Update: Thomas B. Modly has offered his resignation. When the Acting Secretary of the Navy Thomas B. Modly traveled to Guam on Sunday to speak to the sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, he needed to deliver a … Continue reading
Rick Spilman
To change the topic, for a day at least, here is a well done short video by the Nature Conservancy about the return of the lowly menhaden, which they call the most important fish in the sea. Menhaden are an … Continue reading
Given the complete debacle of the current administration’s response to the coronavirus, one might hope that our military might be better capable of reacting to the crisis. So far, the US Navy, at least, has demonstrated only how ill-prepared it … Continue reading
The incident took place in the early hours of Mar. 30, 2020, but the cruise ship operator only released an official statement on April 1st. It could almost be taken for an April Fool’s joke. It wasn’t. The Portuguese flag … Continue reading
Sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt cheered for Captain Brett Crozier as he departed the ship in Guam. Captain Crozier was removed from duty by the Navy after he raised concerns about the spreading coronavirus on his ship … Continue reading
Grasping at any excuse to stop thinking about the pandemic, for Throw-back Thursday, here is an updated repost from several years ago about an almost magical ghost ship. What should a ghost ship be made of? Why not water, wind, … Continue reading
Sadly, this is not an April Fools joke. The Mystic Seaport Museum is another casualty of Covid-19, at least for the duration of the pandemic. The Hartford Courant reports that as of today the museum is closing indefinitely and laying … Continue reading
The brig Pilgrim, a replica of the ship immortalized in Richard Henry Dana’s 1840 memoir, Two Years Before the Mast, sank at the dock over the weekend in Dana Point, CA. The replica brig, owned by the Ocean Institute has served … Continue reading
When particularly interesting ships arrive in New York harbor, I like to go down the waterfront, as time permits, to see them in. This morning was chilly and overcast and in the spirit of social distancing, I watched the arrival … Continue reading
The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort is currently steaming north toward New York harbor to help support the city hospital system during the coronavirus crisis. The ship will dock at a newly dredged berth at Pier 90 on the Hudson … Continue reading
We recently posted about two virtual tours available on the historic frigate USS Constitution. In these days of the coronavirus lockdown, the ship is closed as is the shoreside museum. Just as you can tour the ship virtually, the USS … Continue reading
The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) has diverted to Guam following an outbreak of coronavirus onboard. Following initial news of three infected sailors, the number of cases is now said to have risen to “dozens.” The sailors … Continue reading
Despite the pandemic caused by the coronavirus, known as Covid-19, ships keep moving across the oceans. Oil tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships carry critical resources and manufactured goods to industry and consumers across the globe. Now, however, dozens of … Continue reading
The US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, is the largest aircraft carrier ever built and, at over $13 billion, is also the most expensive. Nevertheless, because of problems with mission-critical systems, the ship has been referred to … Continue reading
If you are among the hundreds of millions locked down during the current coronavirus outbreak and would like to get out, even virtually, you might want to take a virtual tour of the USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides. … Continue reading
Social and the mainstream press have been running stories showing swans and dolphins returning to the canals of Venice in the wake of the shutdowns to limit the coronavirus. The possible silver lining to the overwhelming tragedy in Italy appears, … Continue reading
As a brief respite from the current madness, here is a mixed-up montage of sailing footage from the Castle Films newsreel named Windjammer Thrills. The newsreel starts with the square-rigged training ship Christian Radich, moves on to fishing schooner races … Continue reading
In the United States recently, there has been a lot of attention given to those who hoard toilet paper in preparation for the coronavirus onslaught. As toilet paper is one of the basic necessities of modern life, hoarding seems to … Continue reading
The plan was for the Cruise and Maritime Voyages (CMV) ships Vasco da Gama and Columbus to refuel, reprovision and swap passengers in the port of Phuket, Thailand before returning to their respective homeports to be temporarily laid up. When … Continue reading
The good news is that the Pentagon announced that it is activating the two US Navy hospital ships, USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, notionally to provide additional capacity in the developing coronavirus pandemic. The bad news is that it is … Continue reading