Looking For Help With Msp Numbers

Hi everyone, sorry but I need some assistance....I've got some German Schiffspost numbers to identify and my library resources only lists them up to MSP 88. I have Crusemann's abridged translation of Deutsch Marine-Shiffspost Handbooks, a Deutsche Kolonien Stempelkatalog (2003) and copy of "1886-1986 A Century of German Ship Posts". None of which contain the info I need.
Most of the MSP numbers from 1894-1914 are covered...it's the area from 1914-1919 that I need help with. Does anyone have any online website info that may list the numbers from 1914 to 1920??? Any actual book database??? My immediate need is to discover the ship which used MSP 149 in 1915. See below..

You're not going to find anything online, but let me see what I can dig up in my references. As you stated, up to 1914 is easy -- lots of references there. Afterward, not as easy...

Thank You.....

OK. Found it. MSP No. 149 was assigned to the 10. Torpedoboots-Halbflottille (10th Torpedo Boat Half-Flotilla).

Translation is roughly:


As best I can tell, at the outbreak of war, the 10th Half-Flotilla was composed of torpedo boats (really, destroyers) SMS G7, G8, G9, G10, and G11.

By Jutland, G11 was serving as the leader of the V Flotilla, and was replaced in the 10th Half-Flotilla by SMS V5.

You mentioned you have the abridged Crüsemann. Crüsemann is responsible for 3 of the 4 big MSP references. He published works covering 1894-1914 (14 small paperback volumes), 1914-1919 (7 small paperback volumes), and 1920-1940 (3 small paperback volumes). You can usually find these on AbeBooks or eBay. They are sometimes found in hardback/bound combined sets as well. The fourth reference is Pohlmann/Kessing's Handbuch und Katalog der deutschen Marine-Schiffspost und Marinepost, 1895-1914, which covers that period in far more detail.

Or you can just post any items here and I'll look them up for you.

This listing came from this volume:

Thank You very much.....yes.... I need to find Band II....going to St Louis Stamp Expo Friday, so Guess what I am gonna look for???

Sorry but I may have to use your services again until I can get my library filled.....! LOL Thanks again!

Prosit!

Thanks PostmasterGS for some really useful information on Deutsche Marine-Schiffspost. I am also interested in acquiring the edition (7 mini-volumes I believe) that covers WWI and its immediate aftermath (1914 - 1919). However, before doing this, I have a question concerning coverage of German Naval ships in the 1914-1919 volume. I note that quite a number of the ships involved in the war were built in the 10-20 year period leading up to the conflict. If I am trying to track down a ship built in the pre-war period, even though the postmark on the cards/ letters date between 1914 and 1919, do I also have to buy the Deutsche Marine-Schiffspost book covering the pre-war period (before 1914)? Hoping you can advise. Many thanks.

It really depends on what you mean when you say you're trying to track down a ship. If you're just looking for info on the ship, none of these works will really help. Here's what they contain.

Here's an example of what each work contains. This is the 1914-1919 listing for SMS Friedrich der Große, MSP No. 49.

The listing is just a short blurb. There's no movement information, though for most ships, that would be available elsewhere for the war period. The individual ship listings take up about 2 and part of 3 volumes of the 7 volumes, The remaining volumes go into more detail on the MSP generally, and into specifics for areas that are out of the norm – mail from the Spee Squadron, mail from interned ships, mail from Scapa Flow, etc. The final volume is an index of sort, with a list by MSP number, ship name, or station.

The pre-1914 Crusemann listing for SMS Friedrich der Große, MSP No. 49.

The pre-war listings have more location data, though the tables can be a bear to decipher if you're not fluent in the shorthand and abbreviations Crusemann uses. The individual listings like these are about 6 of the 14 volumes. The remaining volumes go into more detail on a variety of topics. Ships assigned to certain stations (Ostasiatische Station, Westafrikanische Station, etc.). Ships present for certain actions (Boxer Rebellion, Philippine Crisis, Herero Rebellion, etc.). Which ship's cancels can be found used in which colonies or post offices abroad. Etc., etc. Very voluminous and dense.

To be honest, I almost never touch Crusemann because I primarily collect MSP from pre-WWI, so my go-to is Pohlmann/Kessing. Pohlmann/Kessing isn't as comprehensive as Crusemann in that is omits certain info on more obscure topics (for example, info on exchange of mail at sea, treatment of official mail, etc.), but for those areas where there is duplication – records of movement, discussions of ships assigned to certain stations, present for certain actions, uses in colonies and post offices abroad – the information is presented in a much more readable, understandable format.

If you have a particular ship in mind that you're looking for info on, just let me know and I'll see what I can dig up.

Thanks again. Very interesting.
I guess my question is more simple than that, but the images in your most recent post I think has answered my query.
I just wanted to know whether ship MSP Numbers were consistent between Crusemann's first pre-1914 volume and the one he produced for the period 1914-1919. Your images show that the same ship is recorded in both of Crusemann's volumes with the same number.
I was also concerned that ships that saw action in WWI, but were built before 1914 might not be listed in his 1914-1919 volume, but that does not seem to be the case.
At this stage, I am less concerned with ship movements and more about being able to identify ships through their MSP numbers and I want to avoid buying his pre-1914 volume as well as his 1914-1919 volume if that is unnecessary.
Thanks again.

Some of the MSP numbers did change pretty frequently, so there's no guarantee that a MSP number from 1911 would be for the same ship in 1915. In some instances, the MSP number was assigned to a ship for only a single voyage, and some numbers would have been used on 5-6 ships within a few years time.

For example, MSP No. 49 was used on 13 ships between 1900 and 1914 with SMS Friedrich der Große being the last one before the war.

If you want to know for sure which ship a number was assigned to on a specific date, you would either need to consult the relevant volume of Crusemann/Pohlmann, or post it here so I can look it up for you.

OK. Thanks again. I believe I now understand how the system works.