The monsoons have ended which means that it is pirate season again off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden. The bad news is that it is now estimated that piracy off Somalia is costing the international … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
A few updates on previous posts: The USNS Comfort, the Navy hospital ship deployed to Haiti after the earthquake is on her way home: Navy hospital ship to begin journey home from Haiti The Jewel of Muscat, the replica of … Continue reading
Gribbles? A wood eating marine pest may lead to a breakthrough in biofuels? What’s next? Teredo worms as a cure for cancer? An intriguing article from the Times. Thanks to Alaric Bond for the reference. ‘Gribble’ marine pest may be key … Continue reading
There is an interesting ongoing conflict over the salvaging of the German pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee which was scuttled in the River Plate in 1939. A Uruguayan businessman has been salving parts of the Graf Spee for the last ten … Continue reading
Dewey on the Olympia at Manila Bay I am not sure if it is irony or merely a confirmation that Faulkner was right – the past isn’t dead. It isn’t even past. Not long after the Independence Seaport Museum in Philadelphia … Continue reading
We had previously posted about a BBC videocast of a documentary segment about attempts to save the composite clipper City of Adelaide. The videocast was available to UK residents only. Thanks to David Hayes for pointing out that the … Continue reading
In early February we observed the anniversary of the rescue of Alexander Selkirk from the tiny island Mas a Tierra, in the Juan Fernandez archipelago off the coast of Chile. Selkirk would be the model for Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Mas a Tierra … Continue reading
Centuries-old Baltic shipwrecks found A dozen centuries-old shipwrecks — some of them unusually well-preserved — have been discovered in the Baltic Sea by a gas company building an underwater pipeline between Russia and Germany, Swedish experts said Tuesday. The oldest … Continue reading
France captures 35 ‘pirates’ in three days off the Somali coast The French Navy has captured 35 suspected pirates in three days of operations off the coast of Somalia — the biggest haul in the two years since EU naval … Continue reading
Early last August the Tongan ferry, Princess Ashika, sank with a presumed loss over seventy lives. See our previous posts – Princess Akisha. A new ferry, the Olovaha, for the route is being built in Japan, with Japanese funding and is … Continue reading
Over the weekend, the Great Maui Whale Count spotted 1,208 humpback whales. More of a snapshot than a census, the watchers counted 676 pods or groups of whales, with an average of 214 pods or groups sighted per hour. 1,208 whale … Continue reading
The Cove, a documentary about the slaughtering of dolphins in Japan won the 2010 Academy Award last night for best feature documentary. The Cove – trailer (2010 Academy Award Winner) … Continue reading
Under Sail is a remarkable account of sixteen year old Felix Riesenberg’s first voyage on a square rigger from South Street Seaport in New York, to Honolulu and back. He sailed on the A.J. Fuller, a Bath built, copper clad, … Continue reading
Trafalgar cannons fired to mark 200th anniversary Cannons which last saw action at the Battle of Trafalgar are fired on Tyneside to mark the 200th anniversary of Admiral Lord Collingwood’s death. They were last used in battle on board Collingwood’s … Continue reading
A fascinating new study reported in the LA Times suggests that we know far less about the great white shark than we may have thought. Leviathans may battle in remote depths … Continue reading
After a controversial beginning, is Jessica Watson reaching the final legs of her circumnavigation. A flood of deals and endorsements could make Jessica a very wealthy teenager. Solo sailor Jessica Watson set to make millions when she finishes … Continue reading
Hull trawler joins SS Great Britain and Royal Yacht on Historic Ships Register An historic trawler berthed in Hull’s Museum Quarter has joined the ss Great Britain, HMS Victory and the Royal Yacht Britannia on the list of the nation’s … Continue reading
The Mystic Seaport Museum has posted a fascinating video of the 3D laser scanning of the hold of the whaler Charles W. Morgan along with commentary on how they are using the technology to record the original construction details of the historic ship. … Continue reading
A year ago we posted about the “Voyage of theSpirit of Mystery,” the recreation of an epic voyage by seven Cornishmen, several of whom had never been out of sight of land, who set sail in 1854 bound for the … Continue reading
Lusitania arriving New York on her maiden voyage A new study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesconsiders the sinking of two well known ships, the Titanic and theLusitania, and looks at who made it to the lifeboats and who was left … Continue reading