Help Save the Schooner Lettie G. Howard

Posted on by February 11, 2012

The Lettie G. Howard is in trouble.  The wooden Fredonia schooner was built in Essex, Massachusetts in 1893. She was acquired by the South Street Seaport Museum in 1968 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1989.  She was recently drydocked at the Mystic Seaport in CT to repair rot in her keelson. The rot turned out to be far more extensive than originally thought. The cost of the repairs, of course, is also significantly higher than budgeted.  The good news is that the new museum management is committed to saving the much loved and historic schooner and has begun raising funds to support the repairs. (As we posted in December 2011, the previous management was attempting to get rid of the schooner.)

On Friday, the Museum posted on its Facebook page:
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New Navy Litoral Combat Ship to be Named for Gabrielle Giffords

Posted on by February 10, 2012

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

The Navy newest Littoral Combat Ship will be named the USS Gabrielle Giffords in honor of the former Arizona Congresswoman who survived an assassination attempt one year ago. The USS Gabrielle Giffords will be the 17th ship to be named for a woman and the 13th to be named after a living person, according to the Defense Department.  The ship’s “sponsor” will be Roxanna Green, the mother of Christina-Taylor Green, the 9-year-old girl who was killed in the Tucson shooting that wounded Giffords in January 2011.  The Secretary of the Navy,  Ray Mabus, described Giffords and Roxanna Green as “sources of great inspiration” who “represent the Navy and Marine Corps qualities of overcoming, adapting and coming out victoriously despite great challenges.”

Navy ship to be named for Gabrielle Giffords

Gabrielle Giffords is married to Captain Mark Kelly, a retired NASA astronaut and a graduate of the Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point, NY.   Mark Kelly’s twin brother, Scott, is also a NASA astronaut and is a graduate of the State University of New York Maritime College at Fort Schuyler.  The Kelly brothers are the first twins to fly for NASA, and no doubt, the first astronaut brothers to have both graduated from merchant marine academies.

US Army Landing Craft, Great Bridge, Rescues 101 Adrift in the Pacific

Posted on by February 10, 2012

USAV GREAT BRIDGE

It is easy to forget how many ships and boats are indeed operated by the United States Army. Earlier this week the 80 feet long vessel, Enin Meto, with 101 people aboard, was bound from Lib to Ebeye, two island in the Marshall Islands chain in the Pacific, when their engine broke down. Using a battery operated radio, the Enin Meto‘s crew contacted USAKA (United States Army Kwajalein Atoll) Operations, which dispatched the LCU Great Bridge to find the stricken vessel. In high seas on a very dark night, the Great Bridge finally located the Enin Meto and towed the boat and her passengers to the island of Ebye.  Ebye is  the most populous of the more than a dozen islands that make up the Kwajalein Atoll.

The Great Bridge is a Runnymede class large landing craft 174 ft (53 m) long, with a beam of 42 ft (13 m), a draft of 8.5 ft (2.6 m) and a displacement of 1,102 long tons.

Great Bridge, crew save 101 stranded on boat near Lib

Neptune Grass – The Oldest Living Thing on Earth

Posted on by June 3, 2022

What is the oldest living thing on the planet?  My first guess would have been the giant sequoia, which can grow to be several hundred feet tall and live to be several thousand years old.  It turns out that the giant sequoia are relative youngsters in the grand scheme of things. Recently, a Tasmanian shrub, Lomatia tasmanica, was found to be 43,600 years old.  Now a group of scientists have sequenced the DNA of posidonia oceanica, known as Neptune grass, a variety of sea grass that covers the ocean floor from Spain to Cyprus, and have found plants that apparently are 200,000 years old.
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Container Ship Horizon Reliance Saves Three in Nighttime Rescue in the Pacific

Posted on by February 9, 2012

At around 2AM local time Wednesday, the container ship Horizon Reliance rescued three Canadians, two men and a 9 year old boy, from the 33 foot disabled sailboat, Liahona, about 411 nautical miles east of Honolulu, Hawaii.  The winds were gusting over 40 knots and swells were running up to 20 feet.
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Video of the Lagarfljóts Worm, Great Icelandic Lake Monster – An Internet Sensation

Posted on by February 9, 2012

I saw it on the Internet so it must be true!  The Lagarfljóts Worm has gone viral.  A video of what appears to be a large serpent-like creature swimming in the the glacial river, Jökulsá í Fljótsdal, in east Iceland, has been viewed over a million times on Youtube.  It has also been featured on television and has been written about in newspapers from around the world.  For some, the video is proof of the existence of the legendary Lagarfljótsormurinn, a great serpent-like beast that is said to live in Lagarfljót lake, which is 25 miles long and 367 feet deep. There have been “serpent” sightings in the lake as recently as 1998, as well as dating back to a reference in the Icelandic Annals of 1345.

Loren Coleman, director of the International Cryptozoology Museum in Portland, Maine, and author of Field Guide to Lake Monsters and Sea Serpents is considerably more skeptical about the “serpent” on the video.  Writing on his website, Cryptomundo, “Frankly, this video shows something that looks like a constructed snake-like object, with rigid sections, being propelled through the water…  It seems someone attempting this fakery, perhaps by using a robot with tarps, fish nets, or trash bags (a favorite for watery hoaxers)…”

The Iceland Worm Monster (Lagarfljóts Worm) Caught on Camera

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Is this Iceland’s Loch Ness monster? Giant ‘serpent-like sea creature’ caught on camera swimming in glacial river

Spanish Win the Fight for the Mercedes – Judge Orders Odyssey to Return $500 Million in Coins

Posted on by February 9, 2012

Sinking of the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes

The Battle of Cape Santa Maria was one of the most controversial naval engagements of the Napoleonic Wars.  The attack on a Spanish treasure fleet on October 5, 1804 by a British squadron, without a declaration of war, was considered to be an act of piracy by the Spanish and justified as a “necessity of war” by the British.  In addition to the international controversy, there were extended legal arguments over whether prize money was due to the British officers and and crews from the £900,000 (equivalent to £62,923,000 today) in gold and silver captured in the battle.

The Battle of Cape Santa Maria, or perhaps more properly, a battle over the battle, re-erupted in 2007 when Odyssey Marine Exploration secretly salvaged $500m (£308m) worth of gold and silver coins from the wreck of the Nuestra Señora de las Mercedes, a Spanish frigate which blew up and sank during the engagement.
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More Than Five Somali Pirates Let Go for Every One Prosecuted

Posted on by February 8, 2012

If a single fact can explain why an armada of high tech naval ships from around the world has failed to control, much less to eradicate, gangs of Somali pirates operating from hijacked fishing trawlers and open boats, this is it.  Strategy Page reports that for every one Somali pirate who is prosecuted, more than five are set free.  So far, roughly 800 have been captured and prosecuted for piracy off Somalia. More than 4,000 have been captured and released. It is likely thay many of these have been captured and released more than once.
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Dutch Tall Ships Europa and Oosterschelde Sailing Old Trade Routes to Indonesia and Australia

Posted on by February 7, 2012

The first documented European to land on Australia was the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon aboard the Duyfken in March 1606.   Duyfken was also one of the first Dutch ships to got directly to the East Indies to load spices.  The Dutch would long dominate the trade with the Spice Islands and ruled the Dutch East indies, now Indonesia, for centuries.

In October 2012, the Dutch tall ships the bark Europa and topsail schooner Oosterschelde will again sail the ancient trade routes.  The Oosterschelde will sail from Rotterdam and rendezvous in Capetown with the Europa which will be returning from an Antarctic cruise. Other sailing vessels may be joining the rendezvous including the two mast herring drifter Tecla.  From Capetown they will sail together to Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion, Fremantle and on to Jakarta. From there they will set a course for Adelaide, Melbourne and Hobart.  The ships are looking for voyage crew members to join the ships. Follow the link below for more information. Thanks to Dexter Donham at Sailing Ship Adventures for pointing the expedition out.

Dutch Tall Ships – a Historic Journey

Hawaii Superferries, Marad, Title XI and the US Navy – Taxpayers Still Foot the Bill

Posted on by February 7, 2012

Pity the poor taxpayer.  The headline was short and simple – U.S. Navy Buys Hawaii Superferries.  For only $35 million dollars, the US Navy is buying two aluminum, high-speed, ro/ro ferries built for Hawaii Superferry for inter-island service in Hawaii.  The ferries were delivered in 2007 and 2009.  The company also filed for bankruptcy in 2009.  What a great deal!  The US Navy gets two almost new ferries that cost $190 million to build for only $35 million!  Yes, but not quite.  What is really happening is that one branch of the government is paying another branch of the government a notional sum to buy ships that the government  already owns.
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A Grim Week for Shipwrecks – Black Sea, the Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea and Dongting Lake in China Claim

Posted on by February 6, 2012

It is easy to focus of the plight of the 34 dead or missing from the Costa Concordia.  Regrettably, these casualties have not been the only recent deaths on the water. The past week has been particularly brutal with ship and boat sinkings in the Black Sea, off the Dominican Republic, Papua New Guinea and Dongting Lake in China.  A quick run-down of one grim week’s loss of life:
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SS Port Nicholson, the “Blue Baron” and the 70 Tons of Platinum – Déjà Vu ?

Posted on by February 6, 2012

Top image from 2009 provided by SSR, Bottom image Port Nicholson - www.shippingtimes.co.uk

We recently posted about a press release by Sub Sea Research (SSR) claiming to have located the wreck of a British cargo ship sunk in June 1942 by the German submarine U87. Sub Sea Research claims that the ship was carrying 70 tons of platinum when she sank off the coast of Cape Cod.  SSR says that the ship’s name is the Port Nicholson.

In 2009, Sub Sea Research (SSR) also claimed to have located the wreck of a British cargo ship sunk in June 1942 by the German submarine U87. SSR claimed that the ship was carrying 70 tons of platinum when she sank 40 miles off the coast of Guyana.  The two sets of claims sound remarkably similar, except for the geography of the wrecks.

SSR did not identify the ship from 2009 but used the code-name “Blue Baron.”  SSR also claimed that the also carried ten tons of gold bullion, one and a half tons of industrial diamonds and 16 million carats of gem quality diamonds, in addition to the platinum.
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Keel Walking on the Hugo Boss

Posted on by February 5, 2012

The photos look Photoshopped. A man wearing a dark suit stands on the exposed articulated keel of the Open 60 racing sail boat, Hugo Boss, as she sails along heeled over on her starboard gunnel.  The photo and several similar showed up in ads for Hugo Boss men’s wear. But they have to be fake right?   The owner of the boat and the model for the shoot, Alex Thomspon says, no.  He repeated his “keel walking” but this time on video to show the world exactly how it is done.

The note on the You Tube video reads: 8 tonnes of carbon fibre yacht, a 255 horsepower jet ski, 45 combined years of sailing experience, and one crazy guy in a suit.  Alex Thomson attempts what he calls ‘The Keel Walk’, a stunt that has become infamous throughout the world thanks to the iconic image of Alex ‘riding’ the keel of his 60ft yacht ‘HUGO BOSS’.  Click here for a photo galley of Thomson “Keel Walking.”

Alex Thomson attempts the Keel Walk

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Thanks to Phil Leon for passing along the photo gallery.

Container Ship MOL Summer Rescued 116 of 246 Survivors of Capsized Ferry

Posted on by February 5, 2012

MOL Summer Photo: Olaf Schmidt

The officers and crew of the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines container ship, MOL Summer, deserve a special commendation for their rescue of 116 people following the capsizing and sinking of the passenger ferry MV Rabaul Queen off the coast of Papua New Guinea early Thursday. Eight merchant vessels assisted in the rescue operations.  Of the 246 survivors pulled from the sea, the crew of the MOL Summer rescued almost half.   Quite an accomplishment in high winds and seas for a crew of only 27.  The 38,332-dwt MOL Summer measures 246.8 m and has a maximum container capacity of 3,586 TEU.

Containership Rescues 116 Shipwreck Survivors

Costa Concordia: Captain Schettino and the “Mystery Woman”

Posted on by February 4, 2012

Domnica Cemortan, the "Mystery Woman"

If there is a moral of this story, I suppose it must be, “don’t leave your lingerie in the captain’s cabin.”  Not long after the Costa Concordia ran aground and sank off the island of Giglio on January 13th, there were reports of the ship’s captain, Francesco Schettino, being seen with a “mystery woman.” Described as young and blonde, the reports were variously that the captain was seen drinking with her, having dinner with her and that she was also on the bridge with the captain around the time that the ship ran aground.

The woman’s name is Domnica Cemortan. She is 25 and is from Moldavia. She is a ballet dancer and has worked aboard the Costa Concordia as an “international hostess” whose duties may have included serving as a translator for Russian guests. When the ship sank, however, she was neither working as a member of the crew nor was she listed on the passenger manifest.
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British Passenger Seen Falling Overboard from Cruise Ship Allure of the Seas

Posted on by February 4, 2012

RCCL Allure of the Seas

On Friday morning, a British passenger was seen falling overboard  fell from the balcony of his cruise ship cabin on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship,  the Allure of the Seas, while cruising off the coast of Mexico, near the island of Cozumel.  The Allure of the Seas with a capacity of 5,400 passengers is currently the largest cruise ship in the world.  The passenger, a 30 year old man, is still missing, despite ongoing searches by the Mexican Navy and Coast Guard.  This has been the third recorded case of passengers or crew  lost overboard on cruise ships this year and the second incident on a  Royal Caribbean ship. In 2011, 23 people were reported to have been lost overboard on cruise ships and ferries. Since 2000, 176 are reported to have been lost. Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing on the news.

Arms & Drug Trafficking – Container Ships and Rust Buckets

Posted on by February 4, 2012

The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has recently released a study of arms and drug trafficking by ship. The headline is “Most ships involved in arms and drugs trafficking are based in world’s richest countries.”  The larger part of the picture, however, is not ships, but containers. Containerization has revolutionized trade, including drug and arms trafficking.  From the SIPRI press release:
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Update: MV Rabaul Queen – 246 Rescued, More than 110 Missing

Posted on by February 4, 2012

Photo: AP /Post Courier

As of Thursday evening, 246 survivors had been pulled from the sea, following the sinking of the passenger ferry MV Rabaul Queen off the coast of Papua New Guinea early Thursday.  Only one survivor was reported to be found on Friday.  According to the Australian Maritime Safety Authority, survivors were rescued by merchant ships battling 16-foot (5-meter) swells and 45 mph (75 kph) winds at the disaster scene. It is feared that many of the missing may have been trapped inside the ferry when it capsized. The ferry has now sunk in water over 3,000 feet deep.

More than 110 missing from Papua New Guinea ferry

Mine-Detecting Dolphins and USS Ponce, Commando “Mothership” in Persian Gulf?

Posted on by February 3, 2012

USS Ponce

As Iranian saber-rattling raises tensions around the Straits of Hormuz, the US Navy has cancelled plans to decommission the 40 year old USS Ponce (LPD-15), an Austin-class amphibious transport dock ship.  Instead the ship is reported to be being refitted to operate as a “mothership” from which commando teams can operate.
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Passenger Ferry, MV Rabaul Queen, Sinks Off Papua New Guinea

Posted on by February 2, 2012

MV Rabaul Queen at the port of Kimbe

Between 5 and 6 AM Thursday morning, the passenger ferry, MV Rabaul Queen, capsized about 10 miles off Finschhafen on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea.  The ferry had a capacity for 300 people, but as many as 350 people are believed to have been aboard. More than 200 have now been pulled from the sea by rescuers. At least one hundred remaining unaccounted for. The ferry was sailing between the ports of Kimbe and Lae when it sent a distress call.  The cause of the sinking has not been determined but there were reports of strong northwesterly winds and sea swells of up to 5 meters.    The MV Rabaul Queen is reported to have been a 1983-built, 259 gross ton, Papua New Guinea-flagged passenger/ro-ro ferry operated by PNG’s Star Ships.  Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing on the news.

More Than 200 Rescued After Ferry Sinks Off Papua New Guinea