Photo: AP /Post Courier

As of Thursday evening, 246 survivors had been pulled from the sea, following the sinking of the passenger ferry MV Rabaul Queen off the coast of Papua New Guinea early Thursday.  Only one survivor was reported to be found on Friday.  According to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, survivors were rescued by merchant ships battling 16-foot (5-meter) swells and 45 mph (75 kph) winds at the disaster scene. It is feared that many of the missing may have been trapped inside the ferry when it capsized. The ferry has now sunk in water over 3,000 feet deep.

More than 110 missing from Papua New Guinea ferry

USS Ponce

As Iranian saber-rattling raises tensions around the Straits of Hormuz, the US Navy has cancelled plans to decommission the 40 year old USS Ponce (LPD-15), an Austin-class amphibious transport dock ship.  Instead the ship is reported to be being refitted to operate as a “mothership” from which commando teams can operate.

Navy wants commando ‘mothership’ in Middle East

Or maybe not.  Some have suggested that It would not make sense to concentrate a number of the nation’s most elite warriors on a ship in the Persian Gulf where they would be vulnerable to a variety of Iranian attacks and would require other vessels to protect the “mothership.”   After the “commando mothership” story was widely reported, Fleet Forces Command commander Admiral John Harvey said that the Ponce is “not going over there as an alternate command ship; it’s not going over there as a special operating force ‘Death-star Galactica’ coming through the Gulf…”  Instead, the revamped Ponce will serve as a “lilypad” for counter-mine Sikorsky MH-53 helicopters and patrol craft.

Transport Vessel Isn’t Being Made SEAL Mothership, Admiral Says

If mines need to be cleared from the Gulf, the Navy may be deploying more than just helicopters. There are reports that the Navy may use mine-detecting dolphins. The dolphins are trained to identify the underwater objects, including mines.  Once a mine is spotted by a dolphin, it drops an acoustic transponder nearby. Destruction of the mines is left to human divers.  ”Dolphins – - which possess sonar so keen they can discern a quarter from a dime when blindfolded and spot a 3-inch metal sphere from 370 feet away — are invaluable minesweepers,” reported The San Francisco Chronicle. 

The Navy Is Depending on Dolphins to Keep the Strait of Hormuz Open

MV Rabaul Queen at the port of Kimbe

Between 5 and 6 AM Thursday morning, the passenger ferry, MV Rabaul Queen, capsized about 10 miles off Finschhafen on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea.  The ferry had a capacity for 300 people, but as many as 350 people are believed to have been aboard. More than 200 have now been pulled from the sea by rescuers. At least one hundred remaining unaccounted for. The ferry was sailing between the ports of Kimbe and Lae when it sent a distress call.  The cause of the sinking has not been determined but there were reports of strong northwesterly winds and sea swells of up to 5 meters.    The MV Rabaul Queen is reported to have been a 1983-built, 259 gross ton, Papua New Guinea-flagged passenger/ro-ro ferry operated by PNG’s Star Ships.  Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing on the news.

More Than 200 Rescued After Ferry Sinks Off Papua New Guinea

Costa Concordia: underwater footage shows divers’ inspection

The search for the missing in the submerged portions of the Costa Concordia

The cost of the Costa Concordia sinking could reach a billion dollars, paid primarily by insurance companies.  Carnival Corporation, the parent company of Costa Cruises, will likely be responsible for at least $40 million in deductibles.  Initial estimates from Carnival suggest that they may also loose another $95 million in lost bookings.  There are also concerns that the bad publicity from the sinking will negatively impact cruise bookings just as the industry is recovering from the recession.

Late in the summer of 2011, after 100’s of hours of ROV video, they have seen what appear to be bullion boxes containing 4 bars, each being 400 troy ounces of precious metal. “We have seen boxes indicative of those used to store and ship this type of bullion in 1942. Our video clearly shows the box and our inspection class remotely operated vehicles (ROV) could not lift it due to its weight of about 130 lbs.”

The Richest Shipwreck Treasure, in Bostons back yard

Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing along the news.

Arinson watching the Heat

Carnival’s CEO & Chairman, Micki Arinson has been criticized for maintaining a low profile following the sinking of the Costa Concordia where over 30 passengers and crew are dead or missing.  Last Friday, he made what was believed to be his first public appearance following the sinking.   The 62-year-old billionaire sat court-side in Miami to watch the Miami Heat play basketball. Arinson owns the team along with roughly half of the global cruise line industry. Arinson’s team won the game. The Heat beat the New York Knicks 99-89.

In related news, the American Express offer, which arrived in the mail to certain card holders in Florida, offered a seven night cruise through France, Italy, and Spain on the Costa Concordia, for only $749 and encouraged cardholders to ‘immerse yourself in a truly European experience.’  American Express spokeswoman Christine Elliot said: ‘The mailing was already underway when the accident occurred. We apologize for any inconvenience to those who received it.

Wreck of HMS Victoria

While on peace time maneuvers off Libya on June 22, 1893, Vice Admiral George Tryon, the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, gave a series of orders that resulted in HMS Camperdown ramming his ship, HMS Victoria, which sank with the loss of 358 lives, including that of the vice admiral.  Also believed to have been lost in the sinking was Admiral Tryon’s collection of Nelson’s personal effects, which he had purchased at auction, including Nelson’s sword.  The wreck of  HMS Victoria was discovered in 2004 in 150 metres of water.  Now, Diver Mark Ellyatt says that he discovered Nelson’s sword and other artifacts in Tryon’s cabin.

Nelson’s £1million sword is discovered at the bottom of the Med (but the shipwreck it’s on is called the Victoria, not the Victory)

The sword is said to have been among a haul of Nelson memorabilia that belonged to Vice Admiral George Tyron.

Collectors could pay up to £1m for the artifact – which is the same one that the Naval Lord shown holding on Nelson’s Column in central London.

However, there are concerns about who would claim ownership of the sword if it is recovered from the sea.

Mr Ellyatt said he found the sword in Tryon’s cabin which had an adjoining cupboard containing a number of items that belonged to Nelson.

‘The MoD wanted to know the whereabouts of anything to do with Nelson. They didn’t want it appearing on auction websites,’ Mr Ellyatt told the Telegraph.

‘They were very interested in the sword but seemed to get cold feet when I offered to bring it up for them. I don’t want people to go and strip the ship bare.

‘I would like to bring the sword to the surface but I worry that it would be seized by the local authorities. If the items are to be recovered, I would like to see them end up in a museum in the UK.’

Mr Ellyatt said that he has hidden the weapon inside the wreck to protect it from looters.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the news along.

Photo: Sandy Joseph/ULA

The investigation is ongoing as to why the MV Delta Mariner  collided with the Eggner Ferry Bridge on the Tennessee River in Kentucky last Thursday night, taking out over 300′ of the span, but reportedly, the ship was in the wrong channel.  It apparently was in a recreational channel where the bridge had a lower clearance rather than the  shipping channel where the clearance would have been adequate. Sam Sacco, a spokesman for Foss Maritime, said the ship made the trip many times in the past 10 years and had an experienced captain and local river pilot on board.

The Delta Mariner is a 312-foot long roll-on roll-off ship designed to carry rocket components from the Boeing factory in Decatur, AL to either Cape Canaveral in Florida or to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California, via the Panama Canal.  When the ship collided with the bridge, it was carrying carrying one Atlas 5 rocket and several other components to be used for two upcoming launches from Cape Canaveral, FL, including one slated to blast off April 27.  The rocket and components were not damaged in the collision.

Decatur, AL is roughly 300 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. How did an ocean-going ship end up colliding with a bridge in Kentucky 500 miles from the Gulf and 200 miles north of Decatur, AL, where it was loaded?  There are two ways for the Delta Mariner to reach the Gulf of Mexico.  It can travel on the Tennessee River to the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway, then south to the Tombigbee River, and into Mobile Bay and the Gulf, a distance of about 550 miles.  The minimum depth of the Tennessee–Tombigbee Waterway, however, is 9 feet whereas when fully loaded the Delta Mariner can have a draft of 14 feet. In those cases, the ship can travel on the Tennessee River to the Ohio River, then down the Mississippi to the Gulf of Mexico a voyage of over a 1,000 miles.  The Delta Mariner was on this longer northern route when it collided with the Eggner Ferry Bridge in Kentucky.