1877 Barque Elissa Victim of Electrolytic Corrosion – Needs $3 Million Restoration

The barque Elissa, built in 1877 in Aberdeen, Scotland, the Official Tall ship of the State of Texas and the star attraction at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston, is suffering from electrolytic corrosion, which if not repaired, may keep … Continue reading

Joseph Hewes – First “Secretary of the Navy” and Signer of the Declaration of Independence

Happy 4th of July to all.   On July 4th, Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776.   Joseph Hewes was one of the lesser known signatories to the Declaration.   He was born in New Jersey, prospered as … Continue reading

Van Liew Sweeps the Velux 5 Ocean Single-Handed Around the World Race

Our slightly belated congratulations to Brad Van Liew, the American sailor who won the Velux 5 Oceans single-handed around the world race in his Le Pingouin ECO 60.  Van Liew dominated the Velux 5 Oceans race, winning all five legs.   Van Liew is the first … Continue reading

Interview with Linda Collison, author of Surgeon’s Mate

Linda Collison’s new book Surgeon’s Mate, the second book in the her Patricia MacPherson nautical series,  was recently been released.   Astrodene’s Historic Naval Fiction interviewed Linda Collison about her new book, which  we are reposting with permission.   We reviewed Collison’s … Continue reading

Hard Times at Two Seaport Museums – South Street and Independence

New York and Philadelphia are major ports and centers of art and culture.  By all rights both should be home for major and successful seaport museums. Sadly that is not the case. Last month we posted about the Independence Seaport … Continue reading

Seaport Museum Founders Offer New Plan to Keep Institution Afloat

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. … Continue reading

A Country in Trouble – A Glimpse of Post-Tsunami Japan

An excellent report by ABC which, among other things, highlights the humanitarian support being provided by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan. [iframe: src=”http://widget.newsinc.com/single.htm?WID=2&VID=23365344&freewheel=69016&sitesection=ndnsubss” height=”320″ width=”425″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″]

U.S. 7th Fleet Moves Away from Stricken Nuclear Plants; Another Reactor Explosion

The US 7th fleet has moved away from the Fukushima nuclear power plants after helicopters from the carrier Ronald Reagan were exposed to an airborne radioactive plume.  Seventeen Navy personnel are being treated for what is described as “low levels of contamination.”   … Continue reading

Pirates Kill American Hostages on SV Quest

The US Central Command announced this morning that four Americans aboard the hijacked sailing vessel Quest were shot and killed by pirates at approximately 1 a.m. EST today.  The victims were Jean and Scott Adam, the owners of the yacht,  and Phyllis … Continue reading

Update: Opposition to Shipping Nuclear Waste on the Great Lakes

Last week we posted about the approval granted  by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to allow Bruce Power to ship 1,600 tonnes of radioactive waste, in the form of 16 decommissioned nuclear reactors, across the Great Lakes, though the St. … Continue reading