G E R M A N Y
Today I present a rare philatelic item.
But let me explain a philatelic expression first: We are talking about the
word "PAQUEBOT". It is a French word and literally means "steamer or boat
packet". Philatelically, it refers to a mail boat.
It is a marking (cancel) on loose letters collected on board ships in most
major seaports to be deposited in a port post office for onward
transmission. The use of such markings has been provided under U.P.U.
rules since about 1894. The form of such cancels varies, including such
things as navire, packetboat, paquete, ship-letter, loose letter,
steamboat letter, packet letter, etc. These markings are not typically
used for letters posted in an official post office maintained on ship,
which use special cancels (often called maritime postmarks).
(taken from "The International Encyclopedic Dictionary of Philately", by
R. Scott Carlton, Iola, WI, USA, 1997)
Here we have such a PAQUEBOT
cancellation. The letter was sent from the ship M/S Prinsesse Ragnhild of
the JAHRELINE (a Norwegian ferry company), covering the route Kiel
Germany) to Oslo (Norway). A special cachet cancel commemorates the 10th
anniversary of the operation of this route. The letter was sent from Oslo,
Norway, to Berlin, Germany, on June 2nd, 1976 and franked with a
German (Volleyball) stamp (number 001a).
The ship in mention is the PRINSESSE RAGNHILD, which was built in 1966 by
Kieler Howaldtswerke for Jahre Line for their Oslo - Kiel service. In 1980
she was laid up, sold and renamed JALINA. The following year (1981), she
was sold to Ametista Shipping Corporation, Monrovia, Liberia, as AMETISTA,
and in the same year she entered service as the JIN JANG for Xiamen
Shipping between Xiamen - Hong Kong. In 1983 she was renamed JI MEI. From
1998 onwards she worked as a casino ship in Hong Kong, and is now
registered for Sky-High Fortune Maritime Inc., Panama.
M / S PRNSESSE RAGNHILD
JIN JANG
