A week ago last Thursday, the museum ship, the USS The Sullivans in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park began to take on water and partially sank at her berth. Naval Park Director of Museum Collections and Curator Shane … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
When the burial ship at Sutton Hoo in the UK was uncovered in 1939, the ship itself was missing. The wooden planks and frames of the ship, dating from around 600 AD, had rotted away. Nevertheless, an almost intact impression … Continue reading
Yesterday we posted about the patrol ship, the Grille, described by some as “Hitler’s yacht.” Today we will look at a second vessel to bear the same title — the Ostwind. In 1936, the German government had two racing sailboats built, … Continue reading
With the advent of Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we have posted about superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs including several yachts that may or may not be owned by the dictator himself. Here is a two-part post about yachts associated … Continue reading
My wife and I took an incredible trip to the Galapagos in 2017. An updated repost. We spent a week on Ecoventura‘s 83’ MY Eric and visited six of the more eastern islands of the archipelago. We saw many of … Continue reading
An updated repost. Like so many other species, Galápagos green sea turtles are unique to the archipelago. Here is a short video of snorkeling with Galápagos green sea turtles off Punto Cormorant on Floreana Island in the Galapagos in early November, 2017. … Continue reading
Here is another old favorite, a companion repost to yesterday’s repost of “The Unsinkable Hugh Williams – Truth Behind the Legend?” We recently posted in response to a video, “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?.” It recounted how three men named Hugh … Continue reading
I am traveling this week, so it seems like a good time to repost an old blog favorite, the remarkable story of the unsinkable Hugh Williams. There is a video bouncing around the web these days called “The Strangest Coincidence … Continue reading
Stuck in Chesapeake Bay mud for more than five weeks, the container ship Ever Forward is finally free. Refloating the 1,100-foot long ship required discharging 500 containers and additional dredging but she was dragged by seven tugs from the mudbank … Continue reading
Sailing onboard Götheborg of Sweden involves climbing and working in the rig, at the highest about 40 meters up, or far out on a yard. Everyone who sails with the ship goes through rig training, and even though most are … Continue reading
A short video that seeks to answer the question, what is it like to sail onboard Götheborg of Sweden as a deckhand? Have a look at what happens onboard: From bringing your passport when you sign on, to rig training, … Continue reading
Sad news. The museum ship, the USS The Sullivans in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park was taking on water Thursday morning. Buffalo News reports that Paul Marzello, park president and CEO, said the park staff realized … Continue reading
Moskva, a guided-missile cruiser and the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet, suffered ammunition explosions and fire while operating in the Black Sea off Odesa on April 13. Exactly what happened is unclear. Reuters reports that Ukraine’s southern military … Continue reading
Yesterday we posted about the What, How, & Why of the Ancient Principle of General Average. Here is a repost about a massacre, in which general average was declared involving a shipment of human cargo. On November 29, 1781, the … Continue reading
Following several attempts to free the Ever Forward, the ship’s owner declared General Average, citing “the increasing costs arising from the continued attempts to refloat the vessel.” What this means, in practice, is that the owners of the cargo now … Continue reading
Container News is reporting that the unloading of containers from Ever Forward has begun. The plan is to unload 550 containers over the next few days to lighten the load of the ship before the next refloat attempt. Salvors are … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted about Florida manatees that are starving because pollution in Florida waterways has decimated the sea grass that manatees rely on as food during the winter months. I was reminded of a post from 2017 about snorkeling with … Continue reading
In December we posted about an emergency feeding program for starving Florida manatees to help them survive the winter. The sea grass that manatees rely on for food has been decimated by pollution, killed off by algae blooms fueled largely … Continue reading
A reconstruction of the pinnace Virginia is nearing completion after being under construction for over a decade in Bath, Maine. The original 51-foot pinnace, built in 1607 by the Popham Colony at its settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec … Continue reading
USNI News reports that the nine Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) currently in Navy service – the youngest of which commissioned in 2020 – have been marked for disposal as part of the Department of Defense’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget … Continue reading