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Monthly Archives: August 2011
Today in History – Hendrick Hamel, the Sparrow Hawk and the Hermit Kingdom
On August 15th, 1653, the Dutch East India Company ship, Sperwer (Sparrow Hawk), was shipwrecked on Jeju Island off the southern coast of Korea. Thirty six of the sixty four crew survived. One of the survivors was the ship’s book keeper, Hendrick … Continue reading
Posted in History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Dutch East India Company, Hendrick Hamel, Hermit Kingdom, Joseon dynasty, Korea, Sperwer
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Australian Navy Ship to be Named After Last WWI Vet, Claude Choules
In May, we posted about the death of Claude Choules at 110. Choules was the last surviving veteran of World War I. Yesterday, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard announced that the ex-Royal Navy Largs Bay, a Bay class landing ship dock, would be commissioned as … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Australian Prime Minister, Claude Choules, HMAS Choules, Julia Gillard
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The Other Russian Aircraft Carrier – the Costly Conversion of the Admiral Gorshkov to INS Vikramaditya
We recently posted about the Chinese conversion of the Russian aircraft carrier Varyag. China is not the only country looking to surplus Russian aircraft carriers to expand their naval power. India purchased the surplus carrier, Admiral Gorshkov, from the Russians … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Admiral Gorshkov, aircraft carrier, Indian Navy, INS Vikramaditya, Russia
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The Tiniest Sea Monster ?
This may be the tiniest sea monster, a hydrothermal worm, a deep sea creature, almost as small as bacterium found near hydrothermal vents in the ocean. Here is the “worm from hell” viewed close up with an electron-microscope. Click on the image … Continue reading
Happy Birthday, Neptune!
On Sept 23-24, 1846, the planet Neptune was discovered by by Johann Gottfried Galle. In celestial terms, that was 165 years ago. In terms of Neptune’s path around the Sun it was only about one year ago. (To be precise, … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Seastories
Tagged Johann Gottfried Galle, Neptune
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Kivalina, Alaska’s Orange Goo – Eggs, but Whose?
Last week, a bright orange jelly or “goo” floated up on the beaches of Kivalina, a remote Alaskan village of just over 400 residents. Now scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have determined that the goo is … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Alaska, invertebrate eggs, Kivalina, Orange Goo
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Nautical Winners of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest
The Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest is an annual tongue-in-cheek contest, sponsored by the English Department of San Jose State University in San Jose, California. Entrants are invited “to compose the opening sentence to the worst of all possible novels.” Edward Bulwer-Lytton … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea, Seastories
Tagged Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, Edward Bulwer-Lytton
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Viking Longboat Dragens Vinge Lost Off Shetland, Crew Rescued After Activating EPIRB
The Viking longboat replica, Dragens Vinge, is reported to have broken up in a gale while on a voyage from Norway to Lerwick. The crew was rescued by helicopter fifty miles 50 miles east of Shetland after they activated the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Dragens Vinge, EPIRB, Viking longboat replica
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From Varyag to Shi Lang – the Long Strange Voyage of China’s New Twenty Year Old Aircraft Carrier
In May, we posted about what appears to be the deck of an aircraft carrier built onto the top of a government building in China (China takes a Great Leap Forward in the Concrete Carrier Arms Race.) Some speculated that … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Chinese aircraft carrier, sea trials, Shi Lang, Varyag
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2011 Great North River Tugboat Race and Competition
The next Great North River Tugboat Race and Competition is coming up on Labor Day weekend, on September 4th on the Hudson River in New York harbor. If my count is correct, this will be the 19th annual tug boat race. One of the … Continue reading
Lt Cdr Sarah West, First Woman Appointed Commander of a Royal Navy Warship
The Royal Navy has appointed Lt Cdr Sarah West the command of HMS Portland, a Type 23 Duke Class Frigate launched in 1999. When she takes command on April 2012, she will be the first woman to command a Royal Navy warship. West previously … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged HMS Portland, Lt Cdr Sarah West, Royal Navy, Type 23 Duke Class Frigate
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Nyad Ends Attempted Cuba-Florida Swim
After adverse winds carried her off course, marathon swimmer Diana Nyad, 61, ended her attempt to become the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. She had been swimming for 29 hours when she ended … Continue reading
Roboship Unveiled in Virginia
I am not sure that this is necessarily a good idea. The US Navy is developing unmanned robotic guard ships which could be used to patrol coastal waters. An interesting idea, but getting the deployment right will be a real … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Fleet Experimentation, Roboships, US Navy
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Collision at Cowes – Sailing Yacht Dismasted After Cutting in Front of Tanker
Under the Rules of the Road, sailing vessels generally have the right of way over motor vessels, unless the motor vessel is limited by an ability to maneuver. Specifically, “small vessels or sailing vessels must not impede (larger) vessels which can navigate only within a … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Atlanta of Chester, Cowes, Hanne Knutsen, Rules of the Road, Suezmax shuttle tanker, yacht
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