The Earth’s Attic is on Fire & the Basement is Freezing Up

Posted on by September 21, 2012

Scientists have said that global climate change will bring us severe and unusual weather.   That would be a hard point to argue. Here are two recent, apparently somewhat contradictory or perhaps merely odd, news stories about the sea and the global climate.   The ice on the Arctic Sea has melted to record low levels while it has reached record highs in the Antarctic.

As Dr. Jeff Masters puts it – “Earth’s attic is on fire.”

The extraordinary decline in Arctic sea ice during 2012 is finally over. Sea ice extent bottomed out on September 16, announced scientists at the National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) on Wednesday. The sea ice extent fell to 3.41 million square kilometers, breaking the previous all-time low set in 2007 by 18%–despite the fact that this year’s weather was cloudier and cooler than in 2007. Nearly half (49%) of the icecap was gone during this year’s minimum, compared to the average minimum for the years 1979 – 2000.
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Cambria, the Cutty Sark of Thames River Barges

Posted on by September 21, 2012

The first word one associates with speed under sail is probably not barge.  Nevertheless, Thames River barges are no slackers when the wind is blowing.  Recently, the folks at Cambria Trust posted a photo of a GPS screen on restored Thames River barge Cambria that reads 14.2 knots.  Apparently the Cambria later reached 15.9 knots. As this was the speed over the bottom we do not know whether she had any help from the current.  Nevertheless, that is a very impressive performance.  Cambria is the last British registered vessel to carry commercial cargo under sail alone. She did so until 1970.  She has since been totally rebuilt and is now back sailing.  (See our previous post on the relaunching of the Cambria in March of 2011.)

Cambria is truly the Cutty Sark of Thames River barges and Thames River barges are probably the clipper ships of coastal working craft. Why?  Like the Cutty Sark, Cambria had a long and productive working life.  Both have been recently rebuilt and both are, or in the case of the Cutty Sark, were, very fast under sail.

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Windwagon Astrakan in the Black Rock Desert

Posted on by September 20, 2012

The story goes that around 1856, a man from Missouri named Thomas built a “windwagon,” a “prairie clipper”  to sail the Western plains. Unfortunately, despite sailing around 100 miles down the Santa Fe trail, his “Prairie Clipper Company” was not a commercial success.  Now a team of Swedish tall ship sailors, riggers, carpenters, filmakers and engineers have built designed and built the windwagon Astrakan, to “sail.. in the wake of Wind Wagon Tomas.”  Recently they posted a video of the Astrakan sailing in Nevada’s Black Rock Desert.  Thanks to Tom Russell on the Linked-in Traditional Sail Professionals group for pointing it out.

Windwagon in Black Rock Desert

Susan Clark, First Female Portland Harbor Pilot, Dies at 48

Posted on by September 19, 2012

Photo: Portland Press Herald

Susan Clark, who died after a short battle with cancer at 48, was a remarkable woman. In high school, she was valedictorian and class president. At Maine Maritime Academy, she was first in her class. She was the first female captain for Exxon and captained tankers for several years before returning ashore to attend Seton Hall and the University of Maine School of Law.  She practiced law for a time before deciding to return to working on the water. In 2001, Susan Clark become the first female harbor pilot in Portland, Maine. She was also the first female member of the Portland Marine Society, founded in 1796 by ship captains. She is survived by her her husband, Glenn Daukas, and their two sons, Louis and Rigel.  Thanks to Christina Sun for passing along the sad news.

Susan Clark, Portland Harbor’s first female pilot, dies at 48

The Human Cost of Piracy or Thanks For Not Talking Like a Pirate

Posted on by September 19, 2012

Today is the official “Talk Like a Pirate Day.”   Time to celebrate murderous thugs and to imitate characters from Disney amusement park rides.  Oh goodie.  Or maybe not. Today is also an excellent time to consider the very real human cost of piracy and to remember the more than 1,200 merchant seafarers who were captured and held hostage off the Horn of Africa last year.

Four years ago today, one of the first posts on this blog was “Thank You for Not Talking Like A Pirate.“:   I have a rather good sense of humor and some might say a quick wit. (And some might say half-wit, but be that as it may.) Nevertheless, I am revolted by those who confuse piracy with cute colloquialisms, funny hats and the occasional parrot. Piracy is about murder and theft, not so unlike terrorism.

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Alaric Bond Reviews Hell Around the Horn

Posted on by September 18, 2012

It is highly gratifying to have my work reviewed favorably by an author that I admire.  Alaric Bond, author of the Fighting Sail Series, is indeed such an author. (See our review of his latest, The Patriot’s Fate, here.)  Bond recently reviewed Hell Around the Horn for Historical Naval Fiction.

Alaric Bond Review: Hell Around the Horn by Rick Spilman

Richard Spilman’s Hell Around the Horn is set at the turn of the twentieth century in one of the last windjammers to make the perilous passage about Cape Horn. It follows the progress of the Lady Rebecca as she takes on cargo and crew at Tiger Bay, before setting out for her eventual destination in far away Chile. The subsequent story is one of peril and hardship, brought about by the atrocious weather conditions and a fair degree of human mischief, and is told through the eyes of all on board, be they fresh or seasoned hands, young “brassbounders,” senior officers, or even the captain’s family. It is a gritty tale: no blue wave lapped sandy beaches here, just an excellent recreation of what is takes to round the Horn under sail, along with a better understanding of those who chose to do so. This is true historical fiction: a genuine “feel” for the time is portrayed, with interesting nuggets of information about the social conditions and descriptions of the contemporary sailing methods and gear.

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1877 Barque ELISSA Will Sail Again Soon

Posted on by September 17, 2012

ELISSA entering drydock, click for larger image

Thanks to Kurt Voss for this post on the repairs to the Tall Ship ELISSA.  Over thirty years ago Kurt became one of the original stateside volunteers for the 1877, 150-foot sailing vessel ELISSA. He has been a member of the ship’s sailing crew and has served as vice chairman of the ELISSA Committee and was the past director of the Texas Seaport Museum and 1877 Barque ELISSA.  He is also the author of the GALVESTON’S THE ELISSA: THE TALL SHIP OF TEXAS.

1877 Barque ELISSA to Sail Again Soon by Kurt Voss

When Jamie White took over as director of the Texas Seaport Museum and 1877 barque ELISSA, he thought most of his time would be spent on the “cocktails and khakis” circuit. Instead, less than three months after taking the helm, he discovered the ELISSA’s future as an active sailing vessel faced profound challenges. During her routine dry-docking early in 2011, White and his staff found that electrolytic corrosion caused by Hurricane Ike had attacked 16% of the ship’s hull plates, nearly all of which were part of her original 1877 iron fabric. Last week, after a year and a half of planning, using experts from around the globe, the ELISSA entered dry-dock to begin repairs that will allow her to sail again.

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Are Modern Ships Slower Than Sailing Ships? Probably not.

Posted on by December 9, 2019

Sovereign of the Seas

In 2010, the headline read,  Modern cargo ships slow to the speed of the sailing clippers. The article was subtitled, “Container ships are taking longer to cross the oceans than the Cutty Sark did as owners adopt ‘super-slow steaming’ to cut back on fuel consumption.

“The world’s largest cargo ships are travelling at lower speeds today than sailing clippers such as the Cutty Sark did more than 130 years ago. 

“A combination of the recession and growing awareness in the shipping industry about climate change emissions encouraged many ship owners to adopt “slow steaming” to save fuel two years ago. This lowered speeds from the standard 25 knots to 20 knots, but many major companies have now taken this a stage further by adopting “super-slow steaming” at speeds of 12 knots (about 14mph).

“Travel times between the US and China, or between Australia and Europe, are now comparable to those of the great age of sail in the 19th century. American clippers reached 14 to 17 knots in the 1850s, with the fastest recording speeds of 22 knots or more.”

Similar stories were reported via various news outlets and blogs. Earlier this month in an article about rate wars among container lines, the author made the statement, “Just to put that into context: the tea clippers of the 19th century normally averaged around 16 knots. Shipping is now officially slower than in the age of sail.”

This is all really interesting, but is it true?   Unfortunately, not really.

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The Shipbreakers of Alang

Posted on by September 17, 2012

Ships have a finite lifespan, usually not more than 20 years, often much less.  When a ship reaches the end of its economic life, there needs to be a place to recycle the steel, the other valuable metals and equipment.  In a perfect world this recycling would be done safely and cleanly. Unfortunately, this is far from a  perfect world.  Alang beach in India’s Gujarat province is one of the world’s biggest shipbreakers, which the Voice of America calls “an access-restricted, mafia-controlled funerary ground for hulking steel-container vessels marooned for demolition.”  The operations are both dirty and dangerous.  A 2004 documentary directed by Micheal Kot  on the shipbreakers of Alang, India is now available on-line.  Disturbing, but worth watching.

Shipbreakers

http://youtu.be/rSw1BihUO5Q

Update: Costa Concordia – Report Says Captain Schettino to Blame, Crew and Company Also at Fault

Posted on by September 15, 2012

Photo: FILIPPO MONTEFORTE / AFP / GETTY IMAGES

Not long after the Costa Concordia struck Le Scole Rock off the island of Giglio, Italy at 9:45 pm on January 13, 2012, Captain Francesco Schettino’s voice can be heard on a voice-data recording muttering, “Madonna, what a mess I’ve made…”

A 270 page report issued by a team of court appointed experts agrees fully with the captain. The report blames Captain Schettino for action and inaction leading up to and following the collision that resulted in the deaths of 32 passengers and crew on the ill-fated cruise ship. The report also faults the crew and ship owner for a series of blunders, delays and safety breaches that contributed to the disaster.

In addition to causing the grounding by steering far too close to known reefs, the report also charges that the captain delayed issuing the order to abandon ship for almost an hour after the casualty. Rather than issue the abandon ship order at around 10 pm, fifteen minutes after the collision, the order to abandon ship was finally issued at 10:43 pm. When the order was given, it was not given by the captain, as required by regulations, but by a subordinate officer. Captain Schettino also failed to alert port authorities about the accident and left the ship the evacuation of passengers was completed.

Experts fault captain, crew, Costa for Italy wreck

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San Diego Maritime Ghost Conference on Windjammer Star of India and Steam Ferry Berkeley

Posted on by September 14, 2012

Tomorrow, September 15, a Maritime Ghost Conference will be held on the Steam Ferry Berkeley at the Maritime Museum of San Diego. The conference is sponsored by the San Diego Ghost and Paranormal Group and is also a fundraiser for the Maritime Museum. In addition to presentations by experts on various haunted ships, there will be investigations aboard the  windjammer Star of India and the Steam Ferry Berkeley, both of which are said to be haunted.

If you can’t make the conference here is an episode of Ghost Hunters, courtesy of You Tube, investigating reports of ghosts and the paranormal on the Star of India and the Berkeley.
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Sailor Twain or the Mermaid in the Hudson by Mark Siegel

Posted on by September 13, 2012

I have been a fan of Sailor Twain for some time. Sailor Twain, or The Mermaid in the Hudson is a webcomic by Mark Siegel. He has been posting pages online every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, the tale unfolding in the tradition of a 19th century novel. For those of us who haven’t always kept up, the graphic novel is being published in its entirety on October 2, 2012.

Sailor Twain author video from Mark Siegel on Vimeo.

Cutty Sark Restoration: 2012 Carbuncle Cup Winner – Worst New Building Design in Britain

Posted on by September 13, 2012

In April, we posted about a scathing review of the Cutty Sark restoration by Andrew Gilligan, the Telegraph‘s London Editor.  He referred to the restoration as “a clucking, Grade A … turkey.”   I have not seen the ship but I share many of Gilligan’s concerns. (I will be visiting the composite clipper ship in a few weeks when I attend the Historical Novel Society Conference in London, so I will have the opportunity to see for myself.)  Mr. Gilligan is not alone in his dislike of the Cutty Sark restoration.  The British architectural trade journal, Building Design, has announced that the restoration of the historic tea clipper is the 2012 winner of the Carbuncle Cup for the worst new building design in Britain.

Carbuncle Cup winner 2012: Ship in a throttle

Grimshaw’s disastrously conceived restoration of the Cutty Sark is winner of this year’s BD Carbuncle Cup, tragically defiling the very thing it sets out to save.

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World’s Oldest Message in a Bottle Bobs to the Surface

Posted on by September 12, 2012

Last year around this time, we posted about Harold Hackett of Prince Edward Island, who since 1996 has cast 4,800 bottles containing messages into the sea and has received 3,100 responses. Harold may hold the record for the most bottle borne responses, but recently we learned of a Scottish fisherman who found the world’s oldest message in a bottle.  The bottle was cast into the sea 98 years old by Captain C. Hunter Brown, a scientist at the Glasgow School of Navigation, who was studying the currents in the North Sea. It was one of 1,890 bottles released on June 10, 1914, and the 315th to be entered into Captain Brown’s log, which is still kept and updated by Marine Scotland Science in Aberdeen.

Found: World’s Oldest Message in a Bottle, Part of 1914 Citizen-Science Experiment

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Two Wounded in Mock Sea Battle at Toshiba Tall Ship Festival

Posted on by September 12, 2012

On Saturday, a passenger and a crew member on the schooner Bill of Rights were wounded by bird shot apparently fired from the topsail schooner Amazing Grace during a mock sea battle at the Tobisha Tall Ship Festival at Dana Point, CA.  Neither the passenger or crew member were seriously injured.

“Battle cruises,” or mock sea battle where tall ships fire their guns at each other are very popular of the tall ship circuit. But where do the ships get their powder? Apparently, in this case at least, from 12 gauge shotgun shells which are fired from their small deck guns.  Unfortunately the blank shells, containing powder but without pellets, look quite it a bit like the shells with pellets. The incident is being investigated as an accident.

2 People Injured By Live Ammo At Tall Ships Festival

The Two Most Important Naval Victories of the War of 1812 – Part 2 : The Battle of Plattsburg – the “False Nile”

Posted on by September 24, 2012

Battle of Plattsburgh

One year and one day after the Battle of Lake Erie, an American squadron, under the command of Master Commandant Thomas Macdonough, defeated the Royal Navy on Lake Champlain in a bloody battle at Plattsburgh Bay.  The Battle of Plattsburgh turned back an invasion force of 11,000 British troops which was intended to do nothing less than redraw the map of the United States. Like the Battle of Lake Erie, the Battle of Plattsburg was fought in fresh water hundreds of miles from the ocean.  It was not a large fleet battle, and yet, was probably the most important naval victory of the war.

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The Two Most Important Naval Victories of the War of 1812 – Part 1: Battle of Lake Erie

Posted on by September 10, 2012

The best known naval battles of the War of 1812 were single ship duels between US Navy frigates and ships of the Royal Navy.  Nevertheless, the two most important American naval victories of the War of 1812 were fought in fresh water, hundreds of  miles from the ocean. Neither involved large fleets of ships, yet each was critical to the outcome of the war.

One hundred and ninety nine years ago today, on September 10, 1813, in what has become known as the Battle of Lake Erie,  five schooners, three brigs and a sloop, under the command of Oliver Hazard Perry defeated and captured two ships, two schooners, a brig and a sloop of the Royal Navy at Put-in-Bay in Lake Erie off the coast of Ohio.  The victory gave the Americans control of Lake Erie for the rest of the war, denying the British and Canadians a key supply line and allowing the Americans to retake Detroit and win the Battle of the Thames to break the Indian confederation of Tecumseh.

A commemoration of the 199th anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie is being held today at 5:30 PM at the Perry monument at Presque Isle State Park in Pennsylvania.

Shackleton Epic Expedition: Berths Available on Supporting Ship T/S Pelican

Posted on by September 10, 2012

Shackleton Epic Expeditions has announced the availability of 10 berths on T/S Pelican when it serves as a support vessel for the upcoming re-enactment of an epic lifeboat voyage undertaken by Ernest Shackleton and five sailors in 1916. The Pelican is a 148ft long three-masted barquentine.  See our previous post for a video of the Pelican under sail in the Thamse Estuary at the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee last May.

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Update: Venezuela Drops Arms Trafficking Charges Against Captain and Crew of MV Ocean Atlas

Posted on by September 10, 2012

Good news.  On Friday, we posted that the captain of the U.S. flag heavy lift ship, MV Ocean Atlas, had been arrested in Maracaibo, Venezuela after three rifles were found aboard the ship. The rifles had reportedly been listed in the ship’s manifest.  Reports are that Venezuelan authorities had raided the ship, acting on a tip that illegal drugs were onboard.  When no drugs were found,  Captain Jeffrey Raider was arrested for arms trafficking based on the three locked-away rifles. There were reports that the rest of the 14 man crew would also be charged.  A U.S. State Department official confirmed Sunday that the charges had been dropped.  The ship is expected to sail today or tomorrow.

The M/V Ocean Atlas is an 8,000 DWT multipurpose ship with a 400 tonne lifting capacity. One of four heavy-lift vessels of Intermarine’s U.S.-flag heavy-lift affiliate, U.S. Ocean, the ship is operated by Crowley.

Venezuela drops arms trafficking charges against U.S. ship crew

Container Ship Amsterdam Bridge Catches Fire Off Mumbai

Posted on by September 10, 2012

The 4,380 TEU container ship  Amsterdam Bridge caught fire on a voyage between Mumbai to Colombo. The ship returned to Mumbai and is now at an outer anchorage.  Recent reports suggests that the fire is contained if not necessarily completely extinguished. VesselTracker.com is reporting that Coast Guard officials suspect that the fire erupted in the engine room of the vessel.  Other sources say that the fire spread to the mid portion of the ship, which is said to be carrying approximately 112 containers loaded with hazardous cargoes.   No injuries have been recorded.  Thanks to Phil Leon for passing along the news. (Note: the original post misstated the container capacity of the ship. Thanks to Terra for pointing out the error.)

In related news, the container ship MSC Flaminia, which caught fire and was abandoned in the mid-Atlantic on July 14th, has finally arrived at the German port of Wilhelmshaven.

Fire breaks out in merchant ship off Mumbai coast

http://youtu.be/re1C8Orqp6w