Quest for the South Magnetic Pole

June 30, 2010 · Filed Under Current, History, Lore of the Sea · Comment 

We recently posted about the centennial of Robert Falcon Scott‘s departure on his ill-fated expedition to reach the South Pole.   Now the Australian National Maritime Museum will host a new exhibit, the Quest for the South Magnetic Pole.    The quest to locate the magnetic pole is more challenging than I had ever imagined.   Apparently it can shift by as much [...]

“A Whale” – World’s Largest Oil Skimmer Waiting on EPA and Coast Guard Approval

June 29, 2010 · Filed Under Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships · 12 Comments 

Update:  According to her AIS (Automatic Identification System) the A Whale is now off Louisiana.  Thanks to Buck for pointing it out. Click here to see per position on the chart. A Taiwanese-owned, Liberian-flagged tanker,  the A Whale, has been modified for skimming up to 500,000 barrels of oil-contaminated water a day.   To put this in context, if [...]

Belated Happy 100th Birthday Wishes to Bill King, World War II Sub Commander and Adventurer

June 28, 2010 · Filed Under Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships · Comment 

We are five  days late but nevertheless would like to wish Commander William Donald Aelian “Bill” King a most happy 100th birthday.  He is only living submarine commander from World War II.  He initially served on the battleship, HMS Resolution, and later becoming commanding officer of HMS Snapper, an S class submarine and then of HMS Trusty and [...]

BP Deepwater Horizon – Whales and Dolphins Sick and Dying in the Spill

June 28, 2010 · Filed Under Current, Lore of the Sea · 7 Comments 

Sobering aerial video of the scope of the ongoing spill.   At around 6:30 there is footage of pods of dead and dying dolphins and  a sperm whale caught in the oil.   Difficult video to watch but important, nevertheless. BP Slick Covers Dolphins and Whales.mov

Happy Birthday to the Lydia Eva – 80 Year Old Steam Herring Drifter

June 27, 2010 · Filed Under Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships · Comment 

Famous steam drifter celebrates 80th birthday in Yarmouth The world’s last surviving steam drifter, the Lydia Eva, will be celebrating her 80th birthday in Great Yarmouth on Sunday.   As well as celebrating her birthday, the weekend will also mark the completion of a £1.2m restoration project of the vessel. Throughout the weekend, people will [...]

Portside New York – Big BlueBQ July 3rd

June 26, 2010 · Filed Under Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships · 1 Comment 

Portside New York is a maritime hub and cultural space whose centerpiece is the historic coastal tanker Mary Whalen.   Portside is based this summer on pier 11 in the Atlantic Basin, Red Hook, Brooklyn. On Saturday, July 3rd, Portside is hosting  the Big Blue BQ from 6:30 -8 PM.  Expect good food, good music and good company as [...]

Asian Carp Invading the Great Lakes

June 25, 2010 · Filed Under Current, Lore of the Sea · Comment 

Two species of Asian carp, the bighead and the silver, were imported in the US in the 1970s by catfish farmers to eat algae in ponds. In flood in the 1990s, Asian trout escaped in the Mississippi River basin have been multiplying wildly and heading north. A few days ago an 20 pound Asian bighead [...]

Lost Wooden Steamer L.R. Doty Located After 112 Years

June 25, 2010 · Filed Under Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships · 2 Comments 

In October of 1898, the wooden steamship L.R. Doty disappeared in Lake Michigan in a storm with seventy mile an hour winds and thirty foot waves. Her crew of 17 and two ship’s cats were lost.   A group of Wisconsin divers recently discovered the shipwreck , intact and upright, in 300 feet of water [...]

Chauncy Maples, Africa’s Oldest Ship, Returning as Clinic Ship on Lake Malawi

June 24, 2010 · Filed Under Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships · 7 Comments 

In 1898, the Chauncy Maples was built at the shipyard of Alley & McLellan in Glasgow.   She was then disassembled into 3,481 parts and shipped out for reassembly at Monkey Bay as a missionary/hospital steamer on Lake Malawi.  Now, one hundred and twelve years later, the Chauncy Maples may be returning to duty as a traveling clinic on [...]

Mystic Seaport Wooden Boat Show, June 25 – 27

June 23, 2010 · Filed Under Current, Lore of the Sea · Comment 

A wonderful boat show in a enchanting setting, the Mystic Seaport Wooden Boat Show starts this Friday. I am seriously annoyed that it looks like I will be be missing it again this year.    The show is hosted in partnership with Wooden Boat Publications. The 19th Annual  WoodenBoat Show

The Channel Islands at War

June 23, 2010 · Filed Under Current, History, Lore of the Sea · Comment 

For those in the UK, the Yesterday Channel is beginning a new documentary series, The Channel Islands at War,  next week  on Monday 28th, Tuesday 29th and Wednesday 30th of June. The Channel Islands at War

Lake Erie Shipwreck to Remain in the Deep ?

June 22, 2010 · Filed Under Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships · 1 Comment 

An interested court case between a private salvor and the State of New York appears to have been settled in favor of the state.   The salvor, Northeast Research, claimed the 19th century schooner, which it claims is the Caledonia. They had planned to raise the vessel and display it in a large tank on [...]

‘Jaws’ Shark Hunted Down

June 22, 2010 · Filed Under Lore of the Sea · Comment 

It says something about our society that a missing prop from a classic movie, specifically Bruce, the mechanical shark from Jaws, has its own Facebook page. I’m not exactly sure what it says, but it has to say something.   For those who might be interested, Bruce, the missing mechanical shark has been located in a Los Angeles junkyard. ‘Jaws’ Shark [...]

USS Forrestal arrives in Phila. to await fate

June 21, 2010 · Filed Under Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships · 1 Comment 

USS Forrestal arrives in Phila. to await fate The aircraft carrier Forrestal arrived in Philadelphia Friday morning to await its fate. The ship, decommissioned in 1993 in Philadelphia after 38 years in service, had been moored next to the Saratoga in Newport, R.I. It left under tow Tuesday.

Mermaid Parade 2010 – Coney Island

June 21, 2010 · Filed Under Current, Lore of the Sea · 1 Comment 

Happy Solstice to All.  One way that at least some New Yorkers mark the beginning of the summer is to observe or participate in the Mermaid Parade, an event celebrating  the sea and the season, in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn for the past 28 years.   This year in addition to scantily clad mermaids and [...]

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