Last November, Sarah Schmidt, a 25 year old cadet fell to her death from the rigging of the German sailing training ship, Gorch Fock. It is now being reported that shortly after Schmidt’s death the cadets aboard the ship mutinied and … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
Nelson style speed dating? I hope this doesn’t involve boarding with cutlasses. Unlucky in love? Try speed dating Nelson-style! His romance with mistress Lady Hamilton is the stuff of legend – and singletons will hope to harness some of Lord Nelson’s pulling … Continue reading
As one who is shivering in the snow, I am highly envious of the good folks in San Diego who will be celebrating their 3rd annual Big Bay Whale Days & Whale Festival this Saturday, January 22nd, in observance of the annual gray … Continue reading
This story is a few days old, but remains strange and disturbing. The Dutch coaster Leopard, carrying a cargo of weapons, was reported to have been hijacked by pirates in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Oman last week, but when a Turkish naval … Continue reading
Grim news. Late Saturday night, the wooden vessel Hasan Reis in the Mediterranean, carrying over 260 passengers, reported to be illegal immigrants from Afghanistan, began to leak in heavy seas and subsequently sank. The Dutch ship Momentum Scan rescued the survivors … Continue reading
The Hudson river docks in New York harbor were once elegant terminals that greeted the arrival of passenger ships in the 1900s. Several were designed by the same architects that designed New York’s Grand Central Station. By the 70s, when … Continue reading
Some absolutely wonderful photography and video as photographer Lisa Denning talks about her process of making pictures of humpback whales off the island of Rurutu in French Polynesia. From Time magazine: … Continue reading
One year ago last Wednesday, Haiti was struck by a magnitude 7.0 earthquake. The port of Port-au-Prince was severely damaged. Now a year later the damage to the port remains unrepaired, but floating barges have temporarily replaced the damaged docks. Click … Continue reading
Last night was clear and bitterly cold in New York harbor. Wind chill from the northwesterly breeze made the temperature feel like it was in the single digits. A new layer of snow from a storm two days before added … Continue reading
An interesting followup to a previous post: Retirement of adm. on hold in video inquiry In an indication of just how seriously the Navy is taking the investigation into the racy shipboard videos aired four years ago aboard the carrier … Continue reading
Congratulations to the Capt. Shane Granger, Meggi Macoun, Joanne Har and all the good folks on the historic vessel Vega for being honored with the Asia Pacific Laureate Foundation annual award for Social Services in recognition of “Humanitarian Services to Isolated Island … Continue reading
Two news stories recently on drugs aboard cruise ships suggest two very different types of drug problems. U.S. Customs and Border Protection raided the MSC Poesia, on Jan. 4, prior to the ship departing on a “Jam Cruise” a floating music festival featuring … Continue reading
What is it about model ships made of LEGOs? The little plastic blocks are such an unlikely raw material for model shipbuilding. Here is a lovely 1:50 scale reproduction of the Cutty Sark created by Henrik Hoexbroe. Click the photo for a larger … Continue reading
Maritime Reporter points out the connection between the US Merchant Maritime Academy and this weekend’s tragic shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and nineteen others at a supermarket in northwest Tucson, Arizona, which left six dead and Representative Giffords in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the … Continue reading
This Thursday, January 13th, the three ships of the Cunard fleet – the Queen Mary II, the Queen Elizabeth and the recently delivered Queen Victoria – will rendezvous in New York harbor near the Statue of Liberty around 6:45 PM. A fireworks display will help to celebrate the “Cunard … Continue reading
A disturbing report published yesterday in the Telegraph. HMS Victory rotting and being pulled apart under its own weight HMS Victory is riddled with rot and being pulled apart by its own weight, maintenance reports of the historic ship have … Continue reading
Two hundred years ago today the USS Revenge, under the command of Oliver Hazard Perry, sank in the waters off Rhode Island. On Friday, divers, Charles Buffum, Mike Fournier and Craig Harger, announced that they believe that they have located the wreck. In … Continue reading
Update: While originally reported that two crew members were knocked overboard during “a lifeboat training exercise,” it is now being reported that the sailors were performing lifeboat maintenance. The commenter (below) reports that both men were wearing safety harnesses which … Continue reading
A Ukrainian sailor, on a Dutch ship in international waters steaming toward Houston, Texas, got into a fight with a fellow crew member New Year’s Eve and the next morning was found dead in his cabin. An autopsy is being performed to determine the … Continue reading
The USS Kittiwake, a 1945-vintage submarine rescue ship, was scuttled this week off Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach in the Caribbean to become a destination for reef fish and sport divers. The ship settled onto the bottom on an even keel … Continue reading