The CBS news program “60 Minutes” recently did a report on the sinking of El Faro. Overall, they did a reasonably good job for a mainstream media report on shipping. There were a few minor glitches but overall, not a … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
More than 80,000 square kilometers (30,000 square miles) of the seafloor in the Indian Ocean west of Australia have been searched, looking for where Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is believed to have crashed with 239 people aboard in March 2014. So far, … Continue reading
Yesterday, two US Navy Riverine Command Boats (RCBs) with a combined crew of ten sailors were apprehended by Iranian Revolutionary Guard boats. One or both of the RCBs had suffered a mechanical failure and had drifted into Iranian waters. The Iranians released … Continue reading
Atlantic Container Lines’ (ACL) Atlantic Star, the newest and world’s largest Container/Roll-on Roll-off ship, has arrived on the North American East Coast, calling at Halifax and on Saturday, in New York. Notwithstanding its name, the ships of Atlantic Container Lines … Continue reading
A Facebook video by my friend Frank Hanavan showing him inserting a ship in a bottle (after the page break) got me thinking about, well, ships in bottles. When, where and why did sailors start putting ships in bottles? After … Continue reading
In 1871, a fleet of 33 American whaling ships became stuck in the ice off the coast of Alaska. Over 1,200 whalers were rescued by the seven ships which managed to avoid being trapped in the ice floes. Remarkably, all … Continue reading
Big news from the Cousteau Society. They have announced: As 2016 begins, Calypso will be getting a whole new life, 20 years after its accident in Singapore! After having explored the possibility of a future for Captain Cousteau’s iconic ship in … Continue reading
Hinckley Yachts announced that it has acquired Morris Yachts. Both are high-end boat builders and the boatyards are within a quarter mile of each other in Trenton, Maine. Hinckley says it plans to continue the Morris boatbuilding and service operations … Continue reading
Great video of the replica frigate l’Hermione calling in Brest. L’Hermione – Escale à Brest [Drone] from Nautimages on Vimeo. … Continue reading
Hashima Island lies nine miles off the port of Nagasaki, Japan. Between the seawall which encircles the small island and the abandoned apartment blocks rising from it, many think that it looks like a battleship, earning the nickname, Gunkanjima, or … Continue reading
The news program 60 Minutes broadcast National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) footage of the wreck of El Faro last night. The TOTE Ro/Ro was lost with all 33 aboard in Hurricane Joaquin in October. The footage is striking and … Continue reading
Anti-terror police in the UK are suddenly concerned that the SS Richard Montgomery, a Liberty ship which sank over seventy years ago loaded with high explosives in the Thames estuary, might be a potential target for terrorists. Reportedly, the government … Continue reading
The schooner Amistad, the official flagship of the State of Connecticut, has seen difficult times in recent years. Built fifteen years ago at Mystic Seaport, until recently, the ship had been in receivership since 2014, after Amistad America, the non-profit which ran the … Continue reading
Happy New Year! On New Year’s Day 1995, a sea monster capable of sinking ships and sending sailors to their deaths was documented for the first time. I am not speaking of a mythical serpent or another beasty, (which may or may … Continue reading
Battles at sea usually last a few hours. Battles in court can last far, far longer. In the Battle of Santa Maria on October 5, 1804, when a British squadron attacked a Spanish treasure fleet, the ship Nuestra Señora de … Continue reading
Two wonderful drone videos of the Clipper-Brig Morgenster shot last November. Thanks to Joost for passing them along. Ocean Tall Ship Morgenster sailing on the Ocean on her way to the Cape Verdes. Full square rig and stunsails set. With a … Continue reading
Despite having a damaged rudder, the American super-maxi Comanche was first across the finish line in this year’s Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race, leading the next closest boat, Rambler by roughly 50 miles. This is the first time since 1998 that an … Continue reading
John Beedon, who describes himself as a “scrawny old Yorkshireman”, has become the first person to row solo across the Pacific. The 53-year-old rower left San Francisco in June and arrived in Cairns, in eastern Australian, after 209 days alone … Continue reading
The American yachts Comanche and Rambler are battling over the lead in the Rolex Sydney-Hobart Race, which has turned into a major boat-breaker. Twenty-nine boats, representing a quarter of the fleet, have retired from the race, most with damage from … Continue reading
Happy Boxing Day and with it a wild beginning to this year’s Rolex Sydney Hobart Race. The race began with three yachts colliding at the starting line. The Chinese Ark 323, Lupa of London, and Cougar II were forced to … Continue reading