I’ve just finished reading Julian Stockwin’sInvasion, the tenth of his Kydd series, which features among its cast of characters, Robert Fulton and his Nautilus of 1800. While the Nautilus is often called the first “practical” submarine, it was not the … Continue reading
Category Archives: History
The English Channel is still the Channel and the 60 or so “little ships” of Dunkirk haven’t gotten any younger. The flotilla of some 60 of the original “little ships” were delayed in their return to Ramsgate after reinacting the crossing to … Continue reading
A trivia question – what was the Space Shuttle Atlantis named after? A. The Greek legend of the sunken continent. B. The TV show – Stargate Atlantis. C. Woods Hole’s first research vessel. I will admit that I surprised to learn that it was C. The … Continue reading
Keith Jessop, the salvage diver who recovered the gold from the HMS Edinburgh, died on May 22, 2010, aged 77. Keith Jessop: salvage diver On May 2, 1942, after three days of attacks by German submarines, destroyers and aircraft in … Continue reading
Extremely disturbing news. The scandal-plagued museum appears to want to get rid of the historic ship Olympia any way that it can. Historic warship’s future may be sunk … Continue reading
This Wednesday the surviving “Little Ships” of the Dunkirk evacuation will rendezvous in Ramsgate to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the famous World War II evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo. Little Ships gather in Ramsgate for 70th anniversary of Dunkirk evacuations … Continue reading
The Kalmar Nyckel will be featured in an upcoming documentary, “The Ship That Changed the World.” Delaware’s sailing star – Kalmar Nyckel the ‘wow factor’ in new documentary F ilm director Malcolm Dixelius knew he had found his “star” when … Continue reading
Yesterday we posted about a proposed wind farm on New York harbor between Jersey City and Bayonne. These will not be the first windmills on the harbor, of course. In 1815 Isaac Edge finished a windmill on the banks of … Continue reading
Concrete ships were constructed in both World War I and World War II when steel was in short supply. They were not wildly successful, as they were limited in deadweight and had a tendency to crack. (No concrete ships were built after the end … Continue reading
It was a classic contest between David and Goliath. On May 27, 1941, the German battleship Bismark had just sunk the pride of the Royal Navy, the HMS Hood. As she was close to escaping into safe waters, she was attacked … Continue reading
The Russian Cruiser Aurora was launched 110 years ago this month. She is currently a museum ship in St. Petersburg, the city where she was built. The Cruiser “Aurora” The historical ship Aurora has been turned into a museum and is docked … Continue reading
People are often surprised to hear that Herman Melville’s masterpiece, Moby Dick, was inspired, at least in part, by the sinking of the whale ship Essex by a sperm whale. By all accounts the sinking of the Essex haunted Melville and unquestionably supplied him with … Continue reading
Thanks to David Hayes of Astrodene’s Historical Naval Fiction for passing along this clip of Navy Days in 1937. HMS Victory, marching bands, period costumes and open air calisthenics. Click on the image to view the video. NAVY WEEK AT PORTSMOUTH . … Continue reading
A few days ago, we posted about Ric Burns’ new documentary, Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World, which will be broadcast tomorrow, May 10, at 9PM on most PBS channel in the United States. I had the opportunity to … Continue reading
Ancient treasures set for auction in Indonesia An ancient treasure trove salvaged from a 1,000-year-old shipwreck found by Indonesian fishermen is set to go under the hammer in Jakarta Wednesday with a minimum price of 80 million dollars. Belgian treasure-hunter … Continue reading