What could possibly be a better venue for a sea chantey festival than the deck of a restored 1863-built iron windjammer? The Maritime Museum of San Diego is holding its “Sea Shanty Festival 2011” on the deck of the … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Twenty five years ago, the US Navy contracted to build two fleet oilers, the USNS Bejanmin Isherwood and the USNS Henry Eckford. The Navy spent at least $300 million dollars on their construction. Due to shipyard defaults and various … Continue reading
In July 1945, the Dutch submarine O-19 ran hard aground on Ladd Reef in the South China Sea deep in enemy waters. The Gato class submarine USS Cod was sent to rescue the Dutch sub. After two days of attempting to … Continue reading
This is an interesting and perhaps an unintentionally amusing clip of the Celebrity Silhouette leaving the Meyer Werft Shipyard in Papenburg, Germany. The shipyard has just enough room to build the ship but not to turn her around, so she … Continue reading
Recently a very interesting shipwreck was discovered in the waters between the islands of Gotland and Öland off the east coast of Sweden. The article seems to claim that it is the “world’s intact oldest wreck” though most apparently think … Continue reading
Sony and Intel have partnered to sponsor “Project Shiphunt.” The project sponsored a group of Michigan high school students to discover an historic sunken ship in The Great Lakes using Sony VAIO laptops. So far they have assisted in the … Continue reading
The Pride of Baltimore II, the Brig Niagara, and the privateer Lynx will on hand for the 2011 Duluth Music and Maritime Festival starting on Friday July 15 and running through Monday, July 18. Music, food, and tall ships – it sounds … Continue reading
Anyone who needs to be reminded that New York City is indeed a city of water should find their way down to the harbor’s edge on Saturday. The Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance is hosting the 2011 the City of Water Day Festival … Continue reading
A few updates of recent posts: Posted July 11th: Death on the Volga – Cruise Vessel Bulgaria Sinks, More than 100 Dead – From CNN: “Four people face criminal charges in connection with the sinking of a Russian ship Sunday in which … Continue reading
In 1936, Frank Swift founded Maine Windjammer Cruises and began chartering or buying old cargo schooners and offering passenger cruises along the Maine Coast. This Friday, the Maine Windjammer Association will hold the 7th Annual Maine Windjammer Parade & Anniversary Party in honor of Swift’s founding … Continue reading
Alaric Bond’s wonderful new book, Cut and Run, the fourth in his Fighting Sail series, steps away from the Royal Navy and takes us onto the decks of a merchantman – a ship of the Honorable East India Company. The ships of … Continue reading
Mystic Seaport is hosting a Tattoos & Tallships Weekend on Saturday, July 16th and Sunday, July 17th. If you have a tattoo and a story to tell about it, be sure to stop by the “Tattoo Tales” booth, where you can … Continue reading
On Sunday, the cruise vessel Bulgaria reportedly sank in approximately 3 minutes on the Volga River near Kazan, Russia. Of the 197 passengers reported to be aboard, more than 100, including many children, are believed to have died. Death on Volga: Sinking Bulgaria cried for … Continue reading
This morning, an explosion at a munitions dump at the Evangelos Florakis naval base on the southern coast of Cyprus has killed at least 17 and injured over 40. The explosion knocked out the island’s largest power station at Vassilik and did significant … Continue reading
William Tillman was the first black hero of the American Civil War. He was not a soldier but rather a 27-year-old cook/steward on the schooner S.J. Waring. One hundred and fifty years ago last Thursday, the schooner was captured by … Continue reading
A modified F/A-18D Hornet fighter plane recently landed on the deck of the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower controlled by linked computers on the ship and on the plane. A pilot and a flight engineer were on the plane … Continue reading
Bragging rights are kind of fun. Whether they mean anything or not is often an open question. How one strings together the adjective phrases can make all the difference. For example, HMS Victory is said to be “the oldest commissioned … Continue reading
If there are tall ships in port, there must be a party going on. About 60 ships are expected at Greenock’s James Watt Dock from the first leg of the Tall Ships 2011 race from Waterford. Estimates range from 100,000 – … Continue reading
Was there a pirate attack? On Wednesday we posted about the reports that the Suezmax tanker Brillante Virtuoso had been attacked by pirates and set on fire. It is now unclear where such an attack ever took place. There was indeed a … Continue reading
The Tall Ships Race 2011 is off to a great start. The race was kicked off with a festival in Waterford, Ireland, which was declared ‘an awesome success’ by the chairman of Fáilte Ireland, the national tourism authority. (See our previous … Continue reading