The Smit 16,320-hp ocean going tug Fairmount Expedition has reportedly been successful in controlling the spread of the fire on the MSC Flaminia, the 6,732 TEU container ship which was abandoned in middle of the North Atlantic last Sunday after suffering a … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
The 86′ schooner Larinda sank in Halifax harbor during Hurricane Juan on September 29, 2003. She was raised from the harbor bottom and following a nine year restoration has returned to Halifax for this year’s Tall Ship Festival. The design and construction of the … Continue reading
We recently posted in response to a video, “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?.” It recounted how three men named Hugh Williams were each the only survivors of shipwrecks in the treacherousness Menai Straits off North Wales. More remarkably, two of the Hugh Williams escaped from shipwrecks on … Continue reading
Last September we posted about the sinking of a ferry off Zanzibarwith the loss of 200 passengers. Yesterday, another ferry sank off the Zanzibar coast. Thirty eight are confirmed dead with another 100 missing. Zanzibar police spokesman Mohamed Mhina said, “Search operations continue but … Continue reading
Last September we posted that Odyssey Marine Exploration had located the wreck of the S.S. Gairsoppa, which was torpedoed in February of 1941 by a German U-boat. When she sank, the ship was loaded with 240 tonnes of silver believed … Continue reading
On Sunday we posted about an explosion and fire aboard the container ship MSC Flaminia in the North Atlantic about a thousand miles west of Cornwall. The first officer died from burns received in the fire and one crew member is missing. … Continue reading
Correction: Based on local news reports, we originally posted that water pressure from the steamer Portland‘s paddle-wheel damaged the Royaliste. We were incorrect. The Portland clearly backed into the ketch, which was tied up alongside the dock. See the video below, which shows the impact. … Continue reading
When Korea announced plans, earlier this month, to resume whaling for “scientific purposes” it was hit by a tsunami of protests from environmental groups and nations around the world. France, the United States, Australia and New Zealand in particular spoke … Continue reading
On a fog-shrouded Tuesday, the schooner Unicorn was the first to arrive in Halifax for their Tall Ships Festival. In addition to being a lovely topsail schooner, the Unicorn is the only tall ship sailing in the world with an … Continue reading
One of the greatest threats to many endangered species of whale is being run down by ships or getting entangled in fishing nets. This week, federal maritime officials have approved a plan to protect whales in and around San Francisco Bay that features … Continue reading
Falls of Clyde is the last four-masted full-rigged iron ship and the only surviving sailing oil tanker. The ship was launched in 1878 in Port Glasgow, Scotland, for the Fall Line. She became a museum ship in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1971, but was … Continue reading
There is a video bouncing around the web these days called “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?” (The video is embedded at the bottom of the post.) It tells the story of a ship which sank in the Menai Strait … Continue reading
The container ship, MSC Flaminia, is in flames, drifting in the North Atlantic, roughly half way between Britain and Canada, approximately 1,000 miles west of Cornwall. One man is reported either be missing or to have died from burns. At least … Continue reading
Toward the end of June, we posted about the minor media circus that grew out of a report of possible stowaways on the container ship, Ville D’Aquarius, bound for Port Newark. After a multi-agency task force swung into action to investigate, the media … Continue reading
Today the the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance hosted the “City of Water Day” to celebrate New York – New Jersey harbor. Festivities were centered on Governor’s Island and Liberty State Park with activities spread across the waterfront from Edgewater to Brooklyn and Staten Island. In addition to … Continue reading
We have been following the construction of the Dragon Harald Fairhair, (or in Norwegian Draken Harald Hårfagre) the largest Viking longship to have been built in modern times. (See our previous post – Building the Viking Longship Dragon Harald Fairhair.) Built of oak, … Continue reading
This story just keeps getting stranger. A year ago last June, the Swedish treasure hunters, Ocean X Team, saw something that they did not understand while doing sonar sweeps of the bottom of the Baltic Sea. There appeared to be a 200′ diameter … Continue reading
In February 2011, we posted that the the SS United States Conservancy had purchased the S.S. United States from Norwegian Cruise Line. The sale was made possible by a $5.8 million gift by Philadelphia philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest. Since then the Conservancy has raised $5 million of the estimated $25 million needed … Continue reading
Last February, we posted about the modification to the USS Ponce prior to being sent to the Persian Gulf. (See Mine-Detecting Dolphins and USS Ponce, Commando “Mothership” in Persian Gulf?) We included the question mark in the post title because, while … Continue reading
Yesterday, I went on a field trip with the New York Shiplore and Model Club to Stonington and Mystic, Connecticut. (Thanks to Lee Gruzen, Norman Brouwer and Linda Zatkowski for making the arrangements.) Our first stop was Stonington, Connecticut, a … Continue reading