Harry Belafonte and the Port Chicago Disaster & Mutiny

Harry Belafonte, the multi-talented  American singer, actor, and activist, died last week at the age of 96. Born in Harlem to Jamaican immigrants, he shattered racial boundaries in the 1950s. During his career, Belafonte popularized calypso music with audiences around … Continue reading

Kirsten Neuschäfer Wins 2022 Golden Globe — First Woman to Win a Solo Round the World Race

Congratulations to Kirsten Neuschäfer, winner of the 2022 Golden Globe Race. After 235 days at sea, the 39-year-old South African sailor crossed the finish line off Les Sables d’Olonne in France at 9pm CEST on Thursday, becoming the first woman … Continue reading

Navy Nominates Rear Adm. Yvette Davids to be First Woman to Lead Naval Academy

The Navy has nominated Rear Adm. Yvette Davids to become the first female superintendent of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland. Unfortunately, her confirmation is being delayed, as are the promotions of over 180 fellow senior military officers, by Senator … Continue reading

Destroyer USS Paul Hamilton Makes $42 Million Drug Bust in Gulf of Oman

The guided-missile destroyer USS Paul Hamilton recently intercepted a fishing boat in the Gulf of Oman carrying 802 kilograms of methamphetamines and 1,000 kilograms of hashish. Before being boarded, the five crewmembers on the fishing vessel – who identified themselves … Continue reading

Wreck of SS Montevideo Maru, Australia’s Worst Maritime Disaster, Found After 81 Years

On July 1, 1942, the submarine USS Sturgeon was on its fifth war patrol in the South China Sea off the northwest coast of the Philippines’ Luzon Island, when it sighted a Japanese troop transport, SS Montevideo Maru.  The submarine … Continue reading

Wreckage of Historic Submarine Defender Found in Long Island Sound

Connecticut divers have discovered the wreckage of an experimental submarine built in 1907 and later scuttled in Long Island Sound. The Defender was found Sunday by a team led by Richard Simon, a commercial diver from Coventry, Connecticut. The submarine … Continue reading

Eleven Indonesian Fisherman, Stranded by Cyclone Ilsa, Rescued After Six Days Without Food

The BBC reports that eleven Indonesian fishermen have been rescued after surviving for six days without food or water on a tiny island off Australia’s coast. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority said they were airlifted to safety on Monday from … Continue reading

USS Cleveland, Last Freedom Class LCS, Douses Tugboat in Dramatic Side Launch

The side-launching of the Litoral Combat Ship (LCS) USS Cleveland last Saturday in the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin was at the very least dramatic. When the ship slid sideways into the water it narrowly missed striking a … Continue reading

Jeanne Socrates Prepares to Set Sail Again, Solo Across the Pacific, at 80

Jeanne Socrates was 76 in October 2018, when she set sail alone from Victoria, British Columbia, on her 38′ yacht Nereida. She returned to Victoria 339 days later, then 77, having sailed singlehanded non-stop around world, becoming the oldest sailor … Continue reading

Historic Schooner Victory Chimes to be Sold at Auction

The three-masted schooner Victory Chimes, based in Rockland, Maine, will soon be sold at public auction. The 128-foot schooner will be auctioned through online bidding that begins at 9 a.m. on April 23 and continues until 1 p.m. on May … Continue reading

Dramatic South Atlantic Rescue of Golden Globe Race Sailor Ian Herbert Jones

Ian Herbert Jones of Great Britain, competing in the 2022-23 Golden Globe Race, was successfully rescued after his Tradewind 35 Puffin had rolled over and dismasted, with the skipper injuring his back and incurring a gash to his head. Jones … Continue reading

New York Wants to Restore Shad, the “Poor Man’s Salmon, to the Hudson River

Shad, often referred to as the “poor man’s Salmon,” once returned yearly to spawn in the Hudson River estuary from New York Harbor north to Fort Edward. Overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution contributed to a series of population collapses, and … Continue reading

Austal Shipyard Execs Charged With Massive Fraud in LCS Program

The  Department of Justice and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) have charged three current or ex-Austal USA executives with accounting fraud in the construction of Independence-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS). A grand jury issued indictments against Craig Perciavalle, who … Continue reading

Snailfish, the Deepest-Swimming Fish Ever Recorded on Camera

A team of Australian and Japanese scientists succeeded in capturing on camera the deepest-swimming fish ever recorded. The fish, an unknown snailfish species of the genus Pseudoliparis, was recorded at a depth of 8,336m in the Izu-Ogasawara Trench, south of … Continue reading

Australian Michelle Lee the First Woman to Row the Pacific Ocean Solo, Unassisted & Non-Stop

Australian Michelle Lee has become the first woman to row solo, unassisted, and non-stop across the Pacific Ocean.  On her epic 237-day, 14,000-kilometre journey from Ensenada, Mexico to  Port Douglas in Far North Queensland, Australia, she dodged five hurricanes and … Continue reading

Saildrone Surveyor USV Discovers a 3,300-Foot-Tall Seamount Off California Coast

Two years ago,  we posted about Saildrone‘s new 72’ long Surveyor, which was described as the world’s most advanced uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), equipped for high-resolution mapping of the ocean seafloor. Now, the Saildrone Surveyor has discovered a 3,300-foot-tall sea … Continue reading