Friday, November 23, 2007

Not another Columbus stamp…


At first glance I when I looked at the image depicted on this stamp I thought it had to do with Columbus and the discovery of America. It was the presence of the three large ships with sails that misled me. A closer look first revealed a fourth ship in the background also the text which read: “Combate de Montevideo”. What is this all about? And why on an air mail stamp?

The combat of Montevideo also known as the Action of May 14th, 1814, was a battle that took place on the 17 of May, 1814 and meant the end of the Spanish domination of the Rio de la Plata waters. In Argentina, May 17th is also considered to be “National Navy Day” (Dia de la Armada Nacional).

Argentina fought its war of independence from Spain between 1810 and 1818. The combat of Montevideo was fought within this context. In midst of the war Gervasio Antonio Posadas had been elected by an assembly in Buenos Aires as Supreme Director. He created a naval fleet and appointed William Brown as Chief Commander on March 1st, 1814. It was this reduced fleet that engaged with combat with the Spanish ships on the coast of Montevideo on May 14th, 1814 and defeated them three days later.

This stamp is one in a series of air mail stamps issued on March 2nd, 1957 to commemorate the centenary of Admiral William Brown’s death.

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Details:

Scott Argentina Catalog no. C63. Date: 1957
60 centavos blue grey

Concordance: Stanley Gibbons no. 902; Yvert/Tellier (poste aérienne) no. 43.

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