Belgrano and Jean Guiton

[shipstamps]

A most unusual pair of 30 f, stamps was issued last year by the Gabonaise Republic. The pair which are separated only by a perforation down the centre, show on the first stamp mail steamers of yesterday, and, on the second stamp, mail ships of today. On the first stamp, the Belgrano and Jean Guiton are depicted, the former being the first ship of the Compagnie des Chargeurs Reunis. She was bought in 1872 from Quesnel of Le Havre, and was formerly the Louis XIV under his ownership. The vessel was built in 1871 by the Chantiers de l'Ocean, at Le Havre and may have been bought off the stocks, her gross tonnage being 2,131, with an engine of 700 h.p.
The Belgrano opened the Chargeurs Reunis service between Le Havre and the River Plate. She was eventually sold for scrap in March 1894, for 50,000 francs. Five years previously she was severely damaged when, off Dover, she was rammed, on January 17, 1899, by the steamer Romulus, which sank in 15 minutes as a result of the collision.
The second old-timer on the stamp is the pioneer of the Societe Navale DelmasVieljeux, of La Rochelle, the Jean Guiton, of 98 gross tons, 59 net, with a length of 121 ft., 7 ins., built at Le Havre, in 1867, and registered at that port. She was an iron-hulled vessel, schooner-rigged.
Coming to the two modern vessels on the second stamp of the pair, we have the Ango, the latest ship of Chargeurs Reunis and the Lucie Delmas, most recent ship of the Delmas-Vieljeux company. There has been some confusion about the identification of the Ango because the artist had obviously imagined that the Chargeurs Reunis funnel mark was too insipid and had made it more like a Nouvelle Havraise funnel. However the original photographs show that the stamp definitely depicts the Ango, which was built by the Chantiers Navale de Ia Ciotat, in 1966 at La Ciotat, She is a motor ship of 11,655 gross tons, 6,463 net, with a deadweight of 13,800 tons. Dimensions are length 517 ft. 3 ins., breadth 71 ft. 8 ins., draft 31 ft. 5 ins. The Lucie Delmas is a motorship of 10,612 gross tons, 6,463 net, built by the same yard as the Ango, in 1967.
SG311 and 312.
Sea Breezes 9/68

[aukepalmhof]

The shipping company of Frank Delmas et Cie was founded in La Rochelle in 1867 when the brothers Frank and Julien bought a paddle steamer and used it in the service between La Rochelle and Ile de Ré.
Three years later brother Emile joined the company, and it was his idea to use the waterwheel, which is depicted in the city arms of Mulhouse as the funnel mark of the company. The brothers came from that city.

The paddle steamer bought was the JEAN GUITON built-in 1867? at Le Havre for the brothers Delmas.
She was named after a 17th-century mayor of La Rochelle Jean Guiton. Another mayor in the 17th century of that town was Leonce Vieljeux. He married a daughter of a shipowner named Delmas, and that was the reason the company was named Vieljeux Delmas.
Tonnage 98 gross, 59 net, dim. 37.1 x 4.80m.
Powered by a steam engine of 100 hp.
Passenger accommodation for 300 passengers, cargo capacity 25 tons.
Iron hull, schooner-rigged, carried a very thin long funnel.
Used from 1865 in the service between La Rochelle and the Ile de Ré.
28 June 1867 she collided with the launch ANNE-LOUISE that was carrying passengers to l’Aiguillon a place near La Rochelle and where is mussel farming.
05 Sept. 1876 she was replaced in the river service.
02 May 1892 JEAN GUITON was sold to a company at Rouen, for service on the River Seine.
I do not know her fate.
The vessel depicts on this stamp of Gabon in 1967 is designed after a water-color made by the painter Zeide Cadinouche in 1967 on orders of the Delmas-Vieljeux Comp.

The ship on the left side of the stamp is the BELGRANO built in 1872 by Chantiers de L’Ocean at Le Havre for Fréres Quesnel at Le Havre.
Launched under the name LOUIS XIV.
Tonnage 2.131 gross 1.054 net, dim. 107.89 x 10.06m
Powered by a 2 cyl. compound steam engine 700 hp., speed 10 knots.
Planned to use her in the service from Le Havre to Brazil, but I am not sure if she made a voyage for the company.
When the brothers Delmas founded the Compagnie des Chargeurs Réunis, they bought in 1872 the LOUIS XIV, and renamed the vessel in BELGRANO.
Used first in the service between Le Havre to Brazil, the intention was to use her also to the River Plate, but port facilities at Montevideo and Buenos Aires were unsatisfactory, and also trade to the two countries was limited from France.
Her first voyage for the company was on 16 Oct. 1872 when she sailed from Le Havre.
When the line was extended in 1878 to the River Plate, the BELGRANO was first fitted out for the carriage of frozen meat from Argentina.
She collided on 17 Jan. 1889 with the steamer ROMULUS near Dover; the latter sank within 15 minutes. The BELGRANO got damage but was repaired.
1894 She was sold for 50.000 Frank for scrap.

The vessel on the right upper side of the stamp depicts clearly the funnel mark of the company. She is the LUCIE DELMAS.

Built in 1967 as a cargo-reefer vessel under yard no 241 by Changeurs Navale de la Ciotat at La Ciotat, for Soc. Nav. Delmas-Vieljeux, France.
17 March 1967 launched as LUCIE DELMAS.
Tonnage 10.612 gross, 5.689 net, 13.218 dwt. Dim. 161.1 x 21.1 x 12.02m.
Powered by a Sulzer diesel, 15.180 hp., speed 17.5 knots.
1967 Completed.

1973 Sold to Arya National Shipping Lines in Iran, renamed in ARYA SARA.
1980 renamed by the owners in IRAN HEJRAT.

While at anchor off Mino Island, south of Khorramshahr, on 7 October 1980, she sustained extensive damage due to being shelled and set on fire by Iraqi forces in cross-Shatt al Arab artillery fighting for control of the Khorramshahr area after the outbreak of hostilities between Iraq and Iran in September.
She was abandoned and declared a war constructive total loss. She remaining trapped in the Shatt al-Arab for the duration of the war. Her ultimate fate is not known, but most probably scrapped on the side.

The last ship on that stamp is the ANGO built in 1966 as a cargo-reefer vessel under yard no 229 by de La Ciotal at La Ciotal, France, for Cie Mar. des Chargeurs Réunis.
24 March 1966 launched as ANGO
Tonnage 10.427 gross, 6.463 net, 13.526 dwt., dim. 157.76 x 21.86m. Length bpp 145.8m
Powered by a Sulzer diesel, 13.800 bhp., speed 19 knots.
Homeport Dunkirk.

1977 Sold to China Ocean Shipping Co., China and renamed HONG SHOU SHAN.
1989 She was on a voyage from Kobe, Japan to Shanghai, sailed from Kobe on 17 September.
2003 According http://www.equasis.org in service, owners unknown. IMO No 6611069.
Miramar gives: January 1994 scrapped in China.

Source: Navicula. Log Book. Register of Merchant Ships completed. Modern Shipping Disasters 1963-1987. South Atlantic Seaways by N.R.P. Bonsor. Jean-Louis Araignon.
Gabon 1967 30f sg311/12, Scott?