Skimmer “A Whale” Sails for Dalian, China Spill
July 29, 2010
Lloyds List is reporting that the Skimmer “A Whale” which failed to collect significant amounts of oil in the Gulf of mexico from the BP spill is now en-route to the major spill in Dalian, China. The more concentrated oil on the water at Dailin may be better suited to the converted OBO’s skimming capabilities. Thanks to [...]
Read MoreFourteen Year Old Laura Dekker has Dutch Court OK to Sail around the World
July 29, 2010
The teen-round-the-world-sailing-escapades may be starting all over again. Laura Dekker has Dutch court permission to sail around the world A Dutch court cleared the way Tuesday for 14-year-old Laura Dekker to embark on a risky attempt to become the youngest person to sail solo around the world, an adventure that could begin in the next [...]
Read MoreWhat Hit the MV M. Star? An Explosion, A Grenade, or a Freak Wave?
July 29, 2010
Depending on which of the various news reports you read, the MOL 314,016 dwt tanker M. Star suffered either an explosion, was hit by a grenade or was struck by a freak wave caused by an earthquake while transiting the Straits of Hormuz. An intriguing and developing story. Giant Supertanker Suffers Mystery Explosion Reports just in that the [...]
Read MoreHMS Investigator, Abandoned in 1854, Found in Arctic
July 28, 2010
Earlier this month we posted about a new expedition by Parks Canada to search for Franklin’s ships, the Terror and the Erebus. Parks Canada also intended to search for the HMS Investigator, a ship which was caught in the ice and sank when sent to search for Franklin. Today Parks Canada announced that they have found the [...]
Read MoreHiawatha – Last Operational Walking-Beam Sidewheeler in the World for Sale on EBay
July 28, 2010
The Hiawatha, reportedly the last operational walking beam steam sidewheeler in the world, is being offered for sale on E-Bay. Built in 1983 of steel, the Hiawatha is 38 feet long with a 15.5 feet beam. Its paddle wheels are 7 feet in diameter and the ship has a top speed of 7 knots and [...]
Read MoreTall Ships Duluth 2010 July 28 – August 3
July 28, 2010
Tall Ships Duluth 2010 has an impressive line up of ships scheduled for their tall ships festival. The ships are expected to start arriving in Duluth today. The Brig Niagara, the Barque Europa, HMS Bounty, the Pride of Baltimore II, the Roald Amundsen, the schooner Zeeto, the S/V Denis Sullivan, and the schooner Roseway will sail in [...]
Read MoreDismantling the Ground Zero Ship
July 27, 2010
A follow-up to our previous post – 18th Century Ship Found Buried at New York’s World Trade Center Site. Workers are now beginning to dismantle what is left of the ship, plank by plank, for preservation. Last week, Atlantic Wire posted an interesting discussion on the various theories of the ship’s origin. See : Theories on Ancient Wooden Ship [...]
Read MoreSailing Ship Photos from Life Magazine on Google
July 27, 2010
Be warned. If you are interested in sailing ships, do not click on the link below if you have anything important to do for the next fifteen or twenty minutes or possibly much longer. Here is a absolutely fantastic archive of roughly two hundred photos and drawings originally published in Life Magazine of sailing ships and [...]
Read MorePlastiki arrives in Sydney after Pacific Crossing
July 26, 2010
We have previously posted about the experimental sailboat Plastiki, built using 12,500 recycled soda bottles. The craft sailed last March from San Francisco and has now arrived in Sydney, Australia after a voyage of 9,000 miles (15,000 km.) Boat made from plastic bottles completes Pacific voyage The Plastiki left the US city of San Francisco in March, crossing the Pacific and then [...]
Read MoreFirst Lady Michelle Obama Christens National Security Cutter Stratton
July 26, 2010
Last Friday, Michelle Obama was the first First Lady ever to christen a US Coast Guard Cutter, the National Security Cutter Stratton. The cutter is named after the first woman to serve as a commissioned officer in the U. S. Coast Guard, Dorthy C. Stratton. Prior to joining the Coast Guard in World War II, [...]
Read MoreRoyal Navy’s Summer Extravaganza Returns to Portsmouth in 2010
July 25, 2010
Navy’s Summer Extravaganza Returns to Portsmouth in 2010 Navy Days at Portsmouth Naval Base, Friday 30th July – Sunday 1st August, will feature serving warships of the Royal Navy, ships of foreign navies, thrilling naval displays, historical re-enactments and the world-class attractions of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, including HMS Victory. The frigate HMS Cumberland which last [...]
Read MoreShipbuilding: China Overtakes Korea; Avondale to Shutdown
July 25, 2010
For the first time since 2003, Korean shipyards have lost their position as the world’s number one shipbuilder to China. China overtakes Korea in shipbuilding deliveries According to Clarkson Research Services Ltd., a London-based market research firm, Korean shipbuilding companies came in second after Chinese ones in terms of new orders, order backlogs and delivery, [...]
Read MoreVideo of Breaching Whale Crushing Sailboat off South Africa.
July 24, 2010
There has been considerable discussion whether the photo of a Southern Right whale breaching and landing on a sailboat off South Africa is real or Photoshopped. (See the comments on our previous post.) A video has now emerged which shows the whale approaching breaching and landing on the sailboat. We are going to cast [...]
Read MoreBP Kept Drilling Despite Leaks in Blowout Preventer Control Pod & Bypassed Alarms
July 24, 2010
There is reported stonewalling by witnesses who have cancelled their scheduled testimonies at the ongoing investigation of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. Nevertheless, startling testimony was presented this Tuesday: A BP official, Ronald Sepulvado, a well-site leader, testified that BP continued drilling for oil in the days before the disaster despite internal reports of a leak on a safety [...]
Read MoreSpiders on a Ship – Infested Ship, MV Altavia, Turned Away from Guam
July 23, 2010
This news story sounds like a bad sequel to the movie Snakes on Plane. Ship turned away after spiders started ‘pouring’ from cargo hold A South Korean cargo ship had to be turned away last week after an infestation of spiders was discovered in the cargo hold. Customs officials discovered the infestation in the MV Altavia’s cargo after [...]
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