Two retired U.S. Navy chief petty officers and one retired captain were charged with bribery and fraud in the multi-year “Fat Leonard” criminal investigation, which has been described as the worst corruption scandal in Navy history. Leonard Glenn Francis, who at 6’3″ tall and … Continue reading
Category Archives: Current
On Aug. 18, 1943, the destroyer USS Abner Read was on anti-submarine patrol near Kiska Island, in Alaska’s Aleutian chain. The Japanese had just recently evacuated the island but had left behind a minefield. At 1:50 a.m., the destroyer struck … Continue reading
Sometime between last Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning, vandals broke into the USS Ling, a World War II-era Balao-class submarine, which has been a museum ship in the Hackensack River since 1973. The vandals stole four bronze plaques, dedicated to the sailors lost … Continue reading
We were deeply saddened to learn of the death of Bert Rogers, the long-time Executive Director of Tall Ships America, who died of a heart attack. Our condolences to his family and all those who cared for him. Bert’s seafaring … Continue reading
The southern Caribbean has seen a significant increase in piracy of late, at least partially related to the economic and political turmoil in nearby Venezuela. Commerical ships, local fishermen and visiting yachts have all fallen prey to attacks from pirates. Oceans Beyond Piracy (OBP), a … Continue reading
This summer, Canadian lobstermen are complaining of being harassed by US Border Patrol agents in speedboats as they fish in waters claimed by both Canada and the US off Machias Seal Island. Since around 1733, the US and Canada have agreed … Continue reading
The Bajau people of Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia have lived for centuries at sea as hunter-gatherer nomads. They can spend up to five hours a day underwater, diving for fish, octopus and other seafood. The Bajau do not use any … Continue reading
Lieutenant Randolph M. Prince, known as “Kaz,” had a pretty slick arrangement. “Kaz” was a supply officer in Virginia Beach, VA. Through friends, he set up sham companies which would be awarded government contracts by Prince. He would generate all the necessary paperwork and certify … Continue reading
Florida is being clobbered by a double algae disaster, a virtual algae apocalypse. Red tide, caused by karenia brevis algae is decimating sea life in the Gulf’s salt waters, while blue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, is poisoning South Florida’s inland fresh … Continue reading
Congratulations to Bryce Carlson who shattered the record for rowing solo, unsupported, from west-to-east across the North Atlantic. He completed the roughly 2,000-mile row from St. John’s, Newfoundland to St. Mary’s Harbor, in the Isles of Scilly in just 38 days, 6 hours … Continue reading
In 2012, we posted about a sighting one of the first adult all white orca whales in the western North Pacific near the Kamchatka Peninsula. The observation was reported by Erich Hoyt, co-founder of the Far East Russia Orca Project. The rare … Continue reading
There is a serious crisis at our border. No, not the Southern border, where crossings are at close to a 50 year low. I am referring to our Northern border, the Arctic Sea, where the US has only one heavy icebreaker, … Continue reading
Happy 228th Birthday to the United States Coast Guard! The Coast Guard is the oldest maritime service in the US government and somehow always succeeds in doing the most with the very least. The United States Coast Guard was established as the … Continue reading
Last weekend, two men and a woman carrying a toddler stole a two-foot-long gray horned shark from an aquarium in San Antonio, TX. They wrapped the shark in a blanket, shoved it in a plastic bucket and hid the bucket in … Continue reading
The Coast Guard has begun a high-level investigation into the recent duck boat capsize and sinking on July 19th, which cost the lives of 17 aboard. The boat, designated as Stretch Duck 07, which sank on Table Rock Lake, near Branson, … Continue reading
This sounds like a scene from a 1960 or 1970s “caper” movie. Around mid-day on Tuesday, two men walked into a medieval cathedral in Strangnas, in broad daylight, stole part of the Swedish crown jewels, and then escaped across a lake by … Continue reading
The top two spots in the Clipper Round the World Race were, for the first time, won by women. Australian Wendy Tuck has become the first female skipper to win the Clipper Round-the-World race. British skipper Nikki Henderson, 25, came in … Continue reading
In 1565, Captain Jean Ribault sailed from France with ships and 800 settlers to resupply and reinforce the French colony of Fort Caroline in what is now the state of Florida. The French colony was being threatened by the Spanish … Continue reading
Spain’s S-80 Plus submarine is an advanced design featuring Air Independent Propulsion (AIP), which is reported to have cost around € 1 billion. The original design came in overweight, so it necessary to lengthen the submarine by 10 meters. Now, it appears that the newly … Continue reading
It has been a challenging Friday, so we might as well end it with some slightly educational humor. Here is another of the wonderful “True Facts About …” series. In this case “True Facts About the Cuttle Fish.” True Facts About … Continue reading