Operation Prosperity Guardian — Initiative to be Announced to Safeguard Shipping in the Red Sea

During his visit to the Middle East next week, US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is expected to announce the formation of Operation Prosperity Guardian, a new international effort to deal with Houthi threats, a U.S. military official told The War … Continue reading

Admiral Yi Sun-sin, Korea’s Greatest Military Hero

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

Yemen’s Houthis Rebels Rain Missiles and Drones on Norwegian Tanker & French Frigate

Last Saturday, Yemen’s Houthi rebels announced that the organization would target any ships heading to or from Israel, regardless of their nationality, and warned all international shipping companies against dealing with Israeli ports. On Monday, the group attacked the MT … Continue reading

Radio Broadcasts Reporting Attack on Pearl Harbor 82 Years Ago Today

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

Filmmakers Discover 128 Year Old Wreck of Steamer Africa in Lake Huron

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

Update: Researchers Claim to Positively Identify Wreck of Captain Cook’s HMB Endeavour

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

US Destroyer Mason Thwarts Attack on Tanker Central Park in Gulf of Yemen

On Sunday, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Mason received a distress call from the M/V Central Park, a 20,000 DWT oil/chemical tanker, in the Gulf of Aden, that reported they were under attack by an unknown entity. Five armed individuals … Continue reading

Happy Evacuation Day! When the British Sailed From New York at the End of the Revolutionary War

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

Thanksgiving Repost — Whaling Ships, Sarah Josepha Hale, Mary’s Lamb & a Liberty Ship

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

Yemen’s Houthi Rebels Hijack Vehicle Carrier Galaxy Leader in Red Sea — 25 Crew Taken Hostage

Yemen’s Houthi rebels seized the vehicle carrier Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea on Sunday, officials said, taking over two dozen crew members hostage.  The Iran-backed Houthi rebels said they hijacked the ship over its connection to Israel. The group … Continue reading

The Star of India — 160 Years Old & Still Sailing

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

US Tourist, 75, Dies After Ferry Boat to Blue Lagoon Island Sinks in the Bahamas

A popular, full-day excursion to Blue Lagoon Island, from a cruise ship docked in Nassau in the Bahamas, ended in tragedy on Tuesday when a ferry boat loaded with 100 passengers rolled over and sank in choppy waters. A 75-year-old … Continue reading

Saildrone Issued First-Ever Classification For A Commercial Autonomous, Uncrewed Vehicle

Intriguing news from Saildrone. The developer of ocean data collection using autonomous vehicles announced that it has received the first-ever classification for an autonomous, uncrewed surface vehicle (USV). From their announcement: The American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) has been a … Continue reading

Repost: On Armistice Day, Remembering the German High Seas Fleet Mutinies of 1918

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

The Sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald 48 Years Ago — the Unsolved Mystery

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

Cruise Ship Spirit of Discovery in the Bay of Biscay — Passengers Feared for Theirs Lives, 100 Injured

A disturbing account of the Saga Cruises’ ship Spirit of Discovery that was caught in severe weather in the Bay of Biscay in which 100 passengers were injured. Five are reported to have been seriously injured. BBC reports that the … Continue reading

Update — El Nino Drought Results in Further Shipping Cuts to Panama Canal Transits

In August, we posted Panamax Meets Pana-Drought — Drought Restrictions In Canal Cause Delays and 200 Ship Backlog. A record drought associated with the naturally occurring El Nino climate pattern has resulted in one of the country’s driest years in … Continue reading

From Norse Mythology: Naglfar, Ship of the Dead, Made Entirely From Fingernails and Toenails

A second post suitable for Halloween week. In Norse mythology, there were two great ships. Skidbladnir, was a ship that could carry Odin and his followers in Asgard, which also could be folded into a cloth that would fit in … Continue reading

Which Sail Assist Technology is Best — Airbus Trying Both Flettner Rotors & Suction Sails

Of the various wind assist technologies available for commercial shipping, which is the most cost-efficient? It is likely, too soon to tell. AIrbus is reported to be trying two different approaches — retrofitting one existing ship with suction sails and … Continue reading