Hungary issued an m.s. in 1977, which shows us the connection between the Black Sea and North Sea by way of the rivers and canals that connect this two seas.
The m.s. has 12 ft stamps which all depict a ship from the country which flag is show on the stamp, all ships depict on this stamps are inland waterway vessels, except one, the stamp with the Dutch flag depict the only LASH (Lighter Aboard Ship) vessel under Dutch flag, the BILDERDIJK of the Holland Amerika Lijn, at Rotterdam.
Built under yard No. 859 by the Cockerill yard at Hoboken, Belgium, for the Scheepvaart Mij Trans-Oceaan at Rotterdam (managed by the HAL).
07 July 1971 first section laid down.
01 December 1971, launched under the name BILDERDIJK.
Tonnage 36.974 gross, 20.553 net, 44.094 dwt., dim. 261.50 x 32.20 x 18.29 m., draught 11.28m. Length between pp 234.01m.
Powered by a Sulzer diesel, 26.100 hp, speed 18.5 knots.
She can carry 83 loaded barges each with a weight of 460 ton. (I believe that is the reason that she is depict on this stamp) The barges can be loaded and discharged by a gantry crane on the stern which can lift the barges from the water and can stow them in any position in the hold or on the hatch covers.
The gantry crane can lift up to 510 tons. The LASH barges are pushed to the stern of the LASH mother vessel by a tug as seen on the stamp, lifted from the water by a specially designed spreader bar on the crane.
I believe she is the only LASH vessel depict on a stamp. The BILDERDIJK was a sister-ship of the German Lash vessel MÜNCHEN of the Hapag-Lloyd which was lost in a heavy gale in the North Atlantic on 12 December 1978, on a voyage from Bremerhaven for Savannah and New Orleans, carrying 83 barges. Only three barges were found, and empty lifeboats, the 28 men crew was lost.
07 Feb. 1972 maiden voyage, she was used in the service from the Gulf of Mexico to North Europe.
Around 1984 transferred to Bahulu Shipping Co., Netherlands Antilles.
1986 Sold to Lash Carriers Inc., Liberia and renamed RHINE FOREST.
2007 Still trading between America and North Europe and managed by the Forest Line.
http://www.equasis.org gives that her registered owner is LCI Shipholding, New Orleans and managed by LMS Shipmanagement, New Orleans, the RHINE FOREST is now registered under the flag of the Marshall Islands.
http://www.forest-lines.com.FLI_LASHvsl.htm gives that she is still under the flag of Liberia. Also her length has changed considerable as given on the web-site
Sold by LCI shipholdings Inc. (LMS Shipmanagement Inc.), Marshall Islands to Bangladesh breakers and beached Chittagong 11 January 2008.
Navicula has only two other ships identified on this set of stamps, the other 8 ships are not identified.
Flag of Hungary, a vessel of the HUNYADI type, she is on the Hungary stamp 1967 1fo sg 2277.
Flag of Austria, THEODOR KOERNER also on a stamp of that country issued 1979 3s sg 1833, wrongly named by Stanley Gibbons THEODOR KORNER.
Hungary 1977 2Ft sgMS3160, scott?
Source: Blauwe Wimpel. Scheepvaart 1977 by G.J. de Boer. Marine News.