The US Postal Service is issuing a set of four stamps honoring the US Merchant Marine throughout its history. The four stamps feature a clipper ship modeled after the Sovereign of the Seas, launched in 1852; an auxiliary steamship, based on the ships of the Collins Line; a World War II Liberty Ship; and a container ship, based on Matson Line’s R.J. Pfeiffer. Illustrator Dennis Lyall of Norwalk, Connecticut, created the stamps under the art direction of Phil Jordan of Falls Church, Virginia. These are not the first stamps honoring the U.S. merchant marine. See also Merchant Marine Stamp of 1946, Steamship Stamp of 1944, and First Day Covers.
Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing the news along.
a little-known fact is that the USPS still uses a mailboat . . . the J. W. Westcott here’s the wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._W._Westcott_II and here’s the Westcott’s home page http://www.jwwestcott.com/ It’s a dangerous job; two crew died back in 2001.
To sets of stamps will have marine influnces the aforementioned Merchant Marine stamps which go on sale in July. And a classic Edward Hopper painting called the “Long Leg” depicting a sailboat off of Provincetown. That stamp goes on sail in August
I am not assuaged! the Westcott is registered to take mail, however it seems to be privately owned. The United States Postal Service since 9/11 no longer carries mail overseas by ship, choosing, for odd security reasons, to fly all packages. It’s quicker, but for us citizens who want to send clothing or books overseas with no time constraints have no longer the option to ship by efficient waterborne methods, and must pay the high price to fly things. As fuel prices rise, you might have to buy Grandmama in the Hinterlands an iTunes gift card for xmas this year instead of sending her the photobook and the ceramic artworks of the grandchildren.
Honor the U.S. Merchant Marine: use ’em!