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Monthly Archives: October 2011
The Haunted Point Lookout Lighthouse
In honor of Halloween, it seems appropriate to post about the Point Lookout Lighthouse of St. Mary’s County, Md., at the junction of the the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay, which is said to be the most haunted lighthouse … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea
Tagged Civil War, ghosts, haunted, Point Lookout Lighthouse, shipwreck
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Seventy Years Ago Today: The Sinking of the U.S.S. Reuben James – October 31, 1941
The first American Naval ship lost in World War II was not sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Over a month before, on October 31, 1941, the destroyer USS Reuben James, escorting a convoy bound for Britain, was sunk … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged destroyer, sinking, torpedoed, USS Greer, USS Kearny, USS Reuben James, Woody Guthrie
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Five Sailors Saved by Cruise Ship Norwegian Gem in Coast Guard AMVER Rescue
On Saturday morning, the 39′ sailboat, Sanctuary, in heavy weather 256 miles northeast of Bermuda, was hit by several breaking waves, lost power and began slowly taking on water. The crew of five, four men and one woman, called for help. The US Coast Guard … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea
Tagged AMVER, Norwegian Gem, sailboat, Sanctuary, US Coast Guard
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How Not to Dispose of a Dead Whale
So what do you do if you find a dead gray whale on your beach? It is too large to bury, too heavy to drag away and too stinky to cut into pieces. I am not sure that I have … Continue reading
Armed Guards on Merchant Ships, the New Norm in Pirate Waters?
British Prime Minister David Cameron recently announced that armed guards would be allowed to be carried on British merchant ships transiting off the coast of Somalia. Shipping firms will now be able to apply for a license to carry guards armed with automatic weapons, … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged armed guards, British merchant ships, British Prime Minister, David Cameron
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Update: MV Rena Salvage Ongoing, A Second Container Ship Runs Aground, HMAS Broome Averts Disaster
Attempts to pump out the residual fuel of from the MV Rena, stranded on Astrolabe Reef off New Zealand continue with mixed results. New focus for Rena salvagers Today, a second container ship, the Schelder Trader, lost power and drifted onto … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged HMAS Broome, MV Rena, MV Vega Fynen, Schelder Trader
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Party in the Harbor for Lady Liberty & Liberty Enlightening the World Wide Web
Today is the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. The colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York harbor was designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886 as a gift to America from … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Liberty Enlightening the World, new york harbor, Statue of Liberty, web cams
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CHARLOTTE – A Wooden Boat Story
The Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, located on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, must be a pretty amazing place. In July of 2010, we reviewed Schooner – Building a Wooden Boat on Martha’s Vineyard, which was about building a schooner … Continue reading
Cradle for Clipper Ship City of Adelaide to Set Sail For Scotland
The City of Adelaide, built in 1864, is the oldest composite clipper ship in the world and is currently sitting on a slipway in Scotland waiting to be brought home to its namesake city. The plan is for a steel cradle to … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged City of Adelaide, composite clipper ship, Gillman, South Australia
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Halloween Haunted Ship Round-Up 2011
Who needs a haunted house if you can have a haunted ship? Around this time of year, historic and modern ships suddenly become haunted and ghostly. (To be fair, some are reported to be haunted all year round.) Here is … Continue reading
Racing Square Riggers – Exy Johnson vs Irving Johnson
Last September we posted about The Great Brigantine Race of 2011 off Newport Beach, CA, between two identical 90′ brigantines, the Irving Johnson and the Exy Johnson . Launched in 2002, they are part of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute’s “TopSail Youth Program,” a sail training … Continue reading
Lost Dutch World War II Sub Located off Borneo
The Dutch submarine Hr Ms KXVI was part of an Allied fleet attempting to stop the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies, when it was sunk by a Japanese submarine on the day after Christmas, 1941. Since then the wreck of … Continue reading
70th Anniversary Celebration of the Charles W Morgan at Mystic Seaport
Sail the Morgan 2014 is hosting a week-long celebration of the arrival of the last American wooden whaleship, the Charles W. Morgan, in Mystic, Connecticut. The celebration running from ”October 28 to November 5 will feature a restaurant week, shopping … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged 70th Anniversary Celebration, Charles W. Morgan, Connecticut, Mystic, mystic seaport
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Jack Tar: Life in Nelson’s Navy by Roy & Leslie Adkins – A Review
Over the next several weeks, we will be reviewing a series of books about what life was like in Nelson’s navy. The first is Jack Tar: Life in Nelson’s Navy by Roy & Leslie Adkins, subtitled “the extraordinary lives of ordinary seamen … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea, Reviews, Seastories
Tagged Jack Tar: Life in Nelson's Navy, Leslie Adkins, Roy Adkins
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Moby Dick in Space ?
Herman Melville’s Moby Dick was not a commercial success when published in 1851. Nevertheless, the story of the great white whale remains powerful and timeless, for good or ill. Last December, we posted about the straight to DVD movie, 2010: Moby Dick, a “re-imagined” telling … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Herman Melville, Lynne Ramsay, Moby Dick, Moby Dick in Space
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Sailrocket vs. Hydroptère
We have posted previously about the world’s fasted sailboat, the hydrofoil trimaran, Hydroptère, which in November 2009, sailed for one nautical mile at speed of 50.17 knots in Hyères, France. He also has achieved a sustained speed of 52.86 knots … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged hydrofoil trimaran, Hydroptère, Vestas Sailrocket
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Archaeologists Discover Roman Port in Wales
I was surprised to read that archaeologists had recently discovered only the second Roman port in Britain. Prior to the discovery in excavations near the Roman fortress of Caerleon, just north of Newport, south Wales, the only other Roman port known to have … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Caerleon, Roman fortress, Roman port, Wales
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Happy Trafalgar Day and the Anniversary of the Launching of “Old Ironsides”
Thanks to Maritime Great Britain for reminding us that today is indeed Trafalgar Day, commemorating Nelson’s victory over the French and Spanish fleets and his tragic death at the Battle of Trafalgar on this day in 1805. They also reminded us that on this day in … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Battle of Trafalgar, Nelson, Trafalgar Day, USS Constitution
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An Ocean Full of Comets?
Where did our oceans come from? Why is over 70% the earth’s surface covered by water? The answer may be in the dirty celestial snow balls we call comets. Scientists believe that the earth was originally dry and hot. Comets … Continue reading
Rum & Revolution Cruise on the Schooner Fame of Salem
Some traditions should be honored. I would certainly include rum drinking in that list. Tomorrow the Schooner Fame of Salem, Massachusetts is hosting a Rum and Revolution Cruise, departing from Pickering Wharf Marina, in Salem at 4:00 PM. After all, “rum and sailors … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea
Tagged Massachusetts, Pickering Wharf Marina, Rum and Revolution Cruise, Salem, Schooner Fame
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