No one aboard the Titanic took a photograph of the iceberg that sank the famous ship in 1912, but two sailors made sketches of the berg, which had a distinctly elliptical shape. It so happens that two days before, what … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
At the end of last September, the New York Times quoted un-named “Chinese and other military experts” regarding the Liaoning, the first Chinese aircraft carrier to go into service, that “China does not have planes capable of landing on the carrier and so far … Continue reading
Scientists from Australia have just returned from a voyage of un-discovery. They have proven that Sandy Island, which appears on many nautical charts and on Google Earth and Google Maps, does no exist. The island which is depicted on Google Earth as a dark oval, … Continue reading
In the United States, today is celebrated as Thanksgiving, commermorating a 1621 feast of thanks-giving at the Plymouth colony in present-day Massachusetts. The year before in November of 1620 the ship Mayflower had carried a group of just over 100 English and Dutch Separatists, known as Pilgrims, across the … Continue reading
The six boats leading in the Vendée Globe non-stop round-the-world single-handed yacht race have all crossed the equator and are heading for the Southern Ocean. The leaders are, respectively – Armel Le Cléac´h, François Gabart, Bernard Stamm, Vincent Riou, Jean-Pierre Dick, and Alex Thomson. Meanwhile, Zbigniew Gutikowski, … Continue reading
HMS Astute, the first of seven new submarines, was delivered two years late, was well over budget and thus far is not yet in service, despite being delivered in 2009. Her career has been marked by elements of both comedy and tragedy. In … Continue reading
Update: On Sunday, the VESTAS Sailrocket 2 set a new speed record for 500M of 59.38 knots and a new one nautical mile record of an average of 55.32 knots. Both records are subject to confirmed by the WSSRC. The … Continue reading
John Fitzhugh Millar is a historian, author, tall ship captain and the force behind the construction of the replica HMS Rose. Here are his reminiscences of the HMS Bounty. Reposted with permission of the author. BOUNTY Reminiscences by John Fitzhugh … Continue reading
Like most of the historic vessels in and around New York harbor, the tanker Mary A. Whalen survived Superstorm Sandy Sandy better than her shore based neighbors. The tanker, which weathered Sandy at the inshore end of Pier 9B in … Continue reading
Last Wednesday, we posted about the wreck of a wooden ship uncovered by Superstorm Sandy beneath the dunes of Fire Island, east of Davis Park. The remains are thought to be the Bessie A. White, more than 90 years old, said Paula Valentine, public affairs specialist for … Continue reading
After only a week into the Vendée Globe non-stop round-the-world single-handed yacht race, four of the twenty original sailors have dropped out due to casualties or gear failure. The latest include Louis Burton, who was in a collision with a fishing boat off Portugal, and Samantha Davies whose boat suffered … Continue reading
Update 2: Current reports say that eleven were injured, four critically. Two workers are still missing. An oil and gas rig in the Gulf of Mexico, about 20 nautical miles southeast of Grand Isle, La., was hit by an explosion … Continue reading
The New York Marathon was cancelled after Superstorm Sandy swept through New York two weeks ago. The New York Moby Dick Marathon is on, however. What is a Moby Dick Marathon, you might ask? It is ” the first-ever marathon-style reading … Continue reading
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and sank in the Gulf of Mexico, killing 11 platform workers and resulting in the largest accidental marine oil spill in the history of the petroleum industry. Today BP, the … Continue reading
When we posted yesterday about the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island being closed by superstorm Sandy, Liam Hegarty pointed out in a comment that the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum is also closed until December due to storm damage. … Continue reading