Container Ship Dali May be Refloated This Week After Controlled Demolition Removes Bridge Wreckage

Posted on by May 14, 2024
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The trapped container ship Dali will “hopefully” be refloated this week after authorities set off charges at a key portion of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Monday evening, an official said.

The charges helped demolish a portion of the bridge wreckage resting on the ship – a move meant to help free the vessel, nearly seven weeks after it struck the bridge and caused the span to collapse. During the planned detonation, a chunk of the collapsed structure appeared to fall away from the ship and into the water, though a portion of wreckage remained on top of the ship, video showed.

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Sailors’ Tattoos on Mother’s Day

Posted on by May 12, 2024
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An updated repost appropriate for Mother’s Day.

Sailors choose their tattoos for various reasons. Among the most popular sailor tattoos are anchors, hearts, and swallows.  Not infrequently, “Mom” also appeared as a reminder of loved ones and home.  On Mother’s Day, it seems worthwhile to look at sailors’ tattoos that remind them of “Mom.”

Remy Melina, in the Live Science blog, writes about the popularity of “I Love Mom” tattoos:  The “I Love Mom” tattoo first became popular during World War II. As they traveled around the world, U.S. Navy sailors got tattoos to document their achievements and memories. Tattoo parlors began to pop up near military bases and patriotic tattoos came into vogue, according to John Gray’s book “I Love Mom: An Irreverent History of the Tattoo.” Continue reading →

Olympic Torch Arrives in Marseille on Three Masted Barque Belem

Posted on by May 10, 2024
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Tens of thousands of people welcomed the Olympic torch Wednesday in the southern French city of Marseille, marking another milestone in the lead-up to the Summer Games in Paris. The flame arrived after a 12-day trip from Greece onboard the Belem, a 128-year-old three-masted barque that once transported sugar from France’s colonies in the West Indies.

Reuters reports that the torch was brought to land by Florent Manaudou, France’s 2012 Olympic men’s 50 metres freestyle swimming champion, who handed it to Paralympic athlete Nantenin Keita, a 400 metres gold medallist at the Rio Games in 2016.
She then passed it on to Marseille-born rapper Jul, who lit the cauldron in front of an ecstatic crowd estimated at 150,000. Earlier a flotilla of pleasure boats had welcomed the Belem to French shores.

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Carcass of Endangered Sei Whale Arrives at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal Pinned to Bow of MSC Meraviglia

Posted on by May 9, 2024
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On Saturday, May 4, the cruise ship MSC Meraviglia arrived at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in New York Harbor dragging the carcass of a 44-foot-long endangered sei whale, caught on the ship’s bulbous bow.

Sei whales are endangered and are typically observed in deeper waters far from the coastline. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating this incident. The whale was relocated and towed to shore at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to allow for better access to heavy equipment and resources to conduct a necropsy.

According to the New York Times, results of a preliminary investigation show broken bones in the whale’s right flipper; tissue trauma along its right shoulder blade; a full stomach, and a decent layer of blubber.  These all point toward the animal having been in otherwise good health when it was likely struck and killed by the ship, said Robert A. DiGiovanni, the chief scientist of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, which is leading the investigation.

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Belated Congratulations to Maiden’s All-Female Crew, Winners of the Ocean Globe Race

Posted on by May 8, 2024
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Still catching-up on interesting nautical news that transpired while I away. We would be remiss to not offer our belated congratulations to Skipper Heather Thomas and the crew of the yacht Maiden, who beat 14 other teams to win the Ocean Globe Race on IRC handicap, becoming the first ever all-women crew to win an around-the-world yacht race.

The former Whitbread yacht, sailed by an international crew took the title after 153d 2h 16m 53s of racing around the world. Virtually none of the crew had previously faced such an epic challenge and only one had sailed in the Southern Ocean before.

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Update: Bosporus Strait Reopened After Bulker Alexis Refloated

Posted on by May 8, 2024
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Update: One of the world’s busiest shipping channels was closed to traffic in both directions after Alexis, an 81,623 dwt bulk carrier, ran aground on May 8, in the Bosporus Strait, connecting the Black Sea to the Mediterranean.

Four tugs, a fast rescue boat and divers were sent to the incident, which a Lloyd’s List casualty report said occurred at 0430 hrs. The tugs and rescue vessels were able to refloat the grounded bulk carrier. Vessel traffic in the Bosphorus was restored in both directions, the Directorate-General of Coastal Safety reported.

The Alexis is carrying food products from Ukraine to Egypt. The bulker experienced machinery failure, resulting in grounding near the Haydarpasa breakwater shallow water area during its passage through the Bosporus Strait towards the Sea of Marmara. No pollution has been reported.

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Record Number of Sea Lions Haul-Out on San Francisco’s Pier 39, K-Dock

Posted on by May 6, 2024
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In the last week or so, over 1,000 sea lions have hauled out on San Francisco’s Pier 39, K-Dock, the largest assembly of the boisterous pinnipeds in roughly 15 years.

As noted on the Pier 39 website: A few California sea lions began “hauling out” on Pier 39’s K-Dock shortly after the Loma Prieta earthquake hit San Francisco in October 1989. By January 1990, the boisterous barking pinnipeds started to arrive in droves and completely took over K-Dock, much to the exasperation of Pier 39’s Marina tenants.

The Marina Staff turned to The Marine Mammal Center, an organization devoted to the rescue and rehabilitation of marine mammals, for advice about their new slippery tenants. After much debate and research, the experts from The Marine Mammal Center recommended that the sea lions stay in their newfound home.

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Catching Up — Fireboat John J. Harvey Briefly Stolen by Homeless Man On Hudson River

Posted on by May 5, 2024
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I have been away for the better part of a month on a transatlantic sail from Barbados to Malta on a five-masted square rigger. (Click here for a short video of the ship under sail.) I had limited internet access during the trip, so I am behind on posting.

I appreciate the support of readers in forwarding news of interest while I was away. I plan to work in these “catch-up” posts over the next week or two. Here is the first. Thanks to Roberta Weisbrod for passing along the story of the attempted theft of the historic fireboat John J. Harvey.

Around 2:30 AM on April 11th, Juan Hernandez, 22, reported to be a homeless immigrant from Ecuador, allegedly released the mooring lines on the John J. Harvey, a decommissioned fireboat built in 1931, from where it was docked at Pier 66 in Hudson River Park.

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Battleship USS New Jersey in Drydock at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard

Posted on by May 4, 2024
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A short video of the Iowa-class battleship USS New Jersey on the blocks in drydock at the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard.  As noted by the New York Times, no other U.S. battleship served in more military campaigns. Christened on the first anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, Dec. 7, 1942, she went on to earn 19 battle stars during 21 years of active service. Roughly 45,000 sailors and Marines served on her decks in World War II, the Korean and Vietnam Wars, the Lebanese Civil War and the Iran-Iraq Tanker War. After an illustrious career, she was retired as a museum ship in Camden, NJ in 2001.

The USS New Jersey is now undergoing a 60-day docking for preventive maintenance on Dock #3, the same dock she was launched from on Dec. 7, 1942. This is the first drydocking of the ship in 32 years.

Amazing views of historic USS New Jersey battleship while in dry dock for maintenance

Update: Dive Boat Captain Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison Over Deaths of 34 in 2019 Conception Fire

Posted on by May 3, 2024
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The dive boat Conception smolders at sunrise on Sept. 2, 2019, before sinking. (National Transportation Safety Board)

Over Labor Day weekend in 2019, a fire broke out in the early morning hours on the Conception, a 75-foot wood and fiberglass dive vessel in Santa Barbara Harbor, CA. All 33 passengers sleeping below decks and one of the boat’s crew of six died in the blaze.

The Conception‘s captain, Jerry Boyle, 70, was sentenced to four years in prison on Thursday, according to a statement from the Justice Department. After a 10-day trial, a jury found Boylan guilty in November 2023 of one count of misconduct or neglect of ship officer – an offense commonly called “seaman’s manslaughter.”

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Don Street, Life-Long Sailor & Writer Dies at 94

Posted on by May 2, 2024
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Yesterday, the Glandore Harbour Yacht Club in West Cork posted sad news on its Facebook page:  It is great sadness that we learnt this morning of the passing of our dear friend Don Street. Don will be forever remembered for his infectious love of sailing and mentor to our youth sailors for many years. 

On May 1st, 2024, sailor and cruising guide legend  Donald (Don) MacQueen Street Jnr died at his home in the loving care of his wife and family at Rock Cottage, Glandore, Ireland. He was 94.

Don Street will be remembered as a life-long sailor, chart maker, and author. He has been referred to as the “father of the cruising guide.” 

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SPV Royal Clipper — Scenes From a Square Rigger

Posted on by April 30, 2024
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I have been away for the better part of a month on a transatlantic voyage on the Royal Clipper, one of only two five-masted full-rigged sailing ships ever built. Inspired by the windjammer Pruessen of 1902, the Royal Clipper sets 42 sails totaling 5,000 sm of sail area.  Here is a short video of the ship under sail.

Remembering Mocha Dick, the Real Rogue White Whale Who Inspired Moby Dick

Posted on by March 24, 2024
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An updated repost. Melville’s masterpiece, Moby-Dick, was inspired, at least in part, by the sinking of the whaleship Essex by a sperm whale in 1820.  The fate of the Essex unquestionably supplied Melville with ending to his novel. Nevertheless, the core of Moby-Dick appears to have been inspired by another rogue white sperm whale, known for attacking whale boats and ships. Nicknamed Mocha Dick, he was often sighted near the island of Mocha, off southern Chile. Mocha Dick was said to have killed more than 30 men, and to have attacked and damaged 14 whaleboats and three whaling ships.

In May 1839 the Knickerbocker Magazine, a popular publication in New York City, published a lengthy article about Mocha Dick by Jeremiah N. Reynolds, an American journalist, and explorer. Reynolds would later publish a book-length version of his account.

MOCHA DICK: OR THE WHITE WHALE OF THE PACIFIC: A LEAF FROM A MANUSCRIPT JOURNAL.
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Bloody Rain — Murder, Madness and the Monsoon : Free on Amazon & B&N

Posted on by March 22, 2024
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My short story Bloody Rain — Murder, Madness and the Monsoon, set on a sailing ship in the 1880s, is free as an ebook on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  That’s right — free.  Feel free to grab a copy.

About the short story: Queen Charlotte was a fine, three-masted iron bark; trim, low and fast on a reach – in all respects, the perfection of the shipbuilder’s art. If she had a single great flaw, it was on her quarterdeck in the man that the owners had chosen as captain. Captain John McPherson maintains absolute control over his ship and those who sail upon her. The only one that he cannot control is himself, slipping into murder and madness in the face of the relentless monsoon.

If you like Bloody Rain, (or even if you don’t,) a short review is always appreciated. You may also want to check out my award-winning novels, Hell Around the Horn; The Shantyman; and my latest, Evening Gray, Morning Red.

Sailing on a Milky Sea — Sailboat & Satellites Confirm Sailors’ Glowing Ocean Lore

Posted on by March 22, 2024
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Digital photography of the 2019 Java milky sea, captured by Ganesha’s crew, showing a view of (A) the ship’s prow and (B) a color-adjusted to human perception

An updated repost. For thousands of years, sailors have told of nighttime seas that mysteriously glowed a milky white or luminescent blue, stretching out to the horizon. Referred to as a “milky sea,” the tales date back at least to Greece and Roman times and may have provided inspiration for the “ocean of milk” from Hindu mythology.

As with so many sea stories, the challenge for scientists has been to document and study what sailors had observed far from land in remote stretches of the world’s oceans.

Now, scientists using light-sensing satellites have been able to track milky sea luminescence. And by happenstance, they now have sea level confirmation of their observations from a private sailing yacht that happened to find itself sailing in a glowing sea that coincided with the satellite observations. 

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Krill Joy — Drone Video of Blue Whale Feeding

Posted on by March 21, 2024
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Something to take one’s mind off the unpleasantness of current events. A repost.

Krill Joy
From Slate:This video catches a rare glimpse of a gigantic, lunge-feeding blue whale deciding on what’s for lunch. A nonintrusive drone from Oregon State University quietly observed the world’s largest animal in the Southern Ocean off Australia. Cruising along at 6.7 mph—according to Leigh Torres of the Marine Mammal Institute at Oregon State, who led the expedition—it spots a worthy mass of krill and flips on its side, mouth wide open, to plow into its unlucky meal at 1.1 mph.

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King Harald “Blåtand” Gormsson, Bluetooth & the Jelling Stone Ship

Posted on by March 21, 2024
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Remember King Harald “Blåtand” Gormsson? No? The king of Denmark and later Norway in the late 10th century. The name still doesn’t ring a bell?  His rune mark is embedded in your phone and possibly your earbuds and speakers. His nickname, “Blåtand,” means “Bluetooth” in English.  

King Harald Bluetooth’s claim to fame is that he united Denmark and Norway. When Intel engineer, Jim Kardach, was working on a new wireless technology he was also reading a book about Viking history. He decided to name the new technology after the Danish king. Kardach was later quoted as saying, “Bluetooth was borrowed from the 10th-century, second king of Denmark, King Harald Bluetooth; who was famous for uniting Scandinavia just as we intended to unite the PC and cellular industries with a short-range wireless link.”

The Bluetooth symbol adopted for short-range wireless communications is made of King Harold Bluetooth’s initials, B and T in Viking runes.

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WWI Anti-Submarine Warfare with Seagulls, Sacks and Hammers

Posted on by March 22, 2024
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Anti-submarine warriors?

One of the great things about writing historical fiction is discovering odd sets of facts, often buried in the archives, that capture both the desperation and the madness of a given time. Often, as the cliche goes, you just can’t make this stuff up. Here is an account of how the Royal Navy attempted to fight back against German submarines in World War I using trained seagulls and hammers. The schemes worked about as well as one might expect. An updated repost.

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Blue Dragon Sea Slugs — Tiny, Beautiful and Dangerous — Washing Ashore on Texas Beaches

Posted on by March 21, 2024
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Tiny, beautiful, and dangerous blue dragon sea slugs are washing ashore on Texas beaches.

The words “blue dragon” and “sea slug” do not seem to go together. The image of a dragon, of any color, and a slug just do not seem to overlap. Nevertheless, the sea slug glaucus atlanticus known as the blue dragon (as well as the sea swallow, blue angel, and the blue ocean slug) does look and act more ferociously than its size or designation might suggest.

The strangely beautiful but tiny sea slug only grows to about an inch and a half long. It floats on the surface of the ocean and is known to prey on the much larger Portuguese Man o’ War. The blue dragon is immune to the Man o’ War’s toxins. Indeed, the blue dragon concentrates its toxins so that it can produce a nasty sting three to five times more powerful than the Man o’ War. Humans handling the blue dragon may receive a very painful and potentially dangerous sting causing vomiting and disorientation. There is a video about this remarkable sea slug, after the page break.

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