Killer Dolphins Looking for Love, or Maybe Not – a Look at Military Marine Mammals

A bit over a week ago there were news reports with headlines that sounded like the  plot of a low-budget sc-fi thriller. Huffington Post posted: “Ukrainian ‘Killer’ Dolphins Escape Naval Training Base In Search Of Love, Report Says.” Killer Dolphins … Continue reading

USS Freedom Limping Toward Singapore – The US Navy’s Sorry LCS Saga Continues

The USS Freedom, the first of the US Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships (LCS), is on her way to Singapore. The press has reported that the ship is intended to show the US’s commitment to counter China in the region. Before … Continue reading

Lord Nelson Action Figure & Napoleon’s Horse

Accomplished historian and archivist, Allan Janus has reviewed the Lord Nelson action figure now available on Amazon.  His review: “An excellent action figure of Horatio, Viscount Nelson – complete with sword, eyepatch, empty sleeve and chelengk. The one minor negative is that Nelson’s stance is quite … Continue reading

Senator Rockefeller to Carnival’s Micky Arison – Will You Reimburse Taxpayers?

Carnival Cruise Line pays virtually no Federal taxes, yet without the docks, roads, and airports provided by local, state and the federal governments, it would be unable to operate its cruise line.  And, when one of its ships gets into trouble, Carnival … Continue reading

MV Danio on the Rocks off Farne Islands, Salvage Delayed by Weather

Early on Saturday, the 80 m coaster MV Danio hit the rocks on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast, after sailing from Perth, Scotland to Antwerp, Belgium with a cargo of timber.  The German-owned, Antigua-registered vessel is stuck near the Longstone Lighthouse, … Continue reading

Another Carnival Casualty – Carnival Legend’s Pod Problem

As passengers are being flown home from an cancelled cruise on the Carnival Dream, another Carnival Cruise ship, the Carnival Legend, is limping to port with a damaged Azipod. Unlike more conventional designs where the ship’s propeller is connected to a ship’s engine … Continue reading

HMS Implacable, Survivor of Trafalgar & WWII – Scuttled in 1949

Here is a video of the scuttling of HMS Implacable in 1949.  She was originally the French Navy’s Téméraire-class ship of the line Duguay-Trouin, launched in 1800.  The Duguay-Trouin fought in and survived the Battle of Trafalgar, only to be captured by the British in … Continue reading

MV Sustina, Alaska’s $78-million ‘Ferry to Nowhere’, Available for Free – Bound to LA?

The Alaskan high-tech ferry MV Susitna cost $78-million to build.  More than just a ferry, it is also an ice-capable amphibious assault vessel for the Navy, which was supposed to have carried commuters from the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (or Mat-Su as it is known) across upper Cook Inlet.  Mat-Su’s largest … Continue reading

More Species of Shark & Rays May be Protected

We recently posted about a report by the journal Marine Policy which estimated that around 100 million sharks are being killed each year in the commercial fisheries, a rate far higher than is sustainable for most shark species.  On Monday, delegates to the Convention on the … Continue reading

Sailing Ships at Work – Then and Now, Working Harbor Committee Presentation April 10th

I am very pleased and excited to be speaking with Norman Brouwer and Captain Margaret Flanagan at the Working Harbor Committee of New York and New Jersey program “Sailing Ships at Work – Then and Now.”   The presentation is on April … Continue reading