CITY OF PARIS on stamp CIDADE DE PARIS 1888

[shipstamps]

The passenger vessel depict on this stamp of Angola “Barcos do Mundo” and given as CIDADE DE PARIS is the British vessel CITY OF PARIS.

Built as a passenger vessel under yard No 241 by J&G Thomson, Govan, Scotland for the Inman & International S S Co. Ltd., Liverpool.
14 September 1887 laid down.
23 October 1888 launched under the name CITY OF PARIS, one sister the CITY OF NEW YORK.
Tonnage 10.699 gross, 5.573 net, dim.171 x 19.25 x 11.94m.
Powered by two 3-cyl triple expansion steam engines, 18.500 hp., twin screws, speed 20 knots.
Passenger accommodation for 540 cabin, 200 2nd, 1.000 3rd. class. Crew 392.
19 March 1889 made her sea trials, trial speed 21.9 knots.
Fitted out with three funnels and a clipper bow, gracefully decorated with the form of a female figure.
March 1889 completed.

The company was predominantly American, but the ships were registered in the U.K and sailed with a British crew.
She and her sister were built for the transatlantic service between the U.K. and New York, and the first twin-screw passengers ships were the sailing rig disappeared. The pair was designed by Sir John Biles.
03 April 1889 sailed for her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York.
She was holder of the Blue Riband from 1889 till 1891 for the westbound and eastbound voyage, she made the first crossing under six days for a passenger liner. She lost it to the MAJESTIC (westbound) and CITY OF NEW YORK (eastbound).
For a short time she was again the holder of the Blue Riband during 1892 till 1893 for the westbound voyage.
25 November 1890 at 05.30 p.m. when in a position 216 miles west of Fastnet , the starboard engine broke down, the cylinder went to pieces, damaging the bulkhead breaking the injection and water pipe connections, and allowing considerable inflow of water in both engine rooms and the adjacent section. No one on board was injured. She was underway from New York to Liverpool.
Towed by the cargo vessel ALDERSGATE, later 4 tugs joined the tow; she was towed to Spike Island off Cork where she anchored.
Three special chartered trains took the passengers and mails from Cork to Dublin.

1893 She and her sister were transferred to the American Line, and her name shortened to PARIS. Registered in the United States, homeport Philadelphia.
25 March 1893 made her first sailing from Southampton to New York.

At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, she was requisitioned by the US Government and commissioned 2 May 1898 as the auxiliary cruiser USS YALE under command of Capt. W.C. Wise.
First employed off Puerto Rico and on 10 May she captured the Spanish freighter RITA, and putting a prize crew on board which sailed her to Charleston, South Carolina.
The following day she met a Spanish armed transport and after firing a few shots she retired, returning to San Juan the next day, where the shore battery Fort San Cristobal fired a few shots at her, which not hit her.
She kept up her patrol duty till 13 May where after she headed for St Thomas, Virgin Islands.
She was again off Puerto Rico on 16 and 17 May before she headed to Cape Haitien, Haiti in company with ST PAUL.
Stayed there till 21 May, then set course for Santiago de Cuba where the Spanish fleet had been discovered.
YALE remained there while the United States fleet assembled off Santiago to blockade the Spanish fleet in port.
28 May left that area and after a short call at Port Antonio, Jamaica headed for Newport News.
23 June returned to Cuba and arrived off Santiago on 27 June, where she stayed for two days, before she set course to Key West, Florida. Stopped there overnight on 3 and 4 July before she headed for Charleston.
11 July she was back at Santiago and stayed in Cuban waters till the 17th.
Took part in the invasion of Puerto Rico at Guánica.
26 July set course for New York stayed there for two weeks early August before she headed again for Cuba on the 15 August.
Took on board American returning troops for New York where she arrived on 23 August.
02 September 1898 decommissioned at New York and handed back to owners, renamed again PARIS, she resumed service between New York and Southampton.

21 May 1899 during a westbound voyage she stranded on the Manacles off Lands End, Cornwall and not before 11 July she was refloated.
Repaired and refitted in Belfast, her two engines were replaced with two quadruple expansion steam engines, one funnel was removed and she was in 1901 renamed on completion of repair PHILADELPHIA.
Passenger accommodation for 700 second and 1000 3rd class.
31 August 1901 after her repair put in the service between Southampton via Cherbourg to New York.

When the U.S entered World War I she was used as a troop transport by the US Army and late May 1918 commissioned as USS HARRISBURG.
She took troops to the battlefields in Europe, making 10 voyages to the UK and France before in November 1918 the fighting ended.
Then she made six more trips with returning servicemen to the US.
September 1919 decommissioned.
Resumed service across the North Atlantic renamed again in PHILADELPHIA.
1922 Sold to the New York-Naples Steamship Company, not renamed.
01 July 1922 sailed from New York via Gibraltar to Naples and Constantinople But during her first voyage the company was declared bankrupt, and after arrival Naples she was seized for debt.
1923 Broken up at Genoa, Italy.

On Angola 1999 KZr950.000.00 sg?

Source: http://www.history.nav.mil/photos/sh-us ... z/yale.htm http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_City_of ... %281888%29
The Times Ships of the World by Paine. Merchant Fleets in Profile, Inman Line by Duncan Haws.

[Arturo]

City of Paris

Paraguay 1986, S.G.?, Scott: 2178a.

[aukepalmhof]

PARAGUAY 1986 GR 0.25 sg?, scott 2178a