Crowley Establishing Flow of Relief Cargo Into Haiti Crowley Maritime Corporation, working under contract with the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), is unloading Haiti relief cargo in Rio Haina, Dominican Republic, today. Fifty six of the 68 20-foot containers of water … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
In November we posted about the USS New York’s commissioning in its namesake city. The new amphibious transport dock ship, the fifth of the San Antonio-class, was built with seven and a half tons of steel from the rubble of the … Continue reading
While the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan arrived in Haiti yesterday and the hospital ship USNS Comfort arrived the day before, naval ships are not the only vessels sailing to aid the earthquake victims. The schooner Amistad is on her way bearing both supplies and a … Continue reading
More talks to save the fine old ship from being broken up. Only time will tell whether anyone will come up with the funds to rescue her. Fresh bid to salvage historic Scots ship … Continue reading
Two only slightly related items : “An orca baby boom” in Washington State following a year that saw a decline in the number of orcas in the southern resident pods, and a very funny, if highly offensive, episode of South … Continue reading
Tom Russell is hosting the Tall Ship & Traditional Sail Professionals Group on LinkedIn. It is a very interesting group. He writes: If you’ve worked on a tall ship, for its supporting organization or in other traditional sail, feel free … Continue reading
The International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) issued a statement which we think is right on target. The current policy of disrupting but not consistently apprehending pirates has been a failure. The unacceptable situation prevailing now, with seafarers lives being threatened … Continue reading
What appears to be the carcass of a Bryde’s whale has washed ashore in Case Inlet in Puget Sound in Washington State. If it is a Bryde’s whale, it is a mystery what a whale that favors tropical waters was doing … Continue reading
The US military hopes to have the port of Port-au-Prince open for shipments of emergency relief supplies in two or three days. Damaged Haiti port to open in 2-3 days: U.S. commander In related news, the Maritime Administration has ordered … Continue reading
UPDATE: Maran Tankers Management Inc. said the crew – 9 Greeks, 16 Filipinos, 2 Ukrainians, and a Romanian – was safe and well. In strange turn, pirates send out an SOS Unconfirmed reports suggest that infighting between rival pirate gangs … Continue reading
Owners of a Greek-flagged oil tanker dropped a record ransom payment of $5.5 million to $7 million on the deck of the ship today, prompting Somali pirates to release the Maran Centaurus. Ransoms to Somali pirates have reached a historic … Continue reading
Endeavour Voyage 2010 The Australian National Maritime Museum has an exciting season of sailing coming up on the replica of the HMB Endeavour. This April, they are offering day sails in Sydney Harbor, to introduce visitors to 18th century sailing; overnight sails where … Continue reading
Cruiser CO relieved for ‘cruelty’ The commanding officer of the Yokosuka, Japan-based cruiser USS Cowpens was relieved of duty Wednesday after being punished for “cruelty and maltreatment” during her time in charge, the Navy announced. In an unusual move, she … Continue reading
While there have been locks on the Saint Lawrence River since at least 1862, the St. Lawrence Seaway, the current series of locks, canals and channels that permit ocean-going vessels to travel from the Atlantic Ocean to the North American Great … Continue reading
HMS Victory in recent snowy weather Portsmouth Historic Dockyard marks 88 years of HMS Victory From broadside battles off the Mediterranean coast to Vice Admiral Lord Nelson’s triumph in the Battle of Trafalgar and campaigns in the Baltic, the guardians … Continue reading
The US Navy is sending the rescue and salvage ship, USS Grasp, to Port-au-Prince, Haiti with divers and underwater construction personnel to assess the damage to piers and other port facilities. The USNS Comfort, a hospital ship with a capacity … Continue reading
My River Chronicle – Rediscovering the America on the Hudson, is a fascinating voyage in the life of a young woman, who finds herself oddly quite at home in a most unlikely new job. It is also a journey through … Continue reading
Live Yankees, the Sewalls and their Ships is a fascinating and sweeping history of one family from Bath, Maine, which built and operated over one hundred merchant ships, mostly square riggers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. It offers … Continue reading
There have been hundreds of novels written about dashing Royal Navy ships’ captains who bear a striking resemblance to Lord Cochrane. The resemblance and family history are most obvious in Jack Aubrey and Horatio Hornblower, but a dozen or so … Continue reading
Martin Evans on the Marine History List posted a collection of sailors’ superstitions from the current issue of “Fishing Boats”. … Continue reading