Ht•print£•d from Thl' ./IJIII'IInl "' ('oi/11/IPI'rl' "'"' ,...,,;,,,,,,!, r,,,,,..,J,f·. Saturday, Dt-l'emhE>r 1:!. Hl-1:!

SHIPS DEPICTED ON POSTAGE STAMPS

Extracts from a paper read by Mr. E. W. ARGYLE - before - The Liverpool Nautical Research Society on December 5th, 1942

No. 8 MY subject covers a period of over One type of sampan is seen on local 4,000 years. Almost every type postage stamps of Foochow. of craft and ship in universal use ,s Egyptian Galley. The earliest depict.d on postage stamps, from known vessel to appear on a postage the dug-out canoe and boat made of stamp •~ one of the ships used io reeds to the liner Normandie. the famous expedition to the " Land Dug·Out Canoe. Probably the of Punt," sent by Queen Hatshepset earliest type of hoot on stamps. in 1500 B.C. An account of the voy­ Hollowed out of a tree trunk by pri­ age, an'l replicas of the five vessels mitive stone or bronze axes, or some used, arc engraved on the Temple nf other tool made on the spot, aiH..l Deir el Bahari, Thehes. One of later burnt out by fire, they are these t>ngravings is shown 011 the found all 0\"er the world. They have Egyptia11 stamps of 1926 com­ sometimes reached a length of 40ft. memorating the International Navi­ Stamp;; from French Guiana, Sierra gation Congress. The Egyptians Leone, Italian Colonies, Liberia, were onEc of the first peoples to gi,·e Solomon Islands, Gilbert and Ellice names to theil· boats. Some of the Islands, Brunei and the Congo are namPs of these galleys still surviv­ some o: the issues depicting the ing are Glorious in Memphis, Battle dug-out canoe. Animal, Ship of Pharoah, and Birch Bark Canoe, made from a Beloved of Amon. Can you imagine skin of bark, and cut to form, 60me of our present-day skippers before being fastened to a wooden calling their ship " Beloved!" frame, is shown on American and Phoenician Bireme. As Egyptian Canadian stamp issues. It is the supremacy declined the Phoenicialis craft. nf the North American Indian. became the leading maritime nation the '' Redskin " of our boyhood and held sway from 1200 to 700 B.O. days. They were enterprising navigators. Eskimo Kayak is a one-man-canoe and are reputed to have circumnavi­ consisting of a covering of skins over gated the African continent. They a framework of wood or whalebone. guarded theil· shipbuilding secrets It is depicted on a 20 kopecks stamp with their li\·es. A captain would of Russia issued in 1933, and is the sink his galley rather than let it fall smallest of sea-going craft, being into Greek or Roman hands. only 17ft. long and 2ft. wide. Scuttling ships is an old Jewish Polynesian Canoes attained :\ custom. Hitler ought to be told. speed, ~ize and h!'auty unsurpassed The Phoenicians came from Tyre by any other native craft. We have and Sidon, Palestine. They are several of these shown on Solomon credited with the invention of the Islands' stamps. The current iis Bireme, or galley carrying two banks stamp depicts a decoratt>d canoe, of oars on each side of the ship. A inlaid with shell, belonging to a Ran Bireme is shown on a Lebanon Cristobal tribe. Roviana War stamp issue of 1937. Canoes are shown on other valut>s Greek Galley. Following the of the Islands' stamps. Phoenicians, the Greeks are thought The Balsa must he one of the to have built their own warships oldest craft in the world. It is a about 700 B.C. Two naval battles, reed boat, made by weaving specially in which galleys were employed, are treated reeds, and is only found on !'\hown on Greek stamps. The Lake Titicaca, among the treeless Battle of Ralamis, 480 B.O., in which highland~ of the Andes. Some the Grt>eks defeated Xerxes I of Balsas are fitted with a reed sail. Persia, and the fleet of Leo Ill s qf gutfas, shown on one-anna Iraq leather stamped with values. Their stamps, are circular in shape and capital, Carthage, was burnt down woven from wickerwork, interlaced by the Romans in 146 B.O. On a with native rope made from palm French colonial stamp of Tunis, fibre. The outside of the boat is 1906, is shown a Carthaginian then coated, very thickly, with thP­ galley. This has two sails on its native bitumen found in the neigh­ mast. Can anyone tell me whether bourhood. this is corrt>ct? If so, they seem to Catamaran is a native of the East have been in advance of their time. and West lndies, and was originally Roman Galley. The Roman Empire made of three pieces of wood lashed was at its greatest period from 31 together in the form of a raft, whirh B.C. until 476 A.D. The ftt>et ·Jf could b~· sailed or paddled. Its use Augustus the Great is shown on an is now almost unh•ersal wherever Italian stamp issued to celebrate his native tribes are found. bimillenary. Six typical galleys of Sampan of China, found on all the the period are shown. The galley's rivers of that country, was o1·iginally chief weapon of attack, the ram, is a catamaran, with the fore-end shown on the Italian colonial stomp 11pturned, hut it developed into a of Libya, of 1921. The ram pro­ boat in almost prehistoril' times. jected fonvard from the bow, partly abu\"e and parti,Y below th<' water· Lakatol. Simila1· to the )laori lenl. canoe, the lakatoi of :\ew Guinea Roman Corbita or Merchantman. is a huge staging built o,·er canoes The sailing ships which carried rncr­ that are lashed together. It has a <-handise ,\·ere totally different fmnr peculiar sail, made of calico and the war galleys, those being used t'or matting, fixed to a bamboo frame. the corn trade between Egypt and It is pr·obahly a de,·elopment of the RomP in the 2nd century A.D. being ::\lnuri canoe, and appears on se,·eral some OOft. lonJ:!: with a rarr-ving Papuan stamps. !'ap;wity of about 250 tunR. ·The Galleas. The introduction of guns stamp issued by L<'banon rn 1931 made it necessary to h•rild stronger shows us a typical corn ship. The galle.rs and to alter their deck space Homnn "artemon," half mast and to a\·oid straining the sides and half bowspr·it, can be seen projectin~ beams. The galleas resulted. At O\'er the bow. This spar, with its fir·st a large edition of the galley square sail set below, made it pos· ht:;•· oars were gradually dispensed sible for n ship to make some pro· ~nth a~d she became purely a sail­ gress against adverse winds for the mg slup. A Venetian galleas is first time in history. shown on a Fiume stamp. She was ~ikins Galley. The Viking long­ a warship and had a low IJrojecting slnp appears on more stamp designs beak. She e\·entually de,·e oped into than any other type of galley, being a four-masted vessel. commemorated on issues of U .S.A., The Carraok has been called tho Esthonia, Iceland and • Austria. " first full-rigged ship." She had Qui~li~g, of Norway, has also issued three masts and was square-rigged a ,Vrkmg set. The Viking longship on fore and main and latcen rigged drffei'S conspicuously from 1\Iediter­ ou the mizzen. She was the trad­ r·anean galleys by the absence of the ing ship of the liediterranean, 1·am. Obviously the Vikings had no during the Uth, }.5th and 16th naval opposition. centuries, and was the forerunner of the galleon. She was slower and Arab Dhow. The dhow is sup- less ornamental _than ~he galleas~ posed to have originated on the Nile but was u. steadrer slup in bau about 350 B.C. To most Europeans weather. Appeal'S on stamps of a dhow is simply the name given to Spain, all countries showing the any Arab sailing ship. In Arabic ships of Columbus, the Xina. Pinta there exist a multitude of terms and Santa l\Iaria., being carr·acks, which each describe some particular South-West Africa, Portugal and type such as baghlas, sambuks, Colonies, United States, &c. Later ghanjas, ballams, bums, badens carraeks had four masts. dho~s, . j~lbas, zaim!'-s, saiyahs: Caravel. A ::\leditE'rranean trader knt1as, 1brrs, &c. Whrch particular of Portuguese origin. Similar to ,·essels appear on stamps of Zanzi­ the enrraek in build. hut latcen bar, ::\lozambique, Tangan~·ika, and riggNI originally 011 threP masts, Aden I do not know; the)· are all and later· squar·e-dgged on foremast dhows to me I'm afraid. The intro­ and lateen on main and mizzen. duction of the lateen sail is ascribed ..\ contemporary of the carrack. to th~ Arabs in the 9th century A.D. Shown on Por·tugal and Colonies, Chmese Junk. The junk is Peru and Venezuela. ano.ther ves.sel o~ very ancient Kosse or cos. This t~·pe of vessel desrgn. It rs consrdered over 2 000 was the troder· of Northern waters, years old, and is certainly the first the t•qui,·alent of thP cara,·el and type of vessel to be found with earrnck. She was usnalh· elink£>r water-tight compartments. It was built. th£> ::\lediterraneait \'l'ssels probably the first vessel to be being can·el built. Had square sails on main, fore and mizzen. steered by a rudder instead of u Kogges of the Hanseatic League steer·ing oar. Junks appear un are shown on Danzig Free State stamps of China, Chungking, stamps. An English cog is shown Chefoo, Hong Kong, Indo-China and on a Bermuda stamp. The lateen North Borneo. sail aJ>peared on some of these 13th Century Round Ship-The ,·,•ssels in the middle of the 15th Nef. As trade and commerce cent111·~·. One is shown on a Danish tluurished ships had to be made lmgge on stamps of that country. l:u·ger·. A 13th centurr trader, a The kogge. car·rack and cara>el ship uf the period between the were the first threc-ma,;ted ships, Roman round ship and the galleas, with. perhaps, the exc£>ption of the appears on a stamp of Rhodt•s. She junk. Later the ::\lediterrnnean is the first ::\Ieditermnenn ship \'£>ssels addt>rl a bona\'l'ntur£> mizzen appearing on stamps with a rudder· mast. lateen rigged. instead of a steering oar, though Galleon. The outstandinl!. diffl'­ tlw Roman nrtemon is missing. The rence b£>tween galleon and cannck nl'f )aRh>d until the cnrrack super­ was that the for·mpr followPd the seded her·. stvle of the gall£>as with a low pro­ Maorl Double Canoe. The Maoris i£>cting l1Pak. the cnrrack always discover·ed and colonised the islands ha,·ing a high o\'erhangitt!): forP­ of ~ew Zealand in 1350. The llaori east.le. The ~~:all£>on was mmall~· C"anoe is t,vpicall~· Polynesinn, being fom·-masted and elahorat£>1~· ear·>ed two canoes lashed together and nnd gildrd. lTniloubt£>dl:v the mo,-.t mounted with a central staging. pic•turesque ship e>Pr huilt. Tt The use of two keels ga,·e stability nnne:rrs on stamns of ~11ain, tn a lar·ge sail. The~' ar·e showu on Holland. CnraC'no. TT.!'> ...\ . ~wPden, stamps of ~ew Zealand. France. Rarhndos, St. Kitt•. &C' East lndlaman. In 1600 QneE'u Early Steamers. The Ro~·al Eliza.hE'th grant!'d fm· 1:3 ,·ears a William, appearing on a Canadian Chart!'r to '·ThE' Gm·E'rnor nnd stamp of 1933. was the fin.t stenmer Compnny of the )Jerchnnts of to cross the Atlnntic without using London trading into the East saik Built at Cap Blanc, Queher, lndies." Thus began the Honourable shE' left that port on August 4, 1833, East India Compan~·, which, for and arrived at Gravesend on Septem­ nearly two-and-a-half centuries, ber 11. ShE' was then chartered bv monopolised the Far East trade. An the Portugn!'se Gm·ernment, nnd wn's East Indiaman is shown on stamps Inter sold to Spain, who rom·erted of St. HE'Iena and Ascension, tak:?n her into the first steam warship, f•·•·m the SE'nl of the ('n'••J:,· The undc>r the name of Ysabel Segunda. 11amE' of this YE'SSE'l is ,m·k,Jo\\:·n. East Another Atlantic pioneer is shown lndiamE'n wE'rE' armE'd merchantmen on a Xew Brunswick stamp of 1860, and co-op!'rated with the 1\n,·y when a C'unnrdE'r of the Britannia type of re·1uired. At the capture of .\dl•n, 18-W. in 1!'39, !'hown on an AdE'n stamp, The Pacific Steam Nadgntion Co .. two H.E.l ships took part. The St. ha\·e thE'ir two first st!'amships of Helens stamp shows a ship of the 18-!0, Peru and Chile, on the first frigate type stamps of PPrn, while a steamer un­ Ship of the Line. Warships known to me appenrs on their bec·11me cl;•o;sified or rated according m,\·stery stamps, found in the com­ to t },eir size and E'fficienc_y during tne pany's factor;\· at Chucuito, Per11. StoJart period. TheY were known <1S The Lad~· )JcLeod, 18-!5; Collins 'irst rate, ~;ecnnd rate, &c . shlps o' Line Adriatic, 1857; Robert Todd. the line, according to the number of 186;1;" Honfleur, 1868; S\·erige, 18il: guns carried. Tn•o exnmpl.:>s on Oregon, 188:1, and .-\rawa, 1884. ar" stamps are the vessels on Bahamas all stPamshipo; with auxiliary snils and St. Kitts NeYis issues. shown on stnmps. 17th century Maltese Galley, Modern Liners. St Paul.-A ship used by knights in their age-long well known to Lh•erpool is the old struggle against the Turks. is shown St. Paul of the American Line. .I on l\laltese stamps. The galley think we can call her the first of the finally disappeared from the 1\Iediter­ modern liners on stamps. She was ranean in 1805. built by Cramp, at Philadelphia, in The Barque, 18th Century. Two 189.'). famous barque-rigged vessels of the Mauretanla ('l) A Belgian stamp 18th century were Captain Cook's shows a four-funnelled Cunanler. It Endeavour and Bligh's Bounty. has the Mauretania's rounded for­ Both are shown on stamps. The ward end and the Aquit.ania's decks. barque of this period had a square A composite Cunarder? topsail on the mi:r.:r:en. This was aergenaf)ord. The first Norwegian later altered to the fore and aft sail passenger liner, built at Birkenhead of later barques. in 1913 is shown on a Norwegian Victory. I don't think any descrip­ stamp. Owned by the 1\orwegian­ tion of the British Navy's proudest Amerika Line. ship is necessary. It is shown on Blue Riband Winners. Among the stamps of Antigua commemoratif!g present-day Blue R.iband winners on Nelson's last visit to the island m Ehllll(lll are the Normanrii'l, Rex, and 180.5. Bremen. )lany otht>r present-day U.S.S. Hartford. This vessel i~; ships are also illustrated. The last­ shown on an American stamp. She built liner to appear on 6tamps is the was one of the United States first S.S. Pasteur, built in 1938. steam and sail warships of the tran­ Modern Warships on Stamps. The sition period. Stamp shows her with first of the Modern Warships I sup­ all sails set and smoke belching from pose is the old Dreadnought of 1873, her funnel. She was a l'l'ood ship which revolutionised warship build­ of 2,900 tons built in Boston in 1858. ing. Her type appears on a 1\laltese 18th Century Sailing Shipa. stamp design. Other famous war­ Several well-known vessels appear on ships depicted are the 1\Iaine, stamps, among them being the Cuba, sunk in Havana Harbour; U.S.S. Sandbach, Dunedin, Sacramenta, Olympus, of Manila Bay fame; Elbe, Erne, Aurora, Tory, Britannia, Yawuz, ex German Goeben; U.S.S. and Presidente Sarmiento. Many unknown ships, barques, brigs, Houston, sunk in the Java Sl:'a bchooners, brigantines, barquentines battle, and the French Clemenceau, and topsail schooners are also repre­ still building. sented. The Polish submarine Orzel de­ Fulton's S.S. Clermont. Early in serves a place of fame all to herself. 1807, the> Clc>rmont was ready for She is fittingly commemorated 1•n a trial on the Hudson. She is generally Polish stamp. acknowledged to be the world's first There are numbera of oths~ Khips regular passenger steamer. Her on stamps I have not rn~utiou~d. length was 133ft., speed 5 knots. nnt ive craft, fishing boats, ferry aud A U.R.A. stamp of 1909 shows her ri\·er boats, train ferries, &'l. on the Hudson, with the "half T ha,·e said enough to pr'lve ~hat moon " and an Indian birch bark thl' u.an who collects stamps depict­ canoe; tliC' first canoe, first sailing ing ;hips has a spare time or.!upati•m ship and fir11t ~teamer to sail on the that will give him ample scope for Hud11on Rinr. nnuticnl research.