Happy Juneteenth — When Emancipation Arrived by Steamship

Happy Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth National Independence Day is also the newest Federal holiday. The legislation, passed by both the House and Senate, was signed into law by … Continue reading

Update: Stinky Sargassum Threatens Post Pandemic Tourism in Mexico and Across Caribbean

In 2019, we posted about an 8,850-kilometer Atlantic sargassum belt from the Gulf of Mexico to West Africa. The floating mat of the brown buoyant seaweed had a devastating impact on beaches across the east coast of Mexico, the Caribbean, … Continue reading

Farewell “Battle Cat” : Carrier Kitty Hawk Arrives at Scrap Yard

The carrier USS Kitty Hawk has arrived at a scrapping yard in Brownsville, Texas after an epic 16,000-mile journey from Washington state. The carrier, too large to fit through the Panama Canal at over 280 feet wide, was towed around … Continue reading

Happy Juneteenth! When Emancipation Arrived by Steamship, 155 Years Ago Today

Today is Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, when 155 years ago, emancipation arrived in Galveston, Texas by steamship. Here is an updated repost from a few years ago. Although the … Continue reading

Happy Juneteenth! Emancipation on Galveston Island 150 Years Ago Today

Today is Juneteeth, a commemoration of the abolition of slavery in the state of Texas, in particular, and  in the Confederate states in general, one hundred and fifty years ago today. On June 5, 1865, two Union Navy ships, USS Cornubia and … Continue reading

Figureheads – Galveston’s Tall Ship Elissa, the Living Figurehead and the Yellow Rose

Yesterday we posted about Nannie Dee, the erotic yet frightening witch figurehead on the composite clipper Cutty Sark.   The figurehead on Galveston’s tall ship, the 1887 barque Eliisa, is quite different. When the ship was restored in the early 1980s, she was … Continue reading

Coast Guard – Link Between Texas and New Jersey Hoax Distress Calls?

Last week we posted about a distress call to the Coast Guard reporting a yacht explosion off the New Jersey shore, which was an apparent hoax.  The search and rescue operation which resulted is estimated to have cost over $300,000.  Now the Coast … Continue reading

Update: MS Carnival Triumph Allowed to Sail from Galveston, TX in Costa Concordia Lawsuit

Update:  The MS Carnival Triumph was allowed to sail as scheduled following last minute negotiations. The 2,758-passenger cruise ship MS Carnival Triumph was supposed to sail today for a five-day cruise to Yucatan and Cozumel. Instead, a Texas judge has ordered the ship … Continue reading

Oil Spill in Texas Contained

An Aframax tanker, the Eagle Otome,  collided with an oil barge in the Sabine Neches Waterway at Port Arthur, Texas on Saturday.  Initial reports suggested 12, 000 barrels of crude oil were unaccounted for, though local officials are now estimating that approximately 1,000 barrels … Continue reading