It is easy to forget how many ships and boats are indeed operated by the United States Army. Earlier this week the 80 feet long vessel, Enin Meto, with 101 people aboard, was bound from Lib to Ebeye, two island … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
At around 2AM local time Wednesday, the container ship Horizon Reliance rescued three Canadians, two men and a 9 year old boy, from the 33 foot disabled sailboat, Liahona, about 411 nautical miles east of Honolulu, Hawaii. The winds were gusting over 40 knots … Continue reading
The Battle of Cape Santa Maria was one of the most controversial naval engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The attack on a Spanish treasure fleet on October 5, 1804 by a British squadron, without a declaration of war, was considered to be an act of piracy … Continue reading
If a single fact can explain why an armada of high tech naval ships from around the world has failed to control, much less to eradicate, gangs of Somali pirates operating from hijacked fishing trawlers and open boats, this is … Continue reading
The first documented European to land on Australia was the Dutch navigator Willem Janszoon aboard the Duyfken in March 1606. Duyfken was also one of the first Dutch ships to got directly to the East Indies to load spices. The Dutch would long … Continue reading
Pity the poor taxpayer. The headline was short and simple – U.S. Navy Buys Hawaii Superferries. For only $35 million dollars, the US Navy is buying two aluminum, high-speed, ro/ro ferries built for Hawaii Superferry for inter-island service in Hawaii. The ferries were … Continue reading
It is easy to focus of the plight of the 34 dead or missing from the Costa Concordia. Regrettably, these casualties have not been the only recent deaths on the water. The past week has been particularly brutal with ship and boat sinkings in … Continue reading
We recently posted about a press release by Sub Sea Research (SSR) claiming to have located the wreck of a British cargo ship sunk in June 1942 by the German submarine U87. Sub Sea Research claims that the ship was carrying 70 tons of platinum … Continue reading
The officers and crew of the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines container ship, MOL Summer, deserve a special commendation for their rescue of 116 people following the capsizing and sinking of the passenger ferry MV Rabaul Queen off the coast of Papua New Guinea early Thursday. Eight merchant vessels assisted in … Continue reading
If there is a moral of this story, I suppose it must be, “don’t leave your lingerie in the captain’s cabin.” Not long after the Costa Concordia ran aground and sank off the island of Giglio on January 13th, there … Continue reading
On Friday morning, a British passenger was seen falling overboard fell from the balcony of his cruise ship cabin on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship, the Allure of the Seas, while cruising off the coast of Mexico, near the island of Cozumel. The Allure of the Seas with a capacity of … Continue reading
The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute has recently released a study of arms and drug trafficking by ship. The headline is “Most ships involved in arms and drugs trafficking are based in world’s richest countries.” The larger part of the picture, however, is not … Continue reading
As of Thursday evening, 246 survivors had been pulled from the sea, following the sinking of the passenger ferry MV Rabaul Queen off the coast of Papua New Guinea early Thursday. Only one survivor was reported to be found on Friday. According … Continue reading
As Iranian saber-rattling raises tensions around the Straits of Hormuz, the US Navy has cancelled plans to decommission the 40 year old USS Ponce (LPD-15), an Austin-class amphibious transport dock ship. Instead the ship is reported to be being refitted to operate as a “mothership” … Continue reading
Between 5 and 6 AM Thursday morning, the passenger ferry, MV Rabaul Queen, capsized about 10 miles off Finschhafen on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The ferry had a capacity for 300 people, but as many as 350 people are believed to have … Continue reading
Thanks to BobK for pointing out this footage from the Telegraph of divers inspecting the hull and debris field nearby. The ship recently shifted about 3.8 cm (roughly 1.5″.) Costa Concordia: underwater footage shows divers’ inspection … Continue reading
The search for the missing in the submerged portions of the Costa Concordia has ended due to concerns for the safety of the rescue workers. The estimated toll from the sinking stands at 33 dead or missing. The bodies of … Continue reading
The Portland, ME based, Sub Sea Research (SSR) recently sent out a press release announcing that they had located what they claim to be “the worlds richest shipwreck,” the British freighter, SS Port Nicholson, carrying a secret cargo of 71 tons of platinum, … Continue reading
Carnival’s CEO & Chairman, Micki Arinson has been criticized for maintaining a low profile following the sinking of the Costa Concordia where over 30 passengers and crew are dead or missing. Last Friday, he made what was believed to be his … Continue reading
While on peace time maneuvers off Libya on June 22, 1893, Vice Admiral George Tryon, the commander of the British Mediterranean Fleet, gave a series of orders that resulted in HMS Camperdown ramming his ship, HMS Victoria, which sank with the loss of 358 lives, including … Continue reading