Nassau, The Bahamas – The Bahamas Postal Services announces the release a new series of commemorative stamps on August 16, 2014 which will pay tribute to the 75th Anniversary of the World’s first undersea Post Office.

The new stamps will depict the pioneering work of John Ernest (“J.E.”) Williamson (1881-1966), whose underwater photography drew mass attention to the beautiful and precious natural resources of The Bahamas.

Designed by Derek Miller and printed by Lowe-Martin, the stamps feature a 15 cent stamp, a 50 cent stamp, a 65 cent stamp and a 70 cent stamp.

Williamson’s father, Charles Williamson of Norfolk, Virginia, was a sea captain who had invented a tube, which when suspended from a specially outfitted ship, facilitated communication and airflow down to depths of 250 feet. When attached to a diving apparatus, this could assist in repair and salvage work.

In 1912 Williamson realised that his father’s invention could be adapted for undersea photography. Using a light hung from the mother ship, artificially illuminated photographs of the depths of Chesapeake Bay taken in 1913 produced such captivating results that he was inspired to attempt motion pictures.

To facilitate the tube’s new purpose, Williamson designed a special attachment: an observation chamber with a large funnel-shaped compartment, fronted by a large, thick glass window 5 feet in diameter. He called this device the “Williamson Photosphere.” With this new equipment he and his brother George set out for The Bahamas, where the sunlight can penetrate 150 feet deep in the crystal clear waters, greatly enhancing the photographic possibilities. The photosphere was attached to a special barge, christened the Jules Verne, and in March 1914, near Nassau, they shot the first-ever underwater motion pictures.

His first feature was known as the “ Williamson Submarine Expedition” and was called Thirty Leagues under the Sea. The climax was Williamson’s fight with a shark, which he killed with a knife while remaining within the camera’s range. Released in 1914, the film demonstrated how Bahamians depended on the ocean’s ecosystem to support their own.

In 1939, William conducted The Bahamas-Williamson Undersea Expedition bearing the Explorers Club flag number 97, to film underwater for scientific purposes. It was in connection with this expedition that the Government of The Bahamas authorised the Photosphere to become the world’s first undersea post office, officially named “Sea Floor Bahamas”. This was a great achievement for The Bahamas with stamps such as the “Sea Gardens” being posted by a limited number of visitors from the 6X10 feet Photosphere to the delight of stamp lovers around the world. Exciting images of discovery were now revealed to the general public for the first time.

Williamson remained at the forefront of undersea accomplishments throughout his life, leaving a legacy of courageous dedication to ground-breaking exploration that continues to benefit modern pursuits of marine knowledge.

Visitors to the Photosphere and the Sea Floor Post Office included Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone and the Royal Governor of The Bahamas, H.R.H. Edward, Duke of Windsor.

The photosphere has been previously featured on postage stamps from The Bahamas, Monaco, Turks and Caicos Islands and Palau.

The 2014 programme also includes the following special issues: the Christening of Prince George, the 75^th anniversary of the First Under Sea Post Office, the 50^th Anniversary of the Ministry of Tourism and Christmas 2014.

Nassau, The Bahamas – The Bahamas Postal Services announces the release a new series of commemorative stamps on August 16, 2014 which will pay tribute to the 75^th Anniversary of the World’s first undersea Post Office.

The new stamps will depict the pioneering work of John Ernest (“J.E.”) Williamson (1881-1966), whose underwater photography drew mass attention to the beautiful and precious natural resources of The Bahamas.

Designed by Derek Miller and printed by Lowe-Martin, the stamps feature a 15 cent stamp, a 50 cent stamp, a 65 cent stamp and a 70 cent stamp.

Williamson’s father, Charles Williamson of Norfolk, Virginia, was a sea captain who had invented a tube, which when suspended from a specially outfitted ship, facilitated communication and airflow down to depths of 250 feet. When attached to a diving apparatus, this could assist in repair and salvage work.

In 1912 Williamson realised that his father’s invention could be adapted for undersea photography. Using a light hung from the mother ship, artificially illuminated photographs of the depths of Chesapeake Bay taken in 1913 produced such captivating results that he was inspired to attempt motion pictures.

To facilitate the tube’s new purpose, Williamson designed a special attachment: an observation chamber with a large funnel-shaped compartment, fronted by a large, thick glass window 5 feet in diameter. He called this device the “Williamson Photosphere.” With this new equipment he and his brother George set out for The Bahamas, where the sunlight can penetrate 150 feet deep in the crystal clear waters, greatly enhancing the photographic possibilities. The photosphere was attached to a special barge, christened the Jules Verne, and in March 1914, near Nassau, they shot the first-ever underwater motion pictures.

His first feature was known as the “ Williamson Submarine Expedition” and was called Thirty Leagues under the Sea. The climax was Williamson’s fight with a shark, which he killed with a knife while remaining within the camera’s range. Released in 1914, the film demonstrated how Bahamians depended on the ocean’s ecosystem to support their own.

In 1939, William conducted The Bahamas-Williamson Undersea Expedition bearing the Explorers Club flag number 97, to film underwater for scientific purposes. It was in connection with this expedition that the Government of The Bahamas authorised the Photosphere to become the world’s first undersea post office, officially named “Sea Floor Bahamas”. This was a great achievement for The Bahamas with stamps such as the “Sea Gardens” being posted by a limited number of visitors from the 6X10 feet Photosphere to the delight of stamp lovers around the world. Exciting images of discovery were now revealed to the general public for the first time.

Williamson remained at the forefront of undersea accomplishments throughout his life, leaving a legacy of courageous dedication to ground-breaking exploration that continues to benefit modern pursuits of marine knowledge.

Visitors to the Photosphere and the Sea Floor Post Office included Alexander Graham Bell, the inventor of the telephone and the Royal Governor of The Bahamas, H.R.H. Edward, Duke of Windsor.

The photosphere has been previously featured on postage stamps from The Bahamas, Monaco, Turks and Caicos Islands and Palau.

The 2014 programme also includes the following special issues: the Christening of Prince George, the 75^th anniversary of the First Under Sea Post Office, the 50^th Anniversary of the Ministry of Tourism and Christmas 2014.