At Least 103 Drown After Wedding When Boat Capsizes in Nigeria

Posted on by June 14, 2023

The death toll from an overloaded boat that capsized in a remote part of Nigeria’s north central region has risen to more than 100, police and officials said on Wednesday, in one of the worst such disasters in recent years.

The wooden boat was ferrying people to Kwara state across the Niger River from neighboring Niger state after a wedding party when it capsized on Monday night. Approximately 270 individuals were loaded on the boat, well above its capacity of 100 people.

Kwara state police spokesperson Ajayi Okasanmi told Reuters on Wednesday that 103 people had been confirmed dead.

Continue reading →

Retired Passenger Liner SS United States Threatened by Eviction From Philadelphia Pier

Posted on by June 13, 2023

The SS United States, the largest and fastest transatlantic passenger liner ever built in America, has spent the last 27 years moored at Philadephia’s Pier 82 on the Delaware River. The venerable ship is now threatened with eviction.

 Yahoo reports that during the pandemic in 2021, the vessel’s landlords doubled the dockage fees. Now, according to federal legal filings, pier operators would like the ship gone. 

Continue reading →

Secrets Lurking Beneath the Black Sea — Pristine Ancient Shipwrecks & Underwater Rivers

Posted on by June 12, 2023

A short but fascinating video by the BBC’s Dan John about the ancient secrets lurking beneath the Black Sea.

After Russia delved the depths of the Black Sea in search of the crashed US drone, the video takes a look at what else might be lurking beneath the waves.

See also our previous post, Scientists Find Oldest Intact Shipwreck in Black Sea.

The hidden world beneath the Black Sea – BBC News

Three British Tourists Missing After Fire on Dive Boat in Egyptian Red Sea

Posted on by June 11, 2023

The BBC reports that three British tourists are missing after a fire broke out on board a dive boat on the Egyptian Red Sea.  

Twenty-six other people, including 12 Britons, were rescued from the boat, called Hurricane. Initial reports suggested the fire was caused by an electrical fault. The boat caught fire at about 9 am on Sunday morning in the Elphistone region of the Red Sea, about 25 kilometers north of Marsa Alam.

Continue reading →

Endangered Vaquita Porpoises Hanging on, Conservation Efforts May be Working

Posted on by June 10, 2023

Great News. The vaquita porpoise, the world’s rarest marine mammal, swimming right on the edge of extinction, appears to be hanging on. Conservation measures in Mexico to save the endangered porpoise may be working.    

The New York Times reports that an international team of scientists estimated that at least 10 vaquitas remain in the Gulf of California, the waters that separate Baja California from the Mexican mainland. The porpoises are found nowhere else and have been driven to the brink of extinction by drowning in gill nets, a type of fishing gear that drifts like a huge mesh curtain, catching fish by their gills. Dolphins, sea turtles, and vaquitas get stuck, too, dying when they can’t surface to breathe.

Continue reading →

The Mighty Windjammer Preussen — Animation From Mariner’s Mirror Podcast

Posted on by March 21, 2024

Here is an animation from a Mariner’s Mirror podcast about perhaps the greatest windjammer of the early twentieth century, the Preussen. One of the Flying P-Liners, built for the F. Laeisz shipping company in 1902, she was the only five-masted full-rigged steel ship ever built at that time. She remains one of only two five-masted full-rigged ships ever built. The second such ship, the Star Clipper’s  Royal Clipper, launched in 2000, was inspired by the Preussen.

The animation is designed to go alongside an episode of the Mariner’s Mirror Podcast in which Dr Sam Willis speaks with Frank Scott, a retired naval aviator and qualified square rig ship-master, who commanded various square riggers ranging from 80 to 800 gross tonnes. In his long sail training career he served in fourteen square riggers, under seven different national flags.

Hurtigruten to Launch Zero Emissions Electric Cruise Ship With Solar Sails by 2030

Posted on by June 7, 2023

Norwegian ferry and expedition cruise operator Hurtigruten has revealed plans for a zero-emissions electric cruise ship with retractable sails fitted with solar panels, that will sail the Norwegian coast by 2030.

The 500-passenger ship is designed for coastal service with an estimated range of 300 to 350 NM when powered by its 60-megawatt batteries. The line’s Hurtigruten Norwegian Coastal Express stops at 34 ports, which means there are good opportunities for fully electric ships to use future clean energy infrastructure. Renewable energy accounts for 98% of Norway’s electricity supply.

In addition to being powered by batteries, the ship will also feature three 50-meter-high wing sails that can be retracted to pass under bridges. The wing sails will be covered in a total of 1,500 square meters of solar panels that will generate electricity to top up the batteries while sailing.

Continue reading →

On the 79th Anniversary of D-Day, Remembering Andrew Jackson Higgins and the Higgins Boat

Posted on by June 6, 2023

I am aware of only one man who was praised by both Eisenhower and Hitler. A repost on the 79th anniversary of D-Day.

General Dwight David Eisenhower said that “Andrew Higgins … is the man who won the war for us. … If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed over an open beach. The whole strategy of the war would have been different.”  

Adolph Hitler referred to Andrew Higgins as the “new Noah,” though his admiration was more begrudging. On the 79th anniversary of the Normandy landings, better known as D-Day, it seems worthwhile to remember Andrew Higgins and the amazing Higgins boat.

Continue reading →

More Supply Chains Woes — Strikes at West Coast Ports

Posted on by June 5, 2023

Following over a year of negotiations, labor negotiations at US West Coast ports have stalled, resulting in a wave of strikes.

As reported by Splash247.com, the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA), which represents more than 22,000 dock workers at West Coast ports, said Friday that dockworkers were “staging concerted and disruptive work actions” that had stopped or severely disrupted operations stretching from terminals at southern California’s big container port complex at Los Angeles and Long Beach to Seattle, with Oakland suffering the largest disruptions. 

The industry group representing shippers announced that operations at some marine terminals at the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach were “effectively shut down.”

Continue reading →

Navy Selects First Female Master Chief Petty Officer in the Service’s 230-Year History

Posted on by June 4, 2023

Senior Chief Petty Officer Jessica Saunders poses with Capt. Justin Long, commanding officer of Surface Combat Systems Training Command San Diego. (Surface Combat Systems Training Command San Diego/Facebook)

The Navy has selected an active-duty female gunner’s mate for promotion to master chief petty officer for the first time in the service’s 230-year history.

Senior Chief Gunner’s Mate Jessica Saunders, who joined the Navy in 2002, was slated for its highest enlisted rank last week, the service said in a statement Tuesday.

“This is not only a significant milestone for my naval career but for all sailors,” Saunders said in the statement. “The glass ceiling is shattered. From the day I enlisted, I understood that with hard work, motivational leadership, and a warfighter mentality, I could achieve my goals and help better our Navy for future generations.”

Continue reading →

On National Donut Day — Captain Gregory & the Birth of the Modern Donut (& the Donut Hole)

Posted on by June 2, 2023
Captain Hansen Gregory

Captain Hansen Gregory

Today is National Donut Day. Why is there a national day for donuts? The day celebrates an event created by The Salvation Army in Chicago in 1938 to honor those of their members who served doughnuts to soldiers during World War I.

But who invented the modern donut? Many credit  Hansen Crockett Gregory, 1832-1921, a ship’s captain from Rockport, Maine. Here is the “hole story.” 

The first donuts in America did not have holes.  They are believed to have been introduced to the continent by the Dutch who fried dough in oil. Washington Irving was the first to mention doughnuts in “The History of New York” in 1807.  We wrote, “[I]t was always sure to boast of an enormous dish of balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog’s fat, and called dough-nuts, or oly koeks: a delicious kind of cake, at present known scarce to this city, except in genuine Dutch families.”

Continue reading →

Mystery & Tragedy on Italy’s Lake Maggiore — Fatal Boating Accident a Birthday Celebration or a “Spy Party”?

Posted on by June 1, 2023

On Sunday, an overloaded chartered houseboat on Italy’s Lake Maggiore was caught in a sudden, violent storm and capsized, killing four of the 21 passengers and two crew. Sadly, this sort of boating accident, while tragic, is not entirely out of the ordinary.

What made the accident unusual was that all of the 21 passengers aboard the boat were currently or formerly tied to Israeli and Italian defense and intelligence work, which is to say spies or former spies. Of the passengers, 13 were connected to Israel’s intelligence service Mossad, and eight were from Italian intelligence.

Continue reading →

Wind Turbine One, Cargo Ship Zero — Off Course General Cargo Ship Allides With Wind Farm

Posted on by May 31, 2023

Photo: Wasserschutzpolizei

We missed this story the first time around, but it seems worthwhile to mention it, all the same. For what is being referred to as the first time it has occurred, a merchant ship had an allision with a wind turbine. The wind turbine won.

Last month, the 1,685 dwt general cargo ship Petra L departed Szczecin, Poland loaded with 1,500 tons of gain bound for Antwerp. On the morning of April 25, she arrived in Emden, Germany, and port authorities noticed a hole the “size of a barn door” forward on the starboard side of the ship.  

Continue reading →

Malaysia Detains Chinese Barge on Suspicion of Looting WWII British Warship Wrecks

Posted on by May 30, 2023

For more than a decade, warships sunk in World War II have literally been disappearing from the ocean floor.  Illegal scrappers operating grabs from barges have been looting of Australian, American, British, Dutch, and Japanese warships for scrap metal in south-east Asian seas.

 Recently, USNI reports that the Royal Navy has expressed concern over reports of looting of the wrecks of the battleship HMS Prince of Wales and battlecruiser HMS Repulse off the coast of Malaysia. The Chinese barge Chuan Hong 68 is reported to have used a large dredging crane to pluck scrap from the wrecks.

Continue reading →

Update: Trying to Sail 1,900 NM in a One Meter Boat — Forced to Turn Back on First Day, Boat Destroyed

Posted on by May 29, 2023

A year ago, we posted about Andrew Bedwell, who planned on attempting to set a new world record for sailing the smallest boat to cross the Atlantic. His vessel, Big C is just over 1m/3.2ft long.

On Saturday, Bedwell set sail from St Johns, Newfoundland bound for Lizard Point in Cornwall. On the first day of the planned 1,900 nm voyage, however, his boat started to take on water, and he thought it best to turn around. 

When he returned to port, things went from bad to disastrous. The tiny Big C had taken on considerable water and had “basically sunk,” Bedwell said. When they attempted to lift the boat out by its framework, the structure gave way and the craft dropped, which “basically destroyed the boat.” Continue reading →

Royal Navy’s XV Patrick Blacket Tests GPS-Free Quantum Navigation System

Posted on by May 27, 2023

Last year we posted about the christening of the Royal Navy’s research ship XV Patrick Blacket. (The “XV” designation refers to “experimental vessel.”) The 42-meter, 270 tonne modified crew-supply ship is intended to be a platform on which to test new technology without the need to place demands on other navy ships, many of which are deployed permanently away from UK waters.

The Royal Navy is now collaborating with the Imperial College London to test a quantum navigation system onboard the XV Patrick Blacket. The heart of the system is a newly developed quantum accelerometer capable of determining position without the use of GPS. 

Continue reading →

Dueling Sea Drone Videos in Russian/Ukrainian PR Battle

Posted on by May 26, 2023

Recent videos of a sea drone attack on a Russian warship released by Russia’s Defence Ministry and by Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne tell two very different stories of the encounter.

The Russian video shows a Ukrainian sea drone, a small unmanned boat packed with explosives, being destroyedmin what is described as a foiled attack. A day later, an Ukrainian video shows a successful attack, at least damaging the Russian vessel, identified as the intelligence ship Yury Ivanov.

Frank Gardner, a BBC security correspondent, commented, “I think we need to be a bit cautious over videos like this… 

Continue reading →

Update: Hvaldimir, Beluga “Spy” Whale Returns to Waters Near Oslo

Posted on by May 25, 2023

In 2019, we posted about fishermen off the coast of Norway who encountered a beluga whale wearing a harness that read “Equipment of St. Petersburg. Researchers think the beluga may be a Russian spy in training.

There was speculation that the harness-wearing beluga was part of Russian spycraft gone wrong. The harness was believed to be designed for some sort of camera or possibly a weapon. 

Subsequently, the whale “defected” to Norway, apparently preferring to stay in Norwegian waters than return to Russia. For some time, the whale interacted with boaters around Hammerfest Harbor in Norway, before swimming off to feed along the Norwegian coast.

The Norwegian press has nicknamed the whale Hvaldimir, a pun on the Norwegian hval (whale) and Vladimir Putin.

Continue reading →

The Story of the Bark Kathleen, Sunk by a Whale, Carved on a Sperm Whale Jawbone

Posted on by May 23, 2023

It took Mr. Tonkin 30 years, on and off, to finish carving the sperm whale jaw bone.(Supplied: Albany’s Historic Whaling Station)

We are all familiar with Melville’s novel, Moby Dick, inspired, at least in part, by the ramming and sinking of the whaleship Essex by a rogue sperm whale in the Pacific in 1820.  Less well-known is the sinking by a whale of the bark Kathleen.

ABC News Australia reports that for 30 years, Gary Tonkin, 74, a scrimshander from Albany, on the south coast of Western Australia, has worked carving a sperm whale’s jawbone and teeth to tell the tale of the Kathleen. His intricate engravings recount the story of the ill-fated whaling ship sunk by a sperm whale in the Atlantic in 1902.

Continue reading →

On National Maritime Day, Remembering the SS Savannah

Posted on by May 22, 2023

An updated repost on National Maritime Day. In 1933, the US Congress created National Maritime Day to recognize the maritime industry in the United States. The date chosen to celebrate the new holiday was May 22, in honor of the day that the auxiliary packet ship Savannah sailed from its namesake city in 1819. The Savannah is credited as the first steamship to cross the Atlantic Ocean.  

Bragging rights notwithstanding, if one is to be honest about the history, Savannah was neither a proper steamship nor did she actually cross the Atlantic primarily under steam.

She was built as a sailing packet ship for Captain Moses Rogers, and while she did have a 90 HP steam engine installed, which drove twin paddle wheels, she didn’t carry enough fuel to make the passage under steam power. On her first and only voyage under steam in 1819, the Savannah used her engine eastbound across the Atlantic for 80 hours in a voyage of 29 days and 11 hours. On the westbound voyage, which lasted 40 days, she did not use her engines at all. 

Continue reading →