Sultana was a Mississippi River side-wheel steamboat. On April 27, 1865, the boat exploded and became the United States greatest maritime disaster. An estimated 1,800 people died. Has any country ever issued a postage stamp that pictures the Sultana?
I'm planning on an article for our newsletter later this year, but not able to locate any stamps on the subject.
I know of no stamp for the riverboat, but I do know of an excellent historical fiction series of the same name by a beloved colleague, whose work has been translated into a number of languages. for those interested, see http://www.amazon.com/Sultana-A-Novel-Moorish-Spain/dp/1939138108
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"Save the USPS, buy stamps; save the hobby, use commemoratives"
Wikipedia has a great article on this disaster, and embedded in this article is a link to another article about coal torpedoes. That was even more interesting as well. The coal torpedo was an explosive device devised by the Confederate Secret Service as a sabotage device, just like IEDs used in the Middle East but made with different materials tho....
While I don't think any stamps were issued, the Sultana was used to carry mail and many examples of stampless covers with it's cancel exist. Several were offered in a Regency Superior auction back in 2011- follow this link and see example below. The image is from the auction catalog (on-line).
What a most interesting book to read and such a waste of human life, since the Civil War was over and these men were all returning home to their families and to resume their lives as before the war. Unfortunately greed reared it's ugly head and a lot of men died uselessly, to basically be ignored by history, after spending time in a despicable POW camp like Andersonville. Even the USPS has failed to issue a postage stamp about this tragedy, instead coming out with more important subjects, like Bugs Bunny and Tweety Bird, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Mike
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"It's been three years now, since I joined a support group for procrastinators. We haven't met yet..."
This rings a bell. A Kickstarter campaign was held to fund a documentary film about the Sultana. I think it may have been shown (or will be shown) at the Sundance Festival this year. Sean Astin is the narrator.
That is an awesome cover.
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