Here's a nice one, coming to a store near you

Found a few unused postcards showcasing ships. They have this chalky feel, do we call it matt surface ?

Cunard Line - R.M.S. Carinthia 1955

Her Regular Service Route: Great Britain to Canada
Liverpool to Quebec City and Montreal "Dominion" service
"THE DOMINION SERVICE" CUNARD LINE, LIVERPOOL


The Carinthia was built in 1955 for Cunard Line's Dominion service to Canada as the third of the Saxonia Sisters quartet. Her launch, performed by HRH Princess Margaret, was notable for being only the fourth Cunarder to be launched by a member of the British Royal Family.

After her time with Cunard she underwent a radical and dramatic rebuild in Italy in 1971 and after this transformation enjoyed a highly successful career with Sitmar Line cruising in North America. She finally was scrapped in Alang, India in 2006 as the last survivor of this quartet.

More info HERE

R.M.S. Mauretania

Mauretania was Lusitania's nearly identical sister, distinguishable from her by the fact that Mauretania had pronounced ventilators on her deck. She was built by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson of Newcastle.

Launched in 1906, Mauretania made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York on 16 November 1907, and set an eastbound record on the return leg of that trip. This was the first of eight consecutive eastbound records Mauretania would set, the last coming in 1924. In all, she held the eastbound record from 1907 until 1929. In addition, she set a westbound record in 1909 that would also stand until 1929.

During World War I Mauretania served as a troopship, a hospital ship and a troopship again before being returned to Cunard in 1919 for service from Southampton, Cunard's new principal terminus. After being damaged in a fire in 1921, Mauretania was converted from coal to oil as part of her refitting. She continued her transatlantic service through the 1920's, but by 1930, was used mainly for cruising. (Like other Cunard cruise ships, she was painted white.)

On 26 September 1934, the day Queen Mary was launched, Mauretania left New York on her final Atlantic crossing. She was scraped in 1935.

Sources: Haws' Merchant Fleets; Bonsor's North Atlantic Seaway.

More postcards and photos about this ship HERE

S.S. Pyrrhus

Launched 3rd September 1948
Passengers: 35

Pyrrhus was the second of the 'P' Class 'A' Class cargo liners and by far the most powerful motor ships Alfred Holt's had built to date. Whilst berthed at Gladstone Dock at Liverpool in 1964 she caught fire which took twenty-four hours to bring under control. The ship had to be evacuated on two occasions because her stability was threatened with the sheer volume of water which was being pumped onboard. After repairs she continued on her normal commercial service until being sold for breaking at Kaohsiung,Taiwan arriving on the 19th of September 1972.

source: http://www.merchantnavyofficers.com/bfhist2.html

Quote from The Blue Funnel Legend by Malcolm Falkus :

"Fire at sea is naturally the greatest hazard facing merchant ships in their normal operations, and all outbreaks of fire, extensive or otherwise, have always led to the fullest post-mortem investigations and detailed reports. One such fire occurred in 1964, not at sea but in the company's own home territory in Gladstone dock, Liverpool. The Pyrrhus fire, which blazed uncontrolled for 12 hours and was not finally extinguished for a further 12 hours, started on the afternoon of 16 November. Twice it became necessary to abandon the ship as the huge volume of water being pumped caused the ship to list badly. For a time there was a danger of an engine-room explosion and of total loss, although the fire was overcome and the damage to the ship and cargo, though extensive, contained."

source: http://www.bluefunnel.myzen.co.uk/bluefunnel/pryrrhus%201949/pyrrhus.htm

These postcards were not lined though I will keep a lookout if I come across any !

I have a few of those post cards with the reply cards attached. I think they are from Iran or Iraq or one of those countries over there. I'll scan it later for you.

OK, The postal card I was talking about I can't find. It has the actual reply card attached but these ones do not. I tried to locate it to scan for you all but had no luck doing so. Here are the identical cards (sans the reply card). Israel seems to be where these are from.

Very interesting, is the man stacking stamp sheets in the 2nd postcard ?