The Barents Observer reports that more than 20 ships are either stuck or struggling to make it through increasingly thick sea-ice on the Arctic Northern Sea Route. They report that over the past several years, shipping along the Russian northern … Continue reading
Category Archives: Lore of the Sea
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetary commemorated its 100th year anniversary last Thursday. On November 9, 1921, the cruiser USS Olympia arrived at the Washington Navy Yard on the Anacostia River, carrying the casket of an … Continue reading
An updated repost. Like so many other species, Galápagos green sea turtles are unique to the archipelago. Here is a short video of snorkeling with Galápagos green sea turtles off Punto Cormorant on Floreana Island in the Galapagos in early November, 2017. … Continue reading
We recently posted about how the US Navy’s last two non-nuclear carriers were sold for scrap for the modest sum of one cent each. By some standards, that was not such a bad deal. A recent report by the General … Continue reading
My wife and I took an incredible trip to the Galapagos in 2017. An updated repost. We spent a week on Ecoventura‘s 83’ MY Eric and visited six of the more eastern islands of the archipelago. We saw many of … Continue reading
The Chinese military has built targets in the shape of an American aircraft carrier and other U.S. warships in the Taklamakan desert as part of a new target range complex, according to photos from satellite imagery company Maxar. USNI News … Continue reading
On Saturday, we posted about the world’s largest electric ferry. Here is a very different electric watercraft, an all-electric hydrofoil runabout that literally flies above the water. Candela Speed Boat AB has been referred to by Bloomberg as “Sweden’s Tesla … Continue reading
What could be more gloriously incongruous than sailing on a replica 9th-century Viking longship and sipping whisky on a blustery Autumn day in New York harbor? Here is an updated repost: In late October 2018, I was fortunate enough to … Continue reading
The Daily Scandinavian reported that last March the world’s largest all-electric ferry went into full operation on the 5.67 nautical mile route between the two Norwegian cities of Moss and Horten, on Norway’s busiest ferry route. The new ferry, named … Continue reading
Photographs have come out of the bow damage to the container ship Ever Given after she ran hard aground in the Suez Canal, blocking the critical waterway for six days last March. The images were taken in Qingdao, China, where … Continue reading
The United States Maritime Academy at King’s Point has paused Sea Year, a program that sends cadets to sea aboard commercial ships, after a female midshipman at the school shared an account in September of being raped by a crew … Continue reading
The worst way to determine the position of a previously uncharted seamount is to run into it underwater. That is apparently what happened to the Seawolf-class attack submarine, USS Connecticut, when it hit an object while submerged on October 2. … Continue reading
Between 1865-80, four forts were built in the Solent to protect Portsmouth and its harbor from sea attack and bombardment. Locally known as “Palmerston’s Follies” after the Prime Minister of the time, they were built in response to an invasion … Continue reading
“Have you heard of a ship called the good Reuben James?” (If you do, it may be from the Woodie Guthrie song.) The destroyer USS Reuben James was sunk by a German torpedo while on convoy duty 80 years ago … Continue reading
Thousands of dead crabs, lobsters, and fish washed up recently along Teesside beaches on the UK’s North East coast. Waist deep piles of seaweed and dead and dying crustaceans and fish have been reported. Variously described as the “worst case … Continue reading
On Halloween, Sunday, October 31, at 2:30 Pacific Time (5:30 Eastern TIme), William Pint and Felicia Dale are hosting Spooky Songs of the Sea in an online live streaming Facebook event. They will perform songs about ghostly sailors, haunted ships, … Continue reading
For years, we have been following the valiant efforts to keep the battleship USS Texas afloat at its berth in the Buffalo Bayou at the San Jacinto Battleground Historic Site in La Porte, Texas. Now, the Battleship Texas Foundation has … Continue reading
The last section of the car carrier Golden Ray has been removed from St. Simons Sound near Brunswick, Georgia, and is on its way to a scrapyard. The 656-foot car carrier was carrying 4,100 vehicles when it capsized in September … Continue reading
In one of the stranger maritime stories of late, the Ecuadorian Navy announced that last week, their sail training ship, the three-masted barque Guayas stopped and captured a drug-laden high-speed craft; a low profile vessel (LPV) powered by three outboard … Continue reading
One of the traditions of US icebreakers operating in the Arctic is “ice liberty.” When an icebreaker encounters a thick ice floe, the crew is allowed liberty to get off the vessel to walk about or play games from touch … Continue reading