In 2007, Eric Jay Dolin wrote Leviathan, The History of Whaling In America, a wonderful book that follows the American whale fisheries from shore whaling, to the fleets of whale ships that sailed in every ocean, to the industry’s decline in the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Lore of the Sea
There is an interesting conflict going on over the new draft proposal by the International Whaling Commission which would allow limited commercial whaling at levels significantly lower than currently practiced by Japan, Iceland and Norway. Depending on who you listen to this is either a good thing – … Continue reading
Recently almost one hundred endangered right whales were observed feeding in the waters of Block Island Sound. Given that only between 350 and 400 of the North Atlantic Right Whales are believed to currently exist, the gathering was quite unusual. … Continue reading
Abby Sunderland’s attempt to become the youngest sailor to sail around the world non-stop ended as she decided to put into Cape Town due to mechanical failures. The boat’s main autopilot has been giving her problems during the voyage recently … Continue reading
This week HMS Bounty, the replica ship built for the 1960 movie, “Mutiny on the Bounty,” will be the centerpiece of the “Pirate Weekend” in Newburgh, New York, on the Hudson River, sixty miles north of new York City. The Bounty … Continue reading
It is feeling like spring in New York harbor. Earlier this month a harbor seal was seem enjoying the sun on an old pier on the Jersey City side of the Hudson. Harbor seal were once common in New York harbor but were … Continue reading
US oil rig sinks in Gulf of Mexico after explosion An oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that caught fire after an explosion on Tuesday has now sunk, the US coastguard has said. The coastguard is still looking for … Continue reading
Sarah Breton, 45, from Essex, has been appointed as Captain of the 1,200 P&O cruise ship Artemis. As such she is the first female captain in P&O’s 173 year history and the first female captain of a cruise ship in … Continue reading
Experts estimate that anywhere from 2,000 to 10,000 shipping containers fall off ships each year. The problem is that they do not all necessarily sink. Some remain afloat, just on the surface, almost invisible to an observer from a … Continue reading
New Celebrity Ship to Repatriate Ash-Stranded Travelers As Celebrity Cruises prepares for the launch this weekend of its brand-new Celebrity Eclipse, the line is also stepping in to help stranded travelers make their way back home. The cruise line has … Continue reading
Iceland volcano: Naval ships sent to rescue stranded Britons Three Royal Navy ships are on their way to help repatriate up to 200,000 Britons stranded by five days of flight restrictions following the Icelandic volcano eruption. The aircraft carrier Ark … Continue reading
The last four Victory ships owned by the government are on their way toward the scrapyard. The Maritime Blog recently post somegreat photos of the Pan American Victory, as she transited the Panama Canal not too long ago. She … Continue reading
In 2001, divers located the wreck of a ship off the Florida Keys in 220 feet of water. She had the distinctive ram bow of an early 20th century war ship but lacked guns or other weaponry. She has … Continue reading
One of the Steam Packet Company‘s post war vessels is to be scrapped. The s.s. Manxman, which had her last sailing in the early 80’s, is to be dismantled due to to the extent of damage after years of neglect. … Continue reading
In the United States there is a chain of supermarkets generally know by the initials – A&P, an abbreviation for “The Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company.” Unfortunately, we can now also talk of the Great Atlantic and Pacific Garbages Patches, as well. … Continue reading
The collier Shen Neng 1 has been refloated and removed from Australia’s Great Barrier Reef where it grounded ten days ago. In its wake it has left severe damage to the reef. As reported by the BBC: The Australian authorities have … Continue reading
In his poem, The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow described HMS Somersett on the night of April 18, 1775: Just as the moon rose over the bay, Where swinging wide at her moorings lay The Somerset, British man-of-war; … Continue reading
My family and I got away to Roatan in the Bay Islands of Honduras for a week of diving. Here is a short clip of diving with Caribbean reef sharks. There were only three sharks, but that was enough to hold … Continue reading
They were the largest Navy oilers of their day and nearly 500 of them were built between 1940 and 1945. Now the last T2 tanker, the USNS Mission Santa Ynez, is soon to be on her way from San Fransisco to a scrapyard in … Continue reading
If you are like me, relatively busy yet easily distracted and very fond of paintings, drawings and old photos of ships, you should probably skip this post. The New York Public Library Digital galley has a wonderful collection of drawings, … Continue reading