The events of 9/11 are still more clear in my memory than I would like. The dry, clear morning. The call from my wife from the mezzanine of the World Trade Center after the first plane hit the North Tower. … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
In all her former glory, the restored Flying P Liner Peking has returned to her home port of Hamburg. Four years ago, we posted about the Peking‘s departure from New York’s South Street Seaport. During the summer of 2017, she … Continue reading
One hundred and twenty years ago yesterday, on September 8, 1900, the city of Galveston Texas was struck by what today would be classified as a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 145 mph and a storm surge of 14 … Continue reading
In early August, the Maltese government asked the tanker, Maersk Etienne, to help a nearby boat in distress. The crew of the tanker found an overcrowded, wooden fishing boat carrying 27 African migrants — including a pregnant woman and a … Continue reading
The QAnon conspiracy nuts seem to be growing in number, so it seems to be a good time to look at an older conspiracy picked up by the current QAnon crowd. The conspiracy theory claims that J.P. Morgan sank the … Continue reading
Due to Covid-19, the Navy’s Captain Mike Desmond has inadvertently set an, as of yet, unofficial record for continuous-time deployed at sea. When the pandemic broke out, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group canceled port calls in Europe and … Continue reading
Two days after the capsize and sinking of the livestock carrier, Gulf Livestock 1, in Typhoon Maysak, the Japanese coast guard has rescued a second survivor. Jay-nel Rosales, 30, of the Philippines, was found floating alone in a life raft … Continue reading
Here is a fascinating short video on the AC75 foiling monohulls preparing to race in the 36th America’s Cup to be held in March 2021 in Aukland, New Zealand. Described as “monohulls on steroids”, the boats are amazing feats of … Continue reading
We have posted previously about New York’s South Street Seaport Museum’s monthly virtual Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music events that take place on the first Sunday of every month. The next Virtual Chantey Sing is this Sunday from 2-4. Click … Continue reading
The Japanese Coast Guard reported receiving a single distress call from the Panamanian flagged livestock carrier, Gulf Livestock 1, with a crew of 43 aboard. The vessel’s last known position in the East China Sea was near Typhoon Maysak, a … Continue reading
The ongoing cleanup following the fuel oil spill from the grounded bulk carrier Wakashio off Mauritius turned deadly when a tug assisting in the effort sank after colliding with an oil barge. The tug Sir Gaetan Duval had a crew … Continue reading
SINKEX sounds to me like a drain cleaner and RIMPAC could be something for a spare tire. In fact, RIMPAC is an acronym for Rim of the Pacific Exercise, the world’s largest international maritime warfare exercise, held in biennially on … Continue reading
This seems like a suitable post for an overcast Monday morning. In the town of Antirrio in southern Greece, a three-year-old girl climbed aboard a unicorn at the beach. The unicorn’s wings caught the wind and soon the little girl … Continue reading
We recently posted about the arrest of Steven Bannon, ex-senior advisor to Trump, aboard Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui’s 152′ yacht, cruising in Long Island Sound. Earlier in August, another mega-yacht was central in an unfolding scandal that brought down yet … Continue reading
The two items in the news appeared within hours of each other. The first, dated August 28, 17:09, was headlined, “Street artist Banksy funds pink boat to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean.” The second dated August 29, 5:45 AM was … Continue reading
The government of Mauritius announced last Monday that “the planned sinking of the stem (forward) section of the [bulk carrier Wakashio] has been completed and at around 3.30pm was no longer visible on the sea surface. While some sources referred … Continue reading
A fire broke out on the amphibious assault ship USS Bonhomme Richard on July 12 while the ship was dockside at the Naval Base San Diego. Now, the Navy is investigating whether arson was the cause of the fire. A … Continue reading
US Coast Guard Cutter Healy, a medium icebreaker, is limping back to its homeport in Seattle after suffering a machinery space fire on Aug. 18, the Coast Guard announced on Tuesday. When the fire broke out, Healy was underway on a … Continue reading
Covid-19 has claimed its first U.S, flagged cruise operator. Citing the pandemic, Blount announced that it is ending its cruise operations and is selling its three small overnight cruise ships. The family will focus on its shipbuilding activities. “It was … Continue reading
Here is wonderful drone footage from Ryan Smith of the Mayflower II transiting the Cape Cod Canal and then arriving in its homeport of Plymouth, MS. Her arrival had been delayed by the pandemic and then by Tropical Storm Isaias. … Continue reading