The impact of the meltdown of nuclear reactors at the Fukishima Daiichi power plant, hit by the following the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami on 11 March 2011, is still unfolding. Last month it was revealed that fish caught near the crippled power plant were … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
For a handful of ships, the great age of sail has not yet ended. In 2013, the Russian Navy sail training ship Kruzenshtern will call in 20 seaports in 11 countries and will take part in several international regattas. The ship, originally built in … Continue reading
In December we posted about NOAA’s Arctic Report Card 2012, which showed record low ice and snowfall in the Arctic. Nevertheless, some have pointed to the recent growth of Antarctic ice to suggest that climate change may not be a dramatic … Continue reading
Update: The port strike has been averted for now with a 30 day contract extension. In early December we posted about the end of the eight day West Coast dock strike that shut down 10 of the port’s 14 container terminals in the … Continue reading
The world did not end of on 12/21/12 as some had predicted. Nevertheless, there are still a few things to worry about. Last week, marine geologists from Australia’s James Cook University warned that a one cubic kilometer slab of the sea … Continue reading
The custom of sending Christmas card is said to have originated in 1843 with Sir Henry Cole, a civil servant, who wanted to promote the new ‘Public Post Office.’ He arranged for his artist friend, John Horsley to design a card. Two batches … Continue reading
We recently learned that good Saint Nicholas, long associated with Christmas and gift-giving, is also the patron saint of ships and sailors. The St. Nicholas Center notes: “Many ports, most notably in Greece, have icons of Nicholas, surrounded by ex-votos … Continue reading
The Defense News blog Intercepts recently posted a photo of nine “flattops” home for Christmas at Norfolk naval base. Of the nine, five are aircraft carriers – the DWIGHT D. EISENHOWER, GEORGE H. W. BUSH, ENTERPRISE, ABRAHAM LINCOLN, and HARRY S TRUMAN. The other four are the … Continue reading
The MS Queen Elizabeth 2, which was purchased back in 2008 for conversion to a luxury hotel in Dubai, has reportedly been sold for scrap to Chinese interests for £20 million. The original conversion plans were scuttled by a credit crunch in Dubai shortly … Continue reading
Wonderful news. Forces of Somalia’s semiautonomous Puntland region are reported to have raided the MV Iceberg I on Sunday and to have rescued 22 officers and crew who had been held hostage by Somali pirates for 33 months. The Puntland forces had … Continue reading
In Volume II of the Encyclopædia Britannica published in 1768, the entry for California reads: CALLIFORNIA, a large country of the West Indies, lying between 116° and 138° W. long. and between 23° and 46° N lat. It is uncertain whether … Continue reading
The nuclear submarine HMS Vigilant will apparently be spending the holiday season in the USA after damaging a rudder when test-firing a Trident missile in the Atlantic off the coast of Florida on October 23. The sub is reported to … Continue reading
While celebrating passing one million pages views on the blog, it seems worthwhile to take a look back at the single most popular post. It was Sailor’s Tattoos – Pigs, Chickens, Swallows, and Tattooed Backsides, from December 1, 2008, which has … Continue reading
Yesterday morning, the tanker, Stena Primorsk, ran aground in the Hudson River about ten miles south of Albany, NY after suffering a steering gear failure. No oil was reported to have been spilled. There are a whole range of interesting aspects … Continue reading
To continue our celebration of the Old Salt Blog passing one million pageviews, today, December 20, and tommorrow, December 21, we are giving away free copies of the Kindle edition of my new nautical thriller, Hell Around the Horn. Click here to go … Continue reading
Barista Uno on the Marine Cafe blog, posted this morning about a sad anniversary. Twenty five years ago today, the passenger ferry Dona Paz collided with the oil tanker MT Vector in the Philippines. With a likely death toll of over 4,000 people, the sinking of the Dona Paz was deadliest … Continue reading
The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum was hit hard by Superstorm Sandy. This Friday, December 21, they will be reopening and are offering a special buy one general admission and get the second free coupon, to celebrate their return. Click … Continue reading
Tis’ the season when Santa shows up in the most unusual places. A small ship-load of Santas was recently observed running across the ice at the bottom of the world. Twenty crew members dressed as Santa (with at least one reindeer) from … Continue reading
The Soviet submarine S-6 which disappeared on patrol in September, 1941 was been identified on the floor of the Baltic by the Swedish military. The submarine was found southeast of the Baltic island of Oland, in what was, during the … Continue reading
To celebrate passing one million pageviews on the Old Salt Blog, we will be giving away copies of my novel, Hell Around the Horn. Kindle readers will be able to download the novel for free from Amazon on Thursday, December … Continue reading