Today marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic which hit an iceberg and sank in the North Atlantic that claimed 1,500 lives. The Titanic was almost 280 meters (883 feet) in length and was the largest passenger steamship in the world at that time.
To commemorate this famous maritime disaster, Canada Post issued on April 5, 2012 stamps depicting various parts of the titanic created by designers Dennis Page and Oliver Hill of Halifax.
The RMS Titanic's enormous bow and two front anchors appear in the center of the first pair of the stamps. Southampton (England), the place were the Titanic's maiden voyage began is shown. On the left is Halifax (Nova Scotia, Canada) which became the center of recovery efforts after the ship sank.
The second stamp pair shows the 3 propellers that were located at the rear of the ship—2 larger outer propellers and a smaller center propeller. At the bottom of each stamp sits the House Flag of the White Star Line, the owner of the Titanic. This iconic red flag flew from the Titanic's main mast and was also displayed on her tickets, cutlery and furniture.
A fifth stamp shows the Titanic at sea between Southampton and Halifax. Cape Race, N.L., is highlighted because its radio station was the first land-based site to receive the ill-fated ship's distress signal. Halifax played a major role in the Titanic story when the city's cable ships were dispatched to pick up bodies from the Atlantic in the days after the accident. 150 people whose bodies were recovered were laid to rest in the city's three cemeteries.
A Souvenir Sheet features the international rate stamp, which depicts a full color side illustration of the Titanic.
Included in this year's centennial activities is the re-release of James Cameron's Titanic movie in 3D.
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