Costa Concordia Updates – Ship’s Bell Missing, Salvage Estimate More than 100 Million Euros

The ship’s bell on the Costa Concordia has gone missing.  According to Reuters, “underwater thieves have evaded an array of laser systems that measure millimetric shifts in the Costa Concordia shipwreck and 24-hour surveillance by the Italian coast guard and … Continue reading

New Battle for the Battleship New Jersey

Retirement has not been easy for the Battleship New Jersey. After serving with distinction for 45 years in World War II, the Korean Conflict and the War in Vietnam, the highly decorated battleship became a museum ship in Camden, New Jersey in … Continue reading

Barque Picton Castle Goes Into Drydock

In preparation for a busy summer of sailing and an upcoming Atlantic voyage, the barque Picton Castle was hauled up on the marine railway at Lunenburg Foundry today. PICTON CASTLE Going Into Drydock March 14, 2012 [iframe: width=”560″ height=”315″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/rg_3HbYNF-E” … Continue reading

At Least 114 Dead After Ferry MV-Shariatpur-1 Capsizes in Bangladesh

Yesterday, the MV-Shariatpur-1, a ferry crossing the the Meghna River, just south of the capital, Dhaka, in Bangladesh, collided with a cargo vessel in early morning darkness. The ferry capsized and sank, killing at least 114 of the more than 200 passengers believed to be aboard. … Continue reading

One Year After the Tsunami – No.18 Kyotoku-maru, Remains As Tsunami Monument or Scar

One year ago today, the largest earthquake in Japan’s history, measuring 8.9 on the Richter scale, struck 70 miles offshore, triggering a 23-foot (7-meter) tsunami that washed far inland smashing towns, airports and highways across the north-eastern Japanese coast. Over 16,000 people are known … Continue reading

Busy Saturday at Sea – Container Ship Aground Off Norway & Tanker Aground off Sicily

There are no weekends off at sea and this has been a busy Saturday. Off Sicily, the 18,000 DWT Italian tanker Gelso M ran aground in a storm, with reports of engine room flooding. The crew of 19 was evacuated by helicopter without injury. … Continue reading

The Battle of the Ironclads – USS Monitor and CSS Virginia at Hampton Roads, 150 Years Ago Today

The USS Monitor and the CSS Virginia were not the first iron-clad war ships, but they were the first to face each other in battle. One hundred and fifty years ago today, the two ironclads met in Hampton Roads, VA and fought each … Continue reading

Schooner Western Union Designated Florida State Flagship

The Florida Legislature has designated the schooner Western Union as the state’s official flagship. The schooner was built in 1939 and served for 35 years as as a cable vessel for the Western Union Telegraph Company, repairing and maintaining undersea … Continue reading

Titanic and the “Supermoon” – Did the Moon Sink the Titanic? The Answer is No.

The headline writers have been having fun.  The Daily Beast headline reads – Moon to Blame for Titanic Sinking?  Reuters asks and answers its own question – “What sank the Titanic? Scientists point to the moon.”  The Times of India gets alliterative … Continue reading

Faces of the USS Monitor – Using Forensic Reconstruction to Identify Unknown Civil War Sailors

When the revolutionary ironclad warship USS Monitor sank off Cape Hatteras, NC during the Civil War, in December of 1862, 16 of her crew of 62 were lost.  One hundred and forty years later, in August of 2002, when the turret of … Continue reading

Why PortSide New York & the Tanker Mary A. Whalen Must be Saved

Portside New York, based on the historic tanker Mary A. Whalen, has been putting on fantastic educational, cultural and and community programs and events on the Brooklyn waterfront front for the the last six years, without ever having a permanent berth.  Now PortSide is … Continue reading

Costa Concordia Pre-Trial Hearings Begin – Has Anything Changed in Cruise Operations?

In a hearing today in the Tuscan city of Grosseto, Italian Judge Valeria Montesarchio will ask court appointed experts to examine the “black box,” which contains digital recordings of the night of the grounding and sinking of the Costa Concordia off … Continue reading

Giving Away HMS Victory? A Smart Move? Not All Are Happy

The British Ministry of Defense (MoD) is giving Admiral Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar,  HMS Victory to the National Museum of the Royal Navy (NMRN) in Portsmouth.  The ship would stay a commissioned warship and thus will be able to retain bragging … Continue reading

Thursday Daydream : the Mayan – David Crosby’s Legendary Schooner

On one hand, this is a very interesting use of Youtube by a yacht broker selling a classic yacht.   Here Bob Craven gives us a tour, a bit of history and low key sales pitch on David Crosby‘s legendary schooner – … Continue reading

Galleon San Jose, the “Holy Grail of Ship Wrecks”

Yesterday, we posted about the lawsuits still ongoing related to the wreck of the Nuestra Senora de las Mercedes and quoted Cecilia Rodriguez, writing for Forbes.  Today Ms. Rodriguez has a wonderful article about the Galleon San Jose, often referred to as the “Holy … Continue reading

Update – Costa Allegra: A Big Catch for the Fishing Vessel Trevignon

The 275′ French tuna purse seiner Trevignon has made a much bigger catch than normal – the 28,430 gross tonne cruise ship Costa Allegra.   The Trevignon is slowly towing the cruise ship to Mahé, in the Seychelles, and is expected to arrive early … Continue reading

Danish Warship Absalon Rescues 16 Hostages from Hijacked Ship, 2 Hostages Die in Attack

Sixteen hostages were freed when the Danish warship HDMS Absalon attacked pirates in control of a hijacker vessel off the coast of Somalia late Sunday.  Two crew from the hijacked ship were found to have severe injuries and subsequently died.   The circumstances of … Continue reading