Sometimes the Magic Doesn’t Happen — American Magic Eliminated From America’s Cup

Sometimes the magic just doesn’t happen. The New York Yacht Club’s American Magic team, the U.S. Challenger was eliminated from competing in the 36th races for the America’s Cup.  The elimination follows four straight losses against the Challenger of Record, … Continue reading

“The Dig” & Recreating the Sutton Hoo Burial Ship

I recently watched “The Dig,” a new movie on Netflix, starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes about the excavation of the Sutton Hoo ship-burial in Suffolk, England.  Now the Sutton Hoo Ship’s Company is undertaking to recreate the great king’s ship … Continue reading

Vendee Globe: Incredibly Close Finish to a Non-Record-Breaking Race

The Vendee Globe 2020-2021 has been a remarkable race by many standards. It was incredibly close, more competitors are likely to complete the race than in previous years, and the race times didn’t set any new records. For most of … Continue reading

Singapore Among First to Prioritize Covid-19 Vaccination of Seafarers

Singapore has become one of the first states to prioritize seafarers to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. Nautilus International reports that more than 10,000 maritime workers are scheduled for vaccination by the end of January 2021 under the country’s Sea – … Continue reading

Maersk Essen Diverted to Mexico Due to California Container Port Congestion

Yesterday, we posted about the Maersk Essen that recently lost 750 containers over the side in a  storm in the North Pacific. An unknown number of containers still aboard the ship are believed to have been damaged during the storm. … Continue reading

Maersk Essen Loses 750 Boxes Overboard in North Pacific

In what is developing into a record winter for containers lost over the side, the Maersk Essen lost 750 containers overboard during a storm on January 16.  An unknown number of boxes were damaged but still onboard. The loss occurred … Continue reading

Guest Post by Joan Druett — Tim Severin, Seaman, Adventurer, Author

Originally posted in award-winning maritime historian Joan Druett’s World of the Written Word. Reposted with permission. I was saddened to learn that Tim Severin, a truly remarkable man who was a living inspiration, passed away last month. The Irish Times has a … Continue reading

Saildrone Launches 72′ Surveyor for High-Resolution Ocean Seabed Mapping

Saildrone‘s new 72’ long Surveyor is described as the world’s most advanced uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), equipped for high-resolution mapping of the ocean seafloor. The Saildrone Surveyor is a step up from the 22′ long Saildrone Explorer, yet both combine … Continue reading

CNO on Navy Shipbuilding Mistakes : May Not Be Able To Recover In This Century

The US Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday was blunt when he was recently quoted saying, “I don’t mean to be dramatic, but I feel like if the Navy loses its head, if we go off course and we … Continue reading

The Berthing Barge and the Lightning Carriers

Depending on which news report you listen to, the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford either can’t reliably land planes and is continuing in its dubious status as a “$13 billion berthing barge,” or, more optimistically, it may be ready … Continue reading

GE’s Mega Offshore Wind Turbine, When Bigger May Be Better

Sometimes size matters. We have recently seen ever-larger container ships delivered from Asian shipyards. This year, the HMM Algeciras claimed the title of the world’s largest container ship with a carrying capacity of 24,000 TEUs. It is one of twelve … Continue reading

Covid-19 Vaccines, Horseshoe Crab Blood, and Big Pharma Vampires

As the race is on to distribute Covid-19 vaccines around the globe, horseshoe crabs, or more specifically, horseshoe crab blood, is playing a major role in ensuring that the vaccines are safe to be injected into peoples’ arms. In fact, … Continue reading

Golden Ray Salvage Update: Stern Cut Completed, Block Hauled Away

The salvage of the stranded car carrier Golden Ray is accelerating. Salvors on the heavy-lift barge VB-10,000 are using a heavy chain to cut the ship into sections to be carried away by barge. The recently completed the second cut, separating … Continue reading