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Monthly Archives: November 2011
Whale Skeletons in a Chilean Desert
At least 75 whale skeletons, believed to be more than two millions years old, were recently unearthed in the Atacama Desert in Chile, a kilometer away from the ocean. The find is believed to be the best preserved graveyard of pre-historic whales in the world. Of … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Atacama Desert, Chile, Pan American Highway, pre-historic whales, whale skeletons
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Volvo Open 70s – Too Fast & Too Furious?
The Volvo Ocean 70 is the latest and greatest ocean racer. With their carbon fiber hulls, towering rigs and canting keels, they sail faster than the wind and as a class are the fastest monohulls ever built. Based on the … Continue reading
British Tall Ship Youth Trust Plans Sale of the Stavros S Niarchos
The British Tall Ship Youth Trust has published a new development plan detailing some significant changes in the organization, including the planned sale of the one remaining tall ship owned by the Trust, the Stavros S Niarchos. In September of … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Prince William, Stavros S Niarchos, Tall Ship Youth Trust
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Puma Yacht Mar Mostro Dismasted, Half of Volvo Fleet Out of Race
Havoc continues in the Volvo Ocean Race, an around-the-world race which bills itself as “ the world’s toughest sailing event.” Three of the six boats to attempt the first leg of the race have withdrawn. Two of the six boat fleet withdrew from … Continue reading
Celebrities and the Titanic – Then and Now
When the RMS Titanic sank on April 15, 1912, a number of those who died were celebrities of their day, including the American millionaires John Jacob Astor IV and Benjamin Guggenheim. Canadian railroad president Charles Melville Hays and Isidor Straus, American owner of … Continue reading
Posted in Current, History, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Kate Winslet, MS Balmoral, Richard Branson, RMS Titanic, Rod Stewart
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Lady Maryland Dry Docking
The schooner Lady Maryland is being dry docked at Chase’s Wharf in Fells Point to replace rotted sections of the stem and to refasten the hull as necessary. The docking and repairs are expected to take around four months and … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Living Classrooms Foundation, pungy schooner, schooner Lady Maryland
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Submarine Saturday – British Submarine Delay Concerns, HMS Astute Fires Harpoons & German Fuel Cell Sub
A report by Britain’s National Audit Office revealed that the Ministry of Defense is concerned that recent budget cuts have put the country at risk due to a shortage of modern attack submarines. The National Audit Office said delays to … Continue reading
Tough Times in the Tanker Markets – General Maritime Bankruptcy and Continued Overcapacity
Last month we posted that tanker charter rates were at the lowest they have been in 14 years and that the number of large tankers in lay up was approaching levels similar to those during the slump in the 1980′s. This … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged General Maritime Corporation, overcapacity, scrapping, tanker markets
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1864 Lake Erie Shipwreck of the Brigantine Sultan – “Pirates and Other Hearty Seafaring Folk”
Recently, divers from Cleveland Underwater Explorers, Inc. discovered the wreck of the brigantine Sultan, which sank in September 1864 in Lake Erie in 45 feet of water. The ship is in quite good shape. Beyond the discovery itself being interesting, I can’t help … Continue reading
Posted in Lore of the Sea
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USS George HW Bush – New $6 Billion Aircraft Carrier Without Working Toilets
The USS George HW Bush, the tenth of the Nimitz class, is the US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier. It cost $6.2 billion to build and is powered by two nuclear reactors which can develop 260,000 shaft horsepower. The carrier can … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged newest aircraft carrier, toilets, USS George HW Bush
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Star of India – Still Sailing
The Maritime Museum of San Diego brags that the Star of India is the oldest active sailing ship in the world. This weekend they demonstrated how they can make that claim. The Star of India, built at Ramsey Shipyard in … Continue reading
Art on the Water – Umbrella Harvest Dome, Horseshoe Crab Reef and Burger King Crown
There have been several interesting art projects on and/or soon to be under the water around New York harbor. Late last month a Harvest Dome built of discarded umbrellas was unexpectedly shipwrecked on Riker’s Island in New York’s East River. A day … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea
Tagged Burger King Crown, Horseshoe Crab Reef, Statue of Liberty, Umbrella Harvest Dome
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A New Yacht to Rule the Waves? A Campaign for a New Royal Yacht
A yacht to rule the waves! Two weeks ago the Mail launched a campaign for a new Royal Yacht. Here we unveil the truly majestic blueprint Since 1660, Great Britain has had 83 royal yachts. The last was the HMY Britannia, … Continue reading
Posted in Current, Lore of the Sea, Ships
Tagged Great Britain, HMY Britannia, royal yacht
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Dream Symphony and the Fusion Schooners: Modern High-Tech Wooden Shipbuilding
Yesterday, we looked at the Bugis phisini, a modern sailing ship built using traditional wood ship building methods that date back a thousand years or so. Today, a look at the other end of spectrum – wood sailing ships that … Continue reading
