The Big U purchased by Conservancy

Today, the SS United States Conservancy purchased the S.S. United States from Norwegian Cruise Line.  As we posted last July, the sale was made possible by a reported $5.8 million pledge by Philadelphia philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest.   The sale was delayed  when the … Continue reading

Suez Canal Operating Normally, Port Closures Causing Concerns

There are an estimated two million protesters in the streets on Cairo today; most rail, trucking and buses are shut down across Egypt, yet  the Suez Canal, which can represent up 8 percent of global seaborne trade, remains open and in operation.  Military escorts for protection … Continue reading

Collision in Mumbai – INS Vindhyagiri & MV Nordlake

Mumbai can be tough on container ships. Last August the bulk carrier Khalijia 3 steered into the containership MSC Chitra , sinking her, causing a significant spill and closing the port for five days.    Yesterday, the  Indian warship, INS Vindhyagiri and Cyprus-flagged … Continue reading

Experts race the clock to preserve N.C. Corolla shipwreck

Last July, we posted about North Carolina’s oldest shipwreck which was moved to the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum for preservation.    Now the curators at the museum are trying to learn,as quickly as possible, how to preserve the crumbling … Continue reading

Sweetheart Cruise and Sailor’s Valentines

Museums on two coasts have special Valentine’s Days events planned for sailors.  The Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine is offering a sailor’s valentine workshop for adults on Saturday, Feb. 12, just in time for Valentine’s Day.    In San … Continue reading

Indian Navy’s New “Beautiful Lady” – Sail Training Ship INS Sudarshini

The Indian Navy has launched its second sail training ship, INS Sudarshini. The name means “beautiful lady.”   She will be a three masted barquentine and will join  INS Tarangini, the Indian navy’s other sail training ship which was commissioned in 1997.  Both ships … Continue reading

Historic steamship SS Shieldhall needs £80,000 to keep sailing

The great challenge of ship preservation in these times always seems to be largely  financial.   SS Shieldhall, the UK’s “2009 Flagship of  National Historic Ships” is in danger of scrapping unless funds can be raised to complete and upcoming drydocking. Historic … Continue reading

Was the Gorch Fock “Germany’s largest floating brothel?”

Last Saturday, we posted that the commander of the German sail training ship, Gorch Fock, had been dismissed from his command and ordered home after reports of a mutiny in November, following the death of a cadet.  Now there is a very disturbing article in … Continue reading

Waterfront Webcams – Bluenose II and the “Tea Party” ship

The old expression goes “I love work. I could look at it for hours.”  The web cams at the Lunenburg Shipyard give us a fine glimpse of the work being done rebuilding the Bluenose II.   There are actually three webcams, a … Continue reading

German Submarine UC42 Rediscovered in Cork Harbor

Divers in Ireland have located the intact hull of German World War I submarine, the UC42, in Cork harbor.   The  discovery of the intact ship came as a surprise as the submarine was believed to have been destroyed by Royal Navy divers with explosives in 1919.   The … Continue reading

Carnival Splendor Arrives in San Francisco for Drydocking and to Complete Repairs

After attempting to sail on Wednesday and Thursday, the cruise ship Carnival Splendor finally departed San Diego under its own power on Friday, accompanied by two tugs.  As of Sunday morning, around 05:00 local time, the ship was approaching San Francisco under its … Continue reading

Blocked Rhine River – Sulphuric Acid Barge at the Lorelei Rock

Two floating cranes are now in place to begin salvaging the Waldhof,  a capsized 330 foot long tanker barge, loaded with 2,400 tonnes of sulfuric acid, which has blocked traffic on the Rhine River, Europe’s busiest inland water way, for over a … Continue reading

Are the Chinese Still Haunted by HEIC Nemesis – the Devil Ship?

In 1840, when she arrived off their coast,  the Chinese called the Honourable East India Company ship Nemesis, the devil ship.   She was the first British ocean-going iron warship.  In addition to two masts, she was powered by two two sixty … Continue reading