The Italian Coast Guard has taken control of Ezadeen, a 240′ long, 50 year old cattle carrier registered in Sierra Leone, with 450 migrants aboard off the southern coast of Italy, near Crotone. The crew of the ship abandoned it … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Last night in New York City, up to one million people watched a jeweled ball drop in Time Square at exactly midnight to mark the arrival of the New Year. Over a billion people are believed to have watched the festivities … Continue reading
Straight from rescue operations on the ro/ro ferry Norman Atlantic, the Italian navy and coast guard rushed to intercept the Blue Sky M, a 3,500 DWT Moldavian freighter, which was reported to be carrying 700–1,000 migrants. A distress call had been received … Continue reading
The death toll among passengers and crew from the fire on the Norman Atlantic has risen to ten. One man died when attempting to leave the ship and an additional nine bodies were found aboard. The total death related to … Continue reading
A fascinating look at the cold and challenging job of photographing a walrus underwater by photographer Paul Nicklen. A Close Encounter With a Walrus … Continue reading
As of Monday evening, local time, 478 passengers and crew have been rescued from the burning ro/ro ferry Norman Atlantic, which caught fire Sunday morning around 6 AM in the Adriatic Sea. At least 7 people have died. Many of the passengers … Continue reading
A fire broke out early Sunday on the Italian ro/ro ferry, Norman Atlantic, on route between the Greek port of Patras to Ancona, Italy with 478 passengers and crew aboard. The fire is believed to have broken out on the ro/ro deck. The ship is … Continue reading
While visiting family in Washington DC, we visited the United States Botanic Garden. The Garden has a holiday exhibit that features model trains, specifically, Thomas the Tank Engine, which delighted my 2 year old grand nephew. In addition to the trains … Continue reading
While not a particular believer in ghosts, if the ghost of Alan Villiers is about, I suspect that he must smiling. The arrival of the Mayflower II at Mystic Seaport Museum is the reunion, of sorts, of two ships long … Continue reading
We hope that everyone is having a most merry Christmas. Here is a poem by C. Fox Smith adapted for song by Charlie Ipcar. As we posted last June, Cecily Fox Smith was a Victorian poet best remembered for her poems about … Continue reading
In the end of November, the Team Vestas Wind, racing in the Volvo Ocean Race, ran aground on a reef in the remote Cargados Carajos archipelago about 430 km to the northeast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. There were no injuries and the crew … Continue reading
Recently, History.com featured an article titled “Found: San Francisco’s Deadliest Shipwreck.” They reported that the wreck of the 345-foot Pacific Mail Line passenger steamer SS City of Rio de Janeiro had been found by NOAA researchers using high-definition sonar in 287 feet … Continue reading
For roughly the last ten years, UK Sailmakers of Mandelieu, France has been developing Uni-Titanium sails, in which thin sheets of uni-directional carbon films are laminated into the sail. They are now partnering with the Solar Cloth Company of the UK to develop … Continue reading
NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day: Today the solstice occurs at 23:03 Universal Time, the Sun reaching its southernmost declination in planet Earth’s sky. Of course, the December solstice marks the beginning of winter in the northern hemisphere and summer … Continue reading
On this the first day of Winter, as the darkness closes in around us, it seems appropriate to take a few minutes to escape, virtually at least, to shores where it is the first day of Summer. Here is a short … Continue reading
On July 30, 1942, Herbert Claudius in command of the patrol boat PC 566 was escorting passenger ship passenger ship Robert E. Lee in the Gulf of Mexico, southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The German U-boat U-166 … Continue reading
Joel Abrahamsson, from Gothenburg, Sweden, recently caught a 15′ long 1,247 pound Greenland shark while fishing from a kayak near the island of Andoria, in Norway. The catch sets a new world record for a fish caught with a rod and reel from … Continue reading
Last May, we posted about concerns over high concentrations of sewage and garbage in Rio de Janeiro’s Guanabara Bay, where 2016 Olympic sailing competitions are slated to be held. Now scientists at a Rio de Janeiro research institute have found what they call … Continue reading
The SS United States Conservancy issued a press release signed by Susan Gibbs on Monday announcing: Exciting Redevelopment Milestone Achieved We are very pleased to confirm that we have now entered into a preliminary agreement in support of the redevelopment of … Continue reading
Back in 2010, we posted that some members of NATO were uncomfortable with a French contract to build two, with an option for two more, Mistral-class amphibious assault ships for Russia. The first ship, the Vladivostok, was supposed to be delivered … Continue reading