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Captain Victor Marchesi, RN 1914-2006

During World War II, there were fears that German naval forces may be using the South Shetland Islands and the northern parts of the Antarctic Peninsula as bases for U-boat raiding operations against the Allies. As a result, the British Admiralty conceived Operation Tabarin to patrol the area by establishing bases there. These were eventually built at Deception Island and at Port Lockroy. The stamp depicts HMS William Scoresby patrolling Whalers Bay, Deception Island, on arrival in February 1944.

Service: Merchant Navy 1930's, RNR officer HMS Hood. 4th Officer Discovery II 1936-37; Royal Navy 1939-46, (Operation Tabarin 1943-46); HMS Unicorn 1951-53 Korean war, Senior Officer RNVR, Northern Ireland, and in retirement, worked for Bass Breweries, as a port officer for Cunard and was Captain of Cutty Sark, Greenwich.

HMS William Scoresby, Length 125 feet , beam 26 feet, 370 tons displacement. Built 1926, Beverly, Yorkshire, specially designed for oceanographic research and marking whales with the Discovery Investigations 1925-39. Polar Voyages: Eight scientific voyages with the Discovery Investigations; Royal Navy -Commissioned October 1939 as a mine sweeper. Operation Tabarin 1944. Decommissioned Jan 1947. Scrapped, Plymouth, 20.05.54.

William Scoresby HMS (Captain Victor March)

British Antarctic Territory 1994, S.G.?, Scott: 217.

The 2p stamp features scientist Sir Alister Hardy and the Discovery Expeditions vessel WILLIAM SCORESBY. Alister Hardy was a zoologist with the Discovery Investigations in 1925 and studied the distribution of plankton and krill in relation to the distribution of whales. He developed the 'continuous plankton recorder' which is still in use around South Georgia today. He worked aboard the research ship WILLIAM SCORESBY, which was used for marking whales with numbered darts to study their migrations.

Source: South Georgia Post.

South Georgia 2015 2p sg?, scott?
British Antarctic Territory 2024 74p sg?, Scott?

Built in 1925-'26 by Cook, Welton & Gemmell, Beverley, #477, for the British Government, launched 31-12-'25, into service 14-06-'26 as RRS (Royal Research Ship) Gt:326, Nt:109, Loa:40,84m. (134') Lbpp:38,10m. (125') B:7,92m. (26') Depth:4,26m. (14') Draught:3,96m. (13') triple expansion engine:160 nhp. (1050 hp.) 12 kn.
October 1939 hired by the Admiralty and commissioned as HMS WILLIAM SCORESBY (J-122) for service as a minesweeper in the South Atlantic.
29 January 1944 sailed from Port Stanley, Falklands Islands to take part in Operation Tabarin which was set up to discourage the use of Antarctic bases by enemy submarines and commerce raiders and to strengthen British claims to sovereignty over the Falkland Islands Dependencies.
September 1946 decommissioned as a Royal Naval Vessel, 1949 major refit.
November 1949 purchased by the Admiralty,18 November 1950 arrived Devonport and laid up, 26 February 1951 transferred to the ownership of the National Oceanographic Council name unchanged.
January 1953 on the Disposal List and was offered for sale for £2,500.
20 May 1954 purchased by BISCO for £1,900 for demolition and was allocated to Demmelweek & Reading and was broken up in Sutton Harbour, Plymouth. A further £600 was obtained for her radio equipment.

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