Update: UK Cancels Plans for £250m National Flagship Yacht

In June of last year, we posted that UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, had announced the construction of a new national flagship intended to promote British businesses around the world. The proposal received a mixed response. As we noted in … Continue reading

Update: Montenegrin Mafia Boss Arrested in Billion Dollar Bust on MSC Gayane

In June 2019, Federal authorities raided the container ship MSC Gayane when the ship docked in Philadephia. They found and seized 20 tonnes of cocaine, worth over a billion dollars, stashed in shipping containers. The seizure was the largest cocaine … Continue reading

Michelin Inflatable Wing Sail Being Installed on Ro/Ro MN Pelican

Last year, we posted about French tire manufacturer Michelin’s Wing Sail Mobility (WISAMO) project design that features an automated, telescopic, inflatable wing sail system, which is expected to reduce fuel consumption by up to 20%. The project is taking a … Continue reading

Ancient Sperm Whale Clans Maintain Cultural Identities by Patterns of Clicks Within their Songs

A fascinating study recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that seven ancient “clans” of sperm whales living in the vast Pacific Ocean maintain their cultural identity by distinctive patterns of clicks within their songs. … Continue reading

HMS Medway Torches Smugglers’ Boat Carrying £24m of Cocaine in Caribbean

Sky News reports that HMS Medway, a Royal Navy River-class offshore patrol vessel, pursued a drug smuggler’s boat after it was spotted near the Dominican Republic, alongside a US Coast Guard Law Enforcement Detachment and accompanying aircraft. Once it was … Continue reading

Russia Suspends Grain Export Deal Following Ukrainian Drone Attack on Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol

The BBC reports that Russia says that Ukraine carried out a “massive” drone attack on Saturday on the Black Sea Fleet in the Crimean port city of Sevastopol, damaging one warship. Nine drones were used, a top official said. Unconfirmed … Continue reading

Remembering “HMS” Bounty Lost in Hurricane Sandy — Survivors’ Interview

Ten years ago today, the replica of HMS Bounty sank in Hurricane Sandy off the coast of North Carolina. Despite horrific conditions, the US Coast Guard was able to rescue 14 of the 16 aboard the ship when she sank. … Continue reading

Dutch Fishing Vessel Rescues British Kayaker Clinging to Buoy in Dover Strait

The BBC reports that a Dutch fishing vessel has rescued a British kayaker found clinging to a buoy in the Channel after his kayak capsized. He is reported to have been holding onto the buoy for several days. The captain, … Continue reading

Record Drought Shuts Down Traffic In Mississippi River and Tributaries

In August, we posted about an extreme drought in Europe that dramatically reduced water levels in major rivers, including the Rhine, Elbe, Loire, Danube, and Po. Now a near-record drought in the US Midwest has dropped water levels in the … Continue reading

Entangled Humpback Does Spy Hop & Back Flip to Assist Marine Rescue Team, Freeing It From Fishing Gear

A wonderful story from the BBC.  After receiving multiple calls about a humpback whale entangled in 300ft (91m) of fishing gear and a buoy, Canadian officials dispatched a marine rescue team. They tracked down the beleaguered whale off Texada Island, … Continue reading

Tree Rings Help Identify Long Lost Rhode Island Whaling Ship Dolphin in Patagonia

In 1858, the whaling ship Dolphin sailed from Warren, Rhode Island, and never returned. The New York Times notes that the ship’s 42-person crew was rescued the following year from the waters of the southern Atlantic Ocean by an Argentine mariner, … Continue reading

Artemis EF-24 Passenger Ferry — America’s Cup Technology Applied to Hydrofoils

Artemis Technologies, an applied technologies spin-off from the Artemis Racing America’s Cup team, has announced its latest design, the EF-24 passenger ferry. The ferry is a 100% electric hydrofoil vessel with a capacity for 150 passengers and an operating range … Continue reading

US Navy & Marines Have Contaminated Water Issues — From Pearl Harbor to Carriers to Camp Lejeune

The US Navy and the Marine Corps have a serious water contamination problem. Last December we posted that on the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, over 1,000 military families were forced from their homes and suffered illness by … Continue reading

Götheborg of Sweden, World’s Largest Wooden Sailing Ship, Arrives In Malta

The world’s largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship, a replica of an 18th-century Swedish East India Company ship, Götheborg of Sweden, arrived in Valletta, Malta this week. The Götheborg is on its way to Asia, and Malta is the 12th stopover … Continue reading

Update: Submarine USS Clamagore Towed From Patriots Point to be Scrapped

In March, we posted that the Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum in South Carolina had decided after years of debate to scrap USS Clamagore, a Cold War-era submarine that proved too costly to maintain. This week, the Balao-class submarine was … Continue reading

Jet Pack Demonstration in New York Harbor From Royal Navy Flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth

During her recent visit to New York to host a two-day Anglo-American defense conference, the Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth was used in a training demonstration in the harbor using jet packs. The BBC reports that the Sussex-based jet … Continue reading

Grand Theft Walleye — Fisherman Charged With Cheating in High Stakes Tournament

On Sept. 30, two fishermen, Jacob Runyan, 42, of Ashtabula, Ohio, and Chase Cominsky, 35, of Hermitage, Pa., participated in the Lake Erie Walleye Trail tournament in Cleveland. The stakes were high. If the fish landed by the pair weighed … Continue reading