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Monthly Archives: October 2011
The Strange and Tragic Delivery of the Russian Submarine Nerpa
Next month, the Russian nuclear submarine, Nerpa, will be delivered to the Indian Navy, which has leased the submarine for a reported $900 million from the Russians for ten years with an option to buy. The delivery of the new nuclear sub … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Akula-II class nuclear submarine, Indian Navy, INS Chakra, lease, Nerpa, Russian nuclear submarine
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HMT Lancastria Finally Honored – A “Secret Sacrifice” No Longer
The evacuation of British troops and civilians from France in 1940 did not end with Dunkirk. Several weeks later, on June 17, 1940, the British Cunard liner Lancastria was loaded to capacity with troops and civilians off the French port of St. Nazaire, when she … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Cunard liner, Lancastria, world war II, worst British maritime disaster
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Brig Niagra Drydocking
There is a certain magic to drydocks. They give you the ability to take in the whole ship in almost a single look and provide the one chance to get the bottom clean and whatever needs fixing below the waterline … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Brig Niagra, Cleveland, drydock, Great Lakes Towing Shipyard, Ohio
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Salvage Plan for the MV Canadian Miner
What is it about ships being towed to the scrap yard? The MT Phoenix under tow, on her way to the scrap yard last July broke her towing cable and drifted ashore on Salt Rocks in Sheffield Beach, South Africa. She … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Canada, Cape Breton, MV Canadian Miner, Scatarie Island, scrap yard, Turkey
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San Diego Red Tide Glows Neon Blue
The surf in San Diego county has been putting on quite a light show on recent evenings. The shore has been hit by a bout of “red tide,” a bloom of the dinoflagellate Lingulodinium polyedrum. The bad news is that this dinoflagellate … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea
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Deadly Straits by R.E. McDermott – A Review
For the sake of full disclosure, I am not a huge fans of thrillers, particularly thrillers involving ships. The plots often strike me as implausible and the descriptions of the ships and ship operations often border on the laughable. (Too … Continue reading
Posted in Newbooks, Reviews, Seastories
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U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet, “Queen of the Fleet,” Now for Sale on EBay
Last March we posted that the U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet, the oldest commissioned Coast Guard cutter, was being sold in an online auction. The ship was reportedly sold to an unidentified buyer. The ship has now been put up for auction on … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged auction, EBay, U. S. Coast Guard Cutter Acushnet
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Disabled French Woman Kidnapped on Kenyan Coast and Taken to Somalia
Marie Didieu, a disabled 66-year-old French woman, was kidnapped yesterday from her vacation home on Manda Island, part of the Lamu archipelago, not far from where a British tourist was killed and his wife abducted three weeks ago. The kidnappers arrived and departed by … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged al-Shabab, David Tebbutt, French woman, Judith Tebbutt, Kenya, kidnapped, Lamu archipelago, Manda Island, Marie Didieu, pirates, somalia
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Of Migaloo and the New White Calf
About 14,000 humpback whales migrated between Australia and Antarctica each year. Among them is a white humpback, nicknamed Migaloo. Migaloo, or ”white fella” in an Aboriginal language, was first spotted in 1991 and may be the most popular humpback whale in the world, being … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Australia, Migaloo, Queensland, white calf, white humpback
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The Knockdown and Capsizing of the SV Concordia – the Official Report
We recently posted that Transportation Safety Board of Canada has concluded that poor training played a role in the knockdown and capsizing of SV Concordia. The official Marine Investigation Report examines the events leading up to the capsize in some detail. It … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged capsize, squall, SV Concordia, Transportation Safety Board of Canada
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