Two years ago we posted about a video of what was purported to be the Lagarfljót Worm. An Icelandic commission has now narrowly voted that the video is “authentic.” The video, which shows undulating movements of something long and very slender, has … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
One of the causes of the War of 1812, was the impressment of American sailors into the Royal Navy. But that was two centuries ago, and Yanks now, generally, do not serve in the British navy. As a result of love … Continue reading
Seventy five years ago this month, the Donaldson Line passenger liner SS Athenia became the first British ship to be sunk by a German U-boat in World War II. The 13,465 gross ton liner sailed from Glasgow bound Montreal. On September 3, 1939, only … Continue reading
A great video to start the week by Gale Browning aboard the Pride of Baltimore II . The Pride of Baltimore II is a replica of an 1812-era Baltimore Clipper topsail schooner built in 1988 in Baltimore harbor to be a … Continue reading
The topsail schooner Clipper City set sail from Manhattan yesterday on a “Craft Beer Tasting Cruise,” which ran somewhat longer than expected. The steel ship grounded in New York harbor, south of the Statue of Liberty. Apparently many of the … Continue reading
The passenger steamer SS Columbia is heading toward New York! The goal is to restore the historic steamer, built in 1902, and to put her in service on the Hudson River. SS Columbia is the oldest surviving passenger steamship in … Continue reading
Award winning film maker David Wittkower has teamed with writer Michael Tougias to create a documentary, “Rescue of the Bounty,” looking at the loss of the Bounty in 2012. Tougias is the best selling author of the book by the same name. Wittkower … Continue reading
On this the official “Talk Like A Pirate Day,” all I can say is, “No, thank you. I would rather not.” The problem is that there are still real pirates plying their trade around the globe, abusing and and too often … Continue reading
Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc. recently wrapped up recovery efforts on the wreck of the SS Central America for the year. In last five months, they have recovered more than 15,500 gold and silver coins, 45 gold bars and hundreds of nuggets, … Continue reading
In 1971, Blue Water, White Death, a documentary about great white sharks hit the big screens. I recall the documentary as thrilling and absolutely terrifying. White sharks were portrayed as monstrous killing machines, swimming in every ocean, ready to gobble us … Continue reading
The Columbia of 1923 was a fishing schooner built at the Arthur Dana Story shipyard in Essex, MA, from a design by Starling Burgess. She was famous for her speed and seaworthiness and for winning international schooner races, including one against … Continue reading
After close to two decades of construction, the frigate Hermione is finally under sail. In 1997, a group of historical and tall ship enthusiasts formed the Association Hermione-La Fayette and set about building a replica of the French frigate, Hermione, which carried Gilbert … Continue reading
On September 14th, 1914, one hundred years ago today, off the Brazilian island of Trindale, one of the stranger naval battles of World War I was fought between two converted passenger liners, one of which was disguised to look like … Continue reading
At around 6AM, 200 years ago today, the British Royal Navy began a fearsome bombardment of Fort McHenry at the mouth of Baltimore harbor. The British had attempted to take Baltimore by both land and sea. The British army attack … Continue reading
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is increasing the size of the Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary in Lake Huron from 448 square miles to 4,300 square miles, doubling the number the number of shipwrecks protected to 200. Located in … Continue reading