History is full of strange connections. This week an almost 200-year-old copy of “The Star Spangled Banner” is to be sold at auction house at Christie’s auction house in Manhattan. The sheet music is currently valued at between … Continue reading
Category Archives: Lore of the Sea
Last week, we posted about a new book which examines the causes of the tragic explosion and sinking of the HMS Dasher, in which 379 out of 528 crewmen died and ranks as one of Britain’s worst naval disasters during … Continue reading
We posted about his new Tall Ships calendar about a month ago. One of his calendars is hanging on my wall waiting for the new year to begin. Sadly, we learned last night that Thad Koza has died of … Continue reading
CORRECTION: The early news reports translated roughly from Dutch to English reported that the sailing vessel Ecolution was “sunk by demolitions.” We interpreted that to mean explosives. It appears however that no structural damage was done to the hull itself and that the vessel has been … Continue reading
The tug Pegasus was built in 1907. Her last major refit was in 1953 when her steam engine was removed and a diesel engine installed. Tonight the Pegasus Preservation Project is celebrating the 10th year of restoration of the Tug … Continue reading
Maersk may be on the verge of ordering up to 20 of the largest container ships ever built, 18,000 TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Units). The largest container ships now in service are capable of carrying roughly 15,000 containers. Analysts have identified 18,000 TEU ships as the largest container … Continue reading
Interesting new evidence that the Vikings and the North American natives, who the Vikings called skrælings may have gotten along a bit better than suggested by the sagas. DNA testing of 80 living Icelanders shows indicates a genetic variation similar … Continue reading
Allegedly, Rick Ehlert, 44, a passenger on the Holland America cruise ship, MS Ryndam, entered a restricted area, put on pair of work gloves, disengaged the windlass and released the stern anchor while the ship was underway, in international waters off the Florida coast … Continue reading
Last June we posted about the near sinking of the battleship Texas. Now a final effort to save the 96 year old ship is underway. A cofferdam will be built around the ship to create a dry berth for the battleship. … Continue reading
Six missing after Dutch and Sierra Leone-flagged vessels collide in the Black Sea Two Dutch and Sierra Leone-flagged vessels collided during bad weather in the Black Sea on late Monday afternoon, the government confirmed. Six people are missing. The Bulgarian … Continue reading
In the beginning of November we posted about the new Disney cruise ship, Disney Dream, where interior cabins will have virtual port holes, which will show the view outside the ship and will include composited Disney cartoon characters flying by as well. Now … Continue reading
The Brig Niagara has had an incredible year. The ship and its captain have been honored with major awards, the organization has raised significant sums to support the ship and the ship has been featured in a new PBS documentary. Just … Continue reading
Nautic, the 50th annual Paris boat show will be held from December 4 – 12, 2010. They expect a quarter of a million visitors to attend the show at the Porte de Versailles, which will feature 1,400 boats, including close to … Continue reading
In August of this year, ex-President Jimmy Carter traveled to North Korea on a diplomatic mission to free a captive American. Now the submarine which bears his name is reported to be nearing North Korea as well. Following the shelling of … Continue reading
A friend has a wooden kayak that he built from a kit. It is simple in both design and construction – a stitch and glue plywood boat covered with fiberglass cloth. It paddles well, is light weight and is very pretty. Very difficult to ask for more than … Continue reading
This summer we posted about an 18th century ship found buried beneath the streets of Manhattan near Ground Zero. Recently, while excavating in front of Stockholm’s Grand Hotel during renovation work to a nearby quay, workers discovered a most unusual ship. … Continue reading
Not a great shock, but Cmdr. Andrew Coles has been relived of his command of HMS Astute, the Royal Navy’s newest and “stealthiest” submarine which very publicly ran aground last month near the Skye bridge off the Isle of Skye. Officer relieved of … Continue reading
On Thursday, we posted about three Tokelauan teenage boys who had attempted to row the sixty miles between two small Pacific islands, became lost and drifted for fifty days across nearly 1,000 miles of the Pacific in a small aluminum skiff. … Continue reading
The holiday shopping season is in full swing. But what can you get for the person who has everything? Why not a used aircraft carrier? Just because the Royal Navy won’t be able to launch ship-borne fixed wing aircraft for the next decade doesn’t mean … Continue reading
In my grumpier moments, I object to celebrating Disneyfied pirates, especially given that piracy is, after all, still a serious problem and not merely a quaint relic of the 16th and 17th centuries. Then again, I can’t be grumpy all the time. … Continue reading