Hunt the Rats on the USS Massachusetts

Posted on by April 14, 2011

Rodents have always been a problem on ships, but things seem to be getting out of control.   Last week we posted (somewhat  facetiously) of a rodent problem on the Tall Ship Elissa after a rather large mouse named Minnie stopped by for a visit.  Now we hear of rats aboard the USS Massachusetts in Battleship Cove.  (The rats are far fluffier and cuter than the wharf rats in these parts.)

Next week, April 16-24, during spring break for many school kids, Battleship Cove is hosting  “Hunt the Rats” on USS MASSACHUSETTS.  From their website:   Ten adorable fluffy rats, disguised as members of the ship’s crew, have snuck on board and hidden themselves around the ship so it’ll take all your rat-hunting skills to find them all. Discover where the mischievous rodents have escaped to and be entered into a prize drawing. Great fun for the entire family! A video of the press conference announcing the hunt:

Battleship Cove The Rats Have Escaped

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Seaport Museum Founders Offer New Plan to Keep Institution Afloat

Posted on by April 13, 2011

Peter Stanford, a founder of the Seaport Museum. (National Maritime Historical Society)

Peter Stanford and Robert Ferraro, two of the founders of the financially troubled South Street Seaport Museum in New York City, spoke to museum volunteers on Saturday. They presented their vision of how the museum could be saved and revived.

Seaport Museum Founders Offer New Plan to Keep Institution Afloat
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The Plastic Puffins of Ramsey Island

Posted on by April 13, 2011

I can imagine a couple of bird watchers who become excited when they sight puffins on Pembrokeshire’s Ramsey Island.   There haven’t been puffins on the island since the 1890s when they were killed off by rats.  The rats are gone now, but the only puffins on the island are plastic decoys, installed on the cliffs  in hopes of luring real puffins back to their former home.   Apparently the use of plastic decoys has been successful on other islands, so the folks on Ramsey are hoping that  their plastic puffins will do as well.

200 puffin decoys to lure birds back to Ramsey Island

Update: HMAS Adelaide Finally Scuttled

Posted on by April 13, 2011

In March of last year we posted about the attempts to scuttle HMAS Adelaide as an artificial reef off New South Wales.  (See HMAS Adelaide – A Hard Ship to Sink )  “She was scheduled to be scuttled … but an environmental action group has managed to stop the scuttling over concerns regarding possible PCBs in her electrical wiring and lead paint on the ship. This is notwithstanding that there was never any reported lead paint used on the ship and that tests performed on behalf of the Australian government showed no evidence of PCBs.”   After transiting the courts,  HMAS Adelaide was finally sunk.   It is hoped that the wreck will become an artificial reef that will generate millions of dollars in revenue for New South Wales.   The scuttling was delayed for one final time by a pod of dolphins who were coaxed out of the area before the scuttling charges were set off.

HMAS Adelaide Scuttling / Sinking

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Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the news along.

Navy Tests New Laser Weapon at Sea

Posted on by April 12, 2011

The US Navy keeps trying to find new and different ways to blow things up.   Last December it demonstrated an electromagnetic railgun potentially capable of hitting a target 100 miles away.  Recently, it has used a a solid-state laser, aboard the USS Paul Foster, to set a small board on fire over a mile away while both vessels were under way.

Video: Navy Laser Sets Ship on Fire

Thanks to Irwin Bryan and Phil Leon for passing the article along.

The Final Journey of the Willis Avenue Bridge

Posted on by April 12, 2011

Photograph: Stephen Nessen

It is amazing what you can see passing through New York harbor.   Those awake in the hours before dawn this morning may have seen a highway bridge under tow down the East River around the Battery and across the Hudson River to Jersey City.  It was the Willis Avenue Bridge which has spanned the Harlem River for 110 years once carrying 70,000 vehicles daily between upper Manhattan and the South Bronx.  The old bridge has been replaced by a new prefabricated bridge.  Plans are for the old steel to be cut up and recycled and the concrete to be used for fill.

Willis Avenue Bridge’s Final Voyage

Chance to Win Stay at Historical U.S. Coast Guard Crews Quarters & Visit Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

Posted on by April 11, 2011

For those in the area this looks like fun. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum and MLive.com are sponsoring a two-night stay for two in the restored 1923 U.S. Coast Guard crews quarters at Whitefish Point in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan.  Also included is a tour of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum, a video presentation on the history of the Edmund Fitzgerald and a one-year membership into the shipwreck society.   The deadline to enter is  5 p.m. Friday, April 15.  Winners will be chosen by random drawing.

Enter for chance to win two-night stay at historical U.S. Coast Guard crews quarters, visit Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

Thanks to Phil Leon for passing the word along.

Happy Birthday, U.S. Submarine Force: 111 Today

Posted on by April 11, 2011

One hundred and eleven years ago today the US Navy accepted  its first successful submarine, the USS Holland.  The previous November, in New York harbor, the Holland passed the Navy’s tests.  She ran for one mile underwater, surfaced, fired a torpedo then dove again and returned underwater to  her starting point. Chief Engineer John Lowe, U. S. N. who observed the trials, wrote: “I report my belief, after full examination, that the Holland is a successful and veritable submarine torpedo-boat, capable of making a veritable attack upon the enemy unseen and undetectable, and that, therefore, she is an engine of warfare of terrible potency which the government must necessarily adopt into its service.”

Happy Birthday, U.S. Submarine Force
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What is happening in the Gulf of Mexico? Public Relations, Dead Turtles and Dolphins

Posted on by April 10, 2011

Hundreds of dead dolphins and sea turtles are washing ashore on the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico.  No one knows exactly what is killing them though  many point to the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill of a year ago.   In the mean time, BP is spending roughly $100 million in advertising to “clean up” its image.

Dolphin Deaths Designated An ‘Unusual Mortality Event’
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Tragedy on the HMS Astute: Update

Posted on by April 10, 2011

Reports now indicate that Ryan Donovan, 22,  a sailor on HMS Astute, burst into the submarine control room and opened fire with an SA80 assault rifle yesterday, killing the ship’s weapons engineering officer, Lt. Cmdr. Ian Molyneux, 36, and wounding a second officer, Lieutenant Commander Chris Hodge.   The shooting took place during a tour of the submarine by the Southhampton City Council.   The leader of the Southampton Council, Royston Smith, reportedly wrestled the rifle away from the shooter.  Southhampton Mayor,  Carol Cunio, said she helped stanch blood flowing from Lieutenant Commander Hodge, who had been shot below the ribs on his right side.   Lieutenant Commander Hodge is reported to be stable condition.

Senior officer killed in UK nuclear sub shooting
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Virgin Oceanic Diving into the Deep

Posted on by April 9, 2011

After dabbling with space ships, Richard Branson has turned to the deep oceans.   The Virgin Oceanic team will be diving to the deepest ocean depths in a one man submarine designed by Graham Hawkes.  The submarine has an operating depth of 37,000ft (7 miles) and is capable of operating for 24hrs unaided. Its top speed is around 3 knots.

The Life Aquatic with Richard Branson

Virgin Oceanic Sub Trailer

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Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the article along.

What the Tsunami Carried Away – Debris at Sea

Posted on by April 8, 2011

Photo: Kyoto News

For all the damage that the Japanese tsunami of March 11th left behind on shore,  it also carried considerable wreckage out to sea.   this week the Japanese Coast Guard warned ships to look out for and avoid the floating debris and wreckage.

Japan warns ships to avoid floating houses, debris
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Fatal Shooting on the Nuclear Submarine HMS Astute

Posted on by April 8, 2011

HMS Astute

The BBC is reporting that one sailor has been killed and another seriously injured on the Royal Navy nuclear submarine HMS Astute. A member of the crew is reported to have shot two of his fellow sailors before being overpowered.   HMS Astute, the Navy’s newest and most advanced submarine, is docked at Southampton’s Eastern Docks on a five-day official visit to the city.  The UK Press  Association  is also  reporting that Southampton City Council’s mayor, leader and chief executive were aboard the submarine at the time of the shooting but were uninjured.

Last October we posted about HMS Astute running aground off Skye during a training mission.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the news along.

The Sands of Fire Island – Le Papillon and Gluckauf

Posted on by April 9, 2011

Photo: Will van Dorp

Fire Island is a thirty mile long barrier island on the south shore of Long Island, east of the entrance of New York harbor.   Last week, Le Papillon, a 50′ steel pinky schooner, went ashore on the beach on Fire Island near the village of SaltAire.   The 19 year old captain and the two 20 year old passengers were rescued without injury.  Will van Dorp of the Tugster blog captured dramatic photos of the grounded schooner in the Fire Island surf. What will become of  Le Papillon? That is difficult to say, but by Tuesday of this week, an ad appeared in Craigslist offering the schooner for sale for $15,000, with the important requirement: “Needs immediate removal.”  Le Papillon is neither the first nor likely to be the last vessel to run aground on the Fire Island shoals.
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85 year old, Anthony Smith, Crosses the Atlantic on Raft “An-Tiki”

Posted on by April 7, 2011

After 66 days at sea, Anthony Smith and a crew of three friends arrived in St. Maarten on a voyage from the Canary Islands on the raft “An-Tiki“.   Smith celebrated  his 85th birthday during the voyage.  The crew of the An-Tiki included John Russell, David Hildred, and Andrew Bainbridge.

Sailor, 85, crosses Atlantic on raft with friends
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Concerns Over Radiation Spread Faster than the Currents

Posted on by April 7, 2011

My wife and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in a week by having dinner at Le Bernardin.  I had proposed in the Le Bernardin, when the restaurant was still in Paris, so it has always seemed a great place to celebrate anniversaries.  What does this have to do with radiation?   The New York Times recently reported:

“Eric Ripert, the chef of Le Bernardin, the high temple of seafood in Manhattan, bought a new kitchen gadget a few days ago: a radiation detector.
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Tall Ship Elissa in Space and a Possible Rodent Problem

Posted on by April 6, 2011

The Tall Ship Elissa was built was built in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1877 by Alexander Hall and Co. She has been fully restored and is currently sailing out of Galveston, Texas. She recently successfully completed drydocking and inspection.  A small piece of the ship will be involved in another docking, this time in space.  US astronaut Catherine Coleman, a friend of the Galveston Historical Foundation, agreed to take a piece of deck planking from the Elissa on her current mission to the International Space Station.  When the astronaut returns in May of this year, she will leave the Elissa‘s plank  aboard the station.

Aberdeen-built tall ship on International Space Station
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Escaping from Libya, Overloaded Boat Sinks, 250 Passengers Missing

Posted on by April 6, 2011

A boat overloaded with migrants sailing from Libya capsized south south of the island of Lampedusa , off Sicily, early today.   Fifteen are confirmed dead and between 130 and 250 are believed to be missing.

Migrant boat sinks off Italy, up to 250 missing
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Slavery at sea ? Abuse of Sailors on New Zealand Chartered Fishing Vessles

Posted on by February 25, 2012

A disturbing report from New Zealand on abusive conditions for  seamen  aboard  chartered  fishing vessels in New Zealand waters.

Slavery at sea exposed

Alerted to terrible conditions on foreign fishing vessels after nearly 30 people lost their lives, Michael Field began asking questions.

Secret papers reveal the government has allowed fishermen from poor countries to be exploited in New Zealand waters.
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