COG

[shipstamps]

On these joint issues in 2006 of Sweden and Germany, to recognize the 650th anniversary of the founding of the Hanseatic League one stamp is interesting for the ship stamp collector.
It is the stamps which depict a COG

She was a principal ship type of Northern Europe from the late 12th to the 15th century, and a popular vessel
among the Hansa, and gradually replaced the Viking types ships in Northern Europe, mostly for her cargo space. It is known that the type was built as far as northern Spain.

The first time the name COG is mentioned in a document is in 948 AD at Muiden, Netherlands.
The earliest COG’s were most probably open decked vessels and could sailed or rowed, and steered by a steering oar, but when she got larger she got a deck, and raised platforms on the stern and bow, and the steering oar was replaced with a rudder
Used as cargo vessel but also as man-of-war and troop carriers, the type survived as a Dutch inland trader until the 17th century.
Initially clinker built with a flat bottom, not a keel, mostly one mast with a large square tanned sail.
How the early COG’s looked like is not well know, a well preserved COG is the Bremer cog, the hull is preserved but all the rigging and sails were gone.
The length of the cog is between 16 and 30 meter, with a crew of 20 to 60.
Average dimensions 23.5 x 7.47m.

Germany 2006 0.70 Euro sg?
Sweden 2006 10Kr. sg?

Source: From Aak to Zumbra, a Dictionary of the World’s Watercraft. Zeilvaart Lexicon by J van Beylen. Some web-sites.

[john sefton]

More stamps.

[aukepalmhof]

Kampuchea 1984 50c sg735, scott?
Germany (West Berlin)1977 30pf + 15pf. sg B527, scott?