The Mayday - Rescue At Sea Stamp Set New Release

The Royal Mail has just released a new stamp set that is sure to delight mariners worldwide. The Mayday – Rescue at Sea was released on March 13, 2008. The stamps mark the one hundred year adoption of the worldwide Morse Code distress signal at sea, the SOS, otherwise known as “. . . _ _ _ . . .”. The stamps feature the dots and dashes along the top and bottom edges.

The stamps were appropriately launched on board a Royal and National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeboat thereby recognizing the importance of the RNLI’s marine search and rescue work. RNLI is a first class search and rescue service which aids in rescues off of England’s coast. It is not a government run agency. It is run strictly by volunteers who are dedicated to saving the lives of people who are in trouble at sea. They are a charity and rely on public finding to meet their financial needs. The RNLI is hoping to raise £20,000 in funding via the sale of
first day covers. The money raised will go towards the RNLI Memorial in Poole, England.

There are six stamps issued in this set with over 30 million stamps printed for distribution. Four of the stamps feature RNLI lifeboats and two of the stamps feature HM Coastguard helicopters.