Kralj Aleksandr I (Steam Passenger) 1932

[Arturo]

Built by Lightgows Ltd., at the Kingston Shipbuilding Yard at Port Glasgow and launched on November 26, 1931. After running succesful trials she was delivered to her owners on March 10, 1932. She was built for service in the Adriatic and to cruise in the Mediterranean.

Kralj Aleksandr I named after the ruler of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. She was the flagship of Dubrovačka, a Dubrovning based company which was engaged in passenger and tramp shipping.

She was a small twin-screw passenger vessel, her dimensions being: Lenght: 270' 5"; breadth: 42' 1"; load draught: 13' 7,5"; depth: 23' 8". Her gross tonnage was 2,463, with a load displacement of 2,390 tons. David Rowan & Co. Ltd. of Glasgow supplied her quadruple-expansion engines of 4,800 i.h.p. which gave the vessel an average speed of 18 knots.

She was taken prize Sep 1941 by Italians and renamed as Re Alessandro. Taken at Zante by Germans Sep 1943 and 9 Sep 1943 mined near Patras/Greece, beached, constructive total loss. Broken up.

Wreck removed 1954 and scrapped at Split.

On the foot of the stamp design is the wording “Za Jadransku Strazu” (The Adriatic Guard) and the stamp carried a Premium to provide funds fort his coast guard service, any surplus going towards the cost of a projected national maritime museum. (Ship has often been confused with Aleksandar I of Jugoslavenski Lloyd)

Jugoslavia 1939, 1 din + 0,50 d

Source: Watercraft Philately and various web-sites.