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Monthly Archives: March 2011
Wind Speeds and Wave Heights Rising
Does the wind seem to blowing harder and the waves growing ever higher? Perhaps they are after all. A new study finds that wind speeds and wave heights have been rising significantly over the last two decades. Study finds oceanic … Continue reading
Holy Flying Fish! – A Mako Shark and an Eagle Ray Jump Aboard
Last summer we posted about a breaching Southern Right whale that landed on a sailboat off South Africa. This week, boaters off the Florida Keys and in the Gulf of Mexico off Texas got surprise visitors. Off the Florida Keys a 200 … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Florida Keys, Gulf of Mexico, Mako shark, spotted eagle ray
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Odyssey Searching for the S.S. Gairsoppa and $260 million in Silver
On February 16, 1941 the S.S. Gairsoppa was bound from India to Britain, when she was torpedoed by a German submarine and sank 300 miles southwest of Galway Bay. In addition to pig iron and tea, she carried silver bullion … Continue reading
Posted in History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged German submarine, Odyssey Marine Exploration, S.S. Gairsoppa, silver bullion, torpedoed
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Arresting versus Disrupting Pirates
Recently we posted about joint-operations by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard which since last Novemeber have succeeded in capturing 120 pirates in the Indian Ocean as well as taking several pirate “mother ships” and freeing the hostage held aboard. On reader commented: Good on … Continue reading
The Shipwreck Behind Crane’s “The Open Boat”
None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and were fastened upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white, … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea, Seastories
Tagged Florida, Ponce Inlet, Professor Paul Sorrentino, SS Commodore, Stephen Crane, The Open Boat
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More Treasure from the Atocha – 17th century gold chain worth $250,000
Last week, while searching near the the wreck of Nuestra Senora de Atocha, Bill Burt, a diver for Mel Fisher’s Treasures, found a 17th century gold chain worth $250,000. Deep sea treasure: 17th century gold chain worth $250,000 plucked from … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged 17th century gold chain, Bill Burt, Mel Fisher's Treasures, Nuestra Senora de Atocha
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The Warship, the Watermill and a Ship’s Plans Delayed
Last Sunday, we posted about the authorization for the construction of the first six frigates for the US Navy in 1794. The folks at Maritime Great Britain were kind enough to pass along two related stories.
Posted in History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged HMS Java, HMS Trincomalee, USS Constitution
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Indian Navy Captures 16 Pirates, Frees 16 Hostages
On Sunday the MV Maersk Kensington reported an attempted boarding by pirates while underway off the southern coast of India. The Indian navy ship Suvarna and Coast Guard ship Sangram responded, intercepting the Iranian fishing trawler Morteza which had been hijacked and was … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Coast Guard ship, Indian navy ship, Iranian fishing trawler, Morteza, MV Maersk Kensington, Sangram, Suvarna
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Skin and Bones – Tattoos in the Life of the American Sailor
Mystic Seaport is featuring a traveling exhibit from Philadelphia’s Independence Seaport Museum – Skin & Bones, Tattoos in the Life of an American Sailor. The exhibition runs through September 5, 2011. Skin and Bones – Tattoos in the Life of the American … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea
Tagged mystic seaport, Skin & Bones, Tattoos in the Life of an American Sailor
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New Identity for Arctic Explorer Emerges 140 Years Later
New facial reconstruction technology applied to the skull of one of the members of the ill-fated Franklin expedition may rewrite accepted history. The skeleton long believed to be that of Henry Le Vesconte, a lieutenant aboard HMS Erebus, is now believed to be that of Harry … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea
Tagged facial reconstruction, franklin expedition, Harry Goodsir, Henry Le Vesconte
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Ferry Condor Vitesse Collides with Fishing Boat, Fisherman Killed
The 86m fast catamaran ferry, Condor Vitesse, collided with a fishing vessel this morning, seriously injuring a French fisherman. UPDATE: The fisherman injured in the crash subsequently died. French fisherman seriously injured in ferry crash The Condor Vitesse, travelling between St Malo in … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged 86m fast catamaran ferry, Condor Vitesse, fishing vessel, French fisherman
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The Fourth Leg of the Velux Five Oceans Singlehanded Round the World Race Underway
The fourth leg of the Velux Five Oceans Singlehanded Round the World Race is underway as the four competitors set off from Punta del Este, Uruguay bound for Charleston, South Carolina. The racers are currently sailing at north at around ten knots … Continue reading
Sion Milosky, Big Wave Rider
No one needs to be reminded that the sea is a dangerous place, and nowhere more so than where it meets the shore. Sion Milosky, one of the world’s great big wave riders, died last week at 35 while surfing off … Continue reading
The Six Frigates – Birth of the US Navy
Two hundred and seventeen years ago today, March 27, 1794, the United States Congress authorized the construction of six frigates, the first ships of the United States Navy, the USS Constitution, the USS Chesapeake , the USS Constellation , the USS President, the USS … Continue reading
Posted in History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
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Happy Birthday Nathaniel Bowditch, America’s Practical Navigator
Every US naval ship and most American merchant ships carry aboard a copy of the American Practical Navigator, which most refer to simply as Bowditch, after Nathaniel Bowditch, the author of the first edition in 1802. On March 26, 1773, Nathaniel Bowditch, the fifth of seven children, … Continue reading
Posted in History, Lore of the Sea
Tagged American Practical Navigator, Massachusetts, Nathaniel Bowditch, Salem
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Harold ‘Dynamite’ Payson – Boatbuilder, Writer, Father of “Instant Boats”
Harold ‘Dynamite’ Payson died suddenly of an an aneurysm at his home in Maine on March 23rd. He was 82. His message was simple. As expressed in his books and on his webpage,” Harold H. Payson … known to associates, friends, and his … Continue reading
The Marvelous Mind of an Octopus, yes, an Octopus
This is an amazing presentation from a website called “everybody loves cephalopods.” (I know that I do, usually lightly fried.) I have to admit that after watching this excerpt from a 30 minute presentation by Maggie Koerth-Baker that I am indeed fascinated by octopus … Continue reading
Like a Robin in Springtime, Shipping Returns to the Great Lakes
The wonderful thing about the US Great Lakes is that being fresh water, the ships on the lakes don’t rust like they do in the saltier oceans. Of course being fresh water, the lakes do freeze close enough to solid … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Great Lakes, Lake Superior, Soo Locks, St. Clair River, St. Lawrence Seaway, Welland Canal
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Today in Submarine History – the Short, Sorry Saga of the USS Lancefish
On March 24th, 1945 the USS Lancetfish was decommissioned after less than thousand hours in service. She never put to sea under her own power and never had a crew. Delivered from the Cramp Shipbuilding Company of Philadelphia, she was towed to … Continue reading
Earth Hour Twilight Cruise on the Tall Ship Southern Swan
Earth Hour is “a global event organized by WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as World Wildlife Fund) and is held on the last Saturday of March annually, asking households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Australia, Earth Hour, Sydney, Tall Ship Southern Swan, Twilight Cruise
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