French Polynesia Cancellation "De LA Plonge"

Please, help me with understanding the history behind and the meaning of the cancellation "De La Plonge". The image of the cancellation is attached. Preliminary research indicates that there was maritime post office. What was the method of mail delivery: by floating tin, by divers or other means? Thank you in advance.

Hello SU1977,

I have looked on the web and on ebay and Delcampe for a while searching for what this could be and any info on it, as I know nothing before about it.

The cancels on Delcampe lettres seem to have different dots or partial dots below the Tuamotu Islands names, and so could indicate different post offices or clerks or times even perhaps.

Under the administration of French Polynesia Tahitian Islands group at the time I think. The SCE on the postmark could mean Society or 'group of' in French.

I would think, looking only at pictures of islands there (the Muamotus) and ships passing through now, that large ships could dock or come close to some of the islands.

Wikipedia Tuamotus: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuamotus

"SCE" here is short for "Service" i.e. "Service de la Plonge / Tuamotu".

Service de la Plonge translates as "dish washing service," but I don't understand why this would be in a cancel.

The cancel must refer to mail processed at an underwater post office. Here is a link to a contemporary one. I couldn't find any reference to the one in the cancel, but I did find a similar cover from the same PO and same year that sold on ebay earlier this year.

Don

http://hideaway.com.vu/resort/uw-post-office/

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/Tahiti-1931-...111269362407

"dishwashing service " ? Sounds like a small mobile postal service that went from smaller islands to small island that couldn't be service by commercial ship .Much like a skiff that went thru rolling surf or over coral reefs to service the smaller islands .

Thank you for all the responses. According to Russian google translator "De La Plonge" means underwater which supports our theory about Underwater Post Office. I would really like to find out whether this cancellation was for Tin Can, Bottle or other type of "floating" mail. One source mentions contract mail boats, other security boats and there is no mention of how boats picked up the mail.
http://www.rumseyauctions.com/aucti...ter/54/91/10 (Lot 1370)
http://www.worthpoint.com/worthoped...ed-464417457
Schuyler Auctions in the description of "Sce De La Plonge" Lot refers to 1980 APS article. Does anyone have this article? Is Schuyler Auctions likely to answer my email asking for more info about the cancellation?

One of the Islands in the Tuamotu island area of French Polynesia is Hou which once had a label of "Paradis del la Plongee". Maybe you can try searching in that direction? Would it being pre WW2 some of the names could have been changed after.

Vacuum man, it's an interesting piece of information. Is the name of the island possibly Hao? After reading your post, I found Hong Kong Post Office guide, dated 1999 and as far as I understand currently active, that lists on page 10 Service De La Plonge as present day office: http://www.hongkongpost.hk/eng/publ...pendix/f.pdf