Update: Shipyard Worker Charged with Arson in USS Miami Fire

We apologize to industrial vacuum cleaners. (They may not be the national security threat we once thought.)   In a previous post we repeated a statement by the Federal investigators that the fire on the nuclear submarine USS Miami, undergoing repairs in … Continue reading

Mating Manatees Stop Traffic on Tampa Bay Causeway

Drivers on the Courtney Campbell Causeway began calling the authorities to report manatees in trouble.  There appeared to be around ten manatees on a sandbar not far from the causeway that connects Tampa and Clearwater, Florida. Drivers stopped their cars and pulled over to get a better … Continue reading

Interview with Captain Denise Meagher & Dawn Santamaria of Schooner Unicorn & Sisters Under Sail

A very interesting interview with Captain Denise Meagher and Dawn Santamaria of the schooner Unicorn and the Sisters under Sail Program at this weekend’s Halifax Tall Ships Festival. Interview: All-female crew on tall ship … Continue reading

The Schooner Virginia is Back Sailing!

At the end of May, we posted about the “unfortunate economics of tall ships.”   All ships, sailing ships included and perhaps, especially, are devilishly expensive to maintain and run, and income is tough to come by, especially in these difficult economic times.  One … Continue reading

Extinguishing the Fire on MSC Flaminia, Drifting in the North Atlantic, May Take Weeks

The Smit 16,320-hp ocean going tug Fairmount Expedition has reportedly been successful in controlling the spread of the fire on the MSC Flaminia, the  6,732 TEU container ship which was abandoned in middle of the North Atlantic last Sunday after suffering a … Continue reading

Schooner Larinda Sails into Halifax 9 Years After Sinking

The 86′ schooner Larinda sank in Halifax harbor during Hurricane Juan on September 29, 2003.   She was raised from the harbor bottom and following a nine year restoration has returned to Halifax for this year’s Tall Ship Festival. The design and construction of the … Continue reading

Nautical Coincidence & Lifeboat Morality – Richard Parker and the Mignonette

We recently posted in response to a video, “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?.”  It recounted how three men named Hugh Williams were each the only survivors of shipwrecks in the treacherousness Menai Straits off North Wales. More remarkably, two of the Hugh Williams escaped from shipwrecks on … Continue reading

Another Zanzibar Ferry Sinks – 38 Dead, 100 Missing

Last September we posted about the sinking of a ferry off Zanzibarwith the loss of 200 passengers.  Yesterday, another ferry sank off the Zanzibar coast. Thirty eight are confirmed dead with another 100 missing.  Zanzibar police spokesman Mohamed Mhina said, “Search operations continue but … Continue reading

Update: Wreck of the SS Garisopa – Odyssey Marine Recovers 48 Tons of Silver From Three Miles Down

Last September we posted that Odyssey Marine Exploration had located the wreck of the S.S. Gairsoppa, which was torpedoed in February of 1941 by a German U-boat. When she sank, the ship was loaded with 240 tonnes of silver believed … Continue reading

Update: New Explosions on Container Ship MSC Flaminia Burning in the North Atlantic, Smit Tug Fairmont Expedition Arrives

On Sunday we posted about an explosion and fire aboard the container ship MSC Flaminia in the North Atlantic about a thousand miles west of Cornwall.  The first officer died from burns received in the fire and one crew member is missing. … Continue reading

Privateer Royaliste, the Sternwheeler Portland and the Very Bad Friday the 13th

Correction: Based on local news reports, we originally posted that water pressure from the steamer Portland‘s paddle-wheel damaged the Royaliste.  We were incorrect. The Portland clearly backed into the ketch, which was tied up  alongside the dock.  See the video below, which shows the impact.   … Continue reading

Serious Threat to Endangered Whales – Ship Strikes & Entangling Nets

One of the greatest threats to many endangered species of whale is being run down by ships or getting entangled in fishing nets.  This week, federal maritime officials have approved a plan to protect whales in and around San Francisco Bay that features … Continue reading

Falls of Clyde, Last Four-Masted Full-Rigged Iron Ship, Needs Volunteers & Funds

Falls of Clyde is the last four-masted full-rigged iron ship and the only surviving sailing oil tanker. The ship was launched in 1878 in Port Glasgow, Scotland, for the Fall Line.  She became a museum ship in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1971, but was … Continue reading

Containership MSC Flaminia in Flames in the North Atlantic

The container ship, MSC Flaminia, is in flames, drifting in the North Atlantic, roughly half way between Britain and Canada, approximately 1,000 miles west of Cornwall.   One man is reported either be missing or to have died from burns. At least … Continue reading