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R.M.S. Lady Hawkins
King George VI 5/- Definitive issued in 1938 for Saint Lucia
depicting the R.M.S. Lady Hawkins "Loading Bananas"
One of five sister steam turbine ocean liners popularly known as "Lady Boats" built by Cammell Laird of Birkenhead, England between 1928 and 1929 for the Canadian National Steamship Company (CNS or CN), the Lady Hawkins was a Royal Mail Ship. After completion in November 1928, it carried mail, freight and passenger traffic between Halifax, Nova Scotia (and Montreal during the summer) and the Caribbean via Bermuda. An oil-burner, she had a set of four Cammell Laird steam turbines driving the propeller shafts to her twin screws by single-reduction gearing. She had three passenger decks, and by 1931 she was equipped with a direction finding device. The ships facilitated Canadian exports including lumber, and imports to Canada including fruit, sugar and molasses. The Lady-liners had refrigerated holds for perishable cargo such as fruit, and capacity for 100,000 bunches of bananas. Their hulls were painted white, a colour then confined largely to passenger ships serving tropical or sub-tropical destinations. In 1942 the German submarine U-66 sank Lady Hawkins in the North Atlantic, killing 251 of the 322 people aboard.
Stamp depicting the R.M.S. Lady Hawkins issued by Montserrat on
April 14, 1980 for the London International Philatelic Exhibition
Blank cardstock printed matter rate post card to Philadelphia dated September 18, 1929 with straight-line
R.M.S. Lady Hawkins and serifed straight line "Mailed at Sea" handstamps in purple. There is a
straightline "MISSENT TO GRENADA" handstamp and a Hoskins type 175 "PAQUEBOT" cancellation (Plymouth type
used on several islands) franked with one cent orange Canadian George V scroll type definitive of 1928.
Canadian National Steamships stationery cover with two ring R.M.S. Lady Hawkins addressed to Toronto, Canada with
Hamilton, Bermuda slogan (COME TO BERMUDA/THE ISLES OF REST) cancellation dated September 24, 1932 and a Hoskins type
2384 straightline "PAQUEBOT" cancellation on two Canadian two cent brown George V arch type definitives of 1931.
Trinidad Paquebot Cover with handstamp from the R.M.S. Lady Hawkins
franked with 1 1/2d King George V Silver Jubilee stamp from Saint Vincent
Saint Lucia paquebot cancellation (Hosking 2353 used 1929-1972)
on cover with handstamp from the R.M.S. Lady Hawkins
franked with 3 cent United States "Charlotte Amalie
Virgin Islands" Territories Commemorative of 1937
PECO post card (made in Ottawa, Canada) captioned “Indians in Corial (’Buckskin’) Demerara--51
British Guiana” with purple scalloped circle “S.S. ‘LADY HAWKINS’ / Pursers Office / POSTED ON
THE HIGH SEAS” handstamp (used 1937-1940) with July 18, 1938 “Paquebot Trinidad” cancellation
(Hoskins Type 2470) on Canadian 1937 King George VI two cent brown “Mufti” definitive.
Namesakes
Sir John Hawkins shares with Sir Francis Drake a place on the $5 high value definitive of February 1, 1970 from St. Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla which bears the caption, “English Influence in the Caribbean began with Hawkins and Drake mid-16th century.” Hawkins, a relative of Drake who shared in his triumphs against the Armada and in the Caribbean, is also honoured on the 70 cent Bahamas “Pirates” commemorative of March 18, 2003.
Sir John Hawkins is also honoured on the 70 cent
Bahamas “Pirates” commemorative of March 18, 2003.
Sir John Hawkins appears on the $5 high value definitive issued
February 1, 1970 from St. Christopher, Nevis and Anguilla.
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