July 29, 2011

U.S.Merchant Marine.

 The U.S. Postal Service released a set of 4 stamps on 28th July 2011 to honor the U.S. Merchant Marine featuring vessels that have played an important role in US history: clipper ships, auxiliary steamships, Liberty ships, and container ships.

The Clipper Ship stamp is based on an undated lithograph of the famous clipper Sovereign of the Seas, which launched in 1852. Clipper ships, ushered in by the California Gold Rush of 1849 and noted for their streamlined shape and majestic cloud of square-rigged sails, set numerous speed records for their time.

The Auxiliary Steamship stamp is based on contemporary lithographs of ships of the Collins Line, which provided service between New York and Liverpool in the 1850s. Auxiliary steamships—steam-powered ships with back-up sailing rigs—were the ocean liners of their day, competing in the 1850s with clipper and other sailing ships for transatlantic mail and passenger service.

The Liberty Ship stamp is based on a photograph of an unidentified Liberty ship in the files of the Westport Public Library in Connecticut. During World War II, the United States built more than 2,700 Liberty ships, plain but sturdy cargo vessels that sustained the Allied forces with a steady supply of food and war material.

The Container Ship stamp is based on an undated photograph of the R.J. Pfeiffer, a modern container ship launched in 1992 and operated by Matson Navigation Company. Container ships, pioneered in the 1950s, are the lifeblood of today's global economy, carrying nearly all the world's manufactured goods across the oceans and exemplifying the modern merchant marine.

Source : U.S.Postal Service, Thanks to Kasinath.

No comments: