In the middle of July, we posted about a fire and explosion on the 6,750 TEU container ship MSC Flaminia in the mid-Atlantic, resulting in the death of one of the crew and one crew member missing and presumed dead. The surviving crew abandoned the ship. … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Consider these two statements: Ships are the most energy efficient way to transport goods. They also have the smallest carbon footprint per ton of any means of transport. Ships are major polluters. One large container ship emits as much sulfur-oxide as fifty million … Continue reading
Admiral of the Fleet John Arbuthnot “Jacky” Fisher, 1st Baron Fisher of Kilverstone, is considered by some to be the second most important figure in British naval history, after Lord Nelson. An innovator and a strategist who played a key role … Continue reading
After being threatened the by Republican cost-cutters, the Senate defense appropriations subcommittee recently voted to continue funding the Navy’s “Great green Fleet” alternative energy program. In 2009, Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced the Navy’s “Great Green Fleet” initiative with the goals … Continue reading
The bulkheads of the historic buoy tender Lilac will be graced by the maritime paintings of Christina Sun and Frank Hanavan from Tuesday, August 7 through August 31. The Lilac is berthed at Hudson River Park’s Pier 25 at West Street and N. Moore Street in lower … Continue reading
In 1606, the Duyfken, commanded by Willem Janszoon, became the first European vessel to sail to the continent of Australia. In 1999, in an act of “experimental archaeology,” a replica of of the Dutch ship was built in Freemantle, Australia. The … Continue reading
Barbados Bound, the first book of the Linda Collison’s Patricia MacPherson Nautical Adventure Series has been published by Fireship Press. First published as Star-Crossed in 2006 by Alfred A. Knopf, the New York Public Library chose Star-Crossed to be among … Continue reading
Two hundred and twenty years ago today on August 4th, 1790, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton established the Revenue Cutter Service, predecessor to the United States Coast Guard. (In 1915, the service merged with the United States Life-Saving Service and adopted its current name.) So … Continue reading
Many of the classics of nautical literature are stories of young men who set off to sea, often compelled, in equal parts, by necessity and a longing for adventure. Joan Druett’s “A Love of Adventure” is just such a tale, … Continue reading
The statue of Admiral Nelson on the top of a Nelson’s Column in Trafalgar Square is now sporting a fancy new hat featuring a Union Jack and an Olympic torch. Nelson would have likely approved. He was known as a rather flashy … Continue reading
The 22st Annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival in New York will be held this weekend in Meadow Lake at Flushing Meadows, Corona Park. Fielding 170 dragon boat teams and over 2,000 participants, it is one of the largest boating festivals … Continue reading
One of the joys and pains of buying beer these days, is that there is are so many interesting craft beers to choose from. Some are marvelous, some are unremarkable, while a few are wildly over-hopped, which some American craft … Continue reading
Today is the birthday of Herman Melville, one of the greatest American writers. He was born in 1819 on Pearl Street in downtown Manhattan, almost directly across the Hudson from where I am now writing this post. He will always … Continue reading
Congratulations to Joan Druett! Her recent book, Tupaia – The Remarkable Story of Captain Cook’s Polynesian Navigator, was general non-fiction winner in the 2012 New Zealand Post Book Awards. See our review of Tupaia – The Remarkable Story of Captain … Continue reading
In 1730, the third year of the reign of King George II, two brothers, Ralph and Robert Clarke, bought shares in a 300-ton sailing vessel. Their enterprise would become Stephenson Clarke Shipping, which in recent years has specialized in the shipment of short sea … Continue reading
Billionaire and philanthropist, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen is loaning his 126 metre superyacht Octopus to the British Royal Navy to mount an expedition to locate and raise the bell from the battle cruiser HMS Hood (51) sunk by the German battleship Bismark in the Denmark … Continue reading
Yesterday we posted about the possible discovery of a German WWII submarine sunk in the Churchill River in Labrador, Canada. Now we have learned that the German World War II submarine U-550 has been located in the Atlantic, 70 miles … Continue reading
As far as I am concerned, there are few things, that you can do with your clothes on, that are more enjoyable than sitting on the Maine coast and eating freshly steamed lobster. This Wednesday, August 1st, kicks off five days of … Continue reading
Searchers using side scanning sonar believe that they may have located a German U-boat from World War II on the bottom in the Churchill River not far from Muskrat Falls in Labrador, Canada, more than 100 kilometres from the ocean. German submarines operated … Continue reading
Here is a wonderful short video capturing a day in the life of a deckhand on the schooner Mary Day, sailing the coast of Maine. (Looks someone should cut back on the caffeine.) See also our previous post – Happy 50th Birthday … Continue reading