The Liberty/Antigua. 1793 (Oct 11) Entire letter from Antigua to London "p. the Liberty Capn Forster" with scarce red "SHIP-LRE" (S34, applied in London to mails landed at out ports without their own handstamps), and Dec 17 backstamp, with a copy of a notice of the wreck of "The Liberty" taken from Lloyds List of 17 December 1793 - "The Liberty, Forster, from Antigua to London, went ashore on the Middle Ground, near Ramsgate, but is got off with the assistance of boats with considerable damage", and a copy of the 1793 Survey of the Varne & Ridge which shows the wreck site of the Liberty. This letter was landed at Ramsgate and taken in a sealed bag to London; the ship was pulled off the Goodwin Sands and stripped down for salvage. A unique early and well documented wreck cover, not recorded by Gwynn & Hoggarth who only record one earlier wreck cover. Photo on Page 52. (Image1)

S.S "Kingstonian". 1918 (Mar.) Covers from Cairo or Alexandria to G.B (2) or Italy (2) all with the stamps washed off, one registered cover with two 10m stamps reaffixed handstamped "Salved from / submerged mail", the other cover to G.B with violet boxed "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION / IN WATER", the two covers to Italy both handstamped "NAUFRAGIO". (4).

S.S "Kingstonian". 1918 (Mar.) Stampless forces mail from Egypt or Palestine (6), one with an Officially Sealed label with Peterborough c.d.s (10 MY), the others handstamped "SALVED LETTER", "DAMAGED BY SEA WATER", boxed "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION / IN SEA WATER" (2) or "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION / IN WATER", also a cover to a soldier in the B.E.F, water stained and the stamp washed off, with violet "R.E Postal Section L'don N.W1 / Damaged by immersion / in sea water". (7).

S.S "Comorin". 1930 Covers from Australia to England, from Sydney (Feb 18) or Perth (Mar 3) both with the stamps soaked off, handstamped black boxed "DAMAGED BY FIRE / ON / S.S COMORIN" (on O.H.M.S sealing label) or "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION / IN SEA WATER I.S", or franked 1d from Melbourne (Feb 22) with unusual violet "Damaged by SEA WATER". A fire was discovered on the "Comorin" in No. 3 hold and extinguished by flooding the hold with seawater. Three fine covers, Hoggarth/Gwynn cachet types 7, 9, 12. (3).

Argentina/Uruguay. 1941 (Nov. 22/24) Covers from Argentina to G.B both with violet boxed "DAMAGED BY / SEA WATER" (cut down "Airplane Accident" type); and 1943 (June) covers from Argentina (3) or Uruguay to G.B with violet "DAMAGED BY / SEA WATER", some water damage and signs of scorching. (6).

S.S "Vidar"/ S.S. "Groningen IV". 1940 (Jan. 23) Cover from London to Copenhagen, water damaged and the stamp soaked off (a G.B. stamp from another cover reaffixed) handstamped violet "Beskadiget of Sovand", from S.S "Vidar" which was torpedoed in the North Sea on January 31st, three mailbags being washed up in Denmark; and 1945 (Jan 2) water damaged cover posted within Holland franked 7½c, delivered in December 1946, reverse with Dutch Post Office label explaining it was recovered from the S.S. "Groningen IV" which collided with the "Jan Nieveen" on the Ijsselmeer on 8th January 1945 (the label incorrectly stating 1944). (2).

1940-42 WW2 Covers comprising 1940 (Dec 28) cover from London to Yugoslavia but returned with "NO SERVICE / RETURN TO SENDER" cachet, and 1942 (Oct 27) O.A.S Honour Envelope from Valletta to G.B, both with boxed "DAMAGED BY SEAWATER" (S.S Comorin type, with lower lines cut away); 1941 (Aug 21) O.A.S Honour Envelope from Iceland to London with F.P.O 308 c.d.s and "SALVED FROM THE SEA"; and 1942 (Jan 1) cover sent within London and readdressed to Baghdad with boxed "DAMAGED BY IMMERSION / IN SEA WATER", arrival backstamp (June 18). All with some water damage, the first probably from the "Alhena". (4).

South Africa. 1942-43 Covers to South Africa comprising 1942 (Oct 2) O.A.S cover from Cairo (Egypt Postage Prepaid 71 c.d.s) with violet bilingual "CORRESPONDENCE DAMAGED BY SEAWATER" (the 1939 Challenger crash cachet with "Flying Boat" removed); 1942 (Nov 9) cover from G.B with violet "DAMAGED / BY SEA WATER"; and two 1943 (Mar 10) covers with stamps washed off, both handstamped bilingual "DAMAGED BY SEAWATER" in black or violet, from the S.S "City of Baroda" torpedoed off Luderitz on April 2nd. (4).