Real pirates tended to have very short careers. Edward Teach, better known as Blackbeard, was pretty typical, being active for only about two years from 1716 to 1718, before losing his head. Cartoon pirates, however, do generally much better. Captain … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Recently science writers at various news outlets have been gushing over an announcement that scientists have been able to use graphene to remove the salt from seawater. CNBC lead with the exuberant headline, “Carbon-based filter which turns seawater into drinking … Continue reading
At the end of January, we posted Clipper Ship City of Adelaide Still Not Quite Home, where we noted: “The ship is sitting on a deck barge as a “temporary” accommodation at Port Adelaide’s Dock 1, with no permanent dock space … Continue reading
A video producer who produced video of the excavation of a pirate ship is now suing the State of North Carolina and others for piracy. Nautilus Productions, which served as a videographer for the Queen Anne’s Revenge shipwreck project, is charging … Continue reading
Great news. The Senate has passed a waiver for the historic riverboat steamer Delta Queen from the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) regulations, moving it one step closer to returning to service. For several years now, we have been posting … Continue reading
So far, only two of the crew of 24 have been rescued after the Very Large Ore Carrier (VLOC) Stellar Daisy capsized and sank suddenly on Friday, March 31st. The 266,00 DWT Marshall Island registered bulk carrier was reported to have … Continue reading
The Viking longship Draken Harald Hårfagre was hauled out of the water Friday, March 31 at the Mystic Seaport Museum, for several days of routine maintenance in the museum’s shipyard. The vessel has been spending the winter at Mystic Seaport … Continue reading
They probably shouldn’t have built the gym over the water. Whale Breaches Before a Basketball Game Happy April Fool’s Day. … Continue reading
NOAA’s largest oceanographic research vessel, Ronald H. Brown, is based in Charleston, SC, although if you haven’t seen her in her homeport for quite a while, you are not alone. She only recently returned from a record deployment of 1,347 … Continue reading
We have learned that Joe Stead has passed away. He was a folk singer who sang with everyone from Paul Robeson to Pete Seeger. Around the turn of the 21st century, his focus shifted more toward the sea with his … Continue reading
Congratulations to Nainoa Thompson who was honored recently with the 2017 Explorers Club Medal, the most prestigious recognition in exploration. The award was presented to Thompson at the 113th Explorers Club Annual Dinner at Ellis Island in New York City. Thompson was recognized … Continue reading
Last week, Peruvian customs officials, in the port of Callo, found more than a tonne of cocaine in three shipping containers packed with filets of giant squid about to be loaded on board a ship bound for Belgium. The cocaine … Continue reading
Theorists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics have a intriguing idea as to what might be the nature of FRBs (fast radio bursts), an unexplained phenomenon first observed about ten years ago. FRBs are very short but incredibly powerful bursts of radio activity that … Continue reading
On April 16, 2014, the cargo/passenger ferry Sewol capsized off the southwestern coast of Korea. Of the 476 passengers and crew aboard, 304 died, the majority of which were high school students on a school field trip. Now, almost three … Continue reading
This seems like a good day to celebrate birthdays. A repost from two years ago. Happy birthday to Commodore John Barry, born on this day in 1745, in Tacumshane, County Wexford, Ireland. He is considered by many to be the “father of … Continue reading