In February, the sailing vessel Quest was hijacked by pirates 240 nautical miles off the coast of Oman in the Indian Ocean. The yacht’s crew of four Americans were taken hostage. The pirates were finally captured by US forces but not before they killed … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
For several hundred years, up until just after World War II, cargo moved up and down the East Coast of North America by ships and boats of a range of sizes and shapes. When the interstate highways were built, all but most bulk cargoes shifted to … Continue reading
The semi-submersible drilling rig, Transocean Marianas, was preparing to move to a new location off the coast of Ghana when the rig developed a serious list and was in danger of sinking. The rig, under contract to Italian oil company Eni, … Continue reading
It has long been predicted and now it has happened – a pirate attack has set fire to a loaded oil tanker. On Wednesday morning, pirates operating in the Gulf of Aden attacked the Suezmax tanker, Brillante Virtuoso, firing a rocket propelled grenade into the deck … Continue reading
The barque Elissa, built in 1877 in Aberdeen, Scotland, the Official Tall ship of the State of Texas and the star attraction at the Texas Seaport Museum in Galveston, is suffering from electrolytic corrosion, which if not repaired, may keep … Continue reading
At roughly 2AM on Sunday morning, the chartered fishing boat Eric sank in a storm in the Sea of Cortez off Mexico’s Baja Peninsula. Twenty seven American tourists and a crew of 16 were aboard were aboard the fishing boat … Continue reading
Happy 4th of July to all. On July 4th, Americans celebrate the signing of the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain in 1776. Joseph Hewes was one of the lesser known signatories to the Declaration. He was born in New Jersey, prospered as … Continue reading
Three weeks ago we posted about the MV Wisdom, which had been on her way to a Gujarat scrapyard when the tow line parted. The drifting ship nearly hit a major bridge near Mumbai before finally grounding on Juhu Beach, where … Continue reading
The US Coast Guard Barque Eagle stopped on her way home from her cruise of European ports to honor the memory of the crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Alexander Hamilton, sunk by German submarine U-132 off Iceland in 1942. On Friday, the … Continue reading
A great line-up of Summer reading from Astrodene’s Nautical Log Book for July: Newly released novels include Steven E. Maffeo’s, The Perfect Wreck – Old Ironsides and HMS Java: A Story of 1812, and Tom Grundner’s latest novel in the Sir … Continue reading
The world’ s longest bridge over salt water, the 26.4 mile-long Qingdao Haiwan Bridge, in China, has opened to traffic. It makes me wonder how you say in Mandarin, “OK, kids. Who needs to go to the bathroom? No … Continue reading
While an international flotilla of naval vessels continues to play “catch and release” with pirates off the Horn of Africa, the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Sea, the pirates themselves have become far more sophisticated. Where a few years ago, the typical … Continue reading
New Jersey’s Official Tall Ship, the A.J. MEERWALD, is returning to New York harbor. She is docking at Liberty State Park in Jersey City today and will be staying through July 6th. The Meerwald will be offering New York harbor … Continue reading
Divers have found a huge “haul” of Ming Dynasty pottery on a ship that sank off the coast of Indonesia in 1580. What I find amazing about the discovery are the photos of the pottery on the bottom, still in … Continue reading
A 25 foot long giant squid was found floating off the coast of Florida. It has now been taken for study to the University of South Florida. It was found by fisherman in a 23 foot boat, who somehow managed to bring … Continue reading
If you hear a loud cracking sound today, it might another glass ceiling breaking. In the beginning of June, we posted that Rear Adm. Sandra Stosz had been named as the 40th Superintendent of the United States Coast Guard Academy in … Continue reading
Today in 1775 in Marblehead, Massachusetts, Thomas Boyle was born. Going to sea at age 10, he would become one of the most successful and most famous privateering captains in the War of 1812. After several successful cruises as captain of the sharp-built “Baltimore clipper” Comet, Boyle … Continue reading
Starting tomorrow, upwards of 50 tall ships will sail up the River Suir and berth along Waterford’s famous quayside, before setting sail for the first leg of the famous Tall Ships Races on Sunday, July 3rd. During their stay, they … Continue reading
Last February we posted about the the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission approval of a plan for Bruce Power to ship 1,600 tonnes of radioactive waste, in 16 decommissioned nuclear reactors, across the Great Lakes, though the St. Lawrence Seaway and across the Atlantic … Continue reading
What is harder than clawing to windward off a lee shore? I suspect that trying to raise funds, almost from scratch, to fund a new tall ship during a major recession can make a lee shore and a foul wind … Continue reading