In 2020, we posted that China Merchants Group had signed a contract with Dalian Shipbuilding Industry Company (DSIC) for two Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) each with four rigid wing sails to provide wind-assisted propulsion. The first of the two … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
Over the last five years, a macabre mystery has been playing out on the South African coast. The carcasses of great white sharks have been washing ashore on local beaches with their bellies ripped open and their livers missing. What … Continue reading
We have been following the development of the Wind Challenger Project since it first was unveiled in 2012. Initially developed by the University of Toyko with the support of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines and Oshima-shipbuilding, the concept is for a sail-assisted ship with retractable … Continue reading
In observance of World Octopus Day, here is a short video of a TED talk by Roger Hanlon looking at the amazing brains and morphing skins of octopuses and other cephalopods. The amazing brains and morphing skin of octopuses and … Continue reading
Former-professional rugby player Damian Browne became the first person ever to row from New York to Galway. Browne began the 112-day voyage, titled Project Empower, from Chelsea Piers in Manhattan on Tuesday, June 14 at 3.10am. After spending 2,686 hours … Continue reading
We recently posted video footage shot by a Saildrone uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) from inside Hurricane Fiona, a Category 4 hurricane, barreling across the Atlantic Ocean. For the second year, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and Saildrone have sailed … Continue reading
If you are in the vicinity of New York harbor on this Sunday, October 9th, you may wish to check out the Red Hook Open Studios (RHOS) concert featuring Shepup & friends on Portside NewYork‘s historic tanker Mary A. Whalen. … Continue reading
The USS Gerald R. Ford, the first of the US Navy’s newest generation of aircraft carriers and the largest and most expensive warship ever built, is ready to begin her maiden deployment after years of delay and cost overruns. The … Continue reading
The scope and scale of the property damage and loss of life resulting from Hurricane Ian to Florida and the Carolinas are still being assessed. The hurricane is likely to rank among the most destructive storms to strike to state … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted Bonhomme Richard Arson Trial — Will the Case Go Up in Smoke? that discussed the end of the trial phase of the court martial of 21-year-old Seaman Ryan Mays, who was charged with deliberately setting the fire … Continue reading
The verdict in the court-martial of 21-year-old Seaman Ryan Mays, accused of deliberately setting the fire that torched the billion-plus dollar amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard, is in the hands of a military judge. If convicted of arson and … Continue reading
In April of 1912, the cargo-passenger liner SS Mesaba radioed an ice warning to RMS Titanic. The message was received but never made it to the bridge. The supposedly unsinkable Titanic then hit an iceberg and sank on her maiden … Continue reading
On a recent trip to Scotland, we visited the beautiful Loch Ness. While we were there, we heard of a sighting of a weird beastie in the loch. But no, not Nessie, the famous monster, or even a loch kelpie. … Continue reading
The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth has arrived in New York harbor, dropping anchor within sight of the Statue of Liberty. The carrier is accompanied by her frigate escort, HMS Richmond, which sailed up the Hudson River for … Continue reading
We recently posted videos of the 110-year-old battleship USS Texas currently being repaired and refurbished in drydock at the Gulf Copper Shipyard in Galveston. The Texas is the oldest remaining dreadnought battleship and only one of six surviving ships to have served … Continue reading
The BBC recently reported on a young Royal Navy sailor, Able Seaman Hollie Randle, one of 142 sailors who pulled the gun carriage bearing Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin in the state funeral procession. Seaman Randle said that she was “overwhelmed” … Continue reading
Saildrone, Inc. and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) have released video footage gathered by a Saildrone uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) from inside Hurricane Fiona, a Category 4 hurricane, barreling across the Atlantic Ocean. For the second year, NOAA … Continue reading
In early September, just weeks before his sentencing in a decade-long Navy bribery and corruption scandal, Leonard Glenn Francis, known as “Fat Leonard,” escaped from house arrest in his San Diego home and fled the country. The Malaysian businessman is … Continue reading
More than 200 whales have been found stranded on a remote beach at the entrance to Macquarie Harbour on the west coast of Tasmania, Australia. Half of the pod, thought to be pilot whales, are believed to be still alive. … Continue reading
Ancient trade routes in the Mediterranean have long been a mystery. How was it that sailing ships of antiquity, that could not sail well to weather, succeeded in carrying grain and other cargoes from the east to Rome against the … Continue reading