The postcard shows an Air New Zealand McDonnell Douglas DC-8. The McDonnell Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined jet airliner, manufactured from 1958 to 1972.
McDonnell Douglas DC-8 Postcard
On 23 September 1963 Air New Zealand (the national flag carrier of New Zealand) signed a contract with Douglas Aircraft, agreeing to purchase three of the latter's DC-8-52 jet airliners. The first DC-8 arrived at Auckland on 20 July 1965, coinciding with the official opening of Air New Zealand's jet base at the airport. The remaining two DC-8's arrived on 12 August and 22 September of that year and the inaugural jet service was a flight from Christchurch to Sydney on 3 October.
The Māori symbol on the tail fin is the Koru. It is a stylised representation of a fern frond unfolding, and signifies new life, growth and renewal. The koru was used on the prows of the early Polynesian canoes that sailed the Pacific with its many islands.
SOURCES:
Douglas DC-8 Wikipedia Entry
History of Air New Zealand Wikipedia Entry
The postcard shows an Air France Boeing 747. The Boeing 747, often referred to by the nickname "Jumbo Jet", is among the world's most recognizable aircraft, and was the first wide-body commercial airliner ever produced. First flown commercially in 1970, it held the passenger capacity record for 37 years, until it was surpassed by the Airbus A380.
Boeing 747 Postcard
Air France was an early Boeing 747 operator. It eventually operated one of the world's largest 747 fleets.
SOURCES:Boeing 747 Wikipedia Entry
Air France Wikipedia Entry
USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83) was a 290-foot (88 m) vessel specifically designed for ice breaking duties on the Great Lakes. Mackinaw's design was based on the "Wind" class of Coast Guard icebreakers, but the cutter was built wider and longer than the other Wind class vessels so that her draft would be shallower. Because of this, the Mackinaw was unique in the Coast Guard fleet.
USCGC Mackinaw Postcard
The old Mackinaw moved under its own power on June 21, 2006 from the port of its decommissioning to a permanent berth at the SS Chief Wawatam dock at the ship's namesake port, Mackinaw City, Michigan where she now serves as a museum ship known as Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum.
Displacement: 5,252 long tons (5,336 t)Length: 290 ft (88 m)Beam: 74.3 ft (22.6 m)Draft: 19.5 ft (5.9 m)Speed: 15 kn (28 km/h/17 mph)Complement: 8 Officers, 67 Enlisted
SOURCES:USCGC Mackinaw (WAGB-83) Wikipedia Entry
MS Noordam has been the name of several ships run by the Holland America Line. The third Noordam was the first for luxury cruise service. Built by Chantiers de l'Atlantique in 1984, had a gross tonnage of 33,933 tonnes and was 704 ft (215 m) long. The ship's beam was 89 ft (27 m) and draft was 24 ft (7.3 m); her cruising speed was 21 knots.
MS Noordam Postcard
(PH Wish from Sherida Decker)
In 2005, the ship was acquired by Louis Cruise Lines and was immediately chartered to Thomson Cruises; she was rechristened the MS Thomson Celebration.
Tonnage: 33,960 gross register tons (GRT)Displacement: 4243 metric tons of deadweight (DWT)Length: 214.66 m (704.27 ft)Beam: 27.26 m (89.44 ft)Decks: 9Speed: 18 knotsCapacity: 1,254 passengers (1350 maximum)Crew: 520 crew
SOURCE:MS Noordam Wikipedia Entry
The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, nicknamed "Mighty Fitz," "The Fitz," or "The Big Fitz," was an American lake freighter, launched on June 8, 1958. On February 1, 1957, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin contracted Great Lakes Engineering Works (GLEW), of River Rouge, Michigan, to design and build an ore bulk carrier laker for Northwestern. The contract contained the stipulation that the boat be the largest on the Great Lakes.
S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Postcard
(PH Wish from Sarah Konichek)
During a Lake Superior gale storm on November 10, 1975, the Fitzgerald sank suddenly, without sending any distress signals, in 530 feet (162 m) of water.The initial search for survivor consisted of the Arthur M. Anderson, and a second freighter, SS William Clay Ford. The efforts of a third freighter, the Canadian vessel Hilda Marjanne, were foiled by the weather. The search recovered debris, including lifeboats and rafts, but no survivors.
Length: 729 feet (222.2 m) oaDepth: 39 feetPropulsion: Carried 72,000 U.S. gallons fuel oilCapacity: 26,600 short tons (24,100 t)
Crew: 29
SOURCE:
SS Edmund Fitzgerald Wikipedia Entry
McDonnell Douglas DC-8 Postcard
