The Unfortunate Economics of Tall Ships

Posted on by May 27, 2012

The old cliche that a boat is a hole in the water into which you pour money applies far too well to tall ships. They are expensive to build or restore and chronically costly to maintain and keep running.  It should come as no surprise that most of the ships in the recent Parade of Sail at OpSail New York were training vessels funded by the navies of various governments.

Recently, the schooners Virginia and the Spirit of South Carolina have fallen on hard times. The historic schooner Ernestina ex. Effie M. Morrissey, the official “tall ship of Massachusetts” is in dire straits, needing significant repairs to keep her afloat. The  replica HMS Bounty has been actively for sale for some time and the brigantine Pelican is also actively for sale. The list of vessels in financial distress or actively for sale, goes on and on.  Recently Aaron Applegate,  writing for HamptonRooads.com, looked at the economics of “tall ships.”

Economically, tall ships are a tall order
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Whales Give Dolphins a Lift

Posted on by May 27, 2012

Scientists have observed, in two different locations off the Hawaiian islands, humpback whales giving dolphins “rides” on their heads. A dolphin will swim up over the top of the humpback whale’s head. The humpback will then gently lift its head allowing the dolphin to slide down its back. In one encounter the dolphin and the whale repeated the “ride” six times in succession. The actions of both dolphins and whales appeared to be slow and gentle showing no signs of aggression. They appeared to be involved in inter-species play, which is extremely rare in the natural world.  Thanks to Wojtek ‘Voytec’ Wacowski for pointing it out on Facebook.

Science Bulletins: Whales Give Dolphins a Lift

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Update: MV Rena – Cover-up Revealed and Jail Time for Captain and Second Officer

Posted on by May 26, 2012

On October 5, 2011, the containership MV Rena ran aground on Astrolabe Reef off Tauranga, resulting in one of the worst maritime environmental disasters in New Zealand history.  Yesterday, in a New Zealand court, the captain, Mauro Balomaga, and second officer, Leonil Relon, were found guilty of a total of eleven charges and each was sentenced to seven months in jail.   In addition to poor seamanship, the captain and second officer attempted to cover up their actions by altering the ship’s GPS log, its passage plan and its computer records to mislead the investigators.

Rena: The cover-up revealed
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Weird Beachcombing News – Beach Rocks Set Woman’s Shorts On Fire

Posted on by May 26, 2012

Not quite too sure what to make of this. Of all sports, beachcombing seems like one of the safest.  Apparently, a woman, beachcombing with her family on a San Clemente Beach in Southern California, pocketed a few rocks which may have contained naturally occurring white phosphorus.  Friction between the rocks may have caused an ignition, setting the woman’s shorts on fire and resulting in severe burns to the woman’s leg.

Rocks Set Fire In Pocket: Woman Burned By Beach Rocks That Spontaneously Combusted In Her Pants

 

The “Gresham Ship’’ – Elizabethan Shipwreck on the Move

Posted on by May 28, 2012

Cannon showing the mark of Sir Thomas Gresham

Shipwrecks tend to be pretty stationary. They are not prone to wandering about.  Now, however, an Elizabethan shipwreck dating from 1574, which was recovered from the River Thames in 2003, is on the move.  The remains of  the 16th-century “Gresham Ship’’ are set to be transported 160 miles to Stoney Cove in Leicestershire on June 1 and lowered into a lake.  The move is being  co-ordinated by the Nautical Archaeological Society, which will use the ship as an “underwater classroom’’ to train the next generation of nautical archaeologists.

Elizabethan shipwreck to be moved to Leicestershire
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The Navy’s MMOWGLI (Massive Multiplayer Online Wargame Leveraging the Internet)

Posted on by May 25, 2012

The US Navy’s newest strategic weapon may be a Massive Multiplayer Online Wargame.  If it works for HALO and gears of War, why not the Navy?  The project is a joint effort between the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) and Institute for the Future (IFTF).  The approach is to “crowdsource ideas and strategies that may provide insight to some of the Navy’s toughest problems.”

The game’s first round was “piracyMMOWGLI” in Summer of 2011 and focused on countering Somali piracy. The next round, energyMMOWGLI, is launching this month.  As the name suggests, this game deals with energy, specifically asking the question, “How can the Navy best meet future energy demands?” The game is focused on reducing fossil fuel dependency.  ironically, as pointed out by TPM, “the timing of the new game’s launch is somewhat unfortunate given that the Republican-led House Armed Services Committee voted last week to effectively prohibit the Department of Defense from purchasing any alternative fuel that costs more than petroleum. That effectively eliminates biofuels, at least for the near future.”  Of course, biofuels are only one component of energy policy, but they could play an important role.
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Maersk Texas Attacked by Pirates, Probably – Pirates Driven off by Somebody

Posted on by May 24, 2012

Photo: Maksim Ivanov MarineTraffic.com

Simply trying to keep up with what is going on the battle against piracy is not as easy as it might appear.

For example, Maersk Texas, a US flag cargo ship came under attack by pirates in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday around noon local time, or at least that is what Maersk says.  The European Union’s counter-piracy force said it had reviewed the incident and determined there was “no case of piracy and it’s a false alarm,” according to Timo Lange, a spokesman for the Northwood, England-based EU Navfor.  Maersk says that the pirates, attacking in multiple skiffs, were driven off by armed guards aboard the ship.   The Iranian Navy, however, says that they drove off the pirates, who fled only after Iranian naval vessels appeared on the scene.

Everyone does agree that no one was hurt aboard the Maersk Texas and that she proceeded on her voyage.  We hope that the rest of the voyage proves uneventful. Thanks to Phil Leon for the heads up.

Greenport Tall Ships Challenge 2012 – Memorial Day Weekend

Posted on by May 24, 2012

New York harbor is not the only port on the North-Eastern coast of the United States with a wealth of tall ships over Memorial Day Weekend.  Greenport, New York  is hosting the Greenport Tallships Challenge 2012.   Greenport, on the easterly tip of Long Island, is the second stop on the Tall Ships America’s 2012 TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE Race Series. The sail began in Savannah, Georgia. The participating ships raced up the East Coast to Greenport, Long Island, and then will head off to Newport, Rhode Island (July 6-9) and Halifax, Nova Scotia (July 19-23).

The ships participating include HMS Bounty, Picton Castle, the privateer schooner Lynx, the privateer schooner Pride of Baltimore II, as well as the schooners Roseway, Unicorn, and Summerwind.    All vessels will be open to visitors and the Roseway will offer sail excursions.
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Fire on Nuclear Submarine USS Miami in Maine Shipyard

Posted on by May 24, 2012

Photo:Elizabeth Dinan/www.seacoastonline.com

Crew responded to a fire on the nuclear submarine, USS Miami,  at around 5:40 PM last night at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine.  This morning, the Navy reports that the fire has been put put. Three shipyard firefighters, two civilian firefighters and two crew members are reported to have received minor injuries.  There were no weapons aboard the submarine and the reactor had been shut down for several months prior to the fire breaking out.  The USS Miami (SSN-755) is a United States Navy attack submarine of the Los Angeles class. She was commissioned in 1990. Groton, CT is her home port.

Fire on nuclear sub at Maine shipyard hurts 7

OpSail New York – Parade of Sail

Posted on by May 23, 2012

The fleet began to appear from the harbor haze around 9 AM and headed north up the inner harbor and the Hudson River. They were a mix of full rigged ships, barques, barquentines, topsail schooners and schooners.  Most were naval vessels, but without guns or missiles. (The only gunfire was a salute by the replica privateer, Pride of Baltimore II.)  The navies of the world understand the value of sail training if their young naval officers are to truly understand the sea.  Naval training ships from Indonesia, Mexico, Brazil, Columbia, Spain, France, Ecuador and the United States joined in the grand parade of sail.

OpSail New York 2012 – Parade of Sail 5/23/12

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The Legendary Ensign Chuck Hord, Born in 1959, Lost at Sea in 1908

Posted on by May 22, 2012

A portrait of a naval ensign, in a heavy gilt frame, hung in a lonely corridor in the labyrinth that is the Pentagon.   The plaque on the portrait read:

ENS CHUCK HORD, USNA,
CIRCA 1898, LOST AT SEA 1908

Fortunately for Ensign Hord, he was not lost at sea in 1908. He was, in fact, born in 1959 and currently lives in Burke, VA.   How his portrait came to be hung at the Pentagon is the story of an extended series of practical jokes played on an officer who himself was known as a jokester.  Unfortunately, the portrait’s blown-dried hair finally gave it away. The portrait no longer graces the Pentagon hallway.  Thanks to Phil Leon for passing the story along. As reported by the Wall Street Journal:

Walk the Prank: Secret Story of Mysterious Portrait at Pentagon

OpSail Fleet in New York’s Outer Harbor

Posted on by May 14, 2013

Last night I went out to see some of the participating OpSail tall ships in New York’s Outer Harbor.  The trip was organized by the Working Harbor Committee with commentary provided by Richard Taylor and Captain Richard Dorfman.  Click on the thumbnails for a larger image.

Opsail & Fleet Week in Brooklyn – the Portside Guides

Posted on by May 23, 2012

Many visitors think of New York as the island of Manhattan.  The City of New York is in fact five boroughs, only one of which is connected to the mainland.  If Brooklyn, the largest borough, had remained an independent city, as it was until 1898, it would now be the 4th largest city in the United States.

When the fleet of visiting tall and military ships arrive in New York starting tomorrow, Brooklyn will host ten of the ships, more than any other borough in the city.  Portside New York has put together two wonderful guides to the festivities -the Complete Guide to Brooklyn – Opsail 2012 and the Guide to the Columbia Waterfront.  Each has a wealth of information about the ships, schedules, local lore and even discount coupons for shopping.   So, if you are in New York for Opsail and Fleet Week but don’t plan on visiting Brooklyn, as they used to say on the docks, fuhgeddaboudit.

Opsail & Fleet Week Arrive in New York

Posted on by May 22, 2012

USCG Barque Eagle Photo: Joyce Naltchayan/AFP/Getty Images

The visiting tall ships have started arriving in New York’s outer harbor.  Tomorrow morning at just after 8 in the morning, the “Parade of Sail” will form up at the Verazano Narrows Bridge and stand north into the inner harbor past the Statue of Liberty and up the Hudson River as far as the George Washington Bridge, followed at around 10:40 by a   “Military Parade of Ships.”   There should be good view spots on both sides of the river from the the Battery North to the GW Bridge on the Manhattan side and from Liberty State Park, Jersey City, Hoboken and Weehawken up to Fort Lee on the New Jersey shore.

Ships will be open for visitors starting Thursday on Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island. In general, the Manhattan and Staten Island ships will be open from Thursday through Tuesday while the ships in Brooklyn will be open Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.  For detailed schedules and locations see Opsail – New York  and Fleet Week New York.

Fleet Week: Where to watch the Parade of Ships sail into New York Harbor

Diplomatic Row Over Shooting of Indian Fishermen by Italian Armed Guards

Posted on by May 22, 2012

Enrica Lexie

Two Italian marines, Latorre Massimiliano and Salvatore Girone, are in an Indian jail awaiting trial for the alleged murder of two Indian fisherman. They are at the center of a legal & diplomatic fight over the use of armed guards on merchant ships to combat pirates. On February 15th, as members of an Italian navy Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) on board the oil tanker MV Enrica Lexie, the marines shot and killed two Indian fishermen that they mistook for pirates. Over the weekend, the Italian government recalled its envoy from New Delhi to protest the Indian government’s handling of the case.

Italy says envoy recall signals “strong displeasure” with India
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Four Tons on Marijuana Worth $4 Million Found Floating Off Dana Point, California

Posted on by May 21, 2012

A local boater first spotted the bales floating 15 miles offshore near Point Dana, California.  When law enforcement went out to investigate, they found between 160-180 bales of marijuana (depending on the news report), weighing close to four tons and worth around $4 million dollars, bobbing in the Pacific Ocean.   The Border Patrol described the situation, with admirable understatement, as “unusual.”

Border Patrol: ‘Unusual’ for marijuana bales floating in ocean near Dana Point

The Seven Deadly Seas and Dead Upon a Wind – Pirate Burlesque Returns to New York on the Barquentine Gazela

Posted on by May 21, 2012

On Wednesday, Philadelphia’s tall ship, the 112+ year old barquentine Gazela, will be among the seventeen tall ships in the “Parade of Sail” on the Hudson River. Once again, however, the Gazela will bringing more than just history and grace to the harbor when she ties up alongside Pier 25. She will also bring the full troupe of “Seven Deadly Seas” performing “Dead upon a Wind, a Pirate Burlesque.”  They will perform on the ship at Pier 25 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, May 25, 26 and 27 at 8 and 10 PM each evening.   Click here to learn more and/or buy tickets.
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Was Shakespeare a Sailor?

Posted on by September 5, 2019

Charles Spencer, writing for the Telegraph, had a hunch. After reviewing the Royal Shakespeare Company’s trilogy of Shakespeare’s “shipwreck” plays last month,  he  found himself wondering whether the Bard spent his so-called “lost years” before his arrival in London, as a sailor. He has now come to the conclusion that his hunch holds water, so to speak, based primarily on the work of the late Professor A.F. Falconer of the University of St. Andrews.

Professor Falconer wrote two books in the 1960s detailing his conclusion that Shakespeare was, at one time, a sailor. His Shakespeare & the Sea followed by A Glossary Of Shakespeare’s Sea And Naval Terms Including Gunnery demonstrate the depth of understanding of the nautical world evident in Shakespeare’s plays and sonnets.  Sadly, both books are long out of print and hard to find.
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Video of Proposed Costa Concordia Salvage

Posted on by May 21, 2012

Last Friday we posted about a presentation made by the Titan-Micoperi consortium detailing their plans to salvage the Costa Concordia from the where she sank on January 13th off the island of Giglio, Italy.  The plan is to build an underwater platform onto which the ship can be rolled. Caissons, air tanks, secured to the sides of the hull would then be used to float the ship.   If successful, the salvage will be the largest re-floating of a sunken ship in history.

Salvage Operation to Bring the Capsized Costa Concordia to the Surface Begins

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Viking Longship Dragon Harold Fairhair Rolls Closer to Launching

Posted on by May 20, 2012

The Dragon Harald Fairhair is the largest Viking longship to be built in modern times. (See our previous post: Building the Viking Longboat Dragon Harald Fairhair)  Built of oak, in the town of Haugesund in Western Norway, the ship is hundred and fourteen feet, twenty-seven feet wide, displacing seventy tons, and will carry thirty-two hundred square feet of sail.  This week the longship was rolled stern first from the fabrication shop closer to the launch ways to be be tarred.  Launching is expected in June.  Thanks to Marit Synnøve Vea for posting the photos on Facebook.

The Dragon is taken out of the shipyard, May 16th 2012