Today in History – The Rescue of the Greeley Expedition, June 22, 1884

Posted on by June 22, 2012

Thanks to Anne Maclachlan and the Naval History & Heritage Command for pointing out on Facebook, a forgotten bit of history – the ill-fated Greely Expedition, which was rescued at Cape Sable on Ellesmere Island on June 22, 1884.

In 1881, First Lieutenant Adolphus Washington Greely of the US Army lead the International Polar Expedition, also known as the Lady Franklin Bay Expedition,  The expedition intended to collect astronomical and polar magnetic data and to establish a new record for the distance traveled north.  The 24 man expedition was delivered to Lady Franklin Bay, an inlet into the northeastern shore of Ellesmere Island on the Nares Strait, by the ship Proteus. They arrived during an exceptionally warm summer and underestimated the difficulty of being resupplied.
Continue reading →

Congratulations to Boatbuilder Harold Burnham of Essex – Awarded NEA National Heritage Fellowship

Posted on by June 22, 2012

Harold A. Burnham

Wooden boat building is part science, part engineering and part pure artistry.  On Tuesday, the National Endowment for the Arts honored Harold Burnham of Essex, MA as a 2012 recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship.  Harold Burnham is an eleventh generation boatbuilder, whose boatyard is on land where ancestor Oliver Burnham operated a boatyard five generations ago. From the NEA announcement:

The …2012 NEA National Heritage Fellows, … recognizes folk and traditional artists for their artistic excellence and efforts to conserve America’s culture for future generations. The fellowships are the nation’s highest honor in the folk and traditional arts, and include a one-time award of $25,000. 

Throughout their careers, these artists have honored the history of their art forms while also incorporating their own creativity and innovation to carry the art forms into the 21st century. For example, Harold Burnham, 11th-generation in a line of boat designers and builders, creates his vessels using hand tools and incorporating locally harvested wood, just as members of his family did some 300 years ago. However, while rooted in the past, Burnham’s designs demonstrate his own blend of form and function.

Last year we posted about the launching of the schooner Ardelle from Burnham’s yard in Essex. A short video about the schooner’s construction:
Continue reading →

Update: Tsunami Floating Dock an Instant Tourist Attraction on Oregon’s Agate Beach

Posted on by June 21, 2012

Earlier in the month, we posted about a a 66 feet long, 165 tonne, starfish and barnacle encrusted, steel and concrete floating dock that washed up on Agate beach, south-west of Portland, Oregon.  We were surprised to hear that the dock, torn free in last year’s Japanese tsunami  would become a tourist attraction.  The Japanese dock has drawn tens of thousands of visitors tot he beach since it washed ashore in early June.   It won’t stay a tourist attraction for long, however.   Earlier this week, Oregon officials picked Ballard Diving & Salvage of Vancouver, Wash., to dismantle the dock for $84,155. The company says it plans to start Monday and complete the job in about a week.

Tsunami Relic Puts Beach on Map

[iframe: frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no” width=”512″ height=”288″ src=”http://live.wsj.com/public/page/embed-CE8DC8C2_5AF7_42F2_B134_9727DB659A29.html”]

Asylum Seekers Boat Capsizes North of Australia’s Christmas Island – 200 Believed Aboard

Posted on by June 21, 2012

With a sad familiarity, another overloaded boat, filled with desperate asylum seekers trying to reach Australia’s Christmas Island, has capsized in Indonesian waters. Up to 200 people are believed to have been aboard the vessel when it capsized.  Indonesia’s search and rescue authority BASARNAS is coordinating the search with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).  West Australian Police Commissioner Karl O’Callaghan has been quoted as saying that said about 40 people were spotted on the upturned hull, others were in the water and up to 75 others may be dead. “We have grave fears for the remainder,” he said.

Asylum seeker boat capsizes north of Christmas Island

[iframe: src =”http://video.news.com.au/embed/2248473227/Asylum-boat-capsizes?player=narrow” width=”330″ height=”335″ frameborder=”0″ marginheight=”0″ marginwidth=”0″ scrolling=”no”>

VIDEO: Asylum boat capsizes]

Continue reading →

Coast Guard – Link Between Texas and New Jersey Hoax Distress Calls?

Posted on by June 20, 2012

Last week we posted about a distress call to the Coast Guard reporting a yacht explosion off the New Jersey shore, which was an apparent hoax.  The search and rescue operation which resulted is estimated to have cost over $300,000.  Now the Coast Guard is noting the similarities in an distress call received near Galveston, Texas on May 20 which is also believed to have been a hoax.  In both cases the caller used a high frequency Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Service radio channel, a channel not typically used for reporting emergencies. The phrasing and terminology used in both hoax calls was also very similar. and may have reflected a knowledge of Coast Guard procedures.  The voice on the calls was very similar and is now being analysed by experts.

Coast Guard: Similarities in Texas, N.J. hoax calls

Making a false call is a federal felony, with a maximum penalty of six years in prison, a $250,000 fine and reimbursement to the Coast Guard for the cost of performing the search.

New Hornblower Hybrid In New York Harbor – Powered by Diesel, Wind, Solar and Fuel Cells

Posted on by June 20, 2012

In December of 2010, we posted about a new vessel under construction at Derecktor Shipyards for Hornblower New York. It was to be a hybrid excursion boat powered by diesel engines, as well as by solar and wind power and by hydrogen fuel cells.  The new Hornblower Hybrid has arrived in New York harbor.  It has actually been here since October, completing trial and Coast Guard certification. I happened to see it at the dock at Liberty Landing a couple of weeks ago and Hornblower’s Cameron Clark was kind enough to show me around.
Continue reading →

MV Alaed, Russian Ship Carrying Arms for Syria, Makes a U-Turn & Heads Back to Russia

Posted on by June 22, 2012

The MV Alaed, a 9,00 DWT geared cargo ship, was reported to be carrying refurbished Russian attack helicopters, as well as missiles and other unspecified munitions, on a voyage from Russia to Syria.  Today, about 50 miles (80.4km) off Scotland’s north coast, the ship turned around and headed back to Russia. The change in course was not induced by warships or threats of air attack but by the withdrawal of the ship’s Protection and Indemnity insurance by The Standard Club in London.

A statement by the insurer said,  that the cover was withdrawn because the owners of the ship had “broken internal rules” of the club – a mutual insurance association – and not on the instructions of the UK government.

“We were informed on Friday evening that the ship might be carrying weapons, in particular attack helicopters, missiles and non-specific munitions, and we are making inquiries to establish what their side of the story is. There are exclusion clauses in our cover and, for anyone involved in improper or unlawful trade, we can cancel cover.”

Ship ‘carrying attack helicopters to Syria’ halted off Scotland heads for Russia

‘Extraordinary’ 800 Year Old Shipwreck Found off Swedish Coast

Posted on by June 19, 2012

Portion of ship’s knee and frame recovered from wreck. Photo: Kalmar Country Museum

This is a busy time for underwater explorers in the waters off Sweden. Yesterday, we posted about an unidentified object on the Baltic Sea floor which the media has been referring to as the Millennium Falcon.   Recently, divers off the south coast of Sweden have found what is being described as an “extraordinary” shipwreck, estimated to be 800 years old.

‘Extraordinary’ shipwreck found off Swedish coast
Continue reading →

Dive on Baltic Sea “Millenium Falcon” Only Deepens Mystery

Posted on by June 19, 2012

Last June, while doing sonar sweeps of the bottom of the Baltic Sea, the Swedish treasure hunters, Ocean X Team, saw something that they did not understand.  It appeared to be a 197 feet diameter disk-shaped object at the depth of approximately 275 feet.   The shape reminded many of the Russian round-ironclad battleship Novgorod.  The Novgorod, however, was only 1/3 the diameter of the object spotted on sonar.   When the sonar images were released, the press  began  speculating about everything from UFOs to Russian spacecraft.  Comparisons were immediately made to the shape of the Millennium Falcon spaceship from the movie Star Wars.

Recently the Ocean X Team sent down divers to examine the object.  The results of the dive have only deepened the deep-water mystery.

Experts baffled after first dive to Baltic ‘shipwreck’
Continue reading →

Dardanelles Raider HMS E14 – British Submarine Found Intact After 94 Years

Posted on by June 17, 2012

Last Voyage of the E14 – click on thumbnail to go to larger image.

On April 27, 1915, at the height of the the World War I Gallipoli campaign, Lt-Cdr Edward Courtney Boyle piloted the submarine HMS E14 beneath the minefields, guns and search lights of the the Narrows, the heavily defended entrance to the Dardanelles, the gateway to the Sea of Marmara and Istanbul.  Once past the ” impregnable defences,”  the E14 spent three weeks in the Sea of Marmara, sinking numerous ships including two warships and a White Star cruise liner packed with 6,000 Turkish troops bound for Gallipoli.  The E14 then again slipped back out through the Dardanelles to safety.  In 1918, the E14, under the command of Lt-Cdr Geoffrey Saxon White, was lost in the Dardanelles. Both Lt-Cdrs Boyle and White were awarded the Victoria Cross.  White’s was awarded posthumously.

The location of the submarine was unknown until this year when the ship was located intact by Turkish documentary-makers in the Dardanelles, after a search that began in January.   The submarine is the only British E-class submarine ever to be discovered intact.

Found after 94 years – the submarine which won two VCs
Continue reading →

Michele Puzzolante’s Solar Floating Resort

Posted on by June 16, 2012

Earlier this week we posted about the “Boatel at Marina 59″ at New York’s Far Rockaway, which sounds like a nice blend of art-project, camping and a floating party.   At the extreme other end of the spectrum is designer Michele Puzzolante’s Solar Floating Resort, which is designed to be part luxury yacht and part luxury hotel suite with dash of submersible thrown in.  Energy self sufficient and non-polluting, with modular construction, it is a very interesting concept design, if, no-doubt, a bit pricier than Rockaway’s recycled boatel accommodations.

GLOBAL WARMING:THE SOLAR FLOATING RESORT SET GOOD EXAMPLE

[iframe: width=”560″ height=”420″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/QE0hqZHKMX8″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen]

The El Estero Fire – the Greatest Nautical Disaster that Didn’t Happen

Posted on by June 15, 2012

El Estero scuttled Near Robbins Reef, New York Harbor

Bowsprite was kind enough to pass along this forgotten moment in history, which fits in well with recent posts.  Like the case of the Liberty ship SS Richard Montgomery, it involves a ship loaded with high explosives and like the apparent “Blind Date” hoax, it is about an explosion, which did not happen, though unlike the Blind Date hoax, it came perilously close to being a major disaster.  The fire in New York harbor of 1943 has been rightly called the greatest nautical disaster that didn’t happen.
Continue reading →

Update: MT Pavit – the Ship that Drifted Ashore, Up for Sale at Auction, Again

Posted on by June 15, 2012

Last August, we posted about the surprise arrival of the tanker MT Pavit on Juhu Beach near Mumbai, India.  The tanker had previously been reported to have sunk after engine room flooding.  This was the second ship that had arrived on Juhu Beach unexpectedly last summer.  In June 2011, the MV Wisdom, which had been on her way to the ship breakers, also drifted ashore after a tow line broke.

Now the Maharashtra Maritime Board (MMB) is trying to sell the ship but not having much luck. In the first attempt to auction the ship no bid approached the Rs. 4.75 crore (Approximately US$ 850,000) minimum reserve price.  The MMB which maintains that the vessel is in good condition and sea-worthy, is now holding a second auction and hopes to have better luck. The ship’s owner has apparently abandoned the stranded tanker.

Second attempt to auction ship that drifted into city

US Sailing – Yacht Aegean Sank After Hitting North Coronado Island in Newport to Ensenada Race

Posted on by June 14, 2012

In the early morning hours of April 28th, the yacht Aegean disappeared and sank in the Newport to Ensenada Race.  Wreckage of the  sailboat and the bodies of the fours sailors who had been aboard were subsequently found nearby. After initial speculation that there had been an explosion or that the sailboat had been run down by a commercial vessel, the log of an online tracking GPS tracking system suggested that the 37-foot Hunter 376 sailboat had struck the rocks on North Coronado Island. Yesterday, US Sailing’s Independent Review Panel concluded that  a grounding on North Coronado Island was the cause of the accident.  A full report from US Sailing is expected by July.

US Sailing Independent Review Panel Makes Discovery in Newport to Ensenada Race Tragedy

Not everyone is satisfied with the panel’s conclusion. As reported by the Daily Breeze.com: Anna Mavromati, daughter of the yacht’s captain, Theo Mavromatis, said her family believes the findings are premature and not accurate.   “It came as a shock,” said Mavromati, 24, who learned of US Sailing’s announcement in news reports. “I don’t think they have sufficient evidence to make the claims they are making.”

Struck by a Breaching Whale – Circumnavigator Max Young Rescued off Baja

Posted on by June 14, 2012

Reflections

Since 1985, Max Young has sailed his Perry 50, Reflections, around the world.  He survived storm, calm, tsunami and pirates off Indonesia.  His voyage came to an end early Wednesday morning off Baja in the Pacific, 40 miles west of La Playa, Mexico, when a breaching whale struck his sail boat.  The whale disabled the boat’s steering and damaged the hull.  Unable to steer and with the boat taking on water, Young, 66, who was single-handing on a voyage from Central America, activated his EPIRB. The US Coast Guard dispatched a Hercules Long Range Surveillance Aircraft and vectored the Ocean Virgo, a Panamanian-flagged merchant ship, participating in the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER), to Young’s position.  The Ocean Virgo picked up Max Young at around 4AM Wednesday.

Sacramento Man Rescued After Whale Collision
Continue reading →

Marina 59 and the Far Rockaway “Boatel” Built from the Flotsam & Jetsam of Jamaica Bay

Posted on by June 13, 2012

Photo: Nathan Kensinger

In a marina in the Far Rockaway neighborhood, in the New York City borough of Queens, a summer habitation has grown up from a group of abandoned docks and boats.  Part artists’ colony and part junk yard, the Boatel at Marina 59 is described as :

... Summer adventure art camping on boats. The Boatel is an interactive art + sound installation that takes place on the docks of Marina 59, under the planes taking off from JFK airport and five blocks from Rockaway Beach.

23 artists from NYC and abroad are meticulously crafting a world out of the flotsam & jetsam of Jamaica Bay. A cluster of reclaimed/rebuilt docks + junk boats create worlds within worlds, an hour from the city and a thousand miles away from reality.
Continue reading →

Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival 2012 – A Music and Environmental Festival, 6/16 – 6/17

Posted on by June 13, 2012

If you are anywhere near the the village of Croton-on-Hudson, NY (about 30 miles north of New York City), Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival 2012 promises to be a great weekend of music, storytelling and sailing.

Over forty years ago, the folk singer, Pete Seeger, decided that he wanted to do something about the Hudson River, which was polluted with sewage, industrial waste and toxic chemicals and considered environmentally “dead.”  He decided to “build a boat to save the river.”  His idea was to build a replica of the classic Hudson river sloop to bring people down to the river again.  The Great Hudson River Revival initially helped raise the funds to build the sloop, optimistically named, Clearwater, which has since become a world-renowned floating classroom and a symbol of effective grassroots action. The Hudson River Sloop Clearwater is a non-profit organization that sails at the forefront of the nation’s environmental challenges. So far, over 500,000 children have experienced the Hudson River estuary aboard the sloop. The revenue raised by the Revival goes to support Clearwater’s numerous educational programs and its work toward environmental and social justice—as well as keeping the Clearwater sailing.

Clearwater’s Great Hudson River Revival
Continue reading →

Battleship USS Texas – 100 Years Old and Taking on Water Fast

Posted on by June 26, 2012

Battleship Texas taking on extraordinary amounts of water

The battleship USS Texas was launched 100 years ago on May 19th, 1912.  She is the oldest remaining dreadnought battleship and only one of six surviving ships to have served in both World War I and World War II.

Right now, she is also taking on water fast.  On Saturday, crews discovered what is described as “extraordinary amounts of water” flooding the ship’s engine room.  They still have not been able to identify the source of the leak but have been attempting to manage the flooding with additional pumps.  The ship is also beginning to list.

This is not the first time that the aged ship has sprung a leak.  In June of 2010, the ship came close to sinking but was caught time.  After that close call, a plan was developed to build a cofferdam around the ship, to create a dry berth. That was almost two years ago, but shortages of funds have postponed the construction.

Diving Dock Dogs and a Tall Ship at the Sailing Seaway Clayton Festival

Posted on by June 12, 2012

There have been lots of festivals this season with tall ships, but how many can boast dock diving dogs?  Last October, we posted about the new and growing sport of dock dogs, where dogs competing on how far they can jump into the water. This weekend’s Sailing Seaway Clayton festival in Clayton, New York will feature a visit by the STV Fair Jeanne, but will also include a Seaway Splash dock dog competition.  Dogs will be able to compete in three events – “Extreme Vertical,” and  “Speed Retrieve.”  The Seaway Splash events will be held on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.  Click here for a detailed schedule.   On Thursday at 6PM there will be a boat parade to escort the STV Fair Jeanne into port.  The  Fair Jeanne will also be open for tours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Clayton, New York is a riverfront village on the St. Lawrence River in the Thousand Islands region. It is also home to the Antique Boat Museum.