Friday’s 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 10-meter high tsunami on the coast of northeast Japan devastated cities and villages, killing as many as 1,300. It also significantly damaged at least five nuclear reactors at two power plants. Yesterday afternoon, a massive explosion … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
The Hull Lifesaving Museum near Boston is sponsoring their 32nd Annual “Snow Row” this weekend. Festivities begin with the annual “Snow Ball” this evening at the Clarion Nantasket Beach Resort and Conference Center, followed by Saturday’s race at the Windmill … Continue reading
The largest earthquake in Japanese recorded history, 8.9 on the Richter scale, which struck about 80 miles offshore, has triggered devastating tsunami waves on the coast of northeast Japan. Tsunami warnings have gone up in at least 50 countries and territories, … Continue reading
The U.S. Geological Survey press release began: “The oldest known U.S. wild bird – a coyly conservative 60 — is a new mother.” Why the Albatross Is Our Albatross Last month, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist spotted this Laysan … Continue reading
This week the Maersk Alabama was attacked by pirates for the third time in the last two years. In April of 2009, pirates boarded the Maersk containership and took her captain, Richard Phillips, hostage. He was later rescued when Navy sharpshooters … Continue reading
Piracy in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean can be wildly profitable and is relatively risk free. If a pirate is caught by any of the multinational naval task force, chances are that they will simply let the … Continue reading
What’s that smelt? (Sorry.) Actually it was a million dead sardines (or anchovies depending on the news reports) that washed up dead in the King Harbor Marina in Redondo Beach California. ‘One million’ dead sardines clog Redondo Beach marina … Continue reading
Today is International Women’s Day. Indeed, it is the 100th Anniversary of the first International Women’s Day in 1911. We have followed with interest the women who have progressively stepped up to serve in jobs that not too long … Continue reading
Yesterday the Independence Seaport Museum posted a “NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF TRANSFER APPLICATION PROCESS FOR CRUISER, OLYMPIA” to formally begin the process of seeking a new owner for the historic cruiser launched in 1892. From the notice: The Olympia, Admiral Dewey’s flagship and … Continue reading
Commandos from the USS Bulkeley boarded the Japanese owned tanker MV Guanabara on Sunday after the crew reported that the ship was under attack by pirates. The commandos captured four pirates aboard the ship without firing a shot. The crew had withdrawn … Continue reading
Last July, there was a collision involving the tug Caribbean Sea pushing a barge and a disabled “Duck boat” DUKW 34 at anchor in the Delaware River off Philadelphia. Two of the 35 passengers on the duck boat drowned in … Continue reading
When the sun was out the Vikings could navigate with “sun compass,” a sort of modified sundial. According to legend, when the sky was overcast the Vikings used a “sunstone.” A new study suggests that the sunstone might not … Continue reading
In June of last year, we posted about the Quest for the South Magnetic Pole. Recently the Independent featured an article describing how the magnetic north pole is moving faster than at any time in human history, apparently shifting from Canada … Continue reading
On Thursday Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., the head of Fleet Forces Command, announced the results of the investigation of the aircraft carrier Enterprise videos and recommended punishment for 40 officers and senior enlisted sailors. Lewd Navy Video Report Lewd Navy Videos … Continue reading
Commander Nigel Matthews Commander Nigel Matthews, who has died aged 89, survived being run over by an aircraft carrier and flew again the same day. Nigel Matthews died on December 19. His first wife died in 1977; he married, secondly, … Continue reading
I was recently sent The eNotated Sailing Alone Around the World by Joshua Slocum. Enotation is electronic annotation, where instead of footnotes or endnotes, there are embedded links in the text of an e-book. A book like Slocum’s which contains … Continue reading
News from both the Seaport Museum in New York and the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The Seaport Museum, until recently the South Street Seaport Museum, is shutting down its exhibits and shops. The ships will still be open for tours. We … Continue reading
Robert Prescott, a marine archeologist, believes that he has located the final resting place HMS Beagle. The Fate of HMS Beagle After Darwin´s Voyage to the Galapagos Islands HMS Beagle was the ship that sailed around the world with … Continue reading
Reports are surfacing of Navy veterans contracting cancer after serving at the McMurdo Station in Antarctica when the station was powered by a problem-prone nuclear power plant. Nuclear plant leak in Antarctica suspected of causing cancer … Continue reading
I recently purchased Joe Follansbee’s The Fyddeye Guide to America’s Maritime History – 2,000+ Tall Ships, Lighthouses, Historic Ships, Maritime Museums, and More. Rather than purchasing a dead-tree version, I bought the guide as an e-book for Kindle. This is, … Continue reading