Disturbing video shot from the deck of the pilot schooner No. 5 Elbe immediately before her collision with the container ship Astrosprinter. It appears that the helmsman made the wrong maneuver at exactly the wrong time. Kurz vor der Kollision … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Hyundai Heavy Industries, in a collaboration with Lloyd’s Register and Norsepower, has developed the design of an “Eco-Tanker,” a Very Large Crude Carrier (VLCC) with a unique propulsion system combining wind power with natural gas. The design also includes a … Continue reading
Early this morning, two tankers in the Gulf of Oman, not far from the Strait of Hormuz, were struck and disabled by explosions. The 110,000-dwt Front Altair, built in 2016 was carrying naphtha and broke out in flames following the … Continue reading
The New York Times is reporting that well before Hungary’s worst boating accident in at least six decades, Hungarian officials had been warned that traffic on the Danube had soared to dangerous levels around Budapest, but the government did not … Continue reading
Yesterday we posted about the sinking of the restored pilot schooner Elbe No.5, ex-Wander Bird, following a collision with a container ship near Stade, Germany on the Elbe River. The schooner, launched in 1883, had just completed a $1.7 million … Continue reading
On Saturday, the restored pilot schooner No. 5 Elbe sank following a collision with a containership on its namesake river at Stade, Germany. The 43 people aboard the 1883 built schooner were rescued almost immediately thanks to a quick response … Continue reading
On May 18th, we posted that singlehander Jeanne Socrates, 76, on her fourth circumnavigation, suffered a knockdown on S/V Nereida off the South Island of New Zealand. Despite the loss of solar panels and damage to the wind generator system, Socrates … Continue reading
In April, we posted, Judge Threatens to Block Carnival Cruise Ships from Docking in US Ports, in which U.S. District Judge Patricia Seitz considered temporarily blocking the largest cruise corporation in the world from docking its ships at ports in … Continue reading
The Battle of Midway, fought from June 3 — 7, 1942, seventy-seven years ago this week, was a major American victory in the Pacific theater in World War II. Only six months after Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, Midway was … Continue reading
I am aware of only one man who was praised by both Eisenhower and Hitler. A repost on the 75th anniversary of D-Day. General Dwight David Eisenhower said that “Andrew Higgins … is the man who won the war for … Continue reading
Edward Teach, better known as the pirate Blackbeard, terrorized the Caribbean and the North American East Coast in the early 18th century. Now a documentary filmmaker is claiming that the State of North Carolina is engaging in modern-day digital piracy. … Continue reading
The crash of the MSC Opera into the dock and a river tour boat while docking on the Giudecca Canal on Sunday in Venice Italy, has prompted new calls for limits or an outright ban of large cruise ships in … Continue reading
At about 8:30 AM on Sunday, the cruise ship MSC Opera lost control while docking on the Giudecca Canal in Venice Italy, slamming into the dock and hitting a tour boat. Five people were reported to be injured, but none … Continue reading
For several years, we have followed the attempts to control, if not eradicate, the invasive lionfish from the waters around Florida and the Caribbean. Recently, divers participating in Destin, Florida’s Emerald Coast Open, which is described as the “world’s largest … Continue reading
Coast Guard crews rescued a man and woman from a capsized sailboat in rough seas about 65 miles east of Atlantic City, NJ, late Wednesday night. Heidi Snyder and Peter Bailey, who have been sailing around the world for two … Continue reading
Sadly, the sinking of overloaded ferry boats in the developing world is not new news. It happens with a great enough frequency that it is easy to overlook. Which may be why these tragedies are worth noting. Last weekend, an … Continue reading
A Viking River Cruises ship, the Viking Sigyn, collided with a tourist sightseeing boat in the Danube River named Mermaid off Budapest on Wednesday night. Of the 33 Korean tourists and two Hungarian crew aboard the sightseeing boat, seven have … Continue reading
USS Batfish is a Balao-class submarine, known primarily for the remarkable feat of sinking three Imperial Japanese Navy submarines in a 76-hour period, in February 1945. Since 1973, USS Batfish has served as an unlikely museum ship hauled up on shire … Continue reading
How is our week going so far? Probably better than Pier Luigi Loro Piana and also no doubt better than the captain of the general cargo ship Brattingsborg. The ship was carrying the 130′ (39.9 meter) yacht, My Song, owned … Continue reading
For several years, we have followed the efforts to save the USS Texas, the last surviving dreadnought, as well as the only battleship in existence today that fought in both World War I and World War II. Since 1948, the … Continue reading