SHIP STAMP SOCIETY

Interested in Ships and Stamps? The Ship Stamp Society is an international society and publishes it’s journal, Log Book, six time a year.
Other benefits include the availability of a "Packet" for anyone who wants to purchase or sell ship stamps.
Full membership of £17 (UK only) includes receiving Log Book by post, but there is an online membership costing just £12pa.
Full details can be found on our web site at http://www.shipstampsociety.com where you can also join and pay your chosen subscription through Paypal or by cheque.
A free sample of Log Book is available on request.

When you look carefully to this stamp you can see that the name ROCKET II is painted mid-ships on the hull, the stamp gives that a “ferry sea coaster concept” is shown. The stamp shows I believe a ship drawing of the design, but actually the ship is the ISLAND ROCKET II.

She was built in 1997 for the Island Express Boat Lines, Sandosky, OH by the Air Ride Craft Inc. Miami.
Delivered as the ISLAND ROCKET II.
Tonnage 32 grt, 25 nrt, dim. 64.70 x 19.20 x 6.5ft.
Powered by?

On the "home-grown" design front, the new Surface Effect Ship (SES) catamaran ferry ISLAND ROCKET II will begin service this summer on Lake Erie for owner Island Express Boat Lines, Ltd., Sandusky, Ohio.
"We were looking for something with a little more speed and a little more passenger comfort," Island Express general manager Brad Castle told Marine Log, "and this certainly fit the bill."
At full load, Castle says the 149-passenger ISLAND ROCKET II should reach cruising speeds in the "mid-40 knot range" and still be comfortable for passengers. It will combine with Island Express Boat Lines' other ferry, the ISLAND ROCKET I, to offer regular service from Sandusky to Kelleys Island to Put-in-Bay.
Based on the Seacoaster design from inventor Don Burg, president of Air Ride Craft, Inc., Miami, the 72 ft ISLAND ROCKET II integrates the best features of an SES and a catamaran. Like other SESs, the Seacoaster rides on a pressurized air cushion created under the vessel, which carries some 75 to 90% of its weight, greatly reducing the wetted area hull friction. This means that an SES normally needs much less propulsive power--about half--of that required for similar size monohulls or catamarans at speeds of 25 knots and up. For operators, this translates into fuel and power savings, a smooth ride in rough seas, and better wake characteristics at high speeds.
While SES craft are nothing new, the Seacoaster design has attracted some interest among other operators. One of those is Dan Yates, owner of the PORTLAND SPIRIT, as well as two other dinner boats in Portland, Ore. Yates has been exploring the possibility of creating a network of water taxis and fast ferries that would connect downtown Portland with Vancouver, Wash., via the Willamette and Columbia Rivers. The concept would involve possibly five ferries in the 100 passenger range.
"The designs are out there," says Yates, "but I don't want to be an innovator in technology. Rather, I want to use technology in an innovative way." But because of political and operational hurdles, he believes the effort could take two more years to come to fruition. "There's a strong light rail contingent," says Yates, "and there's also a lot of debris in the river. My dinner boats get their props banged every so often by 125 ft trees floating down the river," says Yates. ML

http://m.marinelog.com/DOCS/hisp.html

2005 The last I can find on the net that she was in a service in Florida and for sale. At that time still owned by the same owner, under USA Flag and registry IMO Number D1058181.

https://cgmix.uscg.mil/PSIX/PSIXSearch.aspx
Gambia 2000 D8 sg?, scott?

John Walker, an aircraft designer working on Concorde, designed and built PLANESAIL, at Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth, UK.
She was a no expense spared build using modern aircraft construction techniques, using the latest high tech materials like epoxy laminates, Nomex, Airex foam, carbon and glass, and cost several million.
1990 PLANESAIL was delivered.
Length 57 ft., weight 16 tons.
Two auxiliary diesel engines each 36 hp
PLANESAIL was later also called BLUE NOVA and INVENTURE.
1991
PLANESAIL made history as the first Wingsail yacht to cross the Atlantic. Though heavily landen for her transatlantic voyage, she achieved speeds of 18 knots.
She also encountered hurricanes Claudette & Andrew.
John Walker reported:
The wind had gone “off the clock” at 50 knots by midnight and stayed there for several hours as the noise of the wind continued to increase. We can only estimate that it reached perhaps 60-70 knots. Plenty, anyway. From later analysis of information from our GPS, log and the Hurricane Centre in Coral Gables, Florida, it seemed that we had passed around 60 miles from the core of Madame Claudette, and if we hadn't been able to gybe Blue Nova round we should have gone straight on into her centre.
and
Sailing Blue Nova up towards Manhattan Island past the Statue of Liberty was a great moment for us all, and TV film shot from a circling helicopter made it straight on to the evening news. A charming Customs man didn't even bother to look at our passports, let alone search the ship. He cheerfully made out our Cruising Permit and wished us a happy stay in the US.
1995 - Cowes Week
The Duke of Edinburgh spent 4 hours on board with only his personal bodyguard, the designer John Walker, and a photographer.
1997
28 February: The Next Challenge Ltd, set up by Trevor Jones in 1995, purchases PLANESAIL from Walker Wingsail plc.
PLANESAIL was customized by Simon Rogers for a circumnavigation by wheelchair bound quadriplegic, Trevor Jones.
Trevor intended to be the first quadriplegic to sail around the world.
Trevor was the Navy pilot who plucked Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson to safety after his transatlantic balloon crashed into the Irish Sea in 1987.14 October: Trevor throws the orange gauntlet at Richard Branson's feet at 10 yr rescue reunion on HMS Endurance, challenging him, wagering that Trevor would be the first to make it around the world in a customized yacht, before Branson made it around the world in a balloon.
1998
11 December: Trevor sails PLANESAIL, renamed INVENTURE, to London, were she was unveiled with the help of the Duke of York.
2001 - New Daggerboard
Nigel Irens locates a suitable new daggerboard to replace the centerboard of Planessail, for improved windward performance. It is from the French racing trimaran Primagaz.
The daggerboard is purchased for £8,000 and Simon Rogers designs the new slot for it using carbon fibre.
2001 - Around Britain
As a preparation for his circumnavigation, Trevor does the Around Britain Challenge starting the challenge on 8 August, and completing it on 19 November.
His circumnavigation attempt had to be cancelled because of poor health.

2002
Inventure Trust charity launched in London, with corporate sponsors on board. PLANESAIL as INVENTURE was certified by Mecal to operate as a sailing vessel for disabled passengers.
2004
PLANESAIL lost her Wingsail rig. The Inventure Trust continued to operate her as a Mecal certified charter motor vessel for disabled passengers.
2006
PLANESAIL purchased by current owner, who conducted an extensive refit to prepare her for long distance cruising.
2011
PLANESAIL cruised from Plymouth to the Algarve, via the Americas Cup at Cascais. The trip went smoothly, without incident.

2017 Can’t find anything on her on the net.

Downloaded from: http://PLANESAIL.com/history/index.html
Gambia 2000 D8 sg?, scott?

The Royal Canadian Navy was formed in 1910, at the time of the Anglo-German naval arms race. The Canadian parliament looked to the new navy to help preserve "the security of commerce, the safety of the empire, and the peace of the world." In the face of German naval expansion, the Royal Navy began to concentrate its strength in European waters between 1880 and 1906. Gradually, naval duties in Canadian waters had to be taken over by vessels of the Department of Marine and Fisheries. In 1902 Prime Minister Sir Wilfrid Laurier stated his intention of creating a Canadian navy, but not until the Dreadnought crisis of 1906-08 did circumstances favour development of the idea. The British-designed dreadnought battleships had unmatched firepower, but the German navy quickly developed ships of comparable capabilities. It was clear that German would soon equal Britain in this category, and when German dreadnought construction began to outstrip that of Britain, pressure mounted in the Dominions to lend the mother country a hand. The debate in the Canadian Parliament revealed deep divisions of opinion. Some urged a cash donation to allow the British to build more dreadnoughts. Others advocated what their opponents scornfully called a "tin-pot-navy" of small ships like those in the fisheries protection fleet. Another group feared that a Canadian navy would cause Canada to become embroiled, as in the Boer War, with Britain's imperial conflicts. Although these differences would help to defeat the Liberals in the election of 1911, Sir Wilfrid Laurier's government successfully brought in the Naval Service Act. It received royal assent on 4 May 1910, and the Royal Canadian Navy's first warship, the old British cruiser Niobe, entered Halifax Harbour on 21 October 1910.
The Navy stamp was designed by Toronto illustrator William Southern and graphic designer Ralph Tibbles. The design features naval personnel from three time periods: a gunner's mate from HMCS NIOBE; a World War II officer in duffel coat; and an female enlisted person in the new summer-white dress uniform.

Reference
Canada Post Corporation. [Postage Stamp Press Release], 1985.
Canada 1985 34p sg 1189, scott 1075

For the 125th Anniversary of the death of General Major Sir John Doyle https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_John_ ... st_Baronet , Guernsey used four stamps in 1984. Only one stamp has a maritime theme.

The 34p stamp depicts a “scout” or “look-out-boat”, the ship is nearing the Casquets light-house, on deck you can see the helmsman and some armed guards. The boat was loaned to the British Post Office to carry the mail between the Channel Islands and the U,K. during the French wars.

Owing to the infrequent sailings of the Post Office packets, various cutters, or scouts as they were called, were loaned to carry the mail. Each governor of the Islands had a scout for his dispatches during the war, as did the Commander in Chief of the British Naval Squadron at Jersey. The names of some of these vessels were the MARY (armed scout). BRITANNIA— Captain Naylor, BRILLIANT — Captain Court, SIR SYDNEY (armed scout), SIR WILLIAM CURTIS— Captain Batton, and RAPID— Captain White.

https://www.theislandwiki.org/index.php ... efore_1815 Guernsey Post Office release.
Guernsey 1984 34p sg 331, scott306.

During the American Civil War, blockade running became a major enterprise for the Confederacy due to the Union's Anaconda Plan, which sought to cut off all the Confederacy's overseas trade. Twelve major ports and approximately 3,500 miles of coastline along the Confederate States were patrolled by some 500 ships that were commissioned by the Union government. Great Britain played a major role on the blockade running business, as they had huge investments in the south and were the recipients of many commodities exported goods, especially cotton. Great Britain also had control over many of the neutral ports in the Caribbean, as well as Atlantic ports off the East Coast of the United States, such as the Bahamas and Bermuda. To protect their interests British investors had engineered steamships that were longer, narrower and considerably faster than most of the conventional steamers guarding the American coastline, thus enabling them to outmaneuver and outrun Union ships on blockade patrol. Among the more notable of these premier vessels was the CSS ADVANCE that completed more than 20 successful runs through the Union blockade before being captured. These vessels also served to import badly needed supplies, especially firearms, and also served to bring mail to and from the Confederacy. The blockade played a major role in the Union's victory over the Confederate states. By the end of the Civil War the Union Navy had captured more than 1,100 blockade runners and had destroyed or run aground another 355 vessels.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade_ ... _Civil_War
More info is given on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blockade_ ... _Civil_War

On the site given below I found the image after which the Bahamas stamp was designed, but the site did not give a name, and I could not find a name either, she was an early blockade runner with one mast and all the photos on the internet or books I have shown blockade runners with two masts.
Can somebody place a shipsname by the blockade runner?
http://www.minecreek.info/blockade-runn ... nners.html
Bahamas 1980 18c sg 564, scott? and 1983 80c on 18c sg 648, scott?

Built as a diving support vessel under yard No 943 by Quincy Adams Yacht Yard, Quincy, MA for the Sea Diver Corp., New York.
Launched as the SEA DIVER.
Tonnage 158 grt, 108 net, dim. 25.69 (bpp) x 6.88 x 2.96m. (draught)
Powered by two 6-cyl. Caterpillar diesels each 403 kW, twin shafts, speed ?
Accommodation for 12 passengers.
01 January 1959 delivered to owners.

1959, Edwin and Marion Link led an expedition sponsored by National Geographic, the Smithsonian Institution, and the Institute of Jamaica. This was the first mission with their new vessel SEA DIVER, the first in the world specifically designed for marine archaeology. Fitted out with specialized equipment includes bow nozzles for waterjet steering, air compressor for divers air supply and 10” suction hoses, a heavy duty crane, built in glass windows in the bow, in the stern is a diving compartment opening in the sea.

Carried an 18 ft. water-jet-propelled launch for exploration in shallow water.

On the stamp she is shown exploring the sunken city of Port Royal, Jamaica in 1959. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1692_Jamaica_earthquake

1959 She spent 10 weeks in Jamaica exploring the sunken city of Port Royal.
01 July 2001 she was renamed EDWIN LINK.
1994 She was rebuilt and repowered. Tonnage given as 160 grt, 48 nrt, dim. 34,44 x 6,86 x 3.81m, length bpp. 30.48m. (I am not sure if the Caterpillar diesel engines were place at that time?)
12 October 2003 sold to Lone Star Offshore Marine Inc., Galveston, Texas and renamed ODYSSEY.
2017 Same name and owner, laid up, Imo No 7622637, homeport Galveston, Texas.

Source Log Book. ABS Records and internet.
Jamaica 1964 5d sg230, scott?