Seventeen Fathoms Deep: The Saga of the Submarine S-4 Disaster by Joseph A. Williams — a Review

Posted on by September 22, 2016

seventeenfathomsOn the afternoon of December 17th, 1927, the US Navy submarine S-4 was surfacing near Provincetown, MA, when it was run down by US Coast Guard destroyer Pauling, sending the submarine to the bottom. Joseph William’s latest book, “Seventeen Fathoms Deep: The Saga of the Submarine S-4 Disaster,” is a gripping account of the US Navy divers and salvors who raced against time and the weather in a vain attempt to save at least some of the 40 men trapped inside the sunken submarine.

When word was received of the sinking, the Falcon, a minesweeper converted to a rescue and salvage ship, was dispatched from the Navy submarine base at New London, CT. Falcon was the only Navy ship equipped to support divers with the compressors, winches and a decompression chamber. Independently, the best Navy divers and salvage experts were sent to Provincetown from all over the East coast.

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Dragon in the Big City — Draken Harald Hårfagre at North Cove

Posted on by September 21, 2016
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Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go aboard the 115 foot long Draken Harald Hårfagre, the largest Viking ship built in modern times, currently docked in Manhattan’s North Cove.  Here are a few photos of her arrival and at dockside.

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Underway in the Engine Room on the Liberty Ship SS John W. Brown

Posted on by September 20, 2016

johnbrowndockLast Sunday, I had the opportunity to spend a little time in the engine room of the Liberty ship, SS John W. Brown. The ship, normally based in Baltimore, was visiting New York and offered a full day “Living History Cruise.”

One of the most interesting aspects of this fascinating ship is the 2,500 horsepower triple expansion reciprocating steam engine. Liberty ships were one of the first mass-produced ships. Built during World II, the goal was to build cargo ships faster than German submarines could sink them. The US built 2,710 Liberty ships in 18 shipyards around the United States, by far the largest series of ships to be built of the same design in history. Each ship was built in an average of 44 days. The problem was that steam turbine power plants, particularly the reduction gears, could not be built fast enough to keep up with Liberty ship construction. The triple expansion steam engines installed in the ships were obsolete when the Liberty ships were built, but they could be built quickly, were reliable, and relatively easy to maintain.  The engine on the John Brown is a beauty to behold, a blend of machinery and living sculpture.

Liberty Ship S.S. John W. Brown, Underway in the Engine Room

Why I’m Not a Pirate — A Sailor’s Perspective

Posted on by September 19, 2016

nopirateSome people choose to celebrate today as “Talk Like Pirate Day.”  They may walk around with funny hats, eye patches and/or plastic swords saying “Aargh” or “Shiver me timbers” or some other sort of nonsense. I have never quite understood the appeal of the Disney-fied glorification of 17th century murderers and rapists.

As someone who has spent most of my life involved in shipping, I am also aware that piracy is not an artifact of centuries past. Merchant seamen are still brutalized by pirates to this day. Also, the Disney pirate fetish merely spreads ignorance. Every ship with a traditional appearance is now being called a “pirate ship” by the media and many of the public. Recently,  wrote an essay in the Bangor Daily News titled, Why I’m Not a Pirate, which begins:

I may spend almost every waking moment on a boat, and much of my travel has been carried out on the backs of waves and under the influence of the wind, but I am not a pirate. I have no interest in pirates other than to avoid them, and I certainly don’t want to talk or act like one. The mythical pirates of lore, simply stated, have been glorified beyond recognition so that most of the general population now correlates any form of nautical undertaking akin to that of Jack Sparrow. Continue reading →

Mystic Seaport, Scavaging Ship’s Timbers From Hurricanes & Happenstance

Posted on by September 18, 2016

mystictimberIn 2009, we posted about how thousands of trees downed by Hurricane Ike in Galveston, TX proved to be a literal and figurative windfall for Mystic Seaport in rebuilding the historic whaling ship, Charles W. Morgan.  Of the 40,000 trees killed by the storm, there were a large numbers of live oaks, a tree widely used in early American shipbuilding. Mystic was able to source 176 tons of the live oak timber.  Since then Mystic has continued to work with municipalities and private land owners to source scare shipbuilding timber downed by hurricanes and severe weather. Here is a video of Mystic’s search for timber.

The Search for Timber: Wood Sourcing at Mystic Seaport

Draken Harald Hårfagre Arriving NYC North Cove

Posted on by September 17, 2016

drakenbridgeToday, the largest Viking longship built in modern times, Draken Harald Hårfagre arrived in new York City and tied up in North Cove. In late April 2016, Draken Harald Hårfagre set out from her home port in Haugesund, Norway on an epic voyage across the Atlantic to America.

The ship will be open for deck tours at North Cove Marina at Brookfield Place between 11AM and 6PM on Sunday, September 18th through Thursday, September 22th, as well a on Saturday, September 24th and Sunday, September 25th. There will also be an exhibition about the building of the ship and the history behind the expedition in the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. Tickets for the tours $10 adults (age 18 and up) and $5 children (ages 6 to 17).

Here is a video of her arrival:

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First U.S. Atlantic Ocean Marine National Monument Established

Posted on by September 16, 2016

marinemonumentPresident Obama has designated 4,913 square miles of ocean, 130 miles off Cape Cod on the southern edge of George’s Bank, as the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, the nation’s first marine reserve in the Atlantic Ocean.

Lee Crockett at the Pew Charitable Trusts writes: The protected area includes three canyons and four underwater mountains, where scientists have documented hundreds of species. Brilliant cold-water corals, some the size of small trees, form the foundation of deep-sea ecosystems, providing food, spawning habitat, and shelter for fish and other marine animals. The region is also home to tunas, sharks, seabirds, dolphins, and other marine mammals, such as endangered sperm whales and rare North Atlantic right whales.

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SSV Oliver Hazard Perry to Sail to Northwest Passage

Posted on by January 11, 2017

This summer, the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry will sail from its homeport of Newport, RI on a five-week expedition to the Canadian Arctic, becoming the first full-rigged sailing ship to sail in the Northwest Passage in more than a century. The University of Rhode Island has received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to conduct a research and education expedition into the Canadian Arctic’s Northwest Passage.

From the URI website: Two groups, each consisting of 18 students—six high school students, nine undergraduate students and three graduate students—will sail for 17-day legs of the expedition. The students will receive science instruction as the ship is underway, gain navigation and sailing skills and work alongside ocean scientists as they conduct Arctic research. The 18 undergraduate students will be from the Minority Serving Institutions. There will be a nationwide application process for high school and graduate students. Continue reading →

Cabrillo’s San Salvador & the Pacific Heritage Tour 2016

Posted on by September 14, 2016
Photo: San Diego Maritime Museum

Photo: San Diego Maritime Museum

On September 28, 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo sailed into what is now called San Diego Bay on his flagship, San Salvador.  San Salvador was the first recorded European vessel to sail along California, and survey its coastline. Now, 472 years later, the replica San Salvador, built by the San Diego Maritime Museum, has set sail on the Pacific Heritage Tour 2016.

San Salvador will sail today into Channel Islands Harbor at Oxnard, CA and will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday, September 15, through Sunday, September 18.  The ship will be calling on Monterrey on September 23 to the 25th and Morro Bay from September 30 to October 9th. The museum is also offering adventure sailing on the replica galleon. Click here to learn more.

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HMS Terror from Franklin’s Doomed Expedition Found

Posted on by September 22, 2016
HMS Terror trapped in the ice

HMS Terror trapped in the ice

In an interesting historical coincidence, just days after the luxury cruise ship, Crystal Serenity, completed a passage through the Canadian Arctic’s Northwest Passage,  HMS Terror has been found.  HMS Terror is the second of two ships from Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated expedition to traverse the Northwest Passage. The ship sank after being abandoned in the Arctic ice 168 years ago. The wreck of HMS Terror was found on September 3, appropriately enough, in Terror Bay, which is located on the southwest shore of King William Island, in Nunavut. The wreck lies lies 60 miles (96km) south of where experts have long believed the ship was crushed by ice.

The discovery was tied to to local knowledge. The Week reports: An Inuk crewman on the team’s research ship, Sammy Kogvik, 49, was talking with the Arctic Research Foundation’s operations director, Adrian Schimnowski, when he recalled a hunting trip in Terror Bay, where he posed for a picture with a large piece of wood sticking out of the sea ice, which resembled a mast. When Kogvik got home and discovered his camera gone, he decided not to speak of the experience, believing the missing camera was an omen of the bad spirits that wander the island. But by following Kogvik’s tip, the researchers focused on the north end of Victoria Strait, eventually making their fateful discovery.

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Hidden Harbor Tour, Brooklyn Waterfront –Past & Present

Posted on by September 12, 2016

brooklynwaterfronthhtourIf you are around New York harbor this Thursday, September 15th, the Working Harbor Committee is hosting their latest Hidden Harbor Tour : Brooklyn Waterfront –Past & Present. Captain Margaret Flannagan will be the guest speaker in a 2-hour, fully narrated boat tour of 8 miles of Brooklyn’s waterfront industry, past and present, from Newtown Creek to Sunset Park. This portion of the Brooklyn shore facing New York harbor’s Upper Bay was once filled with manufacturing, shipping, and commerce. Though apartment towers and landscaped parks now capture attention, Brooklyn still retains active trade and maritime business. Boarding begins at 5:30PM from Pier 11 Wall Street in Manhattan located on South St. between Wall St. & Gouveneur Lane. Snack bar on board. Tickets: $30; $25 seniors. Click here for tickets. For group sale rates, email workingharbor@aol.com

Vikings in the Big City — Draken Harald Hårfagre in New York City Sept. 17-26

Posted on by September 12, 2016

_pja8879_greenland-sailing_1220_900Draken Harald Hårfagre, the largest Viking longship built in modern times, will be visiting New York harbor from September 17 — 28.  On September 17th, the Viking longship will sail past the Statue of Liberty around 11AM and arrive at North Cove Marina in Lower Manhattan at 11.30 AM where it will be welcomed with speeches, interviews and Nordic entertainment.

The ship will be open for deck tours at North Cove Marina at Brookfield Place between 11AM and 6PM on Sunday, September 18th through Thursday, September 22th, as well a on Saturday, September 24th and Sunday, September 25th. There will also be an exhibition about the building of the ship and the history behind the expedition in the Winter Garden at Brookfield Place. Tickets for the tours $10 adults (age 18 and up) and $5 children (ages 6 to 17).

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Remembering the Great New York Boatlift on the 15th Anniversary of 9/11

Posted on by September 11, 2016

boatlift1There is a line from a Paul Simon song, “these are the days of miracle and wonder.” One might not think to apply that lyric to the events of 9/11, fifteen years ago today, and yet for at least part of that strange and horrible day, they fit. The great New York boatlift was part of the “miracle and wonder.” The wholly unplanned, boatlift was the spontaneous maritime evacution of over 300,000 people trapped in Lower Manhattan in less than 10 hours. Like many stories of 9/11, the boatlift has been under-reported by the media, which still seems more interested in the bodies falling than in the rescues, which is all the more reason to remember the mariners of New York who stepped up to perform what has been called the largest sea rescue in history.

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HMS Tarpon, WWII Sub Sunk by Q-Ship Found Off Denmark

Posted on by September 8, 2016
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British T Class Submarine

The wreck of HMS Tarpon, a British submarine sunk by a German Q-ship during World War II, was discovered last March in the North Sea, near Thyborøn, Denmark. The wreck was discovered in 40 meters of water by a Danish commercial diver and museum owner, Gert Normann Andersen, and Innes McCartney, a British marine archaeologist. Recently, DR3, a Danish television company broadcast a two hour long program featuring live images of the wreck.

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Liberty Ship S.S. John Brown Steaming to New York

Posted on by September 8, 2016


S.S. John Brown, one of only two operational Liberty ships, is steaming toward New York harbor and is expected to arrive the morning of Saturday, September 10th. The historic ship will be berthed at Pier 36, 299 South Street, on the East River in Manhattan and will open to the public from 10AM to 5PM, from Saturday the 10th to Saturday, September 17th. On Sunday, September 18th, they are offering a “Living History Cruise” on the ship from 8AM to 4PM.  There will also be another “Living History Cruise” in Baltimore on October 1st. Click here to learn more.

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Saying Goodbye to Peking — Windjammer Leaves South Street for the Last Time

Posted on by September 7, 2016

bow2thumbThis morning, the 1911 built, steel, four masted barque, Peking, left South Street Seaport, its home for more than 40 years, for the last time. For those of us who have known the ship for almost as long, it was both a sad and joyous day. The South Street Seaport Museum lacked the resources and even the berth space to support the Peking. The museum worked very hard to find a good home for the historic ship and they succeeded.  (See a video of the departure after the page break.)

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150 Years Ago Today — The Last Great Tea Race Ends in a Tie

Posted on by September 7, 2016
Taeping

Taeping

In 1866, five clipper ships set out together from Foochow, China bound for England in what would be the last  Great Tea Race. On September 6th, one hundred and fifty years ago today, after sailing more than 15,000 nautical miles, the clipper ships Taeping and Ariel arrived in London, literally minutes apart, in what was effectively a tie. The Ariel arrived first, but was delayed in docking due to the tide, which allowed Taeping to get to her dock, beating Ariel by 28 minutes. The third finisher, the clipper ship Serica, docked an hour and 15 minutes after Ariel. The three ships left China on the same tide, raced for 99 days, and arrived on the same tide in London, all less than two hours apart. The clipper Fiery Cross arrived 28 hours behind Serica. followed, the next day, by Taitsing.

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Book Review: American Dunkirk, The Waterborne Evacuation of Manhattan on 9/11

Posted on by September 6, 2016

 On Thursday, September 8th at 6PM. James M. Kendra and Tricia Wachtendorf will discuss and sign copies of their new book, American Dunkirk: The Waterborne Evacuation of Manhattan on 9/11 on the historic ex-Coast Guard Cutter Lilac at Pier 25 in Manhattan. Click here to learn more. In the meantime, here is my review, originally published in gCaptain. Reposted with permission.

The great New York boatlift of September 11th, 2001, is one of the less well known and least understood of the events of 9/11. In around 10 hours, the mariners of New York harbor evacuated an estimated 300,000 to 500,000 people trapped in Lower Manhattan by water. It has been called the largest rescue by sea in history and is often compared to Dunkirk, where a roughly comparable number of soldiers and civilians were rescued over a period of eight days. Now in their new book, American Dunkirk: The Waterborne Evacuation of Manhattan on 9/11, Professors James M. Kendra and Tricia Wachtendorf examine how and why this nearly miraculous evacuation was accomplished and what lessons can be learned in the case of future disasters.

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Memories of Tug Races Past

Posted on by September 5, 2016

tugrace2009Tropical Storm Hermine, which looked very nasty there for a while, drifted enough to the east to miss New York harbor. There were local reports of flooding at high tide, but overall, it has been a beautiful Labor Day weekend on the banks of the Hudson River. Prudently, one Labor Day tradition was postponed. The 24th Annual Great North River Tugboat Race and Competition which was to be held on Labor Day has been postponed to Sunday, October 9th, 2016. Given the forecasts for Hermine in the days prior to Labor Day, it would have been crazy not to postpone the race.

For those who miss the look of tugs with a bone in their teeth and roar of diesel engines on the river, here is a video of the 17th Annual Great North River Tugboat Race from 2009.

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