More Baltic Bubbly — 100 Sealed Bottles of Champagne Discovered in 19th Century Shipwreck

A team of Polish divers discovered the wreck of a 19th-century vessel laden with about 100 sealed bottles of champagne.  The shipwreck is in the Baltic Sea in 60 meters of water about 20 nautical miles south of the Swedish … Continue reading

Sperm Whale Killed by Ship in Strait of Gibraltar

Yesterday, we posted about the sinking of the British sailing yacht Bonhomme William last week, following an attack by orcas in the Strait of Gibraltar. Fortunately, the crew were rescued without injury.  Two days later, a sperm whale encountered a … Continue reading

New Orca Attacks — Yachts Sunk Off Gibraltar & Damaged Off Coast of Brittany

The mystifying attacks on sailboats by a pod of Iberian orcas continue. The crew of the British yacht Bonhomme William had to be rescued after an orca sank their vessel in the Strait of Gibraltar, according to Spanish authorities. It … Continue reading

Robert L. Allen, Chronicler and Champion of Black Sailors in Port Chicago Disaster & Mutiny, Dies at 82

Robert L. Allen, who definitively told the story of 50 Black sailors who were convicted of conspiracy to commit mutiny for refusing to continue to load munitions onto cargo ships after explosions had blown apart two ships at a California … Continue reading

Update : Hawai‘i Issues New Bids to Remove Historic Windjammer Falls of Clyde From Honolulu Harbor

The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to permanently remove the historic ship Falls of Clyde from Honolulu Harbor, where it has languished since 2008. Bids must be submitted by September 25, 2024. The … Continue reading

Video of Humpback Capsizing Fishing Boat Off the New Hampshire Coast

A humpback whale that appeared to be lunge feeding breached the water and landed on a recreational boat near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, capsizing the vessel and tossing two occupants into the water, the United States Coast Guard said. … Continue reading

Brazilian Sharks Test Positive For Cocaine

Have you heard of cocaine bear? Well, meet cocaine sharks. Sharks living off the coast of Brazil have tested positive for cocaine, according to new research, the first time that the drug has been detected in free-ranging sharks. Scientists tested 13 … Continue reading

Scott & Shackleton’s Antarctic Ship Discovery Now Has a “Digital Twin”

RRS Discovery is a barque-rigged auxiliary steamship built for Antarctic research. She was the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in the United Kingdom. Her first mission was the British National Antarctic Expedition, carrying Robert Falcon Scott and … Continue reading

Remains of Two Sailors Found in Inflatable Washes Ashore on Sable Island, Nova Scotia

Last week, a 10-foot inflatable boat with two bodies on board was discovered washed ashore on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. The remains are believed to be of Brett Clibbery, 70, and Sarah Packwood, 60, from British Columbia, who were reported … Continue reading

Pod of One Thousand Pilot Whales Surround Solo Rower in the Atlantic

Yesterday, we posted about the tragic stranding on a beach in the Orkneys that resulted in the deaths of 77 long-finned pilot whales.  Here is a much more cheerful story involving a pod of pilot whales and a solo transatlantic … Continue reading

Pod of 77 Pilot Whales Die After Stranding on Orkney Beach

On 11 July 2024 at about 10:45am, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) received a report of a mass stranding of long-finned pilot whales on the isle of Sanday in Orkney, Scotland.  They found 77 animals high up the beach, having … Continue reading

Update: Shackleton’s Ship Endurance Given Extra Protection

In March of 2022, we posted about the discovery of the remarkably intact remains of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance, which was crushed by pack ice and sank off Antarctica in 1915. Using undersea drones, the shipwreck was located 10,000 … Continue reading

Russian Replica Frigate Shtandart Banned From Brest Maritime Festival

A few days before one of the world’s largest maritime gatherings, the crew of the Russian sailing ship Shtandart learned that it would not be able to participate in the Brest festivities due to the extension of European sanctions due … Continue reading

Iranian Destroyer Sahand Capsizes at Dock in Bandar Abbas

The Iranian Moudge-class destroyer Sahand capsized and sank in shallow water while undergoing dockside repairs in its home port of Bandar Abbas. The 1,300-tonne ship, commissioned in 2018, is one of the newest Iranian-built warships, fitted with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air … Continue reading

IMO Arctic Heavy Fuel Ban Goes into Effect, With Major Loopholes Until 2029

As of July 1, a ban on heavy fuel oil (HFO) for ships has come into effect in Arctic waters.  The UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) ban on HFO, however, includes significant loopholes that will allow the vast majority of … Continue reading