FIRST - Regularly scheduled transatlantic delivery of the mail - Halifax, Nova Scotia
Posted by: 
Weathervane
N 44° 38.469 W 063° 33.995
20T E 455066 N 4943244
According to a plaque on the Halifax waterfront, the RMS Britannia and her three sister ships, Acadia, Caledonia and Columbia, commenced the first regularly scheduled transatlantic delivery of the mails by steam power in 1940.
Waymark Code: WM12FZH
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Date Posted: 05/19/2020
Views: 2
The RMS Britannia was also the first flagship of the British & North American Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (Cunard Line).
Inscription on the plaque:
Samuel Cunard
Samuel Cunard was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on
November 21, 1787. He was the eldest son of Abraham
and Margaret Cunard, United Empire Loyalists who
emigrated from Philadelphia (Germantown) to Nova
Scotia in 1783. His marriage to Susan Duffus produced
nine children, all born in Halifax. For more than half
a century, the S. Cunard & Company wharves on the
Halifax waterfront were the centre of a vast shipping
empire engaged in the West Indies trade. Samuel Cunard
became the foremost entrepreneur in Halifax and one
of the largest owners of sailing vessels in the
Maritime Provinces.
Samuel Cunard was a visionary who foresaw steam power
replacing sail on the North Atlantic. he became the pioneer
of ocean steam navigation when the paddle steamer Britannia,
first flagship of the British & North American Royal Mail
Steam Packet Company later known as the Cunard Line,
arrived in Halifax on its maiden voyage from Liverpool,
England on July 17, 1840. The advent of steam on the North
Atlantic forever altered commerce and communication
between the Old and New Worlds.
RMS Britannia, first flagship of the British
& North American Royal Mail Steam
Packet Company (Cunard Line) and her
three sister ships, Acadia, Caledonia
and Columbia commenced the
first regularly scheduled
transatlantic delivery of the
mails by steam power in 1840.
FIRST - Classification Variable: Item or Event
Date of FIRST: 01/01/1940
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
|
Visit Instructions:As a suggestion for your visit log, please make every effort to supply a brief-to-detailed note about your experience at the Waymark. If possible also include an image that was taken when you visited the Waymark. Images can be of yourself, a personal Waymarking signature item or just one of general interest that would be of value to others. Sharing your experience helps promote Waymarking and provides a dynamic history of your adventures.