Baltimore Key Bridge Collapses After Being Struck by Container Ship MV Dali

At approximately 1:30 AM this morning, the Singapore-flagged, 10,000 TEU container ship, MV Dali struck the southern support pillar of the Francis Scott Key Bridge, spanning the Patapsco River at the entrance to the Port of Baltimore, Maryland. The impact … Continue reading

Navy Fires at Least 3 Commanding Officers for DUIs so Far in 2024

Task & Purpose reports that three of the five Navy commanding officers who have been fired so far this year, including a Navy SEAL and two submarine captains, were relieved after being arrested off-base for driving under the influence. Navy … Continue reading

Moving the Battleship USS New Jersey to Drydock in the Philadelphia Navy Yard

At the beginning of the month, we posted a drone video of the battleship USS Texas being refloated following repairs and refurbishment on the drydock at the Gulf Copper Shipyard in Galveston. Here is another drone video of a historic … Continue reading

Sixty-Nine Rohingya Refugees Rescued from Hull of Capsized Boat off Indonesia. 80 Missing & Feared Dead

Tragic news as reported by the BBC:  Indonesian rescuers found 69 Rohingya people sunburnt and dehydrated on Thursday, floating on a rusty hull off the coast of Aceh. The country’s search and rescue agency says nine children, 18 women and … Continue reading

The Women Lighthouse Keepers of New Orleans’ New Canal Lighthouse

We recently posted about Kate Walker, the lighthouse keeper of the Robbins Reef Light in New York harbor for close to 35 years. Kate took over as keeper when her husband died of pneumonia in 1886. Oddly enough, in the … Continue reading

Oldest Puget Sound Orca, L25 May Be Nearing 100th Birthday — Why Do Orca Matriarchs Live So Long?

Why do the matriarchs of orca pods often live such long lives? The average lifespan for male killer whales is about 30 years, but they can live up to at least 60 years. Females typically live about 50 years, but … Continue reading

Indian Navy Frees Cargo Ship From Somali Pirates After Shootout

The Voice of America reports that the Indian navy freed the hijacked MV Ruen cargo ship in Somalia’s Puntland region Saturday after a 24-hour standoff and shootout, and it has detained 35 pirates, according to Puntland Ports Minister Ahmed Yasin Salah. … Continue reading

Wreck of British Warship Off Florida Coast Identified as HMS Tyger That Sank in 1742

Last week, the National Park Service announced that its archeologists have identified the remains of HMS Tyger, an 18th-century British warship, within the boundaries of Dry Tortugas National Park, off the south coast of Florida. Built in 1647, the fourth-rate, … Continue reading

Women’s History Month — Adm. Lisa Franchetti Sworn in as the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations

Adm. Lisa Franchetti was sworn in as the 33rd Chief of Naval Operations (CNO), the highest-ranking officer of the United States Navy, on Nov. 2, 2023. Her confirmation made Franchetti not only the first woman to become the CNO and … Continue reading

Pyxis Ocean, Sail-Assisted 80,000 DWT Bulk Carrier, Demonstrates Potential of Wind Power

In August, we posted about the Pyxis Ocean, an 80,000 DWT bulk carrier, fitted with two WindWings®, a pioneering rigid wing technology, that had set sail on its maiden voyage from China to Brazil. Now, six months later, Cargill announced the … Continue reading

With Drones and Missiles, Ukraine Wreaks Havoc on Russian Black Sea Fleet & Gets Navy Commander Fired

Ukraine is a nation without a navy and yet has succeeded in wreaking havoc on the Russian Black Sea Fleet using high-tech sea drones and anti-ship missiles. The Ukrainians have continued to sink Russian warships, as recently as last week, … Continue reading

Congratulations to Cole Brauer, First American Woman to Race Solo Around the World

Congratulations to Cole Brauer, who finished second in the Global Solo Challenge, becoming the first American woman to race solo nonstop around the world, traveling roughly 28,000 miles, in her 40′ sailboat First Light.  Brauer, at 29 years old, was … Continue reading

Missile & Drone Barrage Escalates as Three Killed in Houthi Missile Attack in Gulf of Aden

A Houthi missile attack killed three seafarers on M/V True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned, bulk carrier while transiting the Gulf of Aden on Wednesday, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said. The deaths are the first merchant mariner fatalities reported since the Iran-aligned … Continue reading

When the Mail Arrives Late — Faroese Sweater Found in Parcel from 1807

A red traditional Faroese knit sweater was recently found in a stash of 19th-century letters at the British National Archives in their Prize Papers collection. The sweater, or jumper in British parlance, handknitted in vibrantly colored fine wool, was intended … Continue reading

Solo Orca Attacks and Kills Great White Shark in Under Two Minutes Off South Africa

Orcas attacking and killing sharks, even great white sharks, off the coast of South Africa is nothing new. A year ago, a pair of orcas killed 17 sharks in one day in South Africa’s Pearly Bay. More recently, scientists were … Continue reading

Update: Bulker MV Rubymar Sinks After Being Struck by Houthi Missile Almost Two Weeks Ago

On Sunday, February 18th, anti-ship ballistic missiles, launched by Houthi rebels from Yemen, struck the MV Rubymar, a  32,211 DWT, Belize-flagged, UK-owned, and Lebanese-operated bulk carrier in the Gulf of Aden near the Bab al-Mandab Strait. The attack caused sufficient … Continue reading

American Cruising Couple Feared Dead After Yacht Stolen in Grenada Prison Break

Two liveaboard cruisers, Ralph Hendry, 66, and Kathy Brandel, 71, are missing and feared dead after their 48′ catamaran Simplicity was apparently stolen during a prison escape from Grenada by three men on February 19th.  On February 21, their boat was … Continue reading

Mechanics of Whale Song Revealed in New Study

For centuries, sailors heard the sounds made by whales reverberating through the hulls of wooden ships. Arctic whalers dubbed beluga whales the “canaries of the seas” for their clicks, chirps, and whistles.  Nevertheless, it was long thought that whale noises … Continue reading

Hornblower Group Files for Bankruptcy Reorganization, Shuts Down American Queen Voyages

The Hornblower Group; a diversified ferry, cruise, marine hospitality, and services organization; has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The filing is expected to help cut the company’s debt load by $720 million. The company enters bankruptcy with assets of up … Continue reading