The Ships of the Russian Weapons of Victory Series

Four ship stamps were issued in 2013 by the Russian Postal Authority to commemorate weapons that helped contribute to the "Russian" victory in WWII.  

The first stamp in the set depicts the minesweeper Mina.

The Mina was built as a fast coastal minesweeper for the Soviet Russian Navy at Sevastopol.   Completed in the same year construction started she was launched on August 20, 1937. 

Mina's particulars are:

Displacement 410 ton standard, 503 ton full load. Dim. 62.0 x 7.2 x 2.26m (draught); Powered by two 42-BMRN-6 diesel engines producing 2,000 hp; twin shafts; speed 18.5 knots.

Armament 1 – 100mm gun B-24; 1 – 45mm gun 21-K; 3 – 12.7mm MG (Machine Guns); 2 DCR (Depth Charge Racks) (20); 31 mines and sweeps.  The Mina was designed to have a Crew 44

She was delivered to the Russian Navy on August 28, 1938 and served in the Black Sea.  Through the four years of WWII, she sailed 47 000 miles through mine infested waters and was responsible for escorting numerous ships.  Through her service during the war she had come under air attack no less than 300 times.  In July 1944 the Mina was awarded the Order of the Red Banner.

The next stamp features the patrol boat Metel. This ship was constructed in sections that were shipped via train and sent to the Soviet Far East and assembled at the  Dalzavod Shipyard in Vladivostok.

Metel's particlars are: 

Displacement 450 ton standard, 530 ton full load, dim. 71.5 x 7.4 x 2.6m. (draught); Powered by Curtiss geared steam turbines, 6,290 hp, speed 24 knots, economical 14 knots; Range by a speed of 14 knots, 1,200 mile.

Armament 2 – 102mm; 3 – 37mm guns; and 3 – 12.7mm MG.; 3 – 450mm torpedo tubes; 2 – mortars; carried 48 mines and 30 depth charges. Fitted out with mine sweeping equipment.  She had a crew compliment of 108.

Throughout WWII the Metel escorted ships through minefields.  During the battle of Chongjin, in Northern Korea  the ship and crew distinguished themselves through expert fire support shooting down enemy aircraft, destroying an armoured train, taking out enemy coastal batteries and searchlight installations, destroying eight concreted fortifications and gun positions, and causing serious damage to an enemy landing craft.

64 of the Metel's crew were awarded with orders and medals.  Her Captain was conferred with the title "Hero of the Soviet Union".

The river armoured craft BKA-75 is the next stamp in the set.  She was built at Zelenodolsk and completed in December 1941.  

The particulars of the BKA-75 are: 

Displacement: 49.75 standard, 52.16 full load, dim. 25.3 x 4.04 x 0.87m (draught); Powered by engines of 1,800 hp, maximum speed 37.4 km/h, economical speed 23 km/h; Range up to 680 km.

Armament 2 – 76.2mm guns; 2 – 12.7 and 2 – 7.62mm MG. The BKA-75 had a crew 17.

Through out WWII BKA-75 served along side Russian army units and participated in the defence of Stalingrad and worked on the Volga river until September 1943 when she was loaded on a rail car and transported to the Azov Sea.  After suffering serious damage and repairs she joined the Danube Flotilla where she took part in the liberation of: Romania, Bulgaria, Yugoslavia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia and Austria.  She also particpated in the liberation of Belgrade.

The last stamp in this set displays the gunboat Usyskin.  Orinally built as a paddle steamer tug for service on rivers, she was converted to a gun boat in July 1941. 

The Usyskin's particulars are: 

Displacement 400 tons, dim. 56.4 x 17.1 x 1.2m;

One 480 hp steam engine , speed 8.5 knots.

Armament: 2 – 45mm guns; 1 – 7.62mm MG.

The Usyskin participated in the defence of Stalingrad as a unit in the Volga River Flotilla.  In February of 1943 she received the Order of the Red Banner.

In April of 1943 the Usyskin was severely damaged as a result of a mine.  In July 1943, she was converted back to a tug.

References:

http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12938&p=14161&hilit=Mina#p14161

http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12942&p=14169&hilit=Metel#p14169

http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12941&p=14167&hilit=BKA+75#p14167

http://www.shipstamps.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=12939&p=14165&hilit=Usyskin+Russia#p14165

Allied Nations Day

On the 30th of May 1944, according to Scott, Russia issued a set of two stamps to commemorate the "Day of Nations United Against Germany" which was June 14, 1944.

First Polar Flight

On April 10, 1938 the USSR issued a set of 4 stamps to commemorate the first trans polar flight that was completed between the 18th and 20th of June 1937. The stamps issued in 10k, 20k, 40k and 50k denominations the set all has the same design featuring the 3 aviators who flew on the flight with a map and the route taken.

the October Revolution

Here is a brief exhibit I put together for a competition at Stamp Bears, which is one of the best philatelic forums out there.  You can visit the exhibit on the site by clicking here: http://www.stampbears.proboards.com/thread/362/entry-2nd-exhibit-old-site.

It is not an exhaustive display of all the stamps that relate to the revolution but was thrown together to show some of the issues from the USSR extolling the virtues of the Russian Revolution.  Below are the 5 pages, 4 display plus one cover.  The intent of these competitions is to demonstrate history through stamps.

I hope you enjoy the exhibit and please leave your comments letting me know what you think.  And please visit and join Stamp Bears, they can be found at http://www.stampbears.net.

Russian Fishing Ships

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Issued on February 28, 1967 was a set of 5 stamps depicting various ships from the Soviet fishing fleet along with various type of sea life.  All are demoninated 6 ruble and are perforated 12 x 11½.  They stamps were printed by lithography.

This is one of my favourite sets of stamps.  I like the image of the various fishing vessels with a depiction of the fish that they fish for.

The top stamp depicts a trawler/factory ship.  On these ships the catch is processed on board.  The second stamp depicts a refrigeration ship.  Where the catch would be stored but processed to the extent that a factory ship is capable.  The thrird stamp in the set shows us a crab canning ship.  This type of ship is similar to the factory ship but is specific to processing and canning a crab catch.  The fourth ship is a trawler.  On these ships the catch is preserved but processed at either a factory on shore or transfered to a factory ship.  The last stamp in the set depicts a Black Sea seiner.  A seiner is a ship that uses a seine (a net with weights on one end floats an the other).

As of 2002 the Russian fishing fleet was composed of 2,500 fishing vessels, 366 transport and 46 factory ships with a length overall greater than 24 metres (78' 9").  As of 2005 there were an additional 2,491 fishing vessels smaller than this.  The fleet is quite old and not equipped to modern standards in terms of fishing and safety.  

Sources:
Scott 2009 Catalogue
Wikipedia