The stamp on the cover is one of three depicting old steam
ships. The First Day Cover, shows the "Arcturus"
on the 700c stamp.
In 1856, a small steam-powered cargo ship known as the Victor
Emanuel set sail in the Mediterranean. Privately owned and operated, she
weighed only 331 tons and spanned a mere 156 feet in length. For several years
she was used exclusively on a route between England and Glasgow. However, when
the Faro Islands began to emerge as an important industrial power, the Victor
Emanuel and many other cargo ships served to transport the many imports the
Faroe Islands needed. It was at this point that the Victor Emanuel was
purchased by Koch and Henderson -- a Scottish shipping company. The new owners
re-christened their ship the S.S. Arcturus ... named after the brightest
star in the northern celestial hemisphere. Most vessels would make the
hazardous journey to the Faroe Islands only in Spring and in late Summer.
However, the rugged Arcturus made five to seven trips a year for over
ten years. Even though she was the most reliable ship to service the Islands,
her small size always put her at a disadvantage to the many larger cargo ships
of her day. Thus, in 1867 the Arcturus was torn down and rebuilt into a
vessel of much greater size. She then faithfully served the needs of the Faroe
Islands for some twenty more years.
Both the Faeroe- and Iceland-stamp show two masts which date
the source drawings to before 1872, the year in which "Arcturus"
gained a third mast and new steam engine. Koch & Henderson merged
with two other shipping companies in 1867 to form DFDS (United Steamship
Company), for whom "Arcturus" continued to sail on the
Faeroes-Iceland run continually until 1870. She collided with the British
steamship "Savona" on 5th April 1887 and sank.
Thank you Merja.
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