Meet ‘Eve’ the DNA-Collecting Robotic Fish

A fascinating article by CNN about a robotic fish named “Eve” that swings its silicone tail side to side, as it glides fluidly through Lake Zurich’s chilly water, where it is being tested by SURF-eDNA. The student-led group has spent … Continue reading

Backlash in Barcelona — Protests Planned Against ‘Elitist’ America’s Cup

With preliminary races of the Louis Vuitton 37th America’s Cup now underway in Barcelona, Spain, the famous sailing competition is facing the storm of over-tourism protests that have swept across much of Europe, as well as, many tourist hotspots across … Continue reading

Update : Bayesian Tragedy — Manslaughter Investigation, “Unsinkable,” & Many Question Unanswered

Five days ago, the 56-meter-long sailing yacht Bayesian sank at anchor off Sicily in extreme weather. Fifteen people on board were rescued and seven died, including British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. This morning Italian prosecutors said … Continue reading

Did S/Y Bayesian’s Design Contribute to its Catastrophic Sinking?

The 56-meter-long sailing yacht Bayesian sank at anchor of Sicily in extreme weather early Monday morning, with the loss of one dead and six missing. Among the missing are British tech tycoon Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter, Hannah. Following the … Continue reading

UK Tech Tycoon’s Yacht Bayesian Sinks After Being Struck by Water Spout, One Dead and Six Missing

The 56-meter sailing yacht Bayesian sank early Monday morning in severe weather while at anchor off the coast of Sicily. The yacht is believed to have been struck by a waterspout. There were 22 passengers and crew aboard when the … Continue reading

Apex Boats — the Unlikely and Dangerous Naval Drones of World War II’s Operation Dragoon

Based on the recent conflicts in the Black Sea and the Red Sea, it appears highly likely that the future of maritime warfare will be shaped by the use of naval drones. This made me wonder when the first naval … Continue reading

Lost Wreck of WW1 Warship HMS Hawke Found in ‘Remarkable’ Condition

The BBC reports that the wreck discovered off the Aberdeenshire coast is believed to be the lost Royal Navy warship HMS Hawke sunk by a torpedo during World War One. The wreck of the Edgar-class protected cruiser was discovered by a … Continue reading

Young Humpback Whale in Boston Harbor Briefly Delays Ferry Service

The  Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) said Wednesday that a juvenile humpback whale swimming and breaching in Boston Harbor may cause minor delays to ferry service through Thursday, August 15. CBSNews reports that the 2-year-old whale, estimated to be between 35 … Continue reading

US Coast Guard Can’t Crew All Its Ships Due to Recruiting Shortage

Last week, US Coast Guard Vice Commandant Adm. Kevin Lunday spoke at the Brookings Institution and addressed the service’s enlisted force’s ongoing 10 percent manning shortage.  Entering the fiscal year, the Coast Guard was about 3,000 members short of end strength … Continue reading

Boaty McBoatface Returns From 55 Day Undersea Voyage

Boaty McBoatface, referred to as the UK’s most famous robot, recently returned to Scotland after 55 days on a more-than-2,000km undersea scientific odyssey from Iceland, studying the pace of climate change.  BBC reports that the autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) was hunting … Continue reading

Fire & Explosion on Container Ship YM Mobility Berthed in Ningbo, China

Containers caught fire and exploded on the 6,589 TEU YM Mobility today at around 1:40 PM, local time, while berthed at the Port of Ningbo, China. A statement by Yang Ming, the ship’s operator, said that preliminary findings suggest that … Continue reading

Great Barrier Reef Threatened by Highest Ocean Heat in 400 Years

In a new study, published in the journal Nature, scientists say that sea surface temperatures over the past decade in and around Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are the highest on record for 400 years. The study concludes that these increased temperatures, … Continue reading

Unexpected Cetacean Spectator in Olympic Surfing Competition in Tahiti

Most of the 2024 Summer Olympic Games have been held in Paris. The surfing competition, however, took place some 9,800 miles from Paris in the French Polynesian island of Tahiti.  NPR reports that while Brazil’s Tatiana Weston-Webb and Costa Rica’s … Continue reading

Update: A23a, the Iceberg “That Refuses to Die,” Caught in Antarctic Vortex

In January, we posted about an iceberg designated A23a, the world’s largest, which had begun to drift on the Antarctic Circumpolar Current into “iceberg alley.” As it drifted, it was being eroded by waves and melting in the relatively warmer … Continue reading

More Baltic Bubbly — 100 Sealed Bottles of Champagne Discovered in 19th Century Shipwreck

A team of Polish divers discovered the wreck of a 19th-century vessel laden with about 100 sealed bottles of champagne.  The shipwreck is in the Baltic Sea in 60 meters of water about 20 nautical miles south of the Swedish … Continue reading

Sperm Whale Killed by Ship in Strait of Gibraltar

Yesterday, we posted about the sinking of the British sailing yacht Bonhomme William last week, following an attack by orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar. Fortunately, the crew were rescued without injury.  Two days later, a sperm whale encountered a … Continue reading

New Orca Attacks — Yachts Sunk Off Gibraltar & Damaged Off Coast of Brittany

The mystifying attacks on sailboats by a pod of Iberian orcas continue. The crew of the British yacht Bonhomme William had to be rescued after an orca sank their vessel in the Strait of Gibraltar, according to Spanish authorities. It … Continue reading