The CURLEW was a small wooden screw steamer, barquetine rigged, of 528 gross tons, which was purchased by the Cunard Line in July 1853 on the stocks at Denny's Shipyard on the Clyde in Scotland for its New York Bermuda‑St Thomas, Virgin Islands service. This service was changed to Halifax‑Bermuda‑St. Thomas in July 1854, and was inaugurated by the CURLEW. During the next twenty months, she made fifteen of the once every four week trips to St. Thomas. However, on 18 March 1856, when arriving off Bermuda from Halifax, she ran on the Bermuda reefs and broke in two. There was no loss of life, except for some head of cattle. Seven of the nine bags of mail and some floating cargo were salvaged.
Bermuda Philatelic Bureau.
Bermuda SG510A