American Indian Sailed to Europe With Vikings?

Posted on by December 1, 2010

Photo: Robert Harding Picture Library, Alamy

Interesting new evidence that the Vikings and the North American natives, who the Vikings called skrælings may have gotten along a bit better than suggested by the sagas.   DNA testing of 80 living Icelanders shows indicates a genetic variation similar to one found mostly in Native Americans.

American Indian Sailed to Europe With Vikings?

Five hundred years before Columbus sailed the ocean blue, a Native American woman may have voyaged to Europe with Vikings, according to a provocative new DNA study.
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Drunken Passenger Drops Anchor on Cruise Ship MS Ryndam ! ? !

Posted on by November 30, 2010

Allegedly, Rick Ehlert, 44, a passenger on the Holland America cruise ship, MS Ryndam, entered a restricted area, put on pair of work gloves, disengaged the windlass and released the stern anchor while the ship was underway, in international waters off the Florida coast early Saturday.   He also threw a lifebuoy overboard.   Ehlert said he was drunk at the time.    He has been arrested on a felony charge of attempting to “damage, destroy, disable, or wreck a vessel.”   Wow.

Anchor Drop Lands Cruise Passenger In Brig

Preserving the Battleship Texas and Problems with the Laffey again

Posted on by November 30, 2010

Battleship Texas

Last June we posted about the near sinking of the battleship Texas.  Now a final effort to save the 96 year old ship is underway.   A cofferdam will be built around the ship to create a dry berth for the battleship.   In related news, South Carolina state officials have expressed displeasure over the imminent default by the Patriots Point Development Authority on a $9.2 million loan.  The loan was intended to repair the World War II destroyer Laffey.   Not only can’t the Development Authority pay back the loan but they are seeking $85  million to maintain the destroyer Laffey, the carrier Yorktown and submarine Clamagore at Patriots Point.

Last shot to preserve battleship Texas begins

Laffey repair loan default irks SC officials

Karim-1 Sinks after Collision with Dutch Tanker Alessandro DP, Six Missing

Posted on by November 30, 2010

Six missing after Dutch and Sierra Leone-flagged vessels collide in the Black Sea

Two Dutch and Sierra Leone-flagged vessels collided during bad weather in the Black Sea on late Monday afternoon, the government confirmed. Six people are missing.

The Bulgarian Transport Ministry said the Sierra Leone-flagged ‘Karim 1’ was carrying 10 people when it collided with the Netherlands-flagged tanker ‘Alessandro DP’. The Dutch tanker was empty at the time of the accident.

The Ministry said four of the ten crew members aboard the ‘Karmin 1’ were rescued, leaving six crew members missing. The crew consisted of 9 Syrians and 1 Egyptian.

There were no reports of injuries among the crew of the ‘Alessandro DP’. The ‘Karim 1’ sank after the accident.

Thanks to Dick Bal for passing along the article.

RCCL’s Allure of the Seas Christened by a Cartoon Character

Posted on by November 30, 2010

Princess Fiona (in green)

In the beginning of November we posted about the new Disney cruise ship, Disney Dream, where interior cabins will have virtual port holes, which will show the view outside the ship and will include composited Disney cartoon characters flying by as well.   Now Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines has taken the cartoon on cruise ship a step further as when they had a cartoon character, Princess Fiona from the animated movie, Shrek, christen their new ship, Allure of the Seas.   RCCL has new joint venture agreement  with DreamWorks Animation which produced the movie Shrek among other major animated movies.

The Allure of the Seas is the sister ship to the Oasis of the Seas. Both ships have can carry 5,400 passengers, double occupancy, and are the largest cruise ships afloat.   Allure of the Seas is reportedly a few inches longer than the Oasis of the Seas so that RCCL can market the newer ship as the new “largest” cruise ship.

Incredible Year for the Brig Niagara – Awards, Fundraising and Movie Roles !

Posted on by November 29, 2010

The Brig Niagara has had an incredible year.   The ship and its captain have been honored with major awards, the organization has raised significant sums to support the ship and the ship has been featured in a new PBS documentary.

Just over a year ago, severe funding cuts threatened the operation of the historic replica.  Particularly worrisome were two large capital projects for the ship – a Coast Guard mandated dry-dock and hull inspection and a recaulking of the ship’s deck.   Nevertheless, the ship had a  busy summer  of sailing from one tall ships festival to another as part of the American Sail Training Association (ASTA) Great Lakes United Tall Ships Challenge® 2010.   Recently, it was announced that the Tall Ships Erie 2010 festival in September, which attracted 75,000 visitors, raised $220,00 for the Flagship Niagara League.  Roughly $170,00 of the funds raise will go for inspections and deck caulking with the remainder funding invested in the Niagara Education Fund.
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Nautic – The 50th Annual Paris Boat Show

Posted on by November 25, 2010

Nautic, the 50th annual Paris boat show will be held from December 4 – 12, 2010.  They expect a quarter of a million visitors to attend the show at the Porte de Versailles, which will feature 1,400 boats, including close to 300 new models, more than 600 motor boats, close to 500 sail a boats and 300 assorted small craft.

Stealth Sub Jimmy Carter Ready to Spy on North Korea

Posted on by November 28, 2010

In August of this year, ex-President Jimmy Carter traveled to North Korea on a diplomatic mission to free a captive American.  Now the submarine which bears his name is reported to be nearing North Korea as well.   Following the shelling of a South Korean island by North Korean military, a US naval task force lead by the aircraft carrier George Washington has joined ongoing South Korean naval exercises.  The Seawolf Class submarine Jimmy Carter is also believed to be operating in the area. The Jimmy Carter is longer than the other two Seawolf Class ships due to an additional hull section known as the Multi-Mission Platform (MMP), which allows the launch and recovery of ROVs and Navy SEAL forces.

Super-Silent Jimmy Carter Ready to Spy on North Korea
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Chesapeake Light Craft Sells its 20,000th Kit !

Posted on by November 28, 2010

A friend has a wooden kayak that he built from a kit.  It is simple in both design and construction – a stitch and glue plywood boat covered with fiberglass cloth.  It paddles well, is light weight and is very pretty.  Very difficult to ask for more than that, particularly from a kayak.   He built it from a Chesapeake Light Craft kit quite a few years ago.   It still looks great.   As reported by Classic Boat magazine, Chesapeake Light Craft has just achieved a significant milestone.  It has sold its 20,000 kit.   In addition to the kayaks that they are known for, Chesapeake Light Craft also offers kits for row boats, sailboats, and canoes.

US kit builder celebrates 20,000th kit
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Mystery Ship Beneath the Streets of Stockholm

Posted on by November 28, 2010

Photo:Jens Lindstrom/Swedish Maritime Museum

This summer we posted about an 18th century ship found buried beneath the streets of Manhattan near Ground Zero.  Recently,  while excavating in front of Stockholm’s Grand Hotel during renovation work to a nearby quay, workers discovered a most unusual ship.  Believed to date from the 1600s, based on its location at the site of  naval shipyard from that era, the ship is unique in that its planks are sown together with rope rather than secured by nails.

Naval mystery uncovered near former shipyard in Stockholm
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Cmdr. Andrew Coles of HMS Astute Relieved of Command

Posted on by November 27, 2010

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Not a great shock, but Cmdr. Andrew Coles has been relived of his command of  HMS Astute, the Royal Navy’s newest and “stealthiest” submarine which very publicly  ran aground last month near the Skye bridge off the Isle of Skye.

Officer relieved of command over grounded sub

“Commander Coles will continue to serve in the Royal Navy and he will be reappointed to a post where his talents and experience can be used to best effect,” a ministry statement said. “A new commanding officer will be appointed as soon as possible.”

Thanks to David Rye for the heads up.

Update: Boozy teens’ midnight trip goes 1300km astray

Posted on by November 27, 2010

Photo: Tai Fredricsen

On Thursday, we posted about three Tokelauan teenage boys who had attempted to row the sixty miles between two small Pacific islands, became lost and drifted  for fifty days across nearly 1,000 miles of the Pacific  in a small aluminum skiff.   A more complete story is now coming about how the three boys, two aged 15  and one 14, found themselves in this predicament. It all started with a girl.

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HMS Invincible For Sale – the Perfect Holiday Gift?

Posted on by November 27, 2010

HMS INVINCIBLE

The holiday shopping season is in full swing. But what can you get for the person who has everything? Why not a used aircraft carrier? Just because the Royal Navy won’t be able to launch ship-borne fixed wing aircraft for the next decade doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to!

HMS Invincible is for sale by tender.  Admittedly the ship is a bit of a fixer-upper. She is almost thirty years old and her generators and pumps are described as generally unserviceable or not working.  The most likely buyers are steel scrap yards.  The ship may be seen by appointment only between 29th Nov 2010 and 10th Dec 2010. Bids are due by 10:00am Wednesday, January 5, 2011.

Sale by Tender – HMS Invincible
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Pirates (OK, Not Real Pirates) Drop Anchor in Key West

Posted on by November 27, 2010

In my grumpier moments, I object to celebrating Disneyfied pirates, especially given that piracy is, after all, still a serious problem and not merely a quaint relic of the 16th and 17th centuries.  Then again, I can’t be grumpy all the time.   “Pirates in Paradise”, the ten days of “pure piratical escapades celebrating Key West’s rich & colorful maritime heritage” sounds like lots of fun, particularly if enough rum is involved.

Pirates in Paradise
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Pirates Who Attacked US Navy Ship Convicted, While French Command Ship is Attacked Again

Posted on by November 25, 2010

USS Nicholas

Five Somali pirates who attacked the USS Nicholas, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate,  in a wildly misguided attempt to hijack the ship in a late night attack last April, were convicted of piracy in a court in Virginia.  The prosecution said that this is the first piracy conviction in an American courtroom since 1819.  The pirates face mandatory life terms.
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Thanksgiving at Sea – Holiday Roundoup

Posted on by November 25, 2010

Today is celebrated as a day of Thanksgiving in the United States.  At the Old Salt Blog we would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to all our readers and contributors, who make putting together the blog such fun. We do appreciate it.

No one agrees when or where the first Thanksgiving celebration took place in North America.  Most point to the Plimoth Colony in Massachusetts in 1621 while some argue for St Augustine, Florida in 1565.
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At TEDX: Jorne Langelaan, The new age of sail

Posted on by November 25, 2010

TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) is a global series of conferences focusing on “Ideas Worth Spreading.”   An upcoming TEDxAmsterdam conference will feature Jorne Langelaan, one of  the founders of Fair Transport Shipping. With their brigantine Tres Hombres, they are attempting to demonstrate that windpower may be a solution to sustainable cargo shipping.  Lagelaan will be speaking at the conference on November 30th.

Jorne Langelaan, The new age of sail
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Three Teenagers Found Alive after Fifty Days adrift in Pacific Ocean

Posted on by November 27, 2010

Photo: Tai Fredricsen

Three boys had attempted to row the sixty miles between two small Pacific islands. Instead they became lost at sea and drifted  for fifty days across nearly 1,000 miles of ocean in a small aluminum dinghy, surviving on raw seagull and fish, until they were rescued yesterday.  The three boys, ages 14 and 15,  are reported to be in remarkably good health.

Three teenagers, who survived on raw seagull and fish, found alive after FIFTY DAYS adrift in tiny dinghy in Pacific Ocean
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After 67 years, the truth of HMS Dasher tragedy is revealed

Posted on by February 6, 2015

In 1940 and 1941, Moore McCormack Lines took delivery of four Rio class C3 Class passenger/cargo liners from Sun Shipbuilding.   They were the Rio Hudson, the Rio Parana, the Rio de la Plata and the  Rio de Janeiro.  In May of 1942, they were all requisitioned by the US government and converted to small aircraft carriers known as “baby flat-tops.”   Three were given to the Royal Navy and one was retained by the US Navy.   The Rio Parana, renamed HMS Biter, had a difficult service life, being hit by a torpedo from one of her own aircraft and then later being damaged by fire while in port.  The Rio de Janeiro, however had the most tragic history.  Renamed HMS Dasher, she sank after an explosion during aircraft refueling on March 27, 1943, with a loss of 379 out of 528 crewmen.    At the time, the cause of the explosion was covered up.  Now author and historian John Steele and his wife Noreen have written a book, The American Connection to the Sinking of HMS Dasher, examining the causes of the tragic sinking.

After 67 years, the truth of HMS Dasher tragedy is revealed
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