The bark Europa arrived in the port of Ushuaia, Argentina in late March. Ushuaia, which describes itself as “the end of the world, the beginning of everything,” would normally be the jumping-off point for the ship’s regular voyage to Antarctica. … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
Three rusting masts rise from the Thames Estuary, off Sheppy Island, not far from Sheerness. They are the masts that once supported the swinging booms on the Liberty ship USS Richard Montgomery, which sank with a cargo of high explosive … Continue reading
In the 1990s, rumors began to spread that the Colombian cartels were moving cocaine to the United States by submarine. In 2006 the navy intercepted a “narco-sub” off Costa Rica with 3.5 tonnes of cocaine on board. In 2019, thirty-three … Continue reading
On Throw-Back-Thursday, here is footage of the sinking of the German battleship Bismark, 79 years ago yesterday, by the Royal Navy in a three-day running battle in which the Bismark sank the British battlecruiser HMS Hood. Ultimately, the German battleship … Continue reading
It would appear to be a sign of times. Surgical masks have been washing ashore on the beaches of New South Wales, Australia. Not pandemic aid from King Neptune, but the result of containers of medical supplies among the at … Continue reading
Eighty years ago today, on May 26, 1940, Operation Dynamo, the evacuation of British and other Allied troops from the French port of Dunkirk, began. Following a Blitzkrieg attack by German forces in early May, the British Expeditionary Force (BEF), … Continue reading
This year’s Fleet Week celebrations, traditionally held around the country over the Memorial Day weekend, have been canceled due to the pandemic. So, here is a Fleet Week New York flashback, the Parade of Ships from 2011. We hope that … Continue reading
A major fire broke out on Saturday morning in a warehouse on Pier 45 on San Francisco’s Fisherman’s Wharf which came very close to the engulfing the historic World War II Liberty ship, SS Jeremiah O’Brien. The fire was reported … Continue reading
China Merchants Group has recently signed a contract with China Shipbuilding for two Very Large Crude Carriers (VLCCs) that will sail, powered, in part, by the wind while gliding on a cushion of air bubbles. The two 300,000 DWT tankers … Continue reading
In the United States, May 22nd is celebrated as National Maritime Day. The day brings to mind a largely forgotten monument, a ship’s anchor on a concrete slab, on Corlear’s Hook in New York’s East River Park. National Maritime Day … Continue reading
The latest coronavirus outbreak on a Navy ship is on the Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) fleet replenishment oiler, USNS Leroy Grumman. The Project On Government Oversight (POGO) is reporting that the outbreak occurred late last month, barely a week after … Continue reading
Whether in quarantine or not, the Monterey Bay Aquarium live shark cam is a great spot to escape to. The cam features sevengill sharks, leopard sharks, spiny dogfish, and the elusive Pacific angel shark in an aquarium that replicates the … Continue reading
The Miami Herald recently helped to quantify the scale of the crew repatriation crisis aboard cruise ships around the world. They report that “two months after the cruise industry shut down amid repeated COVID-19 outbreaks on ships, more than 100,000 … Continue reading
Now, for something completely different. The bright pink manta ray was first seen swimming in 2015, in the waters off Australia’s Lady Elliot Island, on the Great Barrier Reef. It has been seen only seven times since, making its most … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted about 5 sailors from the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt who appeared to have contracted the coronavirus for a second time. That number has now risen to 13. Politico reports that the 13 Covid-positive sailors have been … Continue reading
Five sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt appear to have contracted the coronavirus for a second time and have been taken off the ship. The carrier is currently tied up in Guam after an outbreak of the virus infected … Continue reading
More than 20 cruise ships are departing Manila Bay to escape the wrath of Category 3 Typhoon Vongfong making landfall in the Philippines. Many of the cruise ships had been in the process of repatriating Filipino crew members, a process … Continue reading
Almost a year ago, two beluga whales, Little White and Little Grey, traveled 6,000 miles from an aquarium in Shanghai around the globe to Iceland to a new home in the world’s first beluga whale sanctuary. If all goes well, … Continue reading
The historic tanker Mary A. Whalen is in dire need of parts to restore its diesel engine. A powerplant in Missouri has a compatible diesel. All that needs to be done is to raise the money to move the engine … Continue reading
The wreck of the USS Nevada, deliberately sunk by the US Navy in 1948, has been located in water nearly three miles deep, 65 nautical miles southwest of the Hawaiian island of Oahu. The old battlewagon has been called the … Continue reading