It is not always easy to decipher the news being reported on the tragic sinking of the Korean ferry Sewol , which capsized in the Yellow Sea on April 16, leaving more than 300 dead or missing. There have been … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
When the Cunard liner RMS Lusitania was sunk by a German submarine during World War I, on May 7, 1915, with the loss of 1,198 passengers and crew, the Germans claimed that the ship was carrying high explosives, which the British … Continue reading
Update: CNN is now reporting that there are three dead blue whales on nearby beaches in Newfoundland. Thanks to Phil Leon for the heads-up. In case you missed the news, a dead 25m (81ft) blue whale has drifted ashore on the … Continue reading
A breathtaking short film by James Aiken, featuring Siggi the Icelandic sailor and Dines the Greenlandic hunter set against the stark majesty of sea, stone and ice. Home Ground from James Aiken on Vimeo. … Continue reading
Would the world’s first purpose-built oceangoing roll-on/roll-off ship make a good museum? The Maritime Administration (MARAD) is offering the USNS Comet to a qualified public and non-profit organization for use as a memorial, a museum and/or in “other non-commercial enterprises.” Built at … Continue reading
This Saturday, the South Street Seaport Museum celebrated its Spring Revival with the grand re-opening of Pier 16 and the Street of Ships. The ceremony began with the ringing of the bell on the historic lightship Ambrose built in 1907. The … Continue reading
We have noted before the paradox of ocean shipping — it is simultaneously the most energy efficient means of transportation with the lowest carbon footprint while at the same time, it is a major polluter. (See our post from back … Continue reading
The death toll in the sinking of the Korean passenger ro-ro ferry Sewol has risen to 171 with 130 still missing. The ferry capsized and sank in the Yellow Sea last Wednesday, April 16th, on a voyage from Incheon to … Continue reading
Last week, stories started appearing on the Internet about a satellite image on Apple maps, of what was described as something large swimming just below the surface in Loch Ness. Had satellite photography captured an image of the Loch Ness … Continue reading
Happy Earth Day! Then again, I have always thought that we lived on a misnamed planet. The word “earth” is a synonym for dirt while 71% of the planet is covered by water. Perhaps we should be saying Happy Ocean Day! … Continue reading
Are passenger ro-ro ferries inherently unsafe? No one knows why the passenger ro-ro ferry Sewol capsized last Wednesday off the south-west coast of Korea. There are indications that poor crew training and inadequate safety and evacuation procedures may have contributed … Continue reading
If you are in the New York area on Saturday, April 26th, be sure to stop by the South Street Seaport to celebrate a Spring revival with the grand reopening of Pier 16 and the Street of Ships. Capt. Jonathan Boulware, … Continue reading
The gillnetter Phyllis A., built in 1925, is the oldest fishing vessel in Gloucester, Massachusetts, which calls itself, America’s oldest seaport. The Phyllis A. Marine Association, Inc.is raising money to promote the history of gillnetting in Gloucester, Massachusetts, through the … Continue reading
Whale sightings in and around New York harbor are getting less and less unusual. Unfortunately, the most recent sighting was of a dead fin whale caught on the bow of a container ship near Port Elizabeth. A necropsy is being … Continue reading
What was intended as a four-day field trip to the Korean resort island of Jeju for high school students and their teachers ended in tragedy when the ferry sank off several miles north of Byeongpung Island, on the west coast of … Continue reading
We posted recently about a rare lunar eclipse tetrad, a sequence of four total lunar eclipses, each six months apart. The first of these total lunar eclipses was last night around 2:30 AM EST. I confess. I didn’t stay up. Fortunately … Continue reading
In March, we posted about “The Captain Rose House of 1773 & Kit Burns Rat Pit of 1870,” at 273 Water Street in Lower Manhattan. In addition to being the third oldest building in Manhattan, the building has a rich … Continue reading
As part of a new exhibit, Rough Medicine: Life and Death in the Age of Sail, at the South Australia Maritime Museum, sail maker Don Lucas was asked to sew a shroud for a child, actually a child-sized manikin, fortunately, to … Continue reading
A wonderful story. Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing it along. German Fisherman Finds ‘World’s Oldest Message In A Bottle’ … Continue reading
The Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Freedom, the first of her namesake class and one of two different LCS designs, was recently deployed to Singapore for ten months in order to demonstrate the capabilities of the ship described by … Continue reading