08/15/1983 USA, Ship Ahoy, Over Sized

 Cover Honors History of America's  Shipping Industry

This cover pays tribute to centuries of ship building and sailing in the US.  The featured stamp was issued in 1957 in honor of the 350th anniversary of commercial shipbuilding, which began in Popham Colony, Maine, in 1607.  The stamp pictures the Virginia of Sagadohock, the first American ship used in international trade.  This ship marked the start of Maine's long history of shipbuilding.  The cachet shows Norman Rockwell's painting "Ship Ahoy."  It was first seen on the August 19, 1922, cover of The Saturday Evening Post.