Aruba issued in 2011 six stamps which depict tall ships, so far I found that the 225c depicts the STAR OF INDIA, the 275c the SEA CLOUD (I) and the 250c the UNICORN, the other three sailing ships, PICKLE on 200c, HMS VICTORY 250c (Nelson ship) and CALEDONIA on 300c. Details of STAR OF INDIA, HMS VICTORY and SEA CLOUD (I) can you find in the index.
Aruba post gives by this issue: http://www.postaruba.com/111.aspx
Since the end of the age of sail, any large buoyant marine vessel has been called a ship. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, oceans, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing, entertainment, public safety, and warfare. Historically, a "ship" was a vessel with sails rigged in a specific manner. Ships can also be distinguished from boats based on the ship's ability to operate independently for extended periods.
Ships and boats have developed alongside mankind. In armed conflicts and in daily life they have become an integral part of modern commercial and military systems.
Ships were a key in history's explorations and scientific and technological development. Ships have been used for such purposes as colonization and slave trade, and have served scientific, cultural, and humanitarian needs. New crops that were introduced from the Americas by European seafarers in the 16th century significantly contributed to the world's population growth.
Around 3,000 B.C., ancient Egyptians knew how to assemble wooden planks into a hull. They used woven straps to lash the planks together, and reeds or grass stuffed between the planks helped to seal the seams. The Greek historian and geographer Agatharchides documented ship-faring among the early Egyptians: "During the prosperous period of the Old Kingdom, between the 30th and 25th centuries B.C., the river routes were kept in order and Egyptian ships sailed the Red Sea as far as the myrrh-country." Sneferu's ancient cedar wood ship 'Praise of the Two Lands’ is the first reference recorded (2,613 B.C.) to a ship being referred to by name.
Ship designs stayed fairly unchanged until the late 19th century. The industrial revolution, new mechanical methods of propulsion, and the ability to construct ships from metal triggered an explosion in ship design. Factors including the quest for more efficient ships, and the increased financial capacity of industrial powers created an avalanche of more specialized boats and ships. Ships built for entirely new functions, such as firefighting, rescue and research, also started to appear.
There are many different types of sailing ships, but they all have certain basic things in common. Every sailing ship has a hull, rigging and at least one mast to hold up the sails that use the wind to power the ship. The crews that sail a ship are called sailors or hands.
Ocean journeys by sailing ship can take many months, and a common hazard is becoming becalmed due to lack of wind, or being blown off course by severe storms or winds that do not allow progress in the desired direction. A severe storm could lead to shipwreck, and the loss of all hands.
The UNICORN I got her history downloaded from http://www.tallshipunicorn.com/a_shipshistory.html
Originally built in 1947 under the name Deo Volente (I) with the fleet number of TX 11, (Texel) Unicorn's hull was crafted from recycled metals of captured German U-boats salvaged after World War II. She was built in the Netherlands as a motor fishing vessel at the shipyard De Vooruitgang at Gouwsluis, Alphen aan de Rijn for Dutch owners Gebr. Vlaming & L. Bremer from the Island of Texel. Her given name of DEO VOLENTE (I) (God Willing) implies that her owners were most likely God fearing, conservative Christian Dutch reformed fishermen. With her locomotive style 1500 horsepower diesel engine, this strong vessel trawled the North Atlantic's fishing grounds for 32 years with various owners and under other names such as PIETER ANDRE vessel number HD 35 (Den Helder) in the late 1960's (owner L.R. de Boer named after the owner's two sons) and WILLEM SENIOR vessel number WR 235 (Wieringen) in the early 1970's (owner W. & J. v.d. Veen).
When her fishing days were over, she was acquired by a Dutch skipper and his wife, Pieter and Agnes Kaptein of Hoorn. By 1979 she had been converted into a sailing ship and renamed EENHOORN or Dutch for Unicorn and sailed the Mediterranean.
In 1986, EENHOORN was sold to Mr. Morris Henson who registered the vessel in Jersey under the anglicized name of UNICORN and the hull was painted black, retaining the white rail and gunwale stripes. Under her British flag, Henson sailed UNICORN out of the West Indies, Caribbean and Spanish coast as a charter vessel and treasure seeker.
The early-90’s brought a new direction for UNICORN. Curtis and Lettie Ciszek, an American couple from Bainbridge Island, Washington purchased the vessel from the ailing Henson. After a refit, they sailed the UNICORN with their four children and a crew to Grenada where she chartered out of Secret Harbour. In 1995, on her way to her second Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, UNICORN collided with the ocean-going chemical tanker CHILIBAR. She was towed to Norfolk by the sailing tugantine NORFOLK REBEL. Estimated repairs to the hull were higher than the insured value and the schooner was for sale once again.
Purchased by a Canadian couple who had a dream of their own, the UNICORN was converted into a Canadian certified sail training vessel. Under Captain Prothero's ownership and management, the ship went through a re-fitting of the hull, rig and power and in 1997 she was christened with a new name, TRUE NORT OF TORONTO or TORONTO TRUE NORTH. TRUE NORTH provided hundreds of trainees of all ages the opportunity to sail the Great Lakes, the East Coast of North America and the Caribbean. It was also at this time that the vessel became a member of the American Sail Training Association and began appearing with the ASTA fleet at port festivals throughout the Great Lakes.
A New Life
In the fall of 1999, TRUE NORTH was acquired by its current owners, Dawn and Jonathan (Jay) Santamaria of Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Along with their four daughters, they continue to promote the preservation of traditional maritime life through sail training, tall ship festivals and community involvement. In December of 2003, the schooner completed a bow to stern refit that took the ship down to its steel ribs, and was rechristened with her original schooner name, UNICORN. In the summer of 2005, UNICORN was granted a Jones Act Waiver to become a United States registered vessel and she proudly flies the American flag off her stern. This same year, co-owner Dawn Santamaria founded Sisters Under Sail, a not-for-profit on-board leadership program for teenage girls and women. Sisters Under Sail and her all-female professional crew charter UNICORN each summer sailing New England, Canadian Maritimes and the Great Lakes. Today, with her well defined mission, the 63 year old UNICORN sails with a new passion and mission. This Dutch-built beauty, rich in history, is strong and has a soul all her own.
Her details in 1986 were: Tonnage 95.26 grt, 56.53 net, dim. 35.05 x6.00 x 2.59 draught. Sail area 900 square meters. Powered by a Henschel diesel, 300hp.
Her details in 2011 are: Displacement 150 tons, dim.33.53 x 6.70 x 3.30m. One caterpillar 3506 diesel engine.
Aruba 2011 250c sg?, scott?
Guinea-Bissau 2013 600 FCFA sg?, scott?
The stamp is designed after a photo: http://www.tallshipgreenbay.com/ships/unicorn.php