Strange cover to submarine

[Colin Tabeart]

This is quite the weirdest cover I have yet seen to a British submarine. Addressed to "Submarine Obreon" - misspelt for Oberon. Sent airmail, registered, express from Cagliari to the boat, c/o GPO Malta, but not addressed to anyone on board. Would appreciate comments/thoughts on, like: why sent airmail, express, registered? Why only to the boat and not a person? What was it about? I wondered if it might be a bill for a party at the "Albergo Ristorante Italia" but ...?  Can anyone explain the postage rate - 6 Lire in all?

For info Oberon was an experimental boat as first of a design for ops in the Far East in view of deteriorating relations with Japan. She was based at Malta at the time of this letter.

[Neil Williams]

Colin

I can make a start. Using Furfie's International Postage Rates..

Registration fee - 150 cts

Express fee - 250 cts

Letters - 125cts first 20 gm, 75 cts subsequent 20gm or part.

Italian practice at that time was airmail was paid by a supplement on top of the letter rate, usually in 5g steps.

The franking is 600 cts. So allowing 525cts for Registration + Express + base letter rate leaves 75cts as the likely airmail supplement.

I don't know if there was an airmail link Rome-Malta in 1932. 3 days would be enough I think to go by ship. So the airmail supplement here may only the internal Italian rate.

I note this is not just a restaurant but an auberge - ie inn/hotel. That and the sender's address at the Poste Restante would indicate to me the sender was a guest at the hotel.

Hope these observations are helpful.

Neil W

[Colin Tabeart]

Thank you Neil - yes, very helpful. Suggestion that the writer was a hotel guest makes sense - maybe "Sidney" was the crew member he/she was trying to write to.
Colin

[Robert Hurst]

Colin,

Proud in his [i]Intercontinental Airmails – Vol.3 (Africa)[/i] states that from June 1931 the Italian airline SANA operated a service that call at Malta – Route: Rome, Naples, Syracuse, Malta and Tripoli. The south bound service operated Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The envelope is back stamped [i]Roma[/i] on 19 Nov 1932 which was a Saturday. The item would therefore have been flown on Monday 21st.

As regards Air Fees Proud states until the formation of Ala Littoria on 1 November 1934 air fees to Malta, Libya and Tunisia were the same as for Italian Internal services: Letters and postcards 50c per 15g, 80c per 50g for printed papers, but he then states "For Malta 70c per 20g and Tunisia 75c per 10g". Whether the 70c rate refers to the post November 1934 period is not entirely clear.

I hope this information is of help.

Robert

[Colin Tabeart]

Many thanks Robert - that is another extremely helpful answer.
Best wishes, Colin