US Dispatches 4 Navy Destroyers to Aleutians to Counter Chinese & Russian Ships

The US Navy dispatched four destroyers and a reconnaissance airplane after 11 Chinese and Russian military vessels carried out a joint naval patrol near Alaska’s Aleutian islands last week. The combined naval patrol, which the Wall Street Journal first reported, appeared … Continue reading

Norwegian Sun Alaskan Cruise Cut Short After Hitting Small Iceberg

Norwegian Cruise Line reports that the cruise ship Norwegian Sun hit a small iceberg on Saturday while underway in foggy conditions near Hubbard Glacier in Alaska. The company characterized the berg as a growler, a type of very small iceberg that … Continue reading

Amazing Video of Humpback Whale Bubble-Net Feeding

Here is a breathtaking video of humpback whales bubble-net feeding in Alaska shot by the University of Hawaii, Mānoa Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP). The whales use bubbles to create virtual nets to herd their prey. The video was captured … Continue reading

Stern of Destroyer USS Abner Read, Sunk in WWII, Found Off Aleutians

On Aug. 18, 1943,  the destroyer USS Abner Read was on anti-submarine patrol near Kiska Island, in Alaska’s Aleutian chain. The Japanese had just recently evacuated the island but had left behind a minefield. At 1:50 a.m.,  the destroyer struck … Continue reading

Shell Abandons Alaska Arctic Drilling

For several years, we have followed Shell Oil’s expensive, dangerous and almost farcical attempts to drill for oil in the Chukchi Sea in the Alaska’s Arctic. Shell has faced protests, multiple groundings, technical failures, and citations for safety and pollution violations. Worst … Continue reading

A Question of Priorities — Icebreakers vs Aircraft Carriers

Paradoxically, the decreasing polar ice cap has increased the need for icebreakers. As the ice diminishes, traffic has increased above the Arctic Circle, making the need for icebreaking to assist in transit or respond to emergencies ever more important.  On his … Continue reading

Twenty Five Years Ago Today, Exxon Valdez Grounded in Prince Edward Sound

On March 24, 1989, the 210,000 dwt crude oil tanker Exxon Valdez sailed from Valdez Marine Terminal and entered Alaska’s Prince William Sound. At 12:04 am, the single hulled ship ran aground on Bligh Reef, resulting in the largest oil spill in … Continue reading

MV Sustina, Alaska’s $78-million ‘Ferry to Nowhere’, Available for Free – Bound to LA?

The Alaskan high-tech ferry MV Susitna cost $78-million to build.  More than just a ferry, it is also an ice-capable amphibious assault vessel for the Navy, which was supposed to have carried commuters from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (or Mat-Su as it is known) across upper Cook Inlet.  Mat-Su’s largest … Continue reading

Are There Whales Alive Today Who Were Born Before Moby Dick Was Written ?

A recent article in the Alaska Dispatch celebrated the recent population rebound of bowhead whales off Alaska’s North Slope.  The bowheads had been hunted to near extinction. A whale count in 1978 estimated that only 1,200 bowhead whales remained in the region. … Continue reading

Shell Drilling Rig Kulluk Refloated

The Shell drilling rig, Kulluck, which broke its towline and was blown aground off Alaska’s Sitkalidak Island on New Year’s Eve, is reported to have been refloated and made ready for a thirty mile tow to the sheltered waters of Kodiak Island’s … Continue reading

Shell’s Alaska Drilling Rigs – Towlines, Taxes and Engine Failures

The plan was to move Shell’s two drilling rigs from Alaska to Seattle Washington for maintenance and repair.  Shell’s tax bill, however, may have also played a role in the timing of the move. Things have definitely not gone according to plan. … Continue reading