The Blob Shuts Down the Alaskan Cod Season

Posted on by December 16, 2019

In the 1958 sci-fi/horror film, the Blob is a gooey mass from outer space which eventually grows the size of a small building while devouring everyone it encounters. The Blob cannot stand cold and is finally stopped by being airlifted to the Arctic. (The movie is notable primarily as Steve McQueen’s debut in a leading role.)

There is now a very real monster in the northern Pacific also referred to as the Blob. It is a mass of unusually ocean hot water that is having a disastrous impact on sea life. Codfish have been particularly hard hit. Because of historically low numbers of Pacific cod, the federal cod fishery in the Gulf of Alaska is closing for the 2020 season. This is the first time this fishery has been closed due to low fish stock.

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Déjà Vu — Concerns over the Cost of Competing for the America’s Cup

Posted on by December 15, 2019

International yacht racing is incredibly expensive. That is unquestionably true of the America’s Cup races.  Recently, the Financial Times spoke to British sailing champion Ben Ainslie about his concerns that the race is too expensive to remain viable. The cost of the new boats creates a barrier to entry for new competition.

In March 2021, Sir Ben hopes to bring the trophy back to the UK for the first time in 170 years, backed by £110m from Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the founder of the Ineos chemicals group who topped The Sunday Times’ UK rich list in 2018.

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The Bowhead Whale, the Longest Living Mammal

Posted on by December 14, 2019

Australian researchers using a genetic ‘clock’ to predict animals’ lifespans have determined that bowhead whales may live for an average of 268 years. They came to this conclusion from studying 42 genes and a chemical process they undergo called methylation that can be used to predict life expectancy. The new research suggests that there may be bowheads swimming in icy northern waters today that were alive when Nelson fought the Battle of Trafalgar.

Bowhead whales have long been considered the longest living mammals. While no bowheads have been found as old as that predicted by the researchers, one bowhead was found to be 211 years old based on levels of aspartic acid in the whale’s eye. In a number of cases, stone and steel harpoons dating from the 18th century have been dug from the carcasses of bowhead whales. In 2007, a bowhead was found with a fragment of a patented exploding lance that was manufactured in the 1880s.  

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More Woes for Admiral Kuznetsov, Russia’s Only Carrier, On Fire

Posted on by December 13, 2019

Admiral Kuznetsov

Perhaps we have been too hard on the USS Gerald R. Ford. Sure her weapons elevators don’t work and for tactical purposes the most expensive warship ever built may be little more than a $13 billion berthing barge. Nevertheless, at least she is not Russia’s only aircraft carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which yesterday suffered a major fire.

At least one person died in the fire which broke out Thursday morning on Russia’s only aircraft carrier during repair work in Russia’s Arctic Sea port of Murmansk, according to Russian state news agencies. A further 12 people were injured and two are missing, Russian state news agency TASS reported.

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Restoring HMS Surprise, Ex HMS Rose, at the Maritime Museum of San Diego

Posted on by December 12, 2019

Many years ago, I had the good fortune to sail with a volunteer crew of Patrick O’Brian aficionados from New York to Bermuda on the replica frigate HMS Rose. Despite being rather short on wind, it was a memorable voyage. The ship went on to play the HMS Surprise in the 2003 movie, Master and Commander: Far Side of the World. She also appeared in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. Following the movies, the ship was donated to the Maritime Museum of San Diego, where she kept the name — HMS Surprise.

In 2020, Rose/Surprise will be a half-century old and in need of a refit. The museum’s goal will be to replank the entire starboard side of the ship’s hull and to restore her weather decks. Here is a short video about the restoration project.

Barque Picton Castle’s Epic Voyage to the South Pacific 2020 – 2021

Posted on by December 11, 2019

Click for a larger image

In May of 2020, the barque Picton Castle will embark on another epic voyage, this time to the South Pacific. Trainees may sign aboard for the year-long voyage or for any of the four legs of the trip.

The Picton Castle is a 179′ long, steel-hulled three-masted barque-rigged sail training ship, best known for completing seven circumnavigations of the globe, in addition to other shorter voyages. The ship carries a professional crew of 12 and up to 40 sail trainees.

More about their upcoming South Pacific voyage from their website:

Picton Castle is bound for the South Pacific and you can sail as trainee crew on this incredible voyage to the South Seas islands. Visit ports like Panama, Pitcairn Island, the Marquesas, Tahiti, Bora Bora, Easter Island, Las Perlas, Cartagena, and the Yucatan while learning seamanship skills hands-on and to sail a square-rigged ship. You become crew, no sailing experience necessary as you will get plenty on the voyage!

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Update: White Island Eruption — Six Dead, Eight Missing, Around 30 Injured

Posted on by December 10, 2019

The most up to date information we have now is that there were 47 people on New Zealand’s White Island when the volcano billed as “one of the world’s most active volcano” erupted. There are now six confirmed dead, five who died on the island and one person who died on the way to the hospital. Early reports suggested that over 20 people were missing. Fortunately, that number has fallen to eight. The bad news is that all of the missing are presumed to be dead, bringing the current death toll to a likely 14. 

Of the survivors, 31 suffered burns, many of which were serious. CNN reports that almost all patients who were injured in the deadly New Zealand volcanic eruption have suffered extensive burns to their bodies and lungs, as questions mount over the circumstances surrounding the tragedy that has left at least six people dead.

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Deadly Volcanic Eruption on New Zealand’s White Island — 5 Dead and More Than 20 Missing

Posted on by December 9, 2019

Passengers on RCL’s Ovation of the Seas who signed up for the excursion to White Island were promised “an unforgettable guided tour of New Zealand’s most active volcano. In fact, White Island is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. … Gas masks/breathing apparatus helps you get up close to roaring steam vents, bubbling pits of mud, hot volcanic streams and the amazing lake of steaming acid.”

Tragically, White Island lived up to its designation as a highly active volcano when it erupted today, at 2.11pm local time, 48km off the coast of the Bay of Plenty, in the North Island. Fewer than 50 people were on the island at the time.  30-38 were believed to be on an excursion from the cruise ship. Five are known to be dead. 23 people were immediately evacuated after the eruption. All those rescued had burn injuries.

More than 20 are still unaccounted and feared dead. Rescue helicopters and other aircraft carried out aerial reconnaissance flights over the island and reported no signs of life. A statement from local police says, “Based on the information we have, we do not believe there are any survivors on the island.”

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The Mystery of The Battle of the Falklands, 12/8/1914

Posted on by December 23, 2019

HMS Invincible

Last week, marine archeologists announced finding the wreckage of the German battlecruiser SMS Scharnhorst, off the Falkland Islands. The Scharnhorst, along with most of the German East Asia Squadron, was sunk by the Royal Navy 105 years ago on this day, December 8, 1914, in the Battle of the Falklands.  How and why the Battle of the Falklands came to be fought remains something of a mystery.

Toward the end of 1914, the Imperial German Navy’s East Asia Squadron, under the command of Vice-Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee, was fighting its way home. On November 1, the German squadron has easily defeated two obsolete British cruisers killing 1,600 British seamen, off the coast of central Chile near the city of Coronel. Spee then refueled his ships and rounded Cape Horn. Before setting a course for Europe, however, Spee decided to attack the British supply base at Stanley in the Falkland Islands.  He believed the base was undefended. He was wrong. It would prove to be a fatal mistake. 

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Radio Broadcasts Reporting Attack on Pearl Harbor 78 Years Ago Today

Posted on by December 7, 2019

An interrupted broadcast of a football game, a newsbreak during a performance by the New York Philharmonic, a weather report followed by an announcement from President Roosevelt that Japan had bombed Pearl Harbor. Reports of attacks on the Philippines. Here is a compilation of news reports from Sunday, December 7th, 1941, seventy-eight years ago today.   

Pearl Harbor Attacks – As It Happened – Radio Broadcasts

Wreck of German WWI Cruiser Scharnhorst Discovered Off Falklands

Posted on by December 6, 2019

The wreck of the World War One German armored cruiser, SMS Scharnhorst, has been located off the Falkland Islands. Scharnhorst, the flagship of German Vice-Admiral Maximilian Graf von Spee’s East Asia Squadron, was sunk by the Royal Navy 105 years ago in the Battle of the Falklands.

Mensun Bound, the leader of the search for the wreckage, told the BBC that the moment of discovery was “extraordinary”.

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USS Ling — New Hope for WWII Sub Stuck in the Mud in the Hackensack River

Posted on by December 5, 2019

Photo: Chang W. Lee/The New York Times

Maritime enthusiasts are attempting to raise money to save the USS Ling, a War War II vintage Balao-class submarine, from a likely date with the scrap yard. They hope to move the submarine from where it is currently stuck in the mud in the Hackensack River to the Ohio River as part of a World War II-focused Louisville Naval Museum.

For several years, things have not been going well for USS Ling. The submarine has been tied up along the Hackensack River since 1972. For over three decades it was operated as a museum ship and was the centerpiece of the New Jersey Naval Museum. The museum operated from a riverfront site which they leased from the newspaper, The Record, later part of the North Jersey Media Group, for a nominal $1 per year. That ended in January 2007, when the owner of the site, informed the museum that the site was going to be sold for redevelopment within the year and that the museum and submarine would need to be relocated. 

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Des Pawson at his Museum of Knots and Sailors’ Ropework in Ipswich

Posted on by December 4, 2019

Here is a wonderful short video by Classic Sailor of Des Pawson at his Museum of Knots and Sailors’ Ropework in Ipswich. Now in his seventies, Des is cataloging the contents of the museum for safekeeping curation at Chatham Historic Dockyard. 

THE MUSEUM OF KNOTS AND SAILORS’ ROPEWORK

Spain Busts First Known Trans-Atlantic Narco Sub

Posted on by December 3, 2019

Narco sub seized in Spain

Last week, Spanish authorities seized a narco sub loaded with 3 tonnes of cocaine, valued at $110 million, off the northwestern coast of Galicia. Narco subs have been caught operating in the Pacific and in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel is believed to be the first narco sub apprehended after crossing the Atlantic Ocean from South America to Europe.

It is unclear which country the vessel departed from but media reports said police suspected it to have set off from Colombia. An international operation involving police from Spain, Portugal, the U.S., the U.K. and Brazil tracked the vessel across the Atlantic.

The crew scuttled the submarine and attempted to escape as the authorities were closing in. Three crew members, all Ecuadorian nationals, were subsequently arrested while two other persons were arrested onshore in the Spanish town of Vigo. The vessel was refloated and towed to port where officials found a cargo aboard of 6,613 pounds of cocaine divided into 152 bales.  

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Other Uses for a Narwhal Tusk

Posted on by December 2, 2019

When a terrorist began attacking people with knives on London Bridge recently, a man, described in news reports as a Polish chef, at nearby Fishmongers’ Hall, where the incident began, grabbed a narwhal tusk that was displayed by the side of the hall’s doorway and, wielding it like a lance, deployed it against the assailant outside. It was one of the more unusual uses of a narwhal tusk in recent memory. 

The Washington Post quotes British historian and journalist Guy Walters on the use of the tusk. “There’s something very British about fighting a terrorist with something as surreal as a narwhal tusk,” he said. “We don’t carry weapons in this country. But we do have narwhal tusks around.” 

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Newman’s Own Foundation Gives $225,000 Grant to Discovering Amistad

Posted on by December 1, 2019

Newman’s Own Foundation has awarded a $225,000 sustainability grant to the non-profit Discovering Amistad, the group which operates the replica schooner Amistad.  

Discovering Amistad operates the replica of the historic schooner Amistad,  a 129-foot 19th century Baltimore clipper which was the site of a July 1839 slave revolt by Mende captives, who had been enslaved in Sierra Leone, and were being transported from Havana, Cuba, to their purchasers’ plantations. The schooner sailed to Long Island and the Africans were jailed in New Haven, CT.  A series of court cases over whether the Africans should be freed or sent back to Cuban slaveholders ended in a Supreme Court case in 1841 in which the survivors were ultimately freed.

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Admiral James Holloway III Dies at 97

Posted on by November 29, 2019

Admiral James Holloway III has died at the age of 97. He had dementia, said his daughter Jane Holloway, and “finally got to landing on that great big carrier in the sky.”

Seventy-five years ago, on October 25, 1944, Holloway served as a gunnery officer on the destroyer Bennion. During the Battle of Surigao Strait, his ship scored a direct torpedo hit at point-blank range to help sink the battleship Yamashiro, sank the Japanese destroyer Asagumo with gunfire, and shot down three Zeros.

Over James Holloway’s 36-year Navy career, he would also fly fighter jets in Korea and command the first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. Promoted to Rear Admiral in 1970, he would command the U.S. Seventh Fleet, directing more than 150 ships in bombing operations against North Vietnam.

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Thanksgiving, Whaling Ships, Sarah Josepha Hale, Mary’s Lamb & a Liberty Ship

Posted on by November 28, 2019

Happy Thanksgiving for those on this side of the pond and below the 49th parallel.  (The Canadians celebrated the holiday in October.) Here is a repost of a story I think is well worth retelling. 

Thanksgiving is one of the central creation myths of the founding of the United States. The story is based on an account of a one time feast of thanksgiving in the Plymouth colony of Massachusetts in 1621 during a period of atypically good relations with local tribes. Thanksgiving only became a national holiday in 1863.  Before the celebration spread across the country, Thanksgiving was most popular in New England. On 19th-century American whale ships, which sailed from New England ports, they celebrated only the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Of the three holidays, Thanksgiving may have been the most popular. On Norfolk Island in the Pacific, they also celebrate Thanksgiving, the holiday brought to the island by visiting American whaling ships.

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Fastnet Race Finish Line Moved to France

Posted on by November 27, 2019

The Royal Ocean Racing Club (RORC), organizers of the Rolex Fastnet Race, announced that the City of Cherbourg will host the finish of the Rolex Fastnet Race for the 2021 and 2023 editions of the biennial race.  The race, first sailed in 1925, had previously departed from Cowes on the Isle of Wight and returned to Plymouth in the UK after rounding Fastnet Rock, off the southern coast of Ireland.

The RORC justified the change by saying that it will open the race to more competitors. The 2019 Rolex Fastnet Race had 388 yachts on the start line from 27 different nations, with a waiting list of 150 yachts. 

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