philately Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is pos ...

, a ship cover is a

cover Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of cop ...

that was mailed aboard a

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguishe ...

, while a naval cover is one posted on a

navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It include ...

vessel. Shipboard postal facilities are ubiquitous on ships of any size, although the "

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

" may consist only of an alcove and a sailor working it part-time. Ship covers usually carry a

paquebot Packet boats were medium-sized boats designed for domestic mail, passenger, and freight transportation in European countries and in North American rivers and canals, some of them steam driven. They were used extensively during the 18th and 19th ...

postmark A postmark is a postal marking made on an envelope, parcel, postcard or the like, indicating the place, date and time that the item was delivered into the care of a postal service, or sometimes indicating where and when received or in transit. ...

and/or a postmark unique to the vessel. Collectors of ship covers will look for different types used at different periods, as well as for covers indicating routing through particular ports, and so forth. The

Universal Ship Cancellation Society The Universal Ship Cancellation Society (USCS) is an international philatelic non-profit organization with an interest in postmarks and covers from all maritime services. Founded in 1932, the USCS is one of the oldest specialized postal history s ...

, founded in 1932, specializes in the study of naval covers, particularly those of the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

. File:Lettre Egypte Le Caire 1876.png, Egypt 1876, ship cover showing red boxed 'Paquebot' postmark. File:Cover USS Colorado 1933.jpg, USA 1933, cacheted naval cover postmarked on the battleship USS ''Colorado'' (BB-45) during

Fleet Week Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard tradition in which active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week. Once the ships dock, ...

, August 1933. Stamps are the Century of Progress issued several months earlier, and a 1/2c

Washington Bicentennial Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...

from 1932. File:Ship Cover USS Brevard (AK-164) 1946.jpg, USA 1946, cacheted naval cover postmarked on the cargo ship USS ''Brevard'' (AK-164). File:MS Azerbaydzhan.JPG, USSR 1988, ship cover posted from high seas aboard the MS Azerbaydzhan, showing paquebot and vessel postmark. File:MS Odessa.JPG, Russia 1992, ship cover posted from high seas aboard the M.S. Odessa, showing paquebot and vessel postmark.

References

*''Catalog of United States Naval Postmarks'' {{ISBN, 0-9657316-0-X

External links

Universal Ship Cancellation Society homepage
Philatelic terminology