The ISLANDER not a common name on ships, and I am sure the vessel depict on this stamp of Tristan da Cunha is the American whaler ISLANDER built in 1856 at Fairhaven, USA.
Of she has visited the island of passed by not known, but most probably she did.
19 August 1856 sailed out from Nantucket, Mass. for her first whaling voyage under command of Capt. Charles E. Starbuck, at that time she is given that she is owned by Matthew Crosby, tonnage 347 ton, barque rigged.
Bound for the whaling grounds in the Pacific Ocean.
08 June 1861 she returned home with on board 800 barrels sperm-oil.
12 June 1862 she sailed out from Nantucket for her second whaling voyage under command of Capt. William Cash, owned then by Zenas L. Adams, she was bound for the Pacific whaling grounds.
13 July 1865 she returned, with on board 2.400 brl. Sperm-oil and 560 brls. whale oil, during the voyage had sent home 1.800 pound (whale) bone.
Thereafter sold to New Bedford.
11November 1865 she sailed out from New Bedford under command of Capt. Richard Holley, at that time she was owned by David B. Kempton, New Bedford.
She headed for the whaling grounds of the Pacific.
12 June 1869 she returned at New Bedford with on board, 279 brls. sperm-oil, 274 brls. whale oil and 2.200 pound bones. She had already sent home 417 brls. sperm-oil, 2.083 brls. whale oil and 35.715 pound bones.
25 July 1871 she sailed out from New Bedford for the whaling grounds of the Indian Ocean under command of Capt. John C. Hamlin, she was then owned by I.H.Bartlett & Sons at New Bedford. Her tonnage is then given as 240 tons, dim. 105 x 27 x 15ft.
Send home during the voyage 695 brls. sperm oil.
March 1873 sold at Albany, South West Australia.
Then she appears in the book Whalers out of Van Diemen’s Land.
1873 The American barque ISLANDER was bought by William J.Gillan of King George Sound and registered in Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) under command of Capt, Swift.
June 1873 owned by W.J.Gillian, W.G.Kmight, W.H. Graham and others, registered at Perth.
Tonnage given as 277.25 tons, dim. 104.0 x 26.7 x 15.18m.
1876 ISLANDER lost one men out of a boat when fastened to a whale. It was believed that the line fouled his leg.
1877 Bought by a Fremantle Whaling Company.
16 December 1878 the ISLANDER arrived at Hobart Town under command of Capt. Swift with a full cargo of oil, after a voyage of seventeen months.
1880 The ISLANDER out for sixteen months secured 52 tons oil.
1884 She came in after a voyage of thirteen months, still under command of Capt, Swift. It was her last whaling voyage; she was moored off Mc Gregor’s slip.
Captain Swift left her and sailed for his home in the USA.
The Inquirer of 26 October 1887 a local newpaper that she was sold for £50.
The Inquirer of 09 September 1890 gives that she was broken up
Register closed in 1908.
A large eagle stern-board of her you can find in the Maritime Museum of Tasmania.
Tristan da Cunha 1983 5p sg341, scott?
Source: Whalers out of Van Diemen’s Land by Harry O’May. History of the American Whale Fishery by Alexander Starbuck. Some web-sites.