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Wapen von Hamburg, built at the Admiralty Yard of Hamburg, her launch taking place on November 11, 1720. She was completed on September 5, 1722. The ship's length was 68 metres; width 26.5 m.; height 60 m. Her guns consisted of: six 18-pdrs., 16 12-pdrs., 26-8 pdrs.; four 3-pdrs.; 2/3 bronze, 1/3 iron. The ship's complement was 283 as follows: captain; two lieutenants; 167 crew; 1 sergeant and 59 soldiers; 3 barbers; 2 constables; 8 musicians; the remainder non-seamen. There was a large sandbank near Altona which gradually became larger and larger while the ship was being built and it became impossible until March 1724, to lift the Wapen von Hamburg over this sand. In September of that year she was able to start her first convoy to Spain and Portugal. But her luck was out, for in a heavy North Sea gale she lost two of her masts, including the mainmast and had to return to Hamburg. This was done, but there was no work for the ship. She remained at Hamburg for nearly three years, until 1727. Then on December 19 of that year, the ship sailed for the second time for Cadiz convoying nine merchantmen. This time the voyage proved successful. The vessel returned to Hamburg on September 25, 1728, but unfortunately the financial profit on the voyage was nil. The Hamburg merchants lost all interest in the ship and she was laid-up in the harbour for the next seven years. This also proved expensive and the city decided to reconstruct the vessel as a floating battery at Johan¬nisbollwerk. Three years later a merchant asked the town to sell the ship. They agreed and she was sold. The buyers were Tamm and Sons, on July 29, 1739. No one knows what happened to the ship after that.
Germany SG1819

She was built by Jacob Mencke & Gerd Gerdsen in Hamburg as a convoy ship, for the Hamburg Commerzdeputation.
12 November 1720 launched under the name WAPEN VON HAMBURG.
Dim. 68 x 12.35 x 3.0m. (draught), length on deck 45m., the mainmast did have a length of 60m.
Armament 6 – 18pdrs, 16 – 12pdrs, 28 – 6pdrs, four 3pdrs.
Crew 283.
05 September 1722 commissioned. Building cost 300.000 courant mark.

After she was completed, she could not sail out because a large sandbank near Altona gradually grew larger while she was built.
March 1724 was she lifted over this bank.
September 1724 she sailed out with her first convoy to Portugal and Spain. In a severe storm in the North Sea she lost two of her three masts, and she had to return to Hamburg for repair. Repair cost was estimated around 50.000 courant mark.
After repair she lay idle till 19 December 1727 when she sailed out with a convoy of 9 ships bound for Cadiz, Spain.
25 September 1728 returned in Hamburg, but the profit on the voyage was nil, and the cost of the voyage amounted to 200.000 courant mark.
She was laid up the next 7 years, and then it was decided to use her as a guard ship at Johannisbollwerk.
1737 Sold to Simon Tramm & Söhne, Hamburg for 71.000 courant mark.
She was rebuilt in a merchant trader.
Autumn 1796 during a storm loaded with tea from India she stranded on the coast of Dhofar, Oman and was lost. http://www.hk24.de/HK24/HK24/servicemar ... chiffe.jsp

The stamp was made after a model, which is now in the Museum fur Hamburgische Gesichte, the model was built before the actual ship was built, and when the WAPEN VON HAMBURG was sold the new owner got also the model.
1846 Was the model presented to the British Museum by Sir John Marshall, but nobody did know the name of the ship, it was simply a model.
The naval historian Anderson did believed it was a Hamburg built ship, and afterwards Prof. Dr. H. Reincke of Hamburg found out that it model was the lost WAPEN VON HAMBURG.
1950 The model was offered by the Royal United Service Institution to the Museum fur Hamburgische Gesichte for 6.000 DM.
19 June 1951 the model was placed in the hall of the museum, and it is still there.

Source: Navicula. Sea Breezes 1977/577.

Wappen von Hamburg

Paraguay, 1976, S.G.?, Scott; 1686.