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British Ship Cover posted at sea with 2 pence franking, and

processed as Hong Kong Paquebot Mail. It's canceled . . .

"HONG KONG / 10 -- AM / 4 JU / 51" (June 4, 1951 cancel)

along with "PAQUEBOT" in black rectangular cancel
tying two King George VI 1d. scarlet stamps to Cover

This June 4, 1951 Hong Kong Paquebot Cover comes from the 12-passenger British cargo liner, “City of Liverpool,” and addressed to Redwood City, California, U.S.A. The "City of Liverppol" was built in 1948 for Ellerman's Hall Line. The rectangular Hong Kong "PAQUEBOT" cancel ties two British King George VI 1d. regular issues that make up Hong Kong's 2d. international printed matter postage rate. Make an Offer!

By 1939, before World War II, the Ellerman group of shipping companies had one of the biggest fleets in the world. I had recovered from World War I ship losses and owned 105 ships capable of carrying a combined 920,000 tons. Ellerman had 4 classes of ship: cargo ships with space for a considerable number of passengers, cargo ships with limited passenger accommodation, pure cargo ships, and short sea traders for the Mediterranean and Iberian services.

Though many of Ellerman's ships were requisitioned for Government service during the 1939-1945 Second World War period, a number of ships were retained to continue as cargo vessels bringing supplies to the United Kingdom and government departments. Forty-one ships were sunk by submarines, seven by air attacks, three by mines and one by surface raider. In total, the Ellerman Group lost 60 ships in World War II out of its fleet of 105 ships.

As with the period following ship losses of the First World War, Ellerman undertook a new building program, this time with a new policy – build fast steam cargo liners that carried no more than a dozen passengers in considerable comfort. Crew accommodation was likewise improved. The focus was on re-building their international trade routes and to this end they purchased 12 cargo ships outright from the Government which they had managed in WWII.

The “City of Liverpool,” a 7,612 ton ship built in 1948, was one of the first of these new style 12-passenger ships built for Ellerman. By 1952, 25 of them had entered service, making for a total of 45 new vessels built since the war, and with a further 14 for use on the Portuguese trade routes and Mediterranean services. By 1953 Ellerman's fleet had been almost completely rebuilt, consisting of a total of 94 ships with a carrying capacity of 900,000 tons. In 1967, as containerization began to rationalize the World's shipping services, Ellerman Lines (excluding the Wilson operation) controlled 59 oceangoing vessels. Not a container ship, the “City of Liverpool” was sold in 1967 to Panama and renamed, “Kavo Grossos.” She was scrapped in 1973.

Free local pickup at a mutually agreeable time, or we ship by U.S. Postal Service with USPS Tracking by the close of the next postal business day from payment. Shipping includes full value insurance. We can often consolidate our other items purchased the same day into the same package with this item to save you shipping costs.

NOTICE: Since insurance covers only the goods but not the costs of shipping them, the buyer agrees that once we have proof of delivery of the package to the post office (which is usually the Postal Receipt we receive from the postal window clerk at the time of mailing), that if the package or its contents is lost in the mails and not delivered or is damaged in shipping that any refund is limited to the purchase price and any sales tax (if applicable) and does not include a refund of the shipping or insurance. For international buyers, we label our customs tags as "merchandise" and you are responsible for all customs, duties or other import fees into your country.