In a press conference yesterday, Vice President Pence announced that of the 45 people tested on the cruise ship Grand Princess, 21 has been found to be infected with the coronavirus Covid-19. Of the 21, 19 were ship’s crew and … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
British researchers have discovered a new species of amphipod. The team from England’s Newcastle University, led by Dr Alan Jamieson, found the shrimp-like crustacean in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench between Japan and the Philippines and below the Great Pacific … Continue reading
Yogi Berra is alleged to have said, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” News of another cruise ship in limbo over the coronavirus feels that way. On February 5th, we posted about the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that … Continue reading
On New Year’s Eve, 1862, USS Monitor was under tow off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in a winter storm. The ship was taking on water and in grave danger of sinking. Francis “Frank” Butts, of Providence, R.I., the Monitor‘s helmsman, … Continue reading
Climate change is affecting the oceans in a wide variety of ways. Oceans are warming and acidifying as temperatures rise and CO2 increases. Sea levels are rising as polar ice caps melt. Recently a study suggests that ocean currents have … Continue reading
Congratulations to Australian Bill Hatfield, who at 81, recently completed a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe. His almost nine-month voyage on his 38-foot yacht L’Eau Commotion, was all the more remarkable because he sailed westward against the prevailing winds … Continue reading
Artifacts recovered during 93 dives by Parks Canada on the wreck of HMS Erebus over three weeks this fall provide a fascinating glimpse into the lives of the officers and sailors on the doomed Franklin Expedition of 1845. More than … Continue reading
While some ill-advised politicians are referring to the threat from Covid-19, the rapidly spreading coronavirus, as a “hoax,” the US Navy is taking it very seriously. Ships in the 7th Fleet has been ordered to spend at least 14 days … Continue reading
Mother Nature Network is reporting that a team of scientists led by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) counted 55 Antarctic blue whales during their 2020 expedition to the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia — a number they called “unprecedented.” In … Continue reading
An updated repost in honor of Frederick Douglass and Black History Month. Frederick Douglass was born around 1818. From an early age, he developed a close attachment to ships and the sea. His path to freedom led directly through the docks … Continue reading
Over the years, we have posted about the “world’s oldest beer” and the “world’s oldest champagne” found in shipwrecks dating from the 1700s. Recently, divers have located roughly 200 ancient Roman amphorae, believed to originally have stored wine, in an … Continue reading
For several years now, the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport‘s tall ships, the replica brig Lady Washington and the square topsail ketch Hawaiian Chieftain, have sailed the Pacific Coast offering educational and sail training programs. One highlight of these programs were the … Continue reading
Here is a breathtaking video of humpback whales bubble-net feeding in Alaska shot by the University of Hawaii, Mānoa Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP). The whales use bubbles to create virtual nets to herd their prey. The video was captured … Continue reading
A follow up to yesterday’s post about Thomas Downing, the free black owner of an upscale oyster house in New York’s financial district prior to the Civil War. While serving New York City’s white financial and political elite upstairs, Downing … Continue reading
In the decades before the Civil War, Thomas Downing, the son of slaves, became the acknowledged oyster king of New York City when New York was the oyster capital of the known universe. He had learned how to rake oysters … Continue reading