Thanks to Dexter Donham for pointing out this trailer for Vanishing Sail, a documentary still under production and expected to be out in 2013. Filmed in the Grenadines, Vanishing Sail looks at the sailing vessels that once were both the lifeblood of Caribbean commerce. From … Continue reading
Category Archives: History
The twenty eight year old bulk carrier Oriental Nicety was recently sold for scrap for $16 million. The ship was originally a tanker and has four owners and as many names. She is best known as the Exxon Valdez, the single hull … Continue reading
Earlier this month, 90 year old Winnie Breegle spoke at the 2012 Women’s History Month celebration at the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Panama City, FL. She had quite a story to tell. Not only was she a WAVE (Woman Accepted for Volunteer Emergency … Continue reading
We posted previously about “Pirates and Privateers,” a documentary on CBC’s Land and Sea. The 20 minute documentary is now available on-line. It presents a distinctive view of piracy and privateering from the perspective of the Canadian Maritimes, not often seen by those of us … Continue reading
In 1904 and 1905, archaeologists Haakon Shetelig and Gabriel Gustafson excavated a burial mound at the Oseberg farm near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway that contained a well-preserved Viking ship. The Osberg ship was reconstructed and has became Norway’s largest tourist … Continue reading
In November, we posted about how a drought on the Rhine River was exposing unexploded World War II munitions, and then in December about the evacuation of half of the German city of Koblenz, when several large bombs were found buried in … Continue reading
Two years and one month ago today, the SV Concordia, a school ship operated by West Island College International, was knocked down and sank off the coast of Brazil. Fortunately, all 64 passengers and crew aboard were rescued. The final … Continue reading
One year ago today, the largest earthquake in Japan’s history, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, struck 70 miles offshore, triggering a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami that washed far inland smashing towns, airports and highways across the north-eastern Japanese coast. Over 16,000 people are known … Continue reading
The USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia were not the first iron-clad war ships, but they were the first to face each other in battle. One hundred and fifty years ago today, the two ironclads met in Hampton Roads, VA and fought each … Continue reading
The headline writers have been having fun. The Daily Beast headline reads – Moon to Blame for Titanic Sinking? Reuters asks and answers its own question – “What sank the Titanic? Scientists point to the moon.” The Times of India gets alliterative … Continue reading
When the revolutionary ironclad warship USS Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, NC during the Civil War, in December of 1862, 16 of her crew of 62 were lost. One hundred and forty years later, in August of 2002, when the turret of … Continue reading
For most, a river or an ocean is a boundary. For a sailor, each is a highway. But, when did the first sailor set out across the water? Recent research suggests that the early man may have gone to sea, and indeed, … Continue reading
The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) is giving Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar, HMS Victory to the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Portsmouth. The ship would stay a commissioned warship and thus will be able to retain bragging … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted about the lawsuits still ongoing related to the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes and quoted Cecilia Rodriguez, writing for Forbes. Today Ms. Rodriguez has a wonderful article about the Galleon San Jose, often referred to as the “Holy … Continue reading
The silver and gold coins valued at $500 million that Odyssey Marine recovered from the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes have now been flown to Spain. American courts ruled that the coins had been removed illegally and that they … Continue reading
Last week we posted about “Rum Running,” a new documentary which was broadcast last weekend on CBCs “Land and Sea.” It is now online and definitely worth watching. It is a fascinating look at when many sailors in Nova Scotia stopped fishing and became international smugglers during Prohibition in the … Continue reading
The Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine documents the rich and deep maritime history of the region and the town that was famous for its ship captains. The museum has a wonderful set of on-line, searchable, photography collections documenting the area’s ships, … Continue reading
Within the next day or so, two Spanish Air Force C-130 transport planes will land at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base to load 17 tons of gold and silver coins and other artifacts recovered from the wreck of the Spanish Navy’s Nuestra … Continue reading
In the United States, today is celebrated as Washington’s Birthday, also widely known as Presidents Day. On this the official day of celebration of his birthday, it seems worthwhile to look back on General George Washington’s navy of 1775 and … Continue reading
We have previously posted about the CBC’s “Land and Sea,” a program which for thirty years has been focussed on stories from people who live off the land and the sea on the Canadian Atlantic. In December, they featured a wonderful documentary on Nova … Continue reading