Robert L. Allen, who definitively told the story of 50 Black sailors who were convicted of conspiracy to commit mutiny for refusing to continue to load munitions onto cargo ships after explosions had blown apart two ships at a California … Continue reading
Category Archives: Lore of the Sea
The Hawai‘i Department of Transportation (HDOT) has issued a request for proposals (RFP) to permanently remove the historic ship Falls of Clyde from Honolulu Harbor, where it has languished since 2008. Bids must be submitted by September 25, 2024. The … Continue reading
The wreckage of the MV Noongah, dubbed “one of the nation’s worst post-war maritime disasters” has been discovered off the coast of Australia’s New South Wales 55 years after it sank in heavy weather with the loss of 21 of … Continue reading
A humpback whale that appeared to be lunge feeding breached the water and landed on a recreational boat near Portsmouth, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, capsizing the vessel and tossing two occupants into the water, the United States Coast Guard said. … Continue reading
Have you heard of cocaine bear? Well, meet cocaine sharks. Sharks living off the coast of Brazil have tested positive for cocaine, according to new research, the first time that the drug has been detected in free-ranging sharks. Scientists tested 13 … Continue reading
RRS Discovery is a barque-rigged auxiliary steamship built for Antarctic research. She was the last traditional wooden three-masted ship to be built in the United Kingdom. Her first mission was the British National Antarctic Expedition, carrying Robert Falcon Scott and … Continue reading
Just over a year after the ill-fated Titan expedition to the Titanic killed five people, another expedition down to one of the most famous shipwrecks in the world is underway. Using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs), a team of imaging experts, … Continue reading
Yemeni Houthi rebels have released a video of an attack they claim to have been carried out by a sea drone on an oil tanker in the Red Sea. The footage shows a small vessel approaching, then colliding with the … Continue reading
Last week, a 10-foot inflatable boat with two bodies on board was discovered washed ashore on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. The remains are believed to be of Brett Clibbery, 70, and Sarah Packwood, 60, from British Columbia, who were reported … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted about the tragic stranding on a beach in the Orkneys that resulted in the deaths of 77 long-finned pilot whales. Here is a much more cheerful story involving a pod of pilot whales and a solo transatlantic … Continue reading
On 11 July 2024 at about 10:45am, British Divers Marine Life Rescue (BDMLR) received a report of a mass stranding of long-finned pilot whales on the isle of Sanday in Orkney, Scotland. They found 77 animals high up the beach, having … Continue reading
In March of 2022, we posted about the discovery of the remarkably intact remains of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ship Endurance, which was crushed by pack ice and sank off Antarctica in 1915. Using undersea drones, the shipwreck was located 10,000 … Continue reading
A few days before one of the world’s largest maritime gatherings, the crew of the Russian sailing ship Shtandart learned that it would not be able to participate in the Brest festivities due to the extension of European sanctions due … Continue reading
The Iranian Moudge-class destroyer Sahand capsized and sank in shallow water while undergoing dockside repairs in its home port of Bandar Abbas. The 1,300-tonne ship, commissioned in 2018, is one of the newest Iranian-built warships, fitted with surface-to-surface and surface-to-air … Continue reading
Early last month, we posted about the departure on the morning of June 5th, of the container ship MSC Michigan VII from the North Charleston Container Terminal in Charleston, South Carolina. Its engine was set to “dead slow ahead” as … Continue reading
Fifty-four years ago today, 100,000 people lined the banks of the River Avon in Bristol as the SS Great Britain returned to her birthplace. In the intervening years, the rusting hulk was meticulously restored to her former glory and now … Continue reading
An updated repost fitting for the day. Happy 4th of July! Those of us in the United States celebrate the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4th 1776. Immediately after declaring independence from Great Britain, the representatives in the Continental Congress drank a toast … Continue reading
A fascinating story from CBC Radio — based on a new study in the academic journal Science Advances, dolphins can recognize the sound of a whistle or the taste of urine — yes, taste — to spot their friends. What started … Continue reading
As of July 1, a ban on heavy fuel oil (HFO) for ships has come into effect in Arctic waters. The UN International Maritime Organization (IMO) ban on HFO, however, includes significant loopholes that will allow the vast majority of … Continue reading
The Ukrainian Magura V5 naval drones have proven to be fast, deadly, and cheap. As we posted last August, Ukrainian naval drones are redefining warfare in the Black Sea; quite an accomplishment for a beleaguered nation that almost wholly lacks … Continue reading