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Monthly Archives: December 2010
Happy New Year – New York & Key West Style: Crystal Ball, Conch Shell, Pirate Wench & Drag Queen
In New York City tonight, just on the other side of the Hudson River from where I am now typing, roughly one million people gather in Times Square to watch a crystal ball being dropped on exactly midnight to celebrate the … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged conch shell, crystal ball, Florida, Key West, New Year's Eve, New York City, Times Square
2 Comments
More than 600 people aboard ice-trapped vessels in Sea of Okhotsk
Several news agencies are reporting that more than 600 crewmembers are aboard ten vessels trapped in the ice in the Sea of Okhotsk. More than 600 people aboard ice-trapped vessels in Sea of Okhotsk
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged 600 crewmember, Sea of Okhotsk, trapped in the ice
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A Tug’s-eye View of the Blizzard
While I don’t normally associate show tunes from “Guys and Dolls” with foul weather and tug boats, Captain Brucato‘s video does a great job of capturing a tug’s-eye view of the recent blizzard that hit the US East coast the day after Christmas. The Last Blizzard … Continue reading
Captain & Chief Engineer of Tanker Aegean Angel Killed in Heavy Weather in the Atlantic
The 160,000 dwt tanker Aegean Angel was en route from Tallinn, Estonia, to Houston, Texas when it encountered heavy weather northeast of Bermuda on Thursday. A large wave is reported to have struck the ship, killing the captain and the … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged 000 DWT tanker, 160, Aegean Angel, bermuda, captain, chief engineer
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Ten Years of Cruise Ship Fires and Carnival Confetti
A weird dissonance between two cruise stories struck me recently. On one hand, Carnival Cruise Lines is “the official confetti sponsor of the Times Square New Year’s Eve 2011 celebration.” As reported by the the Maritime Executive “the sponsorship includes multiple opportunities to associate the … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Carnival Cruise Lines, Carnival Splendor, Cruise Law News, Jim Walker, John Heald
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Dutch freighter Stadiongracht aground off Rauma, Finland
A lousy time of the year to run aground off Finland. Then again, there aren’t too many good times of the year to run aground. Thanks to Dick Bal for passing the news along. Dutch freighter “Stadiongracht” aground off Rauma
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged aground, Finland, Rauma, Stadiongracht
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South Street Seaport Museum May Sell Off Historic Schooner Lettie G Howard
The South Street Seaport Museum in New York City is reported to be attempting to sell off the historic schooner, Lettie G. Howard. The Lettie G. Howard is a wooden Fredonia schooner built in 1893 in Essex, Massachusetts, USA. In past … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Fredonia schooner, Lettie G. Howard, South Street Seaport Museum, windjammer Peking
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The Last Voyage of the Lakonia – Deadly Christmas Cruise
Forty seven years ago, passengers on the cruise ship Laconia were promised ”a marvelous Christmas cruise to sunny Madeira and the Canary Islands.” The brochure read – ”Have your holiday with all risk eliminated. Enjoy a holiday you will remember for … Continue reading
Posted in History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged AMVER, Canary Islands, Carnival Splendor, fire, Laconia, Madeira
4 Comments
Remembering Sailors at Sea over the Holidays
Over one million seafarers keep ships sailing year round. This is a good time to remember the sailors at sea over the holidays. The Sailor’s Society, and other groups like it, do a wonderful job supporting sailors far from home. … Continue reading
Greetings from the North Pole
Of all the various holiday greeting from shipping ventures this season this has to be my favorite. A Moss Rosenberg design LNG ship transformed to a Christmas ball carrier. From the Maasmond Maritime.
A Glimpse at the New Mary Rose Museum
A glimpse at the new Mary Rose museum, hosted by Alan Titchmarch. The museum is intended to open in 2012, the 500th anniversary of the delivery of the Mary Rose. Alan Titchmarsh explores the Mary Rose Museum and encourages fundraising … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Alan Titchmarch, Mary Rose, museum
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The 12 Plankton of Christmas
Sing with me now – “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me, a Phaeocystis globosa.” OK, it may not be a melodic as “a partridge in a pear tree,” but it may be more interesting. Dr. Richard … Continue reading
Abby Sunderland’s “Unsinkable: A Young Woman’s Courageous Battle on the High Seas”
Last June, we posted about Jessica Watson’s book and album release. Jessica Watson is the now 17 year old Australian sailor who can rightly claim the title of the “youngest to sail solo and unassisted around the world.” … Continue reading
500 Seafarers held hostage by pirates at Christmas
The real victims of piracy are invariably the seafarers who are held for ransom often under grim conditions for long periods of time. From a statement relased by the Round Table of international shipping associations – and the International Transport … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Seastories
Tagged Indian Ocean, seafarers, Somali pirates, somalia
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Secrets of the Pliosaurs Revealed by CT scanner
An intriguing article about how scientists are using CT scans to build a 3D picture of the ferocious predator which terrorized the oceans 150m years ago. Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing it along. Colossal pliosaur fossil secrets revealed by CT … Continue reading
USS Pegasus and the Littoral Combat Ships
David Hayes passed along a video of the USS Pegasus, a hydrofoil patrol boat that was billed as the “vanguard of the new navy,” thirty five years ago. While the Pegasus was not the first of many hydrofoils as was intended in 1975, the development … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged hydrofoil patrol boat, LCS, littoral combat ships, U.S.S Independence, USS Pegasus
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Did the Fixed CO2 System on the Carnival Splendor Fail?
The Maritime Blog and the Professional Mariner are pointing to two Marine Safety Alerts issued by the Coast Guard today which may suggest that the fixed CO2 system on the Carnival Splendor failed. The Safety Alerts do not identify the ship by … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
2 Comments
Coast Guard Videos of the Year 2010 – Vote for your Favorite
The U.S. Coast Guard is posting the top 11 rescue/mission videos of 2010. Starting today they will be posting one video per day. There are three ways to vote for your favorite video. Either “like” the video on the Coast Guard Youtube … Continue reading
Lighthouse Ice Sculpture – Welcome to Winter
The photos and video clip are almost a week old but nevertheless seem like an excellent way to welcome in the winter. This ice sculpture is the Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Lighthouse on Lake Erie. Happy Winter Solstice to everyone North of … Continue reading
Laura Dekker Arrives in St. Maarten
Fifteen-year-old Dutch sailor, Laura Dekker, arrived in St. Maarten after a 2,200 nautical-mile voyage from the Cape Verde Islands off West Africa. She sailed from Gibraltar on August 21 and spent two months in the Canary Islands waiting for the hurricane … Continue reading
