Update: MV Alaed, Re-flagged and Ready to Sail to Syria with Helicopter Gunships

Last week, we posted about the MV Alaed, a 9,000 DWT geared cargo ship, reported to be carrying refurbished Russian attack helicopters bound for Syria. The ship, sailing under the Curacao flag, was turned aback after the cancellation of its P&I … Continue reading

Sea Orbiter – A New Generation of Ocean Explorer

The Sea Orbiter concept design looks like something straight out of science fiction.  Floating half above and half below the surface of the water, it appears to be more like a scimitar-shaped inter-galactic spaceship than any sort of  oceanographic research vessel. Fifty eight meters … Continue reading

Fourth Annual North River Historic Ship Festival June 28-July 1, Hudson River Park Pier 25

If you are anywhere near New York City next week, the Fourth Annual North River Historic Ship Festival looks like lots of fun.  Hosted by the North River Historic Ship Society, the festival commences Thursday night, June 28th, with an opening party … Continue reading

Asylum Seekers Boat Capsizes North of Australia’s Christmas Island – 200 Believed Aboard

With a sad familiarity, another overloaded boat, filled with desperate asylum seekers trying to reach Australia’s Christmas Island, has capsized in Indonesian waters. Up to 200 people are believed to have been aboard the vessel when it capsized.  Indonesia’s search and rescue authority … Continue reading

New Hornblower Hybrid In New York Harbor – Powered by Diesel, Wind, Solar and Fuel Cells

In December of 2010, we posted about a new vessel under construction at Derecktor Shipyards for Hornblower New York. It was to be a hybrid excursion boat powered by diesel engines, as well as by solar and wind power and by hydrogen fuel … Continue reading

MV Alaed, Russian Ship Carrying Arms for Syria, Makes a U-Turn & Heads Back to Russia

The MV Alaed, a 9,00 DWT geared cargo ship, was reported to be carrying refurbished Russian attack helicopters, as well as missiles and other unspecified munitions, on a voyage from Russia to Syria.  Today, about 50 miles (80.4km) off Scotland’s north coast, the ship turned around … Continue reading

Dive on Baltic Sea “Millenium Falcon” Only Deepens Mystery

Last June, while doing sonar sweeps of the bottom of the Baltic Sea, the Swedish treasure hunters, Ocean X Team, saw something that they did not understand.  It appeared to be a 197 feet diameter disk-shaped object at the depth of approximately 275 feet.   … Continue reading

Dardanelles Raider HMS E14 – British Submarine Found Intact After 94 Years

On April 27, 1915, at the height of the the World War I Gallipoli campaign, Lt-Cdr Edward Courtney Boyle piloted the submarine HMS E14 beneath the minefields, guns and search lights of the the Narrows, the heavily defended entrance to the Dardanelles, the … Continue reading

Diving Dock Dogs and a Tall Ship at the Sailing Seaway Clayton Festival

There have been lots of festivals this season with tall ships, but how many can boast dock diving dogs?  Last October, we posted about the new and growing sport of dock dogs, where dogs competing on how far they can jump into the water. … Continue reading

Baltimore’s “Star-Spangled Sailabration” Kicks Off War of 1812 Bicentennial Festivities

Starting this Wednesday, June 13th, Baltimore, MD will host its “Star-Spangled Sailabration,”  a week long festival with 18 tall ships and  22 naval vessels, marking the start of Maryland’s three year commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812.   In addition to the parade … Continue reading

Iowa Class Battleship News – USS Iowa Makes Final Journey, USS New Jersey Gets a Loan and USS Missouri Saves the World From Aliens

These are busy time for the World War II vintage Iowa Class battleships. The USS Iowa arrived yesterday in the Port of Los Angeles to tie up alongside her new permanent home, Berth 87, in San Pedro, California, where she will become … Continue reading

Remembering and Possibly Rediscovering Cook’s HMS Endeavour

The recent transit of Venus, the passing of the shadow of the planet Venus across the face of the sun, brought to mind the voyage of Captain Cook in HMS Endeavour in 1768-1771.  Now, archaeologists in Rhode Island believe they may have … Continue reading

Explosive-Laden Liberty Ship SS Richard Montgomery May Sink Thames Estuary Airport

The Liberty ship SS Richard Montgomery, with a cargo of high explosives, was wrecked off the Nore in the Thames Estuary in 1944.  Shortly after the wreck, an attempt was made to remove her cargo but the ship broke apart with … Continue reading

Hermione, Freedom’s Frigate, is Afloat

We have posted  last March about the replica of the French light frigate l’ Hermione, which has been under construction since 1997 at the historic dockyard in Rochefort, France.  The original l’ Hermione carried the 23 year old the Marquis de Lafayette back to America in … Continue reading

Vacuum Cleaner Victims – the Clipper Ship Cutty Sark and Now the USS Miami !

There is a new threat to our nautical heritage and our nation’s defense!  In 2007, the composite tea clipper Cutty Sark, built in 1869, was ravaged by fire.  An investigation revealed the culprit – an industrial vacuum cleaner.   Now, it appears … Continue reading

How Big is Too Big? Protests on MSC Divina’s Arrival in Venice Lagoon

MSC’s newest passenger ship, the MSC Davina, recently called at the Venice lagoon setting off a storm of protests. The protesters think that such a large ship creates too much pollution and could damage the fragile environment of the lagoon. The MSC Davina is 139,400 GT, … Continue reading