Work Begins on Transporting the Clipper Ship City of Adelaide

The clipper ship City of Adelaide (later HMS Carrick), the oldest surviving composite clipper ship in the world, was at serious risk of being broken up until a deal was  struck last August to move the ship from the Scottish Maritime Museum in Irvine, Scotland, back to its namesake … Continue reading

Channel Island Tall Ships Festival June 24-26, 2011

An impressive fleet of schooners and brigantines will be featured in the the Channel Islands Harbor Tall Ships Festival, this Friday through Sunday at Channel Islands Harbor in Oxnard, California.    The visiting vessels include the topsail schooner Californian, topsail schooner Amazing Grace, … Continue reading

The Maritime Museum of San Diego

The first you notice about the Maritime Museum of San Diego are the ships.    When I  visited last week, the 1863 windjammer Star of India was  hove to with two staysails and her spanker set and drawing, and with her … Continue reading

USC Container Ship Al Rawdah Aground on the Reefs off Batam

Just in case you think you had a bad Monday, yesterday the USC container ship Al Rawdah ran aground on a reef in the waters of Pulau Sambu Stone Chain, Rear Padang, Batam, not long after leaving Port Klang, Selangor, Malaysia. … Continue reading

University of Hawaii Research Vessel, Ka’imikai-o-Kanaloa, Studies Japanese Radiation Leaks

The University of Hawaii research vessel, Ka’imikai-o-Kanaloa, set sail earlier this month to studying the impact of radiation releases in the waters off Japan’s crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. Scientists on UH research ship study impact of radiation releases … Continue reading

Collision between New York City Fireboats Firefighter II and 343

In  a lawsuit  a whistleblower is charging that New York City’s new $27 million Fireboat 343, named after the number of New York firefighters killed on 9/11, was damaged in a storm last winter when sideswiped by another fireboat, the Firefighter II, … Continue reading

1871 Schooner Showdown – Historic Schooners Lewis R. French and the Stephen Taber to Race June 17th

Both the schooners  Lewis R. French and the Stephen Taber were built in 1871.  To celebrate  their 140th birthdays, these grand old ladies will be racing from Camden to Rockland this Friday June 17 in an “1871 Schooner Showdown.” A race of two historic … Continue reading

MV AMET Majesty – a Cruise Ship, a Training Ship or Both?

Earlier this week, Union Shipping Minister G K Vasan officiated at a gathering on board the MV AMET Majesty, India’s first cruise liner.   The ship is also a training ship.  The acronym AMET  stands for “Academy of Maritime Education and Training.”  AMET University is operating … Continue reading

On the Trail of the Pirate Blackbeard and the Queen Anne’s Revenge

The wreck of the pirate Blackbeard‘s Queen Anne’s Revenge, which sank in 1718, was believed to be discovered in 1996.   After 15 years of excavation, the State of North Carolina and the North Carolina Maritime Museum announced today that they had confirmed that … Continue reading

And Then There were None – HMCS Corner Brook Accident Leaves Canada without Operational Subs

Canada’s hunter killer submarine, HMCS Corner Brook, limped back to base last weekend after running aground during a  training exercise in the waters of Nootka Sound off the central east coast of Vancouver Island.  The accident leaves Canada without an operational submarine.  Canada’s … Continue reading

Inside the Ghost Ships of the Mothball Fleet

Photographer Scott Haefner and a few of his friends snuck aboard ships in the Suisan Bay Reserve Fleet near San Francisco, CA and photographed and documented the rusting fleet.  Fascinating images.  The Mail Online ran an article today about his work.  For more images, see Haefner’s site: … Continue reading

Divers of the Lost Ark?

The Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Invincible was sold to Turkish scrappers last February. Now bids are open for the sale of  HMS Ark Royal. While scrapping seems a likely outcome the tender allows that “alternatively the vessel may be purchased for re-use/refurbishment for non-warlike purposes.” … Continue reading

APL ‘Cold-irons’ Ships in Oakland to Cut Pollution

Traditionally, ships in port use auxiliary generators to power shipboard electrical systems.   APL, the Singapore based container lines, is now going “cold-iron,” shutting down the  auxiliary  generators  on their ships docking when calling on Oakland, California and using shore power instead to meet the their … Continue reading