Two workers in Vietnam and one in Brazil have died recently in explosions of refrigerated containers. Faulty coolant is believed to have caused the explosions. The containers were among an estimated 8,000 reefer boxes serviced in 2011 in Vietnam. The explosions have caused worldwide concern and … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
In late September, the Alexander von Humboldt II was christened in Bremerhaven. She is the first German tall ship newbuilding since 1958. She recently made her first shakedown day cruise. Thanks to Phil Leon for passing along the story. Alexander … Continue reading
The Porthkerry Leisure Park, a caravan park in the Vale of Glamorgan in Wales, (what would be called a trailer park in the United States), must have had lovely ocean views even before 40 feet of cliff fell into the ocean near the mouth … Continue reading
In honor of Halloween, it seems appropriate to post about the Point Lookout Lighthouse of St. Mary’s County, Md., at the junction of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay, which is said to be the most haunted lighthouse in … Continue reading
The first American Naval ship lost in World War II was not sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. Over a month before, on October 31, 1941, the destroyer USS Reuben James, escorting a convoy bound for Britain, was sunk … Continue reading
On Saturday morning, the 39′ sailboat, Sanctuary, in heavy weather 256 miles northeast of Bermuda, was hit by several breaking waves, lost power and began slowly taking on water. The crew of five, four men and one woman, called for help. The US Coast Guard … Continue reading
So what do you do if you find a dead gray whale on your beach? It is too large to bury, too heavy to drag away and too stinky to cut into pieces. I am not sure that I have … Continue reading
British Prime Minister David Cameron recently announced that armed guards would be allowed to be carried on British merchant ships transiting off the coast of Somalia. Shipping firms will now be able to apply for a license to carry guards armed with automatic weapons, … Continue reading
Attempts to pump out the residual fuel of from the MV Rena, stranded on Astrolabe Reef off New Zealand continue with mixed results. New focus for Rena salvagers Today, a second container ship, the Schelder Trader, lost power and drifted onto … Continue reading
Today is the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty. The colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York harbor was designed by Frédéric Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886 as a gift to America from … Continue reading
The Gannon & Benjamin Marine Railway, located on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, must be a pretty amazing place. In July of 2010, we reviewed Schooner – Building a Wooden Boat on Martha’s Vineyard, which was about building a schooner … Continue reading
The City of Adelaide, built in 1864, is the oldest composite clipper ship in the world and is currently sitting on a slipway in Scotland waiting to be brought home to its namesake city. The plan is for a steel cradle to … Continue reading
Who needs a haunted house if you can have a haunted ship? Around this time of year, historic and modern ships suddenly become haunted and ghostly. (To be fair, some are reported to be haunted all year round.) Here is … Continue reading
Last September we posted about The Great Brigantine Race of 2011 off Newport Beach, CA, between two identical 90′ brigantines, the Irving Johnson and the Exy Johnson . Launched in 2002, they are part of the Los Angeles Maritime Institute’s “TopSail Youth Program,” a sail training … Continue reading
The Dutch submarine Hr Ms KXVI was part of an Allied fleet attempting to stop the Japanese invasion of the Dutch East Indies, when it was sunk by a Japanese submarine on the day after Christmas, 1941. Since then the wreck of … Continue reading