On Sunday, the 6535 dwt South Korean tanker, Doola No. 3, exploded in the Yellow Sea near the port of Incheon. Of the crew of 16, 5 are confirmed dead while 6 are missing. The explosion ripped the tanker in half. The … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
The United States has something like eleven aircraft carriers, fifty nine destroyers, thirty frigates, seventy nine submarines, thirty amphibious assault ships as well as numerous minesweepers patrol craft and supply ships. The navy’s battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. Quite a … Continue reading
The Italian Coast Guard announced that the bodies of two elderly people were found in a flooded restaurant and the body of one passenger was located in a passageway on the Costa Concordia, raising the confirmed deaths from the grounding and sinking of the ship to six. … Continue reading
The question being asked by almost everyone is “how could this have happened to a modern cruise ship?” The Costa Concordia was a modern ship, operating in well charted waters, in good weather and calm seas. Obviously, despite a wide range … Continue reading
A Korean couple on their honeymoon, who had been trapped below decks on the cruise ship Costa Concordia for over 24 hours after the ship ran aground and sank in shallow water near the island of Giglio, off Italy’s Tuscan coast, were rescued yesterday. A third … Continue reading
Just two hours after leaving port in Civitavecchia, the cruise ship Costa Concordia hit a reef near the island of Giglio, off Italy’s Tuscan coast, reportedly ripping a 165-foot gash in its hull. The ship began flooding and rolled on its … Continue reading
The Confederate Navy submarine H.L. Hunley was unveiled yesterday for the first time since it was recovered from the ocean floor near Charleston more than a decade ago. The vessel, a 42 feet long iron cylinder, is credited as the first “successful” submarine … Continue reading
The Russian tanker Renda, carrying 1.3 million gallons of emergency fuel, escorted by the USCG icebreaker Healy are within 6 NM of Nome, Alaska on Friday morning. They are waiting for sunrise before advancing closer. Daylight will make moving though the ice safer and will help to … Continue reading
We recently posted about a minor kerfuffle involving Dutch bureaucrats who were unhappy over 16 year old Laura Dekker not keeping up with her school work while sailing alone around the world. It brought to mind the old adage from Mark Twain, “Don’t … Continue reading
The internet is a wonderful thing. I am sitting in my office, which is around 70 degrees F (21 degrees C), drinking a hot cup of coffee, while tracking the painfully slow progress of the USCG Icebreaker Healy as it … Continue reading
The Patagonian toothfish, better known on Western restaurant menus as Chilean sea bass, is in high demand. Living in the colder waters of the southern oceans, including Antarctica’s Ross Sea, fishing for the toothfish can be hazardous. Within the last 30 days, 25 sailors … Continue reading
When the sled dog, Balto, arrived with emergency supplies for the icebound town of Nome in 1926, a statue was erected in his honor in New York City’s Central park. When the Russian ice strengthened tanker Renda, escorted by the USCG’s icebreaker Healy arrive … Continue reading
Laura Dekker’s sailboat, Guppy, now flies a New Zealand flag from her stern. Laura has struck the Dutch colors as the bureaucrats who tried and initially succeeded in stopping her solo voyage have returned to pester her and her family once more. They … Continue reading
The good news is that the Chilean Navy, assisted by the Japanese merchant ship, White Kingdom, have rescued Thomas Louis Corogin, an 84-year-old American sailor, after his seventh failed attempt to round Cape Horn, single handed. Corogin is now safely ashore after the mast on his Westsail … Continue reading
When I was in high school in Flordia, before I learned the error of my ways and become a sailor, I ran all over Boca Ciega Bay and the around the mouth of Tampa Bay in an outboard motor powered … Continue reading
The Chinese are opening a 148 room luxury hotel in the refurbished Russian aircraft carrier Kiev. Since 2004, the aircraft carrier has been part of what is billed as “the world’s biggest military theme park” in Tianjin, a municipality close to Beijing. The Chinese … Continue reading
British windsurfer, Steve Thorpe, was recently clocked at 50.48 knots, (58 mph or 93.3 km/hr,) sailing his windsurfer in 40 to 80 knots winds, in West Kirby, England. If the GPS readings are confirmed, he may hold the title of the world’s … Continue reading
The Russian tanker Renda and the USCG icebreaking cutter Healy are on a rescue mission to the Alaskan city of Nome. After a major storm prevented a pre-winter fuel delivery by barge, the Russian tanker Renda was chartered to deliver 1.3 … Continue reading
In early October, the MV Rena, a container ship owned by the Greek shipping company Costamare Inc, ran hard aground on the Astrolabe Reef in in the Bay of Plenty off New Zealand’s North Island. When she struck the reef, the Rena was … Continue reading
In early December, on her maiden voyage, the VLOC (Very Large Ore Carrier) Vale Beijing suffered structural cracking while loading cargo in northeast Brasil. As reported by Maritime Propulsion , the extent of the damage was significant – the hull plating was found to … Continue reading