SS City of Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco’s Deadliest Shipwreck Found Again

Posted on by December 23, 2014
SS City of Rio de Janeiro

SS City of Rio de Janeiro

Recently, History.com featured an article titled “Found: San Francisco’s Deadliest Shipwreck.” They reported that the wreck of the 345-foot Pacific Mail Line passenger steamer SS City of Rio de Janeiro had been found by NOAA researchers using high-definition sonar in 287 feet of water just off the Golden Gate. When the ship ran aground in heavy fog in 1901 on a voyage from Hong Kong to San Francisco, 135 of the 220 passengers and crew aboard drowned, making it the most deadly shipwreck in San Francisco history.  The ship reportedly sank in ten minutes after striking rocks on the the southern side of the Golden Gate near Fort Point. This is the first time that the shipwreck has been accurately mapped, although not necessarily the first time that it’s position has been identified.

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Is Solar Sail Cloth in our Future?

Posted on by December 22, 2014

3172Voile_Brevet1For roughly the last ten years, UK Sailmakers of Mandelieu, France has been developing Uni-Titanium sails, in which thin sheets of uni-directional carbon films are laminated into the sail. They are now partnering with the Solar Cloth Company of the UK to develop a main sail incorporating high efficiency flexible solar cells. The solar energy would be transported by an integrated flexible circuit through the sail’s luff and then to the foot of the mast . A small electronic controller would be installed inside the boat to control the battery charging.  The boat’s dodger or a flexible boom tent could provide power while at anchor.

The Solar Cloth Company is a UK venture which is developing thin, lightweight and flexible solar panels that can be deployed like cloth on non-load bearing roofs.  The firm is focusing on installing their “solar cloth” on the roofs of car parks, supermarkets and warehouses and has raised more than £771,850 in crowd-sourced funding to expand their operations.

At this point, carbon fiber photovoltaic sails are probably beyond the budget of most sailors.  Nevertheless, at the rate at which solar cells have been falling in price, they may be in our future.

Happy Solstice –Tyrrhenian Sea and Solstice Sky

Posted on by December 21, 2014

wintersolstice_pivato_1280
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day: Today the solstice occurs at 23:03 Universal Time, the Sun reaching its southernmost declination in planet Earth’s sky. Of course, the December solstice marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and summer in the south. When viewed from northern latitudes, and as shown in the above horizontally compressed image, the Sun will make its lowest arc through the sky along the southern horizon. So in the north, the solstice day has the shortest length of time between sunrise and sunset and fewest hours of daylight. This striking composite image follows the Sun’s path through the December solstice day of 2005 in a beautiful blue sky, looking down the Tyrrhenian Sea coast from Santa Severa toward Fiumicino, Italy. The view covers about 115 degrees in 43 separate, well-planned exposures from sunrise to sunset.

Paula Novotná Kite Surfing – A Taste of Brazil

Posted on by October 18, 2014

On this the first day of Winter, as the darkness closes in around us, it seems appropriate to take a few minutes to escape, virtually at least, to shores where it is the first day of Summer.  Here is a short video of Paula Novotná kite surfing the Brazilian lagoons Barra Nova and Cauipe. Shot and edited by Andre Magarao.

The Taste of Brazil

72 Years Later, Captain Claudius Credited with Sinking U-Boat

Posted on by December 19, 2014
Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust

Photo: Ocean Exploration Trust

On July 30, 1942, Herbert Claudius in command of the patrol boat PC 566 was escorting passenger ship passenger ship Robert E. Lee in the Gulf of Mexico, southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The German U-boat U-166 attacked and sank the passenger ship. Claudius and PC 566 fought back with gun fire and depth charges. They saw oil and debris and thought that they had sunk the German submarine, but they Navy did not believe their report.

Now 72 years later, a National Geographic/NOVA expedition located the wreck of U-166 which indeed had been sunk by Captain Claudius and the PC 566. The Navy has admitted its error. As reported by National Geographic: “Seventy years later, we now know that [Claudius’s] report after the action was absolutely correct,” Navy Secretary Ray Mabus said in a small ceremony attended by members of Claudius’s family.

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Swedish Kayaker Catches Record-breaking Greenland Shark

Posted on by December 18, 2014
Photo: Joel Kayakangler Facebook page

Photo: Joel Kayakangler Facebook page

Joel Abrahamsson, from Gothenburg, Sweden, recently caught a 15′ long 1,247 pound Greenland shark while fishing from a kayak near the island of Andoria, in Norway.  The catch sets a new world record for a fish caught with a rod and reel from a kayak.

The Greenland shark is very rare, living in the deep and cold waters of the Arctic.  To catch the shark, Abrahamsson lowered 1,600 of line, baited with eight pounds of coalfish as bait, from his kayak.  When the shark bit, it took Abrahamsson an hour and a half to reel in the huge fish, which weighed as much as an adult polar bear and is believed to be up to 200 years old.

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‘Super-Bug’ Found in Rio’s Dirty Olympic Sailing Waters

Posted on by December 18, 2014

riobaytrashLast May, we posted about concerns over high concentrations of sewage and garbage in Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay, where 2016 Olympic sailing competitions are slated to be held.  Now scientists at a Rio de Janeiro research institute have found what they call a new antibiotic resistant “super-bacteria” in the same waters. As reported by The Telegraph:

The bacteria is similar to other known strains but is resistant to the usual drugs, said Ana Paula D’Alincourt Carvalho Assef, the coordinator of the study that was published on the Oswaldo Cruz’s website. Continue reading →

Potential Progress in Saving the SS United States

Posted on by December 16, 2014

The SS United States Conservancy issued a press release signed by Susan Gibbs on Monday announcing:

Exciting Redevelopment Milestone Achieved

We are very pleased to confirm that we have now entered into a preliminary agreement in support of the redevelopment of the SS United States. Negotiations have been underway for some time, and planning will continue with a variety of stakeholders. While further due diligence is conducted, the Conservancy will receive financial support to cover the vessel’s core carrying costs for at least an additional three months.

It is however not yet a done deal.

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Russia & the French Mistral Amphibious Assault Ships

Posted on by December 16, 2014

mistral classBack in 2010, we posted that some members of NATO were uncomfortable with a French contract to build two, with an option for two more, Mistral-class amphibious assault ships for Russia.  The first ship, the Vladivostok, was supposed to be delivered to Russia in October but following Russian actions in the Ukraine, President François Hollande said France would postpone the delivery “until further notice.”  The Russians are demanding that the French live up to the shipbuilding contract.  Russian Deputy Defense Minister Yuri Borisov said, “Everything is specified in the contract, and we will act under that contract, just like all civilized people do.”

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Eleanor’s Odyssey — a New Book by Joan Druett

Posted on by December 15, 2014

Joan Druett has a wonderful new book out — Eleanor’s Odyssey. Now available in paperback and soon as an ebook.

Eleanor’s Odyssey: Journal of the Captain’s Wife on the East Indiaman Friendship, 1799-1801 by Joan Druett

It was 1799, and French privateers lurked in the Atlantic and the Bay of Bengal. Yet Eleanor Reid, newly married and just twenty one years old, made up her mind to sail with her husband, Captain Hugh Reid, to the penal colony of New South Wales, the Spice Islands and India. Danger threatened, not just from the barely charted seas they would be sailing, yet, confident in her love and her husband’s seamanship, Eleanor insisted on going along. Joan Druett, writer of many books about the sea, including the bestseller Island of the Lost and the groundbreaking story of women under sail, Hen Frigates, embellishes Eleanor’s journal with a commentary that illuminates the strange story of a remarkable young woman. Published by Old Salt Press. ISBN 978-0-9941152-1-8

Fake Utah Whale’s Tale Ties Up 911 Dispatch Phone Lines

Posted on by December 13, 2014

utahwhaleAnother case of “I read it on the internet so it must be true.” The Internet spoof site, World News Daily Report posted “Mysterious Remains of A Whale Found in a Field in Utah” in which it claims dairy farmer, Michael Woodson, from Farmington, Utah found a 12 meter long humpback whale laying lifeless in the middle of one of his fields. “We have to admit that we find this case very puzzling” said Captain Terry Dawson from the Farmington police.

Of course, there was no humpback whale in the Utah field, nor is there a dairy farmer named Woodson nor a police officer named Dawson. The story, of course, was a joke, a spoof, an attempt at satire. Nevertheless, the Farmington Utah 911 emergency dispatch lines became tied up with calls from residents asking about the humpback whale.

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Captain “Daddy Art” Daniels — Oldest Skipjack Captain Working the Chesapeake

Posted on by December 12, 2014

We recently posted about the retired oyster dredging schooners A.J. Meerwald  and the Ada C. Lore.  Here is a wonderful short video featuring an interview with Arthur “Daddy Art” Daniels, a 93 year old skipjack captain, who is still dredging oysters under sail in the Chesapeake Bay on his skipjack, City of Crisfield.  He is the oldest captain still working the Chesapeake. There are only a handful of skipjacks that are actively still working on the bay.  Thanks to Raymond Faulkner for pointing the video out on Facebook.

SkipJack Art Daniels

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Engineer Needed on the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry

Posted on by December 11, 2014

This morning we posted that the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry organization is looking for Licensed Mates.  They are also looking for a qualified Engineer.

Engineer Job Description:

OHPRI is seeking an Engineer for SSV Oliver Hazard Perry to join the crew for USCG testing and sea trials in the spring in preparation for our programs starting summer 2015. Our programs include 1-2 week voyages in partnership with academic institutions, as well as teen summer camps and adult voyages. Applicants should have strong communication skills, an active interest in education and be capable of interacting positively with people of all ages.

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Mates’ Jobs on the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry

Posted on by December 11, 2014

The SSV Oliver Hazard Perry organization is looking for Licensed Mates.  The 200-foot square-rigged tall ship Oliver Hazard Perry  is Rhode Island’s official Sailing Education Vessel, the largest of its kind to have been built in this country in the last 100 years.  A great opportunity for those with the right experience and credentials.

Licensed Mates Job Description:

OHPRI is seeking First and Second Mates for the SSV Oliver Hazard Perry to join the crew for USCG testing and sea trials in the spring in preparation for our programs starting summer 2015. Our programs include 1-2 week voyages in partnership with academic institutions, as well as teen summer camps and adult voyages.

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A Bad Night for the Oyster Schooner Ada C. Lore, Cousin to A.J. Meerwald

Posted on by March 9, 2015
Ada C. Lore after the breakwater collapsed

Ada C. Lore after the breakwater collapsed

A week ago at about 2AM, at least 50 feet of the breakwater in Eastport, Maine collapsed into the inner harbor. Pat Donahue, a local fisherman and caretaker of the 1923 schooner Ada C. Lore, suffered minor injuries when the breakwater collapsed. The Eastport pilot boat, Medric, was sunk and another 20 or so boats in the harbor were reported to be damaged. The schooner Ada C. Lore lost both her masts.

The Ada C. Lore has been sailing on whale watching tours out of Eastport for the last several years. Yet, even a passing look tells you that she is not a “Downeaster”.  At a glance, she looks to be a near twin to the A.J. Meerwald, an oyster schooner and the Official Tall Ship of the State of New Jersey.

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Cruise Ships & Sewage — FOE Misses the Point

Posted on by December 10, 2014

ship-islandHere is yet another case of the media taking a wildly inaccurate sets of claims about ships at face value.  The news media has been touting a new study by the environmental group Friends of the Earth. The title of the FOE press release of December 4th makes their claim quite clear — Cruise ships flushed more than a billion gallons of sewage into oceans again this year.  And who is FOE? Their website claims that “Friends of the Earth is a bold and fearless voice for justice and the planet.”  They may be “bold and fearless,” but do they have the first clue about ships?  Or are their claims just so much, err… sewage?

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Tall Ships Philadelphia – Camden June 25-28, 2015

Posted on by December 9, 2014

phillycamdentsTall Ships Philadelphia – Camden is being held on June 25-28, 2015 on the Delaware River.  Normally I wouldn’t post about an event so far in the future, but the tickets for the event have now gone on sale.  So far the tall ships lined up for the event include the French frigate L’Hermione, the USCGC barque Eagle, the Brazilian Navy Cisne Branco, Philadelphia’s Official Tall Ship Gazela, the globe wandering barque Picton Castle and the schooner Serenity. Quite an impressive line up for being six months in the future.

Female Officers Secretly Videotaped in Shower on Submarine USS Wyoming

Posted on by December 8, 2014

USS_Wyoming_(SSBN-742)This feels like a bad joke, but sadly, it isn’t. In May of 2010, we posted about “Women Submariners – Pioneers Facing Many Challenges.” Of the various challenges we expected women on submarines would have to face, secret shower videos were not the first to come to mind. Now, there are reports that female officers, serving aboard the USS Wyoming ballistic missile submarine, were secretly videotaped undressing to take showers. The videos were then distributed to other ships in the fleet.  News of the videos  emerged when an officer from another submarine received copies and reported their existence.  A 24 year old second class petty officer is reported to be under investigation for making and distributing the videos.  The petty officer is assigned to Trident Training Facility, near the submarine’s homeport in Kings Bay, Ga. according to the incident report.

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