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

AMVER Rescue of Finnish Sailors on Sailboat Kamu by the Stolt Invention

Posted on by May 20, 2012

We consider AMVER to be one of the true “unsung heroes” of the maritime world.  AMVER is the “Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue” system run by the US Coast Guard.  Established in 1958, it is a computer-based voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities. Ships enrolled in the system report their positions periodically. When a distress signal is received anywhere in the world,  the AMVER database identifies the closest ship that can render assistance and vectors that ship to the sailors in distress. At any one time there are over 5,000 AMVER enrolled ships at sea ready to render assistance. On average, every 33 hours an AMVER ship saves a life somewhere on the world’s oceans.

Here is an example of a rescue that took place just over a week ago, when the AMVER enrolled Stolt Invention rescued two Finnish sailors from their sailboat, Kamu, which was taking on water after being struck by a whale.  AMVER makes the seas just a bit less dangerous and lonely.

Stolt Invention rescue

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Bulk Carrier ID Integrity Adrift Off Australia’s Great Barrier Reef – Passes Over Shark Reef

Posted on by May 20, 2012

ID Integrity Photo: AMSA

Update: The first tug has reached the ID Integrity. As reported by vesseltracker.com: The commercial tug “PT Kotor” rendezvoused with the “ID Integrity” on May 20 at approximately 10:30am AEST. At 11:30am AMSA was advised that the tug had connected a towline to the “ID Integrity” and they were now travelling at slow speed in a south-easterly direction (i.e. way from the Outer Reef) awaiting the arrival of the larger tugs. AMSA’s Emergency Towage Vessel (ETV) “Pacific Responder” was now scheduled to be on scene around 3:00 p.m. Once on scene it will provide assistance as required and remain on station until the third tug, the “PB Leichhardt”, has arrived and has connected a tow line.

High drama on the high seas.  The ID Integrity, a 46,000 DWT bulk carrier, had an engine failure on Friday night while about 325km north-east of Cairns, Australia, on a voyage in ballast, from Shanghai to Townsville.  The ship drifted toward Shark Reef, but the crew was able to discharge sufficient ballast to decrease the ship’s draft to avoid grounding.   A spokesman for the Australian Maritime Safety Authority has now confirmed that the ship has drifted safely over the reef.  The ship is now reported to be in open water drifting west towards Outer Reef.   Emergency tugs have been dispatched. The first is expected to arrive on Sunday morning local time.  Thanks to Phil Leon for passing along the news.

The Little Ships of England – 1943

Posted on by May 19, 2012

The intheboatshed.net blog recently featured a wonderful short video, The Little Ships of England, produced in 1943, highlighting wooden boat building in England during  World War II.

The Little Ships of England

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Titan-Micoperi Presents Plan to Raise Costa Concordia

Posted on by May 18, 2012

Representatives of Titan-Micoperi presented their plans to raise the Costa Concordia from where she sank after running aground off the island of Gilgio last January.  Titan-Micoperi is the consortium of Titan Salvage, the Crowley-owned specialist marine salvage company, and Italian marine contractor Micoperi, which was selected to salvage the cruise ship. 

Wrecked Costa Concordia to be raised from Italian sea bed

The operation will be divided into four basic stages, Costa said in its statement.
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OpSail and Fleet Week in New York Harbor – Two Parades of Ships on May 23rd

Posted on by May 28, 2012

Next Wednesday, May 23rd, OpSail 2012 and New York Fleet Week kick off with two parades of ships in the harbor and up the Hudson River.   This year’s OpSail is organized to mark the bicentennial of the War of 1812 and the writing of “The Star-Spangled Banner.”

At 8:10 AM, 17 international tall ships will depart from the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and proceed north, up the harbor and up the Hudson River to the George Washington Bridge in a magnificent  “Parade of Sail”.   At 10 AM, a “Military Parade of Ships,” of ten ships, will set off from the  Verrazano Narrows Bridge and head north. They should meet the flotilla of tall ships traveling South around the aircraft carrier Intrepid.

The fleets will then disperse to berths in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Staten Island, where they will be open to visitors through the 30th.

OpSail Bringing 17 Tall Ships to New York for Fleet Week 2012

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Thanks to Irwin Bryan for contributing to this post.