John Henry Turpin was among the first Black Chief Petty Officers to serve in the United States Navy. He was also a survivor of two naval disasters — the catastrophic explosions of the USS Maine in 1898, and USS Bennington in 1905. … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
A repost in honor of Black History Month. On this day, February 21, 1862, 163 years ago, Nathaniel Gordon, captain of the slave ship, Erie, was executed by hanging in New York City. Under the Piracy Law of 1820, slave … Continue reading
Last week, the New York Times reported that Harriet Tubman posters, origami paper cranes and rainbows have been disappearing from the halls of the American schools at NATO headquarters in Belgium, a response to the Trump administration’s rollbacks of diversity, … Continue reading
SS United States, the largest and fastest transatlantic passenger liner ever built in America, was towed this morning from the dock in Philadelphia where it has been moored for nearly three decades, on the first leg of its … Continue reading
Dr Leo Krivskiy, a doctor with the UK’s National Health Service, is rowing 2,630 nautical miles solo across the Atlantic to raise money for medics in Ukraine in a 6m (20ft) ocean rowing boat called Happy Socks. The BBC reports … Continue reading
A video of a humpback whale gulping up and spitting out a kayaker has gone viral over the last week. Adrián Simancas was kayaking with his father, Dell Simancas, in the Strait of Magellan, off Chile’s southernmost Patagonia region, when … Continue reading
USS Harry S. Truman, the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that collided with the merchant bulk carrier M/V Besiktas-M off the coast of Egypt, put into Souda Bay, Greece, for repairs, US 6th Fleet announced on Sunday. “While the ship is fully … Continue reading
We recently posted about Ananya Prasad who completed the 2024-2025 World’s Toughest Row – Atlantic Challenge, a 4,800-km race across the Atlantic Ocean from the Canary Islands to Antigua, in 52 days. Ms Prasad, 34, born in India and raised … Continue reading
Happy Valentine’s Day! In honor of both the day and Black History Month, here is an updated repost about Frederick Douglass. But what does Valentine’s Day have to do with Frederick Douglass? As a slave, Douglass never knew the date … Continue reading
USS Harry S. Truman (CVN-75), flagship of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, collided with M/V Besiktas-M, a 53,00 DWT bulk carrier, on Wednesday evening near Port Said, Egypt, in the Mediterranean Sea, the Navy said Thursday. The incident … Continue reading
Forty-two years ago today, on February 12, 1983, the collier SS Marine Electric loaded with 24,800 tons of steam coal, capsized and sank in a storm 30 miles off the coast of Virginia. Thirty-one of the 34 crew members died. While … Continue reading
Here is a story well worth retelling; an updated repost in honor of Black History Month; the remarkable story of Robert Smalls. On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls, a 23-year-old slave, who served as the pilot of the Confederate armed transport, CSS Planter, … Continue reading
It is often said that we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the ocean floor. The Seabed 2030 Project aims to help rectify this lack of knowledge by mapping the world’s ocean floor by … Continue reading
The current regime’s attempt to dismantle the US government has reached NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. NOAA is the scientific and regulatory agency charged with forecasting weather, monitoring oceanic and atmospheric conditions, charting the seas, conducting deep-sea exploration, … Continue reading
Over nearly three centuries of whaling, some 175,000 men went to sea in 2,700 ships. Of the 2,500 masters who captained these ships, at least 52 were men of color. In honor of Black History Month, here is an updated … Continue reading
Hugh Mulzak served as the first Black Liberty ship captain in World War II. When offered the command, he refused to sail with a segregated crew. An updated repost in honor of Black History Month. Born in 1886 on Union … Continue reading
The world’s first commercial sailing ro/ro, the 136-meter (450-foot) Neoliner Origin, was launched recently in Tuzla, Turkey, and will now undergo six months of fitting out before entering service in mid-2025. The new ship is expected to slash carbon emissions … Continue reading
Congratulations to Ananya Prasad for completing the 2024-2025 World’s Toughest Row – Atlantic Challenge, a 3,000 mile race across the Atlantic Ocean from San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands to Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua after 52 days at sea. The … Continue reading
In honor of Black History Month, a repost of a wonderful bit of history from the Naval History and Heritage Command — the story of the Golden Thirteen. In January 1944, there were nearly 100,000 Black Sailors in the United … Continue reading
The World’s Toughest Row – Atlantic Challenge, a 3,000 mile race across the Atlantic Ocean from San Sebastian in La Gomera, Canary Islands to Nelson’s Dockyard, Antigua, is billed as the ultimate test of endurance and adventure. In addition to … Continue reading