The April Smithsonian Magazine features photos of the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry and an article titled “Building a War of 1812 Warship.” One can only imagine what Oliver Hazard Perry would have thought of the new ship that bears his name. … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
Lights, camera, mock aircraft carrier. We posted the other day about a strange mock Nimitz aircraft carrier apparently under construction in an Iranian shipyard. The Iranian-owned Al-Alam News Network is reporting that the mock-up is being built for a film … Continue reading
On March 24, 1989, the 210,000 dwt crude oil tanker Exxon Valdez sailed from Valdez Marine Terminal and entered Alaska’s Prince William Sound. At 12:04 am, the single hulled ship ran aground on Bligh Reef, resulting in the largest oil spill in … Continue reading
The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Scotland (RCAHMS) has published a remarkable and potentially dangerous interactive map of 1,200 years of shipwrecks in Scottish waters. The map is part of an effort to enhance the maritime record … Continue reading
I remember visiting the battleship USS Texas in the San Jacinto River in Texas as schoolboy from Dallas while on a family vacation, almost fifty years ago. Her 14″ guns were impressive and I still recall climbing around her anti-aircraft guns … Continue reading
Last Sunday was the second of two weekends of the Dana Point Festival of Whales, which celebrates the annual migration of gray whales which passes the coastal California community. Captain Todd Mansur of Dana Wharf Whale Watching was following two gray whales, … Continue reading
Safe Harbor Pictures recently released a short video about sail training on the Lady Washington. The Lady Washington is a replica of the first American ship to round Cape Horn. The original ship sailed from Boston Harbor on October 1, … Continue reading
In publicity photos to celebrate the tenth year anniversary of the Queen Mary 2 going into service, Captain Kevin Oprey is seen standing on the ship’s bulbous bow. The photos dramatically capture the size of the mighty ship. Click on the … Continue reading
Ochakov, a Russian Kara-class cruiser, was decommissioned in 2011 and had been scheduled to be scrapped. Instead, the Russian Navy scuttled the ship late Wednesday in the navigation channel in the approach to Donuzlav Lake, in Novoozerne, in the Western Crimea. … Continue reading
Stepping away for a moment from the unfolding current events in the Ukraine and Russia, it might be worthwhile to look at the history of the region, which was shaped by the arrival of merchant adventurers rowing long ships. As … Continue reading
Update: Reports of the defection of the frigate Hetman Sahaidachny are being denied by the Ukrainian military. The ship is reported to have be sighted in port in Crete still flying the Ukrainian flag. There are reports that the Ukraine’s Navy flagship, the frigate … Continue reading
Two Indian naval officers, Lieutenant Commander Kapish Muwal and Lieutenant Manoranjan Kumar, died in a fire on the submarine INS Sindhuratna. Seven sailors were evacuated suffering from smoke inhalation. The fire broke out around 40 nautical miles off Mumbai early … Continue reading
Last Wednesday, we posted about Svendborg Maersk, which last an estimated 520 containers in a storm in the Bay of Biscay. What happened to all the containers that fell overboard? One of them, loaded with a million cigarettes, may have just washed … Continue reading
CNN is reporting that hypodermic needles and traces of narcotics were found with the bodies of two American security officers on the container ship Maersk Alabama, suggesting that the deaths resulted from drug overdoses, according to a Seychelles government official. … Continue reading
It is being reported that two American security guards, both former Navy SEALs, have been found dead on the Maersk Alabama while in Port Victoria, in the Seychelles. The men have been identified as Jeffrey Reynolds and Mark Kennedy, both … Continue reading
The initial reports that the Svendborg Maersk lost 200-300 containers in a storm on Friday in the Bay of Biscay have turned out to be optimistic. The number is now estimated to be around 520. 85% of the boxes lost … Continue reading
International Salt, a major salt company, has just about run out of salt to supply the State of New Jersey. The salt is used to control ice on the roads, and to run out in the middle of a very … Continue reading
Maersk Lines is reporting that the 7,200 TEU container ship Svendborg Maersk lost a “significant number of containers over board” on Friday while crossing the Bay of Biscay. Lloyds List is reporting that 200-300 containers were lost in heavy weather while … Continue reading
In the United States, today is “Presidents’ Day,” a national holiday on the third Monday of February, falling between Lincoln’s (February 14th) and Washington’s (February 22) birthdays. Here is a repost of the tale of Lincoln’s camel that we ran back … Continue reading
Sadly, just before Christmas, the schooner Nathaniel Bowditch, owned by Owen and Cathie Dorr, was seized at its Rockland Harbor berth in Lermond Cove by U.S. Marshals and towed to Camden Harbor, Maine. The Nathaniel Bowditch is one of the … Continue reading