A new analysis has concluded that a large, grassy hill in Norway known as the Herlaugshagen burial mound was likely the site of a pre-Viking ship burial. What is fascinating is that the site was excavated three times during the … Continue reading
Category Archives: History
On January 5th, Stephen Davies was out on his daily run at New Brighton Beach near Liverpool, UK when he came across what appeared to be the carcass of a sea monster that had washed ashore. He said: “I was … Continue reading
The State of Hawaii is moving closer to removing the historic four-masted iron-hulled ship Falls of Clyde from Honolulu harbor, where it has languished since 2008. Though owned by the nonprofit Friends of the Falls of Clyde, the state government … Continue reading
Here is a repost of wonderful sea story suitable for New Year’s Day. It also appears to be more or less true. RMS Warrimoo was an Australian/New Zealand passenger ship, launched in 1892. The ship is best remembered for crossing the intersection … Continue reading
Tonight, millions will watch in person, online, or on television, as a jeweled ball drops in Times Square in New York City at exactly midnight to mark the arrival of the New Year, 2024. After several years in which the … Continue reading
Admiral Yi Sun-sin died 425 years ago today, in his final victory against the Japanese on behalf of the Joseon dynasty. He died of a gunshot wound at the Battle of Noryang on December 16, 1598, the closing battle of … Continue reading
An interrupted broadcast of a football game, a newsbreak during a performance by the New York Philharmonic, a weather report followed by an announcement from President Roosevelt that Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor. Reports of attacks on the Philippines. Here … Continue reading
For the last twenty years, Sally Snowman has worked as the keeper of the Boston Light on Little Brewster Island. She was the first woman to serve as lighthouse keeper at the lighthouse in Boston Harbor, the oldest continually used … Continue reading
Documentary filmmakers Yvonne Drebert and Zach Melnick were looking for invasive mussels on the bottom of Lake Huron in Canada when they came across the 150-foot-long shipwreck of the Africa. On the morning of 4 October 1895, the Africa departed … Continue reading
For more than a decade, we have followed the work of researchers from Rhode Island and Australia in their efforts to locate the wreck of Captain James Cook’s famous barque, HMB Endeavour, that sailed from 1768-1771 on a voyage of … Continue reading
Happy Evacuation Day! 240 years ago today, on November 25, 1783, the last shot of the American Revolution was fired by a gunner on a departing Royal Navy ship at jeering crowds gathered on the shore of Staten Island, at … Continue reading
Happy Thanksgiving to those on this side of the pond and below the 49th parallel. (The Canadians celebrated the holiday in October.) What do whaling ships, a child’s nursery rhyme, a female magazine editor, and Abraham Lincoln have to do … Continue reading
Over the Veterans’ Day weekend, the iron-hulled sailing ship Star of India left her dock at the Maritime Museum of San Diego, setting sail, for the first time in five years, to celebrate her 160th birthday. A short news video: … Continue reading
In the US, today is Veteran’s Day, when we honor those who have served in the military. It coincides with Armistice Day, the anniversary of the signing of the armistice which ended World War I, on the 11th hour of … Continue reading
SS Edmund Fitzgerald, an American Great Lakes ore carrier, sank 48 years ago today, on November 10, 1975, in a storm on Lake Superior. The crew of 29 was lost when the freighter, loaded with 26,000 tons of iron ore pellets, … Continue reading
Here is a post suitable for Halloween. It is not a ghost story but rather the tale of two mysterious skeletons found in a Viking ship discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold … Continue reading
We recently crossed the Arctic Circle on a Norwegian voyage on the Hurtigruten MS Trollfjord. The crossing brought to mind the question — who first devised this imaginary line at 66° 34′ N latitude? My first guess would have been … Continue reading
I am currently traveling, so I managed to miss Trafalgar Day. Here is an updated repost in honor of Nelson’s great victory over the combined French and Spanish fleets a day ago on October 21, in 1805. There is a … Continue reading
The Institute of Maritime Research announced recently that the wreckage of the World War II British submarine HMS Thistle has probably been discovered outside Rogaland, Norway, after more than 80 years on the seabed. In the Spring of 2023, the … Continue reading
Today, October 13th, is celebrated as the birthday of the United States Navy, not to be confused with Navy Day which was once celebrated on October 27th. The current “birthday” may have more to do with bragging rights than real … Continue reading