1,000 Royal Navy Medical Officer Journals at the National Archives

This week 1,000 Royal Navy Medical Officer Journals were made available to the public at the British National Archives in Kew.   The journals are revealing, if often disturbing by modern standards.   From drunken mutinies to disease outbreaks to … Continue reading

Happy National Coffee Day – Coffee, Edward Lloyd, Ships and Shipping

Happy National Coffee Day! I don’t know who decided that today was National Coffee Day, nor even why we should necessarily be celebrating it.   However, as a confirmed and happily contented coffee addict, perhaps this is a good time … Continue reading

At Sea Memorial for AHS Centaur 67 Years After Being Torpedoed

The Australian Hospital Ship Centaur was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the coast of Queensland, Australia, on 14 May 1943. Of the 332 medical personnel and civilian crew aboard, 268 were killed.  The exact position of the sunken ship … Continue reading

Did a Steering Error Sink the Titanic?

In Good as Gold, a new book by Louise Patten, the granddaughter of the most senior surviving officer on the Titanic, reveals a long hidden family secret. She claims that an error in steering on the bridge of the Titanic led to the collision … Continue reading

For shipwreck survivor, a new honor and an old story

Lanier W. Phillips, comedian Bill Cosby and former Washington Redskins star and the Dallas Cowboys’ first starting quarterback, Eddie LeBaron, were honored Wednesday with the U.S. Navy Memorial’s Lone Sailor award.  I, of course,  know Bill Cosby and as a … Continue reading

Prison ship records from 19th Century published

Ancestry.co.uk. has published, on-line records, held by National Archives of 19th Century prison ships providing  a glimpse into the lives of the estimated 200,000 inmates. Prison ship records from 19th Century published The records outline the disease-ridden conditions on the “prison hulks”, created … Continue reading

Franklin Records Found as Search Resumes for Franklin’s Ships

An update to a previous post. An Inuit family says a box that was hidden for over 80 years in the Arctic contains documents linked to the doomed Franklin expedition and has just turned the box over to the the Canadian Conservation … Continue reading

The Search for the Bonhomme Richard

The Ocean Technology Foundation has been searching for John Paul Jones’  famous flagship, the Bonhomme Richard for the last five years.  They now believe that they are closing in on the wreck. On this year’s expedition both the US and French Navies are joining … Continue reading