Captain Mary’s Story Hour on the Cutter Lilac & Rides on the Fireboat John J Harvey

If you are anywhere near the lower Hudson River this Sunday, August 9th, be sure to stop by the Cutter Lilac for Captain Mary’s Story Hour, a family event for all ages, from 10:30 AM to 1:15 PM. Mary Habstritt, … Continue reading

Washington and Hamilton on the US Coast Guard’s 225th Birthday

Today, on the 225th anniversary of George Washington signing of the legislation establishing the Revenue-Marine, the predecessor to the United States Coast Guard, President George Washington and his Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton, returned to Federal Hall in New … Continue reading

Near 300th Anniversary of Terra Firme Fleet Disaster, Divers Find $1MM in Spanish Gold

On July 30, 1715 the Spanish Terra Firme and New Spain fleets, bound from Havana to Spain, were hit by a hurricane off the coast of Florida.  Eleven ships were blown up on to the reefs and sank. Only one ship … Continue reading

The Indian Ocean Gyre, the Garbage Patch and Malaysia Air Flight 370

A wing flap from Malaysia Air Flight 370, which disappeared in 2014, has washed up on the island of Reunion in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, roughly 2,300 miles away from where most believe that the plane crashed, on … Continue reading

Fifty One Years Ago, Trawler Snoopy and Eight Crew Casualties of Torpedo Alley

Fifty one years ago this week, on July 23, 1964, the scallop trawler Snoopy was trawling off Currituck Sound, NC.  During World War II that stretch of the coast earned the grim nickname, Torpedo Alley, when German U-boats sank nearly 400 ships in the … Continue reading

Fanning to Shark — “Thanks For Not Eating Me!”

Shark attacks are rare. Shark attacks on live television are virtually unprecedented, which is why the video of an encounter between Australian champion surfer, Mick Fanning, and a large shark in the waters off South Africa caught on live TV spread so rapidly … Continue reading

SSV Oliver Hazard Perry on Her Maiden Voyage

Last weekend, Oliver Hazard Perry, America’s newest and largest civilian sailing school ship sailed into Portland harbor in Maine on her maiden voyage, to participate in the Tall Ships Portland 2015 festival, which wrapped up yesterday.  Based in Newport, RI, the … Continue reading