U.S. Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro has announced that a future Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer will be named the USS Telesforo Trinidad in honor of a Filipino sailor who rescued two crew members when their ship caught fire … Continue reading
Category Archives: History
An intriguing account by the BBC of archeological serendipity that began with a trip to the dentist. The Battle of the Aegates was a naval battle fought on 10 March 241 BC between the fleets of Carthage and Rome during … Continue reading
The question is not so much whether the wreck of Captain Cook’s ship Endeavour rests at the bottom of the harbor in Newport, RI, but rather which of several wrecks it may be. The Endeavour, renamed Lord Sandwich and outfitted … Continue reading
When the burial ship at Sutton Hoo in the UK was uncovered in 1939, the ship itself was missing. The wooden planks and frames of the ship, dating from around 600 AD, had rotted away. Nevertheless, an almost intact impression … Continue reading
Yesterday we posted about the patrol ship, the Grille, described by some as “Hitler’s yacht.” Today we will look at a second vessel to bear the same title — the Ostwind. In 1936, the German government had two racing sailboats built, … Continue reading
With the advent of Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we have posted about superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs including several yachts that may or may not be owned by the dictator himself. Here is a two-part post about yachts associated … Continue reading
Here is another old favorite, a companion repost to yesterday’s repost of “The Unsinkable Hugh Williams – Truth Behind the Legend?” We recently posted in response to a video, “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?.” It recounted how three men named Hugh … Continue reading
I am traveling this week, so it seems like a good time to repost an old blog favorite, the remarkable story of the unsinkable Hugh Williams. There is a video bouncing around the web these days called “The Strangest Coincidence … Continue reading
Yesterday we posted about the What, How, & Why of the Ancient Principle of General Average. Here is a repost about a massacre, in which general average was declared involving a shipment of human cargo. On November 29, 1781, the … Continue reading
Following several attempts to free the Ever Forward, the ship’s owner declared General Average, citing “the increasing costs arising from the continued attempts to refloat the vessel.” What this means, in practice, is that the owners of the cargo now … Continue reading
A reconstruction of the pinnace Virginia is nearing completion after being under construction for over a decade in Bath, Maine. The original 51-foot pinnace, built in 1607 by the Popham Colony at its settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec … Continue reading
On the last day of Women’s History Month, it is worthwhile celebrating more than a decade of women’s service on US Navy submarines. In 2010, Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates lifted the ban on females serving aboard US submarines. … Continue reading
The shipwreck in 6,000 feet of water in the Gulf of Mexico, 70 miles from the mouth of the Mississippi River, had first been spotted in 2011, by a geological data company scanning an oil lease area. The wreck was … Continue reading
The Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Spey was on a mission to check and update charts of waters around British Overseas Territories scattered around the globe. It recently observed that Henderson Island in the South Pacific is one mile south … Continue reading
On St. Patrick’s Day, a post about another Irish saint, St. Brendan the Navigator, and the adventurer who sought to replicate his epic voyage. Who was the first European to sail to North America? According to Irish tradition, it was … Continue reading