Early last month, we posted about the departure on the morning of June 5th, of the container ship MSC Michigan VII from the North Charleston Container Terminal in Charleston, South Carolina. Its engine was set to “dead slow ahead” as … Continue reading
Category Archives: Lore of the Sea
[tribulant_slideshow gallery_id=”4″] Fifty-four years ago today, 100,000 people lined the banks of the River Avon in Bristol as the SS Great Britain returned to her birthplace. In the intervening years, the rusting hulk was meticulously restored to her former glory … Continue reading
An updated repost fitting for the day. Happy 4th of July! Those of us in the United States celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776. Immediately after declaring independence from Great Britain, the representatives in the Continental Congress drank a toast … Continue reading
A fascinating story from CBC Radio — based on a new study in the academic journal Science Advances, dolphins can recognize the sound of a whistle or the taste of urine — yes, taste — to spot their friends. What started … Continue reading
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
The Ukrainian Magura V5 naval drones have proven to be fast, deadly, and cheap. As we posted last August, Ukrainian naval drones are redefining warfare in the Black Sea; quite an accomplishment for a beleaguered nation that almost wholly lacks … Continue reading
Spanish Customs has intercepted another semi-submersible transoceanic “narco sub” off the Atlantic coast of Spain, rescuing and arresting four suspects, who scuttled their vessel as authorities approached. On June 24, the Spanish Customs Surveillance Service and the US DEA detected … Continue reading
A video from the Fluctus Channel providing a glimpse inside US Navy aircraft carriers, from the engine room to the flight deck. Thanks to Alaric Bond for contributing to this post. … Continue reading
Last July, a routine oil and gas survey discovered hundreds of intact amphorae – ancient storage jars – believed to be 3,300 years old, in a shipwreck located 90km (56 miles) off the northern coast of Israel on the sea … Continue reading
The BBC reports that 13 crew members of the superyacht, Persephoni, have been arrested following a wildfire on the Greek island of Hydra, that authorities allege was sparked by fireworks launched from the yacht. Friday’s blaze burnt through 300 acres … Continue reading
CNN reports that two beluga whales have been rescued from the besieged city of Kharkiv in Ukraine and taken to an aquarium in Valencia, Spain, in a complex operation. A multinational team involving marine mammal care experts from Oceanogràfic de Valencia, the largest oceanarium … Continue reading
The cruise ship Insignia rescued 68 migrants adrift off the Spanish Canary Islands on Wednesday, Spain’s maritime rescue agency said in a statement on X. The bulk carrier Philipp Oldendorff spotted the migrant boat adrift roughly 440 nautical miles, or … Continue reading
Eighty years ago this week, during the early days of the Allied invasion of Europe, the sea would prove to be as formidable an enemy as the Germans. A storm, the worst in 80 years, came close to wiping out … Continue reading
Recently, researchers have used machine learning to decode a “sperm whale phonetic alphabet,” revealing sophisticated structures in sperm whale communication akin to human phonetics and communication systems in other animal species. For centuries, sailors have heard the sounds made by … Continue reading
Happy Juneteenth! Juneteenth is the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth is also the newest Federal holiday. The legislation was signed into law by President Biden in 2020. The holiday commemorates when emancipation … Continue reading