Raye Montague, Barrier-Shattering Navy Ship Designer, Dies at 83

Posted on by October 22, 2018

Barrier-shattering naval engineer Raye Montague has died at the age of 83. At the age of 7, she was inspired to become an engineer after she toured a captured German submarine with her grandmother during World War II.  As an African-American girl, however, she was told that becoming an engineer was simply not an option.

Thirty years later, Raye Montague became the first person to use a computer program to rapidly develop a preliminary ship design for the U.S. Navy. The design process had previously taken the Navy two years. Montague completed the preliminary design of the Oliver Hazard Perry Class frigate in less than 19 hours. Her accomplishment revolutionized the way the Navy designs ships and submarines. 

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Coast Guard Auxiliary Radio Day & 79th Anniversary Celebration on Cutter Lilac

Posted on by October 18, 2018

This Saturday, October 20, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM at Manhattan’s Pier 25, at West Street and N. Moore Street, on the Hudson River, the retired U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Lilac will be hosting a celebration of 79th anniversary of the founding of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary with a special Radio Day event.  The Lower Manhattan Flotilla of the Auxiliary will install a ham radio station on the Liliac which will open to the public especially for the afternoon.  Visitors will be able to learn about the importance of radio in maritime communications by observing operators send and receive messages as part of this nationwide Radio Day. 

Auxiliarists will be on hand to discuss their work and provide information on recreational boating safety, a key part of their mission to support the Coast Guard. As always, Lilac‘s volunteers will share the ship’s story with visitors who wish to take a tour. 

Lilac is a retired Coast Guard cutter that carried supplies to lighthouses and maintained buoys from 1933 to 1972.  USCGC Lilac is America’s only surviving steam-powered lighthouse tender and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Continue reading →

Cable Car Ride Down Gibraltar

Posted on by October 17, 2018

As someone who has been reading Georgian naval fiction since I was a teenager, I am well acquainted with Gibraltar and the famous Rock. I recently had the opportunity to visit the British Overseas Territory, one half of the Pillars of Hercules, at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula. We arrived on the M/Y Harmony G, a 55M passenger ship masquerading as a yacht. Here is a short video of the cable car ride down from Ape’s Den midway up the Rock. When we rode up, we were completely enveloped by fog. Fortunately, the fog lifted just before we boarded the cable car to ride down. The clouds still form a dark and glowering canopy but provided a nice view of the harbor and the Spanish shore on the far side of the bay. 

Surge Barriers for New York — the Best or Worst of Solutions?

Posted on by October 2, 2018

After the flooding caused by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, a proposal was developed to build storm surge barriers to protect New York City and nearby municipalities. Given the rising sea levels and increasingly violent storms associated with climate change, many argue that this storm barriers are an absolute necessity to prevent more devastating flooding in the immediate future.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is now considering six different plans involving massive in-water barriers and/or land-based floodwalls, dunes and levees intended to “manage the risk of coastal storm damage” to New York Harbor and the Hudson Valley.

On the other hand, a number of environmentalists argue that the storm surge barriers as designed would effectively threaten the very existence of the Hudson as a living river.

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Women and Children First — The Birkenhead Disaster

Posted on by October 2, 2018

Where did the rule of loading women and children first into the lifeboats in an emergency come from? It is actually more of a guideline than a rule as it is not explicitly called out in admiralty law. It all dates from the sinking of HM Troopship Birkenhead in 1852, off the aptly named Danger Point, near Gansbaai, South Africa. A short video explanation from the “History Guy.”

The Birkenhead Disaster

Nautical Coincidence & Lifeboat Morality – Richard Parker and the Mignonette

Posted on by April 12, 2022

Here is another old favorite, a companion repost to yesterday’s repost of “The Unsinkable Hugh Williams – Truth Behind the Legend?”

We recently posted in response to a video, “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?.”  It recounted how three men named Hugh Williams were each the only survivors of shipwrecks in the treacherousness Menai Straits off North Wales. More remarkably, two of the Hugh Williams escaped from shipwrecks on the same day,  December 5th separated by over a hundred years.  The video claimed that all three Hugh Williams’ ships sank on December 5th, but that was not the case.  And Hugh Williams is a very common name in North Wales, so while it is a remarkable coincidence, it doesn’t quite rank as the “strangest ever recorded.”

On the topic of nautical coincidences, Chris Quigley at the Quigley’s Cabinet blog, mentioned the Mignonette coincidence.  All that we can say is, Hugh Williams meet Richard Parker.  The case of Richard Parker and the Mignonette does indeed involve coincidence but the story remains compelling because it raises issues of morality that are very tricky to address, even to this day.

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The Unsinkable Hugh Williams – Truth Behind the Legend?

Posted on by April 12, 2022

I am traveling this week, so it seems like a good time to repost an old blog favorite, the remarkable story of the unsinkable Hugh Williams.

There is a video bouncing around the web these days called “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?”   (The video is embedded at the bottom of the post.) It tells the story of a ship that sank in the Menai Strait off the coast of Wales on December 5, 1664. All 81 passengers died, except one. His name was Hugh Williams.  Then on December 5th, 1785 another ship with 60 aboard sank in the Menai Strait. The only survivor – a man named Hugh Williams.   In 1820 on December 5th, a third vessel sank in the Menai Strait. All 25 aboard were drowned except, you guessed it, a man named Hugh Williams.

An amazing tale, but is it history or just an oft retold sea story?   It could easily be a bit of each.

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Algae Apocalypse — Sargassum Spreads Across the Caribbean & Florida

Posted on by October 17, 2018

On the resort beaches of the Yucatan Peninsula masses of stinking sargassum seaweed have been washing ashore for several years. From Miami Beach to Barbados sargassum is spreading across the Caribbean and Florida. The seaweed is killing fish, turtles and other sea life as well as befouling beaches and damaging fisherman’s nets. 

The Washington Post reports: 
Scientists warn that the algae known as sargassum are a grave new threat to the Caribbean — one as potentially life-altering as rising sea levels or destructive hurricanes.

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Sailor’s Tattoos – Pigs, Chickens, Swallows, and Tattooed Backsides

Posted on by October 2, 2018

A repost on Throw-Back Thursday from all the way back to 2008.

Tattoos have become very popular of late. Tattoo Facts & Statistics notes that “thirty-six percent of those ages 18 to 25, and 40 percent of those ages 26 to 40, have at least one tattoo, according to a fall 2006 survey by the Pew Research Center.” As popular as tattoos are with twenty and thirty-somethings, sailors have been marking their bodies for most of history.

Many years ago a retired ship’s captain told me that his youth deckhands often had “HOLD FAST” tattooed across the knuckles of their hands so they wouldn’t fall when they went aloft. They also often had a pig tattooed on one foot and chicken the other which was supposed to protect you from drowning. He told me that he never figured out which foot was supposed to be tattooed with the chicken and which with the pig. He would say, with a twinkle in his eye, that he never got the tattoos because he was afraid of getting them on the wrong feet.

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Mutant Green Crabs Invading Maine

Posted on by October 17, 2018

Photo: Hans Hillewaert

It sounds like a low budget horror/sci-fi flick —  “Nasty Mutant Green Crabs Invade Maine.” Sadly, it is no movie pitch. LiveScience reports that an aggressive breed of green crab is indeed invading Maine’s waters. 

Green crabs have been in North America in the 1800s. They are believed to have arrived in the ballast water of ships from Europe. In recent years, however, a genetically different European green crab from Nova Scotia, Canada — one that is more combative and more destructive of ecosystems — has appeared off the coast of Maine. 

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Lessons From the Golden Globe Race, So Far — the Limits of Retro Racing

Posted on by December 5, 2018

Ocean racing seems to have been taken over by boats made entirely of carbon fiber, costing slightly more than their weight in gold, as well being as festooned with foils, articulating keels and every high-tech whiz-bang device that millions of dollars can buy. There is something very appealing to the idea of reverting back to a simpler time with simpler boats and gear. 

The current Golden Globe Race is attempting to do just that. The Golden Globe racers all set out to race solo non-stop around the world in production boats equipped with only gear available in the first Golden Globe of 50 years ago. That means specifically: no GPS, chart plotters, electronic wind instruments, electric autopilots, electronic log, iPhone, satellite phones, digital cameras, computers, cd players, pocket calculators electronic clocks and watches, water makers, carbon fiber, Kevlar, spectra etc… so it is back to film cameras, cassette tapes, sextants, wind up clocks, trailing logs and Dacron sails, wind vanes, and typewriters.

The Golden Globe Race is roughly half over. How has the “retro race” worked out so far? 

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MIT’s SoFi — the Swimming Robotic Fish

Posted on by October 2, 2018

Researchers at MIT’s  Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have developed a swimming robotic fish with a soft silicone skin, which they have dubbed SoFi, for “soft fish.” SoFi is controlled by a modified video game controllers sending ultrasonic signals to the robotic fish, swishing its tail as it swims alongside real fish.

From MIT News: During test dives in the Rainbow Reef in Fiji, SoFi swam at depths of more than 50 feet for up to 40 minutes at once, nimbly handling currents and taking high-resolution photos and videos using (what else?) a fisheye lens.

Using its undulating tail and a unique ability to control its own buoyancy, SoFi can swim in a straight line, turn, or dive up or down. The team also used a waterproofed Super Nintendo controller and developed a custom acoustic communications system that enabled them to change SoFi’s speed and have it make specific moves and turns. Continue reading →

Save the Tug Urger, Flagship of the Erie Canal!

Posted on by October 17, 2018

The New York State Canal Corporation’s website still refers to the tug Urger as the “flagship” of the Erie Canal. The Urger served more than 60 years hauling machinery, dredges, and scows on the Erie and Champlain Canals until she was retired from service in the 1980s. Now, 117-year-old tug, which has served as a floating classroom for the canal since 1991, is earmarked to become a display at a Thruway rest stop. 

In addition to the Canal Corporation and New York State Power Authority’s plan to beach the Urger at the Exit 28 rest stop in Montgomery County, they have already sunk already sunk seven canal vessels off the coast of Long Island to make artificial reefs and have another six vessels under review.

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New Jersey Opening Bids on Major Offshore Wind Project

Posted on by October 3, 2018

The State of New Jersey has opened the bidding on a 1,100 megawatt offshore wind project, the largest of any state in the nation. The project is the first step in meeting New Jersey’s goal to deploy 3,500 megawatts of offshore wind by 2030. New Jersey has more than a hundred oceanfront miles.

“Bidders will be required under the statute to pay a $150,000 application fee,” said Ken Sheehan, director of the Clean Energy Division at the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities. “There are six primary criteria — they are the OREC purchase price, the economic impacts for the state, ratepayer impacts, environmental impacts, the strength of the guarantees of economic impacts and the likelihood of successful commercial completion. The purpose of this is not wind at any cost, it is to do this well, to do this smart.”

Governor Phil Murphy said in a statement, “In the span of nine months, New Jersey has vaulted to the front of the pack in establishing this cutting-edge industry. We campaigned on rebuilding New Jersey’s reputation as a clean energy leader and that involves setting an aggressive timetable on offshore wind.”

Fighter Jets Land for the First Time on HMS Queen Elizabeth

Posted on by October 2, 2018

From the BBC:  Fighter jets, specifically F-35 Lightning stealth jets, have landed on the UK’s new £3.1bn aircraft carrier for the first time.  Portsmouth-based HMS Queen Elizabeth was commissioned into the British fleet last year.

The crew are currently undergoing sea trials off the east coast of the US, and are expected to carry out 500 landings and take-offs during the carrier’s 11 weeks at sea.

F35 Lightning jets on HMS Queen Elizabeth | Royal Navy

NTSB Video on the Investigation of the Sinking of US Cargo Vessel El Faro

Posted on by October 3, 2018

Three years ago this week, the ro/ro container ship El Faro sank with all hands in Hurricane Joaquin northeast of Crooked Island in the Bahamas. The 28 American crew and 5 Polish repair technicians died.  Recently the  National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) posted The Sinking of the US Cargo Vessel El Faro — an Illustrated Digest, as well as the video below, summarizing the facts and findings related to the tragic sinking.

The Investigation of the Sinking of US Cargo Vessel El Faro

US and China Navy Have “Unsafe” Encounter In South China Sea

Posted on by October 2, 2018

A Chinese destroyer came perilously close to the US destroyer Decatur as it sailed 12 nautical miles off Gaven and Johnson reefs in the Spratly Islands.  The Chinese destroyer is reported to have approached within 45 yards of the Decatur, which maneuvered to prevent a collision.

The Spratly Islands in the South China Sea are variously claimed by China, Taiwan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Brunei and Vietnam. In recent years, China has been attempting to enforce their claims of sovereignty over the 45 scattered islands and 100 or so reefs that make up the archipelago. The United States does not recognize the Chinese claims and recently sent the USS Decatur to the Spratly Islands as part of what the US Navy calls freedom of navigation operations, which are meant to enforce the right of free passage in international waters.

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None of Indonesia’s 22 Tsunami Early Warning Buoys Were Working

Posted on by October 2, 2018

After the devastating 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami that killed nearly a quarter of a million people, the United States, Germany, and Malaysia donated an advanced tsunami warning system to Indonesia. When the city of Palu on the island of Sulawesi, Indonesia was hit by tsunami waves of up to 6 meters following the magnitude 7.5 earthquake on Friday, none of the 22 tsunami early warning buoys was working. Some have been damaged by vandals and others have been stolen. Reportedly, the system has not worked for at least the last six years due to a lack of funding.

Indonesia does have a tsunami early warning system, but it is limited in its capabilities. The nearest closest tsunami tidal gauge to Palu was over 200km away. Based data from this gauge the Indonesian authorities predicted a tsunami wave of from 0.5 to 3 meters high. 

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SB Met, First Robot Vessel to Cross the Atlantic — Or Is It?

Posted on by October 1, 2018

Recent reports in the media have announced that the 2-meter long robot sailboat, SB Met, has become the first unmanned vessel to cross the Atlantic after completing a 1,800-mile (3,000 km) journey from Newfoundland in Canada to Ireland.

The Daily Mail reports that the boat’s two-and-a-half-month journey saw it cross the North Atlantic as part of the Microtransat Challenge – a transatlantic race for autonomous boats.

The SB Met, built by Norwegian company Offshore Sensing AS, is the first vessel to complete the challenge after more than 20 attempts by various teams.

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Wreck of 400 Year Old Portuguese Spice Ship Discovered Near Cascais

Posted on by September 29, 2018

Photo: Reuters

Archaeologists have found a 400-year-old shipwreck off the coast of Portugal, near Cascais, close to the capital Lisbon. The shipwreck was found in early September while dredging the mouth of the Tagus river. 

Spices, ceramics, and cannons engraved with Portugal’s coat of arms were found at the wreck site.  Archaeologists believe that the ship was returning from India when it sank sometime between 1575 and 1625, at the height of Portugal’s spice trade with Asia. One expert has called the shipwreck the “discovery of a decade”.

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