The Navy’s newest destroyer, the $7.5 billion USS Zumwalt, is designed to be stealthy. The ship is intended to be 50 times harder to detect on radar than current destroyers thanks to its angular shape and other design features. This is turning … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
In the Summer of 2014, the schooner Virginia ended her season early. The Virginia Maritime Heritage Foundation which operated the schooner announced that she would be put up for sale. Now, Nauticus, a maritime-themed science center and museum located on the downtown waterfront in … Continue reading
Captain Robert M. Cusick was born today on April 10, 1923, in Boston, Massachusetts. He was the chief mate and one of only three survivors on the SS Marine Electric when she sank on February 12, 1983. His testimony in … Continue reading
So, a sea lion pup wanders into a seafood restaurant and settles down in a booth ….. It sounds like the beginning of a bad joke, but last February, a malnourished 8-month old sea lion pup appeared in a booth in The … Continue reading
HMY Britannia was the personal sailing yacht of two British kings. Built in 1893 for Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VII, the Britannia would also be sailed by his son, King George V. Designed by … Continue reading
A sure sign that Spring has finally arrived in New York harbor is the return of the Working Harbor Committee‘s Hidden Harbor Tours. The first, scheduled for May 1st, is Forgotten Harbor, Found in Art. Here is the description of … Continue reading
The seven-masted iron schooner Thomas W. Lawson, delivered in 1902, is remembered as the largest schooner ever built and the largest pure sailing vessel, in terms of tonnage, to ever sail. Mostly, however, she is remembered for her rig. She … Continue reading
On April 1, Sarah Young was swept from the cockpit of the yacht IchorCoal sailing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean in the Clipper Round the Word Race. By the time the crew reached her, she had died. She … Continue reading
We have been asked to post this public notice seeking interested parties to remove and restore the Ferryboat Binghamton, now aground, flooded and seriously damaged in the Hudson River off Edgewater, NJ. Interested parties should email FerryboatBinghamton@gmail.com for more information. … Continue reading
The US military is testing the technology for Sea Hunter, the first ASW Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), a 132 feet long autonomous drone ship designed to track enemy submarines. The ship is designed to be unmanned and operate autonomously … Continue reading
Two hundred and forty years ago today, the Continental Congress authorized the commissioning of privateers to attack British ships. It was still three months before the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. The legislation was in many respects simply catching up … Continue reading
Terrible news. A second sailor has died in the Clipper Round the World Race. On 1127 UTC on Friday, Sarah Young, 40, was swept over the side of the IchorCoal boat (CV21) in the Pacific Ocean by a series of … Continue reading
There is a lot going on in the cruise world these days. There is all the talk about returning the SS United States to service, although probably without a steam plant or much of the original ship coming along for … Continue reading
When I arrived in New York back in the mid-70s, a vast fleet of tugs swarmed across the harbor like so many water beetles. Most kept busy assisting ships in docking. Now there are fewer but larger ships, many with … Continue reading
In early May, America’s Cup racing will return to New York City for the first time since 1920. The Louis Vuitton America’s Cup World Series regatta, one of a series of warm-up races sailed in AC 45s, 45′ foiling catamarans, … Continue reading
British archeologists have located the wrecks of two German destroyers, V44 and V82, from World War I in an unlikely location — on the tidal mudflats near Whale Island in the eastern part of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite the Brittany Ferries … Continue reading
For the last sixty years or so, scientists have been puzzled how to classify the xenoturbella, a mysterious sea creature which resembles a purple sock. The xenoturbella has no brains, guts or even eyes. It only has a gaping mouth … Continue reading
The Bermuda Triangle nonsense continues, as does the media’s fondness for dramatic headlines, whether or not there are any facts to support them. The most recent silliness is about late ice age methane explosions. The UK’s Daily Mail headline reads: … Continue reading
When I think of E.B. White I think of the classic children’s books, Stuart Little, Charlotte’s Web, and The Trumpet of the Swan, among others. He was also the co-author of the English language style guide The Elements of Style. … Continue reading
Peter Stanford, an icon of maritime historical preservation in the United States, died yesterday at the age of 89. In 1967, Peter and his wife Norma founded the South Street Seaport Museum on New York City’s East River waterfront. Peter Stanford … Continue reading