The Dominica stamp for the U.P.U. centenary depicts the mail ship Orinoco, of 1851, and the Geesthaven, of 1974, according to the stamp inscription. The Orinoco was built on the Thames at Northfleet, in 1851, for the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company, one of five ships named after South American rivers. She was built according to Admiralty directions on how, and of what materials they should be constructed. Their instructions might have been right for ships of war, but they were somewhat unsuccessful for passenger ships. The completion of the vessel, in fact, had to be delayed while her bulkheads were lined with zinc, after one of her sister-ships, the Amazon, caught fire on her maiden voyage and was lost at sea.
The Orinoco was barque-rigged and paddle-driven. She was launched on May 17, 1851, beginning her maiden voyage in September 1852, from Southampton to the West Indies with passengers, mail and some cargo. Although built to carry heavy naval guns, the need for her to do so never arose, although she did carry troops to the Black Sea during the Crimean War. A round trip to the West Indies took two or three months.
After reaching the first port of call at Barbados, which took her just over two weeks, she often travelled to the more Northerly islands distributing mail, New Orleans and Mexican Gulf ports being among places visited by the ship. She was in service for seven years before it was discovered in 1858 that she had dry rot, in her timbers and she was broken up at Vauxhall lie; deck fittings had to be removed to allow her to travel under the Thames bridges.The engines had been taken out and these were put into another ship, the Paramatta She was one of the first ships to be fitted with engine room telegraphs, linking the bridge with the engine room, a great step forward.
The Geesthaven, seen at the foot of the same stamp, was built by Scotts Shipbuilding and Engineering Co.. Ltd., Greenock, in 1966. for Geest Industries Ltd. She is a refrigerated motorship 8,042 gross tons. 4,308 net, 8,253 deadweight. Port of registry is Boston, Lincs.
Overall length is 489 ft. in. (inc. bulbous bow), breadth 63 ft. 2 in. draft 28 ft. 101/2in. She is fitted with Sulzer oil engines, 2-stroke, singleacting, 7-cylinder .760 bore x 1550 mm. stroke, Speed is 21 knots. She is on the company's passenger and cargo services from the United Kingdom to the West Indies.
SG441 Sea Breezes 4/75