Rebuilding the Whaleship Charles W. Morgan – First Hull Plank

The Charles W. Morgan was launched in 1841. She is America’s last surviving wooden whaleship and is the “crown jewel” of the Mystic Seaport Museum collection.  She has been undergoing restoration at the Henry B. DuPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport … Continue reading

$500 Million Treasure of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes Returning Soon to Spain

Within the next day or so, two Spanish Air Force C-130 transport planes will land at Tampa’s MacDill Air Force Base to load 17 tons of gold and silver coins and other artifacts recovered from the wreck of the Spanish Navy’s Nuestra … Continue reading

ROV Video – Costa Concordia Perched Perilously on Rocks, Bow & Stern

Video shot by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV), roughly a month after the ship ran aground, shows that the Costa Concordia is not sitting evenly on the bottom.  Instead, the 950′ long ship is perched perilously on two rocky outcroppings at the bow … Continue reading

Crisis at PortSide, Help Save the Tanker Mary A. Whalen

PortSide New York is one of the absolutely best waterfront educational organizations in New York harbor.   Centered around the historic coastal tanker Mary A.Whalen, PortSide has sponsored a wide range of great programs ranging from activities for kids and adults, to hosting … Continue reading

Oil on the Water – Barge Spill on the Mississippi, Progress on the Concordia and Chances Missed on the Rena

Three stories this weekend of oil spills, a successful oil transfer and opportunities lost in mitigating a spill.  Two barges collided on the Mississippi River on Friday upriver from New Orleans.  A roughly 3,500 barrel capacity double hulled tank barge suffered damage … Continue reading

French “Superyacht” Yogi Sinks in the Aegean Sea, Eight Rescued

Looking slightly like a miniature Costa Concordia, the  60.2 meter (197′) French yacht Yogi rolled and sank after reporting a ‘mechanical failure’ in high seas and Force 8 winds on Friday.  The yacht sank between the islands of Skyros and Psara, 19 nautical miles … Continue reading

Canadian Submarine HMCS Corner Brook – Damage a “Fender Bender” or is Sub “Totalled”?

Canadian Submarine HMCS Corner Brook ran aground during manoeuvres off Vancouver Island in June 2011.  Two sailors were slightly injured.  The Canadian navy never described the extent of the damage or released a photograph of the damage to the sub.  The sub has now just … Continue reading

Rum Running Documentary on CBC’s Land & Sea

We have previously posted about the CBC’s “Land and Sea,”  a program which for thirty years has been focussed on stories from people who live off the land and the sea on the Canadian Atlantic. In December, they featured a wonderful documentary on Nova … Continue reading

Pirates Kill Bulk Carrier Captain and Chief Engineer in Gulf of Guinea

Pirate attacks are escalating in the Gulf of Guinea, with tragic consequences. The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre posted on its website that eight armed pirates boarded a drifting bulk carrier, awaiting berthing instructions, on Monday in the Gulf of Guinea, 110 … Continue reading

Irene Sets Sail with Ale for France & Oil For Brazil

The ketch Irene, built in 1907 to carry bricks and tiles, has set sail with a cargo of Devon ale for Brittany and Spanish olive oil for  Brazil, on what will be, if all goes well, a five month voyage which will also carry … Continue reading

Ekaterinburg Submarine Fire -“On the Brink of the Biggest Catastrophe Since Chernobyl”

According to the Russian magazine Vlast, “Russia [was] … on the verge of the largest man-made disaster since Chernobyl”  when a fire broke out on December 29th, 2011 on the K-84 Ekaterinburg, a Russian nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine, in a dry-dock in Murmansk.  Sparks … Continue reading

No Shortage of Heated Words as 30th Anniversary of Falklands War Nears, Eggs and Vegetables Run Short

The Falklands War, or the Guerra de las Malvinas, depending on which side you choose, began on April 2, 1982.  As the thirtieth anniversary of the war approaches, a war of worlds between the ex-combatants, the UK and Argentina, has escalated.  Eggs and … Continue reading

Costa Concordia – Salvage Going Too Slowly, or Too Quickly?

Costa Lines has asked ten companies to bid on salvaging the Costa Concordia. The bids are due early next month and Costa has plans to award a contract by the end of March. Smit Salvage, Svitzer Salvage, Mammoet Salvage, Titan … Continue reading

Update: Odyssey Marine Loses Appeal to Supreme Court Justice

Earlier this week, we posted that a circuit court had upheld previous rulings against Odyssey Marine Exploration, requiring the company to return to Spain $500m (£308m) worth of gold and silver coins it had recovered from the wreck of the Nuestra Señora de las … Continue reading