Every year, the Alaskan fishing industry attracts tens of thousands of migrant workers. In remote Bristol Bay, Alaska, between 10,000 and 15,000 fishermen come to work on the salmon boats plying the Bering Sea, while another 6,000 workers or so … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
A huge cloud of desert dust has blown off the Sahara and is bound across the Atlantic Ocean heading toward the United States. While dust plumes are not uncommon, this plume is exceptionally large and dense with the highest concentration … Continue reading
Pullmantur Cruceros, a joint venture between Royal Caribbean and Cruises Investment Holding, has filed for reorganization under Spanish insolvency laws. Cruises Investment Holding owns 51 percent of the three-ship Spanish cruise line, while Royal Caribbean owns the remaining 49 percent. … Continue reading
In mid-March, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced that the major cruise lines were shutting down operations from all US ports for at least 30 days in response to the coronavirus pandemic. A month later, the Center for Disease … Continue reading
Fifty years ago this November, the residents of Florence, Oregon learned how not to dispose of a dead whale. Now, a half-century later they have named a park after that lesson. The residents have recently chosen to name a local … Continue reading
The US government has now reversed the recommendation made by high ranking Navy officials that Capt. Brett Crozier, commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, be reinstated. In April, the coronavirus was spreading out of control on the aircraft … Continue reading
Today is Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, when 155 years ago, emancipation arrived in Galveston, Texas by steamship. Here is an updated repost from a few years ago. Although the … Continue reading
The Clearwater Great Hudson River Revival is a music and environmental summer festival held yearly since 1966, on the banks of the Hudson River. It is said to be America’s oldest and the largest annual festival of its kind. In … Continue reading
On June 17, 1940, the HMT Lancastria was sunk by German bombers near the French port of Saint-Nazaire. An estimated 4,000 people died in the sinking. Fewer than 2,500 survived. It was the worst maritime disaster in British history, worse … Continue reading
The $13 billion dollar aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford is the most expensive warship the world has ever seen. Commissioned in 2017, the ship is still not ready for deployment. Is the Ford almost ready for combat service or … Continue reading
An updated repost from a few year’s back. One hundred and sixteen years ago today, the disaster on the General Slocum resulted in the largest loss of life in New York City prior to the attacks of 9/11/01. At around … Continue reading
On June 17, 2017, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, collided with the container ship ACX Crystal near Toyko Bay off the coast of Japan. Seven US sailors died in the collision and at least three more were injured, including … Continue reading
Centaur is one of three sailing barges owned and operated by the Thames Sailing Barge Trust. Launched in February 1895 at John and Herbert Cann’s Bathside yard in Harwich, Centaur was built as a coasting barge – able to trade … Continue reading
Raine Island, Australia, on the edge of the Great Barrier Reef, is one of the world’s largest nesting sites for green sea turtles. Researchers have found that drone cameras are the best way to count the young sea turtles. Using … Continue reading
The bad news is that the annual summer “hypoxic” or “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico this year may be larger than average. The good news is that it will be about 15% smaller than last year’s model prediction … Continue reading
The Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut is a magical place to visit, particularly in the Spring and early Summer. Unfortunately, the museum was shut down by the pandemic since the beginning of April. The great news is that as … Continue reading
In addition to serving as a crew member on three Space Shuttle missions, Kathryn Sullivan was also the first American woman to walk in space on October 11, 1984. Now, at 68, she has become the first woman to reach … Continue reading
Jeanne Socrates was 76 when she set sail alone from Victoria, British Columbia, in October 2018, on her 38′ yacht Nereida. She returned to Victoria 339 days later, then 77, having sailed singlehanded non-stop around world, becoming the oldest sailor … Continue reading
Happy World Ocean Day, held every year on the 8th of June to celebrate the oceans and to take action to restore and protect them. This year the day’s theme is ‘Innovation for a sustainable ocean.’ Unfortunately, the current US … Continue reading
After a rough week, here is something beautiful — a video compilation of stills and video of ships and their crews, by “ship shooter” Jonathan Atkin. Maritime Love Affair from (mostly) above. from jonathan atkin on Vimeo. … Continue reading