-
Featured Books
Monthly Archives: July 2010
40th Anniversary of Black Tot Day
In early July we celebrated the 40th anniversary of the return of the SS Great Britain to Bristol. Yesterday was a more somber anniversary – the 40th anniversary of “Black Tot” Day. Ceremony to mark ending of rum tot at … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Black Tot Day, HMS Victory, Royal Navy, rum ration, Up Spirits
2 Comments
Dead Humpback Whale Pinned to Bow of the Sapphire Princess
Last summer, the Sapphire Princess, a cruise ship operating on the South-West coast of Alaska, arrived in the port of Vancouver with a 70 foot long fin whale impaled on its bulbous bow. Wednesday, almost exactly a year later, … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Alaska, criminal charges, Dawn Princess, humpback whale, Sapphire Princess, Tracy Arm
2 Comments
A Brigantine Beneath Washington Street – Identifying the World Trade Center Ship
Two weeks ago the remains of an 18th century ship were found in the excavation of the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan. On Thursday Warren Riess, an archaeologist specializing in marine history, speculated that the ship was most likely a brigantine; … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged brigantine, lower Manhattan, new york, Warren Riess, World Trade Center
Leave a comment
Photos of the MV M. Star – Cause of Damage Still a Mystery
Photos of the damage to the VLCC MV M. Star. Click on the thumbnails above for larger images. Questions Swirl About Damaged Japanese Tanker
HMS Investigator – 150 years ago and Today
The HMS Investigator was found in remarkably good shape in only 11 meters of water in Mercy Bay along the northern coast of Banks Island in Canada’s western Arctic. The image to the left is from a lithograph of the … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged HMS Investigator, Mercy Bay, Parks Canada, western Arctic
Leave a comment
12th Annual West Coast Wooden Kayak Rendezvous – July 30th – August 1st
12th Annual West Coast Wooden Kayak Rendezvous The annual West Coast Wooden Kayak Rendezvous (R2KX) is the first weekend in August at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend. The event is free and open to the public (donations to … Continue reading
Bristol Harbor Festival 2010 Begins Today
The Bristol Harbour Festival begins today and runs through the weekend. It is expected to attract over 200,000 people and is one of the biggest free events in the UK. In addition to Brunel’s SS Great Britain, on permanent … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Bristol Harbour Festival, Brunel's SS Great Britain, Kathleen and May, Matthew, Vilma
Leave a comment
Skimmer “A Whale” Sails for Dalian, China Spill
Lloyds List is reporting that the Skimmer “A Whale” which failed to collect significant amounts of oil in the Gulf of mexico from the BP spill is now en-route to the major spill in Dalian, China. The more concentrated oil on the … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Ships
Tagged A Whale, China, Dalian, Gulf of Mexico, Oil spill, skimmer
Leave a comment
Fourteen Year Old Laura Dekker has Dutch Court OK to Sail around the World
The teen-round-the-world-sailing-escapades may be starting all over again. Laura Dekker has Dutch court permission to sail around the world A Dutch court cleared the way Tuesday for 14-year-old Laura Dekker to embark on a risky attempt to become the youngest … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Dutch court, Laura Dekker, youngest person to sail solo around the world
6 Comments
What Hit the MV M. Star? An Explosion, A Grenade, or a Freak Wave?
Depending on which of the various news reports you read, the MOL 314,016 dwt tanker M. Star suffered either an explosion, was hit by a grenade or was struck by a freak wave caused by an earthquake while transiting the Straits of Hormuz. … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged explosion, freak wave, M. Star, MOL, Straits of Hormuz, VLCC
5 Comments
HMS Investigator, Abandoned in 1853, Found in Arctic
Earlier this month we posted about a new expedition by Parks Canada to search for Franklin’s ships, the Terrorand the Erebus. Parks Canada also intended to search for theHMS Investigator, a ship which was caught in the ice and sank when sent … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Erebus, HMS Investigator, Parks Canada, Sir John Franklin', Terror
3 Comments
Hiawatha – Last Operational Walking-Beam Sidewheeler in the World for Sale on EBay
The Hiawatha, reportedly the last operational walking beam steam sidewheeler in the world, is being offered for sale on E-Bay. Built in 1983 of steel, the Hiawatha is 38 feet long with a 15.5 feet beam. Its paddle wheels are … Continue reading
Dismantling the Ground Zero Ship
A follow-up to our previous post – 18th Century Ship Found Buried at New York’s World Trade Center Site. Workers are now beginning to dismantle what is left of the ship, plank by plank, for preservation. Last week, Atlantic Wire posted an interesting … Continue reading
Sailing Ship Photos from Life Magazine on Google
Be warned. If you are interested in sailing ships, do not click on the link below if you have anything important to do for the next fifteen or twenty minutes or possibly much longer. Here is a absolutely fantastic archive of … Continue reading
Posted in Galleries, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged last days of commercial sail, Life Magazine, sailing ships
1 Comment
Plastiki arrives in Sydney after Pacific Crossing
We have previously posted about the experimental sailboat Plastiki, built using 12,500 recycled soda bottles. The craft sailed last March from San Francisco and has now arrived in Sydney, Australia after a voyage of 9,000 miles (15,000 km.) Boat made from plastic bottles completes Pacific voyage
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Great Pacific Garbage Patch, Plastiki, recycled soda bottles
Leave a comment
First Lady Michelle Obama Christens National Security Cutter Stratton
Last Friday, Michelle Obama was the first First Lady ever to christen a US Coast Guard Cutter, the National Security Cutter Stratton. The cutter is named after the first woman to serve as a commissioned officer in the U. S. … Continue reading
Royal Navy’s Summer Extravaganza Returns to Portsmouth in 2010
Navy’s Summer Extravaganza Returns to Portsmouth in 2010 Navy Days at Portsmouth Naval Base, Friday 30th July – Sunday 1st August, will feature serving warships of the Royal Navy, ships of foreign navies, thrilling naval displays, historical re-enactments and the … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged HMS Cumberland, HMS Victory, Navy Days, Portsmouth Naval Base
1 Comment
Shipbuilding: China Overtakes Korea; Avondale to Shutdown
For the first time since 2003, Korean shipyards have lost their position as the world’s number one shipbuilder to China. China overtakes Korea in shipbuilding deliveries According to Clarkson Research Services Ltd., a London-based market research firm, Korean shipbuilding companies … Continue reading
Video of Breaching Whale Crushing Sailboat off South Africa.
There has been considerable discussion whether the photo of a Southern Right whale breaching and landing on a sailboat off South Africa is real or Photoshopped. (See the comments on our previous post.) A video has now emerged which … Continue reading
