Celebrating Frederick Douglass on Valentine’s Day — “I Will Take to the Water”

Happy Valentine’s Day! In honor of both the day and Black History Month, here is an updated repost about Frederick Douglass. But what does Valentine’s Day have to do with Frederick Douglass?  As a slave, Douglass never knew the date … Continue reading

Update: Ship’s Bell Recovered from Wreck of USS Jacob Jones, First US Destroyer Lost in Combat

In August 2022, we posted that British divers had located the wreck of the USS Jacob Jones in over 100 meters of water, 40 miles off the Isles of Scilly. The ship, a Tucker Class destroyer, was sunk during World … Continue reading

On Lincoln’s Birthday — Lincoln’s Improved Camel Patent

Today is the anniversary of Abraham Lincoln’s birthday on February 20th, 1809.  He is know for rising from poverty, working as a rail splitter, and as a self-taught country lawyer before being elected as a congressman and ultimately as president. … Continue reading

Remembering Jesse L. Brown, First African-American Naval Pilot

In honor of Black History Month, an updated repost about the first African-American pilot in the US Navy, Jesse L. Brown. The story goes that when young Jesse Leroy Brown worked in the cotton fields of Mississippi beside his sharecropper … Continue reading

Has Amelia Earhart’s Long-Lost Plane Been Found in the Pacific?

In 1937, Amelia Earhart and her navigator Fred Noonan set off on a quest to circumnavigate the globe. Having completed most of their journey, Earhart’s plane disappeared over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island. In the intervening 87 years, … Continue reading

Black History Month Repost — William Tillman and the Privateer Jefferson Davis

An updated repost in honor of Black History Month.  William Tillman was one of the first black heroes of the American Civil War. He was not a soldier but rather a 27-year-old  cook-steward on the schooner S.J. Waring.  On July … Continue reading

Japan Captivated by Escape of Orcas Trapped in Drift Ice Off Hokkaido, as Annual Dolphin Slaughter Continues

The good news is that a pod of orcas trapped by drift ice in waters off Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido appears to have successfully escaped. Earlier this week, drone footage showed the pod of around a dozen orcas trapped … Continue reading

British Antarctic Survey Testing Drone Plane to Survey Unmapped Regions of the Southern Continent

This week, a team arrived at Rothera Research Station, on Adelaide Island to the west of the Antarctic Peninsula, ready to start testing the new Windracers ULTRA autonomous drone in Antarctica. If successful, the new drone platform could represent a … Continue reading

Black History Month — John Henry Turpin : Pioneer, Survivor, and Overlooked Hero

An updated repost in honor of Black History Month.  John Henry Turpin was one of the first Black Chief Petty Officers to serve in the United States Navy. He was also a survivor of two naval disasters — the catastrophic … Continue reading

Black History Month Repost — Harriet Tubman & the Great Combahee Ferry Raid

Born a slave, Harriet Tubman escaped from enslavement and became a leading “conductor” on the “Underground Railroad” which helped slaves escape from bondage in the South to freedom in the North and in Canada, prior to the Civil War.   … Continue reading

Ukrainian Sea Drones Sink Russian Missile Corvette Ivanovets

The Defense Blog reports that a Ukrainian drone attack on a Russian missile corvette Ivanovets appears to have caused a massive explosion in Kyiv’s largest strike against Russia’s navy since December. The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) has released footage … Continue reading

Update: Final Disposal of FSO Safer Stopped by Houthi Crisis in Red Sea

The current shipping crisis in the Red Sea, precipitated by Houthi drone and missile attacks, has stopped the final disposal of the decrepit FSO Safer, a floating oil storage and offloading vessel, moored in the Red Sea north of the … Continue reading

Mysterious 19th Century Shipwreck Washes up on Newfoundland Beach

Gordon Blackmore was out hunting seabirds early in the morning on Cape Ray beach on the southwestern tip of Newfoundland, Canada when he saw the capsized wreck of a large wooden ship that had washed ashore in shallow water. Neil … Continue reading

Drone Capture of First Ever Video of Newborn Great White Shark?

Carlos Gauna is a filmmaker and professional photographer based in Southern California who has shot an impressive portfolio of drone videos of sharks for his YouTube channel TheMalibuArtist. On July 9, 2023, Carlos captured some truly remarkable video and photos … Continue reading

Icon of the Seas, World’s Largest Cruise Ship Sets Sail, Raising Concerns Over Methane Emissions

On Saturday, the world’s largest cruise ship, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, set sail from Miami on its maiden voyage. The nearly 1,200-foot-long and 250,800 gross-ton behemoth can accommodate close to 8,000 passengers across 20 decks. The ship is … Continue reading

On Holocaust Remembrance Day — MS St. Louis and the “Voyage of the Damned”

On Holocaust Remembrance Day, an updated repost, remembering the tragic voyage of the German passenger liner St. Louis in 1939. The ship carried 908 Jewish refugees fleeing from Nazi Germany. The ship and its passengers departed from Hamburg but were … Continue reading

Clipper Ship City of Adelaide Director Peter Christopher Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia

Congratulations to Clipper Ship City of Adelaide Director Peter Christopher, on being awarded the  Medal of the Order of Australia for his services to Maritime History. Peter Christopher convened the first meeting of Adelaide volunteers to save the City of … Continue reading

Iran Close to Commissioning Converted Container Ship As Drone Carrier

Reports suggest that Iran is close to commissioning a drone carrier Shahid Bagheri, based on a converted container ship, previously named Sarvin. The converted ship features a 170 m runway, capable of accommodating the take-off and landing of a large … Continue reading

Extreme Waves Slam US Army Base in Marshall Islands

Last Saturday, January 20, a series of massive storm-driven waves struck the island of Roi-Namur in the Marshall Islands causing considerable flooding and damage to the US Army Garrison Kwajalein Atoll (USAG–KA).   A video circulating on social media showed … Continue reading