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Monthly Archives: October 2011
MV Rena Cracking, Risking Breaking Up, Containers Washing Ashore
The Liberian flagged container ship, MV Rena, which ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand last week is continuing to suffer structural cracking and is continuing to spill bunker oil and losing containers overboard. Several beaches on the … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Astrolabe Reef, Liberian flagged container ship, MV Rena, New Zealand, Oil spill, Tauranga
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“Don’t Give Up the Ship” – One of the Odder Naval Battle Cries From a Forgotten War
We are rapidly approaching the bi-centennial of the War of 1812, a largely forgotten conflict which was, in many respects, a continuation of the American War of Independence from Great Britain. The war was characterized by American incompetence and bumbling … Continue reading
Posted in History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Don't Give Up the Ship, HMS Shannon, USS Chesapeake, USS Lawrence, USS Niagara, War of 1812
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Glow-in-the-Dark Lantern Shark Can Also Become Invisible
Lantern sharks, a type of small dogfish sharks, are well known for their bioluminescence, indeed that is how they were given their name. Researchers have recently discovered that the rare splendid lantern shark can adjust its coloration and lighting so as to … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged bioluminescence, Julien Clae, splendid lantern shark
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Update: MV Rena – Increasing Oil Spill and Container Loss
Bad weather is adding to an already bad situation as salvage and clean up crews struggle to staunch the flow of oil from the container ship, MV Rena, which has been grounded on Astrolabe Reef in New Zealand’s Bay of Plenty near Tauranga for … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged container ship, MV Rena, New Zealand, Oil spill
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Crew of MV Montecristo Rescued from Pirates by NATO
The Italian owned bulk carrier, MV Montecristo, was hijacked by pirates off Somalia on Monday. The ship’s crew retreated to a protective citadel “safe room” ahead of the pirates. Today RFA Fort Victoria and USS De Wert, acting as part of … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged MV Montecristo, RFA Fort Victoria, Somali pirates, USS De Wert
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Diving HMS Hermes
Last Friday we posted about the USS Arthur W Radford as an artificial reef. Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing on this video of the wreck of HMS Hermes, which is a popular dive site off near Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. … Continue reading
Posted in History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Batticaloa, HMS Hermes, Sri Lanka, world war II
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Columbus, Eratosthenes & Posidonius
Happy Columbus Day to those in the United States and Happy Thanksgiving to those in Canada. On Columbus Day, it seems appropriate to consider the role of error in discovery. While many of us were taught in school that Columbus proved that … Continue reading
Kick ‘em Jenny – Rocking Out Underwater
A quick quiz. Is Kick ‘em Jenny a rockbilly singer, a Dutch Celtic Symfo-Folk band or an active submarine volcano on the floor of the Caribbean Sea? The answer appears to be yes to all three. Kick ‘em Jenny is a … Continue reading
Hurricane Irene Breaks Up USS Arthur W Radford – Recently Sunken Artificial Reef
Just last August, the USS Arthur W. Radford, a Fletcher-class destroyer which served in the Gulf War, was sunk as an artificial reef in the Atlantic Ocean off Cape May, NJ. The 563-foot destroyer was the longest vessel ever sunk … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Cape May, Fletcher-class destroyer, Hurricane Irene, NJ, USS Radford
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Fourth Annual Wooden Boat Festival at the Independence Seaport Museum
This Saturday the Fourth Annual Wooden Boat Festival will be held at the Independence Seaport Museum on the Delaware River in Philadelphia. The festival will kick off with a Parade of Sail featuring the tall ships Gazela and AJ Meerwald as … Continue reading
Dock Dogs and Diving Horses
Some new competitive sports are better than others. I am not sure how I feel about dock dogs competitions. Still it has to be an improvement over diving horses which were wildly popular in the US in the 1880s. Remarkably there is … Continue reading
Oil Spill from MV Rena – A Small Leak or Looming Environmental Disaster ?
Depending on what one reads, the oil spill associated with the grounding of the MV Rena on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand is either a “small leak” or a “looming environmental disaster.” Conceivably, depending on the integrity of the ship’s hull, both … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Astrolabe Reef, grounding, MV Rena, New Zealand, Oil spill, Tauranga
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Putin and the “Discovery” of his Ancient Jars
Nothing really surprising about this story but I do find it amusing. In August, it was reported that Vladimir Putin, the Prime Minister of Russia and novice scuba diver, just happened to “discover” two jars dating back to the sixth century BCE … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged 6th century B.C. Greek jugs, Vladimir Putin
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MV Rena Aground on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand
The Liberian flagged container ship, MV Rena, ran aground on the Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, New Zealand yesterday, flooding two cargo holds. The ship is loaded with approximately 2,100 containers and has around 1,700 tonnes of heavy fuel. There has been no spillage of … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Astrolabe Reef, container ship, MV Rena, New Zealand, Tauranga
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