Menhaden & Humpbacks — Small Fish & Large Whales

Posted on by November 21, 2016

menhaden1Last week, a humpback whale swam into the Hudson River as far north as the George Washington Bridge. Humpbacks have been returning to the waters around New York in significant numbers in recent years, although a whale swimming in the inner harbor is extremely rare. Ninety miles to the east, in the Shinnecock Canal on Long Island, tens of thousands of menhaden, also known as bunker fish, clogged the canal. There were so many fish in the restricted waterway that they used up all the oxygen in the water and died. A clean-up is underway.

In a very real sense, the two events were related.

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Mystery of the Vanished Dutch WWII Shipwrecks

Posted on by November 20, 2016
deruyter1

The wreck of HNLMS De Ruyter and two other ships are missing.

In 2002, amateur divers discovered the wrecks of three Dutch warships sunk off Indonesia in World War II. The three ships; the HNLMS De Ruyter, HNLMS Java and HNLMS Kortenaer;  were found at 70 meters deep, 60 miles off the Indonesian coast.  Now, something very strange has happened. Two of the three wrecks have disappeared, while a significant portion of the third is missing. 

A team of divers who were attempting to film a documentary on the 75th anniversary of the ship’s sinking, were surprised to be able to see the imprints of the missing ships on the sea floor. The remains of HNLMS De Ruyter and HNLMS Java are completely gone, the Dutch Defense Ministry says, while a large portion of the HNLMS Kortenaer is missing.

One theory as to what happened to the ships is that illegal scrap metal scavengers progressively cut up the wrecks to sell the metal for scrap. Scavengers operating grabs from barges can “nibble” away at shipwrecks. 

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Oldest Operating Steamship & Boats, Redux

Posted on by November 19, 2016
oldeststeam1

Tudor Vladimirescu,

We recently posted, “Which is the Oldest Operating Steamship?” We thought that “the oldest steamer may be the Norwegian PS Skibladner, which began service in August 1856 on Lake Mjøsa. We also asked, “So, which vessels have we missed? Any older steamships still in service?” We got some very interesting responses.

The Oldest of the Oldest?

William Worden pointed out that “Romania’s Tudor Vladimirescu, stationed at Galati, is older than Skibladner by two years, having been built in Hungary as a Danube towboat and later converted to passenger service. Her oscillating engine was originally a two-cylinder simple, but was later converted to a compound. She has received a new superstructure at least three times, the most recent being ultra-modern. She does not regularly operate; nonetheless, it does appear that she is the oldest operable steamer in the world.”

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Humpback Whale In New York’s Inner Harbor

Posted on by November 18, 2016

humpback whale nycYesterday, we posted about the remarkable recovery of humpback whales after have been hunted to near extinction in the 1980s. Coincidentally, yesterday morning, a humpback whale was spotted swimming in the Hudson River in New York’s inner harbor near the Statue of Liberty.  

In recent years, humpback whales have been more common near New York City, delighting whale watchers as humpbacks swim and often breach within sight of the New York skyline. A whale in the inner harbor is far less common. Yesterday, the Coast Guard issued a notice to mariners to proceed with caution around Liberty Island.  Petty Officer Steve Stromeir said the whale doesn’t appear to be hurt and is just swimming around the island.

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Return of the Humpback Whales — the Case for Cautious Optimism

Posted on by November 17, 2016

humpback1Humpback whales are back, or, at the very least, there seems to be a good case for cautious optimism. In 1986, at the beginning of the moratorium on commercial whaling, the global population of humpback whales had dropped by 90% due to whaling. North Atlantic humpback populations dropped to as low as 700 whales. Now just shy of thirty years later, humpback whales have made a dramatic recovery.

In 1970, the US government listed all humpback whales as endangered. Now, scientists have divided the world’s humpback whales into fourteen distinct populations. Nine of these populations are no longer considered to be endangered. Humback whale communities in Central America, off northwest Africa, in the Arabian Sea and in the western north Pacific are still considered to be endangered. A population near Mexico is listed as threatened.

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Which is the Oldest Operating Steamship?

Posted on by November 19, 2016
PS Skibladner Photo: Andrez1

PS Skibladner Photo: Andrez1

Everyone likes superlatives. The oldest, fastest, newest, largest and so on. Often superlatives need to be very specific to be made to apply. HMS Victory, for example, is the oldest naval ship still in commission, while USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned warship afloat. (Technically, USS Constitution is not currently afloat. Both HMS Victory and USS Constitution are now in drydock — a permanent condition for Victory and a temporary state for the Constitution.)

We recently posted about the MV Liemba, which we described as the “oldest passenger ferry.” In a previous post, from two years ago, we also referred to her as the “oldest passenger/cargo steamer.” It appears that neither claim may necessarily be accurate.

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Saga of ex-Presidential Yacht Sequoia Continues with New Owner

Posted on by November 15, 2016

sequoia1The National Historic Landmark and ex-presidential yacht Sequoia has fallen on hard times. In a recent ruling, Delaware judge Sam Glasscock describes her current condition. “The Sequoia, an elderly and vulnerable wooden yacht, is sitting on an inadequate cradle on an undersized marine railway in a moribund boatyard on the western shore of the Chesapeake, deteriorating and, lately, home to raccoons.”  The judge awarded ownership of the yacht to FE Partners, a Washington based investment firm backed by an Indian investor.  

The 104-foot yacht Sequoia was designed by John Trumpy and built by Mathis Yacht Building Company in Camden New Jersey in 1925. Between 1933 and 1977, she served as presidential yacht in seven administrations from Herbert Hoover to Jimmy Carter.

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The Supermoon and King Tide — Big Deal or Not?

Posted on by November 14, 2016
Not so big a difference --supermoon vs normal full moon

Not so big a difference –supermoon vs normal full moon

The media has been full of stories about tonight’s “supermoon,” which is the largest in 68 years. Supermoon is the popular term for what astronomers call a moon perigee–syzygy. This means that the moon is at its closest point to earth in its elliptical orbit and that the earth, moon, and sun are in alignment, resulting in a full moon. The last time the moon was this close to the earth was in 1948, and the next comparable supermoon will be in 2032.

Also associated with the supermoon is the so-called “king tide.” Tides normally vary with the phase of the moon, being higher or lower on days where the moon is full or there is a new moon. The king tide associated with a supermoon, called a perigean spring tide, is generally a few inches higher than a normal spring tide.

Is the supermoon a big deal? Opinions vary widely. Continue reading →

One-Day Ship Model Exhibit at National Lighthouse Museum

Posted on by June 2, 2017

nlm1The National Lighthouse Museum on Staten Island is having a one-day model ship exhibit on Saturday, November 19th from 11:00 am to 4:00pm, featuring models and demonstrations by members of the Ship Model Society of New Jersey.

From the NLM press release: Their members will demonstrate the building of a small model ship and will also be available for conducting appraisals for repairs of ship models that you may own. Their membership spans all skill levels, from neophyte to highly the accomplished and a wide range of interests, from gadget guru to historical re-creator. We invite you to join us for this special event and to see these amazingly accurate creations.

As a special added attraction, “Augustin Fresnel” will make a special appearance at 2:00 pm to speak to us about the creation of his famous Fresnel Lens used for more than 100 years as a beacon of caution and direction for mariners worldwide. Continue reading →

Rediscovering USS Independence — From WWII to Bikini to the Depths off San Francisco

Posted on by November 11, 2016
Bow of USS Independence, seen for the first time after 65 years. Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust.

Bow of USS Independence, seen for the first time after 65 years. Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust

On Veteran’s Day, a post about a veteran ship, USS Independence, a light aircraft carrier that served in key battles at the Pacific toward the end of World War II. After the war, she was used as a target in atomic bomb tests in Bikini Atoll. In 1951, the ship was scuttled near the Farallon Islands off the coast of California. Now, 65 years later, an expedition, led by Robert Ballard and partnered with the Ocean Exploration Trust and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), has returned to the sunken ship.

USS Independence was built in New Jersey and commissioned in 1943, the first of a new class of carriers designed from converted cruiser hulls. She took part in the attacks on Rabaul and Tarawa before being torpedoed by Japanese aircraft. She returned to the conflict in time to launch strikes against targets in Luzon and Okinawa and to serve as part of the carrier group that sank the remnants of the Japanese Mobile Fleet in the Battle of Leyte Gulf and in the Surigao Strait. With Japan’s surrender, USS Independence brought US troops home as part of Operation Magic Carpet. USS Independence received eight battle stars for her service in the war, and was recognized for sinking Japanese the battleship, Musashi, during the Battle of the Philippines.

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Update: MV Liemba, Oldest Passenger Ferry Turns 102

Posted on by November 10, 2016

liembaTwo years ago, we posted about MV Liemba — the World’s Oldest Passenger/Cargo Steamer at 100. Now 102 years old, MV Liemba continues her passenger and cargo ferry service along the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. With luck and funding from the government of Tanganyika, the Liemba may continue to operate for years to come.  

This August, the Tanzanian government announced that they were budgeting 31 billion Tanzanian shillings (roughly US$14 million)  for the repair and refurbishment of three ships, including MV Liemba and the purchase of a new ship during the 2016/17 financial year.  Of these funds, 5.6 billion shillings (roughly US$2.6 million) will be dedicated to the Liemba.

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USS Zumwalt — Big Guns but Too Expensive to Fire

Posted on by November 11, 2016

zumwalt3The destroyer USS Zumwalt was commissioned about three weeks ago. It is the latest and greatest, most high tech destroyer in the fleet. At a cost of around $4 billion dollars, it is also the most expensive destroyer ever built. The ship has two primary guns, 155 mm Advanced Gun System howitzers, intended to support ground forces in land attacks. These guns fire a Long Range Land Attack Projectile (LRLAP), a GPS guided round with a range of 60 nautical miles.  

The only problem is that the Navy just announced that they are cancelling the high-tech ammunition because each LRLAP is simply too expensive to fire. Continue reading →

Beautiful Sailors — Velella Velella

Posted on by November 8, 2016

On a day distracted by a momentous national election, here is something wholly unrelated — the beautiful creatures called velella velella. As lovely as they are, these jellyfish, also known as “purple sailors” or “by-the-wind sailors,” can be an unwelcomed visitor. Last spring, velella velella by the thousands drifted onto Hallandale Beach, about 18 miles north of Miami. 

“This happens about every three years. We are flying our Purple flag for dangerous marine life,” city officials said on social media. Similar incidents occurred on Pacific Northwest beaches in 2015.

 

Velella VelellaThis beautiful creature is called Velella Velella.

Posted by Hashem Al-Ghaili on Thursday, December 10, 2015

 

Brass Nails May Help Solve Mystery of the Acre Tower Shipwreck

Posted on by November 7, 2016

acretowerThe mystery of the Acre (Akko) Tower shipwreck may be closer to being solved. The Jerusalem Post reports that 100 hundred brass nails may have given away the secret.

Discovered in 1966, the wreck was long assumed to be a British naval vessel sunk at the entrance to the port of Acre, in the northern end of Haifa Bay, to block access to Napoleon Bonaparte’s navy in 1799. Later research cast doubt on that explanation. Napoleon approached in Acre by land, making blocking the harbor channel less useful. Also the wreck, which was originally thought to be a vessel of 45 meters long was determined to be closer to 25 meters of length, and was thus more likely a merchant ship than a Royal Navy man-of-war. 

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And They’re Off — 29 Sailors Set Sail in Vendée Globe

Posted on by November 6, 2016

vendeegToday, 29 sailors set off from Les Sables-d’Olonne, France in the eighth Vendée Globe single-handed round-the-world yacht race. The 24,000 mile circumnavigation will be sailed non-stop and without assistance along the clipper route: down the Atlantic Ocean to the Cape of Good Hope; then clockwise around Antarctica, keeping Cape Leeuwin and Cape Horn to port; then back to Les Sables d’Olonne.  The race is considered by many to be the ultimate in ocean racing.

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“Lost Nuke” Found off Haida Gwaii, Canada

Posted on by November 5, 2016
Mark 4 Atomic bomb

Mark 4 Atomic bomb

A Canadian diver swimming off Pitt Island near the Haida Gwaii archipelago, on Canada’s west coast, was looking for sea cucumbers, but didn’t find any. Instead, the diver, Sean Smyrichinsky, found a dummy nuclear bomb lost in a plane crash in 1950. As told to the Vancouver Sun:

“I found this big thing underwater, huge, never seen anything like it before,” Smyrichinsky related from Cortes Island.

“I came up telling all my buddies on the boat ‘Hey, I found a UFO. It’s really bizarre.’ And I drew a picture of it, because I didn’t have a camera.”

A couple of days later he ran into some fishermen and told them about his discovery. Continue reading →

Review: Eric Jay Dolin’s Brilliant Beacons — A History of the American Lighthouse

Posted on by November 5, 2016

beaconsMy review of Eric Jay Dolin’s Brilliant Beacons : A History of the American Lighthouse, originally published in gCaptain. Reposted with permission.

Next only perhaps to an anchor, lighthouses are symbols of security and safety. Even with modern electronic navigation, there is something incredibly reassuring about seeing the lume of a lighthouse beacon shining through the darkness or hearing the moan of a fog horn reverberating through a blinding white fog. And yet, most of the time, we take lighthouses for granted. They often seem to be an integral part of the shoreline, or stony sentinels growing naturally up out of rocky reefs.

In reality, they are nothing of the sort. Lighthouses exist only because of those who built them, operated them and maintained them. Eric Jay Dolin’s Brilliant Beacons: A History of the American Lighthouse tells the story of how these iconic structures came to be and how they helped shape the commerce and the future of our young nation.

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SeaBubbles — Foiling Electric Water Taxis to be Tested in Paris

Posted on by November 3, 2016

seabubbleAlain Thébault is known as designer and skipper of the record breaking ocean-going hydrofoil Hydroptère, which in 2009, was the first sailing boat to sail faster than 50 knots over a measured mile.  Now, Thébault is working on a very different project. Along with Swedish windsurfer Anders Bringdal, Thébault has developed SeaBubbles, electric water taxis that sail on hydrofoils, intended to cut both congestion and pollution in urban centers near water. The SeaBubble is a five person (four passengers plus a driver) battery-powered water taxi designed to fly on foils roughly two feet above the water. A prototype SeaBubble is expected to undergo trials in the spring on the River Seine in Paris. The SeaBubbles are reported to lift onto their foils at around 6-8 knots. Various media reports have quoted a range of top speeds from 11 knots to 25 knots.

If the prototype is successful, Thébault would like to introduce SeaBubbles to London, Geneva and New York. 

Explosion Kills 21 at Gadani, Pakistan Shipbreaking Yard

Posted on by November 3, 2016

shipbreakerexplosionThe shipbreaking yard in Gadani, Pakistan is one of largest shipbreakers in the world and is literally where ships go to die. Tragically, workers too often die there as well. A series of explosions yesterday in a tanker being broken up at Gadani has left 21 workers dead and 60 injured. Additional workers remain unaccounted for. 

UPI describes the explosions and fire:  “The explosions occurred in an oil tanker ship being disassembled at the world’s third-largest ship-breaking facility, which covers about 6 miles of the Arabian Sea coast in Baluchistan province. Some of the approximately 100 workers dismantling the ship were trapped within it. Some of those who escaped jumped into the water, India Express reported.

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