Seapost Service
Encyclopedia
A Seapost was a mail compartment aboard an ocean-going vessel in which international exchange mail was distributed. The first USA service of this type was the U.S.-German Seapost, which began operating in 1891 on the S.S. Havel North German Lloyd Line. This service rapidly expanded with routes to Great Britain
, Central America
, South America
, and Asia
. The Seapost service still employed fifty-five clerks in early 1941. The last route of this type (to South America) was terminated October 19, 1941 due to unsafe wartime conditions on the Atlantic Ocean
. The few remaining Seapost clerks transferred to other branches of the Railway Mail Service
(RMS). Seapost operations for the Post Office Department were supervised from a New York City, New York office.
Sea Post Offices were also operated by the Postal Authorities of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and New Zealand.
Further Sources:
UNITED STATES SEA POST CANCELLATIONS PART 1 Transatlantic Routes, Edited by Philip Cockrill, Cockrill Series Booklet No 54
Seaposts of the USA by Roger Hosking, Published by the TPO & Seapost Society, September 2008
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
. The Seapost service still employed fifty-five clerks in early 1941. The last route of this type (to South America) was terminated October 19, 1941 due to unsafe wartime conditions on the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
. The few remaining Seapost clerks transferred to other branches of the Railway Mail Service
Railway Mail Service
The United States Postal Service's Railway Mail Service was a significant mail transportation service in the US during the time period from the mid-19th century until the mid-20th century. The RMS, or its successor the Postal Transportation Service , carried the vast majority of letters and...
(RMS). Seapost operations for the Post Office Department were supervised from a New York City, New York office.
Sea Post Offices were also operated by the Postal Authorities of France, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Japan and New Zealand.
Source
- Wilking, Clarence. (1985) The Railway Mail Service, Railway Mail Service LibraryRailway mail service libraryThe Railway Mail Service Library is a major collection of materials pertaining to en route distribution history. Incorporated in May 2003, it can assist researchers interested in Railway Mail Service, route agent, Seapost, Railway Post Office , and Highway Post Office history...
, Boyce, VirginiaBoyce, VirginiaBoyce is a town in Clarke County, Virginia, United States. The population was 426 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Boyce is located at ....
. Available as an MS Word file at http://www.railwaymailservicelibrary.org/articles/THE_RMS.DOC
Further Sources:
UNITED STATES SEA POST CANCELLATIONS PART 1 Transatlantic Routes, Edited by Philip Cockrill, Cockrill Series Booklet No 54
Seaposts of the USA by Roger Hosking, Published by the TPO & Seapost Society, September 2008