. 38.500shp. Speed 21.5kn. Was the first transatlantic liner without a conventional funnel, having instead twin uptakes aft. Maiden voyage 3 Sept 1959 Rotterdam-New York. Included on board was the Crown Princess Beatrix of the Netherlands. Relegated in 1969 to cruises only. Registered under the ownership of NV Rotterdam in 1973. Transferred to Holland America Cruises Inc. Curacao in 1981. In 1983 was 38.644Gt. Refit at Northwest Marine Works, Portland, Oregon in Sept/Oct 1989 - Tristan Da Cunha 1994 SG559 (WP July 94)

Liner Built 1992 by Schichau-Seebeckwerft. Bremerhaven. Yard No 1071. LRS 9008598. 10,000Gt. 780Dwt. L439′. B63′. Dr17′. Built for Royal Viking Line, Coral Gables, Florida. Four Bergen diesel engines. Speed l6kn. 2 screws. One bow thruster. Ice strengthened. In 1994 transferred to Royal Cruise Line and began service Jan 1994 as QUEEN ODYSSEY - Barbados 1994 SG1078. (P Snijers. WP Nov 94)

Israel issued, in February last, a set of three stamps showing respectively the ports of Elat, Ashdod, and Haifa, all of these stamps showing various ships in the ports. One ship is very easily recognisable as the Theodor Herzl, on the Haifa stamp. This Zim Line twin-screw passenger liner of 9,914 gross tons and 2,913 deadweight, is 487 ft 1 1 ins. in length; beam 64 ft. 8 ins. and draft 21 ft. 5 ins.
The vessel was built to work in the Mediterranean, between Haifa and Marseilles, with off-season cruises in the Mediterranean, or from New York to the Caribbean. She left London on May 7, 1957, on her maiden voyage to Haifa, only after a thorough search of the ship had followed a warning that a bomb had been placed on board. A frogman inspected the underwater section of the hull to see if a limpet mine had been attached to it. Nothing was found. The bomb scare began with a message to a London newspaper, which passed the warning to the police, who were at once sent to the ship in the West India Dock, while a special lunch was taking place. Among the guests were Sir David Eccles (president of the Board of Trade), Mr. E. Elath (Israeli Ambassador), the Lord Mayor of London (Sir Cullam Welch) and Dr. Israel Brodie (Chief Rabbi). The search went on throughout the afternoon and all passengers had to stand by their baggage in the customs shed to see it cleared. It was hardly the bright, cheerful send-off one associates with a maiden voyage. Info E Argyle SB5/69. Israel SG407.

Builder: Cammell, Laird & Co Ltd, Birkenhead, England.

Completed: June 1939.

Gross tonnage: 35,655.

Dimensions: 772ft x 54ft. Depth 54ft.

Engines: Six steam turbines, single-reduction geared.

Screws: Twin.

Decks: Six.

Normal speed : 23 knots. Officers and crew: 593.

Passenger accommodation: 475 first, 390

cabin, and 304 tourist class.

Maiden voyage: Liverpool–New York on June 19,1939

She made only four trips to New York and was laid up at New York from December 16, 1939, until she was requisitioned for troop work on March 1, 1940. Left New York on March 20, 1940, for Sydney, Australia, via Balboa and Honolulu. After carrying over 350,000 troops and steaming 542,000 miles on 48 voyages she arrived at Liverpool on May 30, 1945, completing her war services. Overhauled between September 1946 and April 1947 at Birkenhead and re-entered service on April 26, 1947, from Liverpool to New York.

Engaged in the Southampton–Le Havre? Cobh–New York service with cruises during the off season from New York. She was given full air-conditioning in 1957.

 In 1962 her hull was painted to a light green hue and made an attempt to break into the passenger trade from New York to the Mediterranean. This proved to be unsuccess­ful and she was used more extensively for cruise purposes from out of New York and Southamp­ton.

 Withdrawn from service on November 10, 1965, upon her arrival at Southampton.

 Sold for scrap at Inverkeithing, Scotland, arriving on November 23. She was broken up by March 1966.

Capo Verde SG409

Circa l629. No known picture exists but referring to similar ships of the period one may assume she would be 180tn. L90′. B24′. Four ships of the name in existence in l620 so confusion occurs as to which carried The Pilgrim Fathers to America. Supposedly took part in operations against Spanish Armada 1858 w
-relates to her being shown painted on the G.B. Stamp. Departed Plymouth 6 Sept l620 carrying 120 Pilgrims bi for Virginia. Severe storms encountered toward end of Oct drove her off course. 10 Nov l620 she anchored harbour of what is now Provincetown, Cape Cod. 11 Dec anchored off site on the Mainland selected for a settles where the Pilgrims disembarked. The following spring MAYFLOWER returned to England. l624 the Admiralty reported her in poor condition. Presume she was broken up and her timber used to build a barn, which still stands Jordans, Buckinghamshire - Bangladesh 1976. SG82. Bulgaria SG2867. Great Britain 1970 SG822. Guinea Bissau SG952. Isle of Man SG322-3. Liberia 1975SG1239. Mali SG289. Pitcairn Is SG170. Sharjah 1969 NC. U.S.A. 1920. lc-5c. SG556-8.1416. (LB 1/97. 9/106. 10/102. 13/474. EWA Vol 3. p45)