The “Shutter Plank” Goes on the Whaleship Charles W. Morgan Today at Mystic Seaport, CT

Correction:  The original post listed the wrong date for the anticipated launching of the  Charles W. Morgan. The correct date is  July 21, 2013. Congratulations to the Mystic Seaport Museum and all those working on the whaleship Charles W. Morgan.  This afternoon at around 2PM, … Continue reading

Container/Ro-Ro Ship Jolly Nero Topples Genoa Port Tower, At Least 7 Dead

The container/ro-ro ship Jolly Nero  slammed into the port control tower in Genoa, Italy on Tuesday night around 11PM, destroying the 165 ft-tall cement tower and killing at least seven.  Four people were reported to be injured  and at least two are still missing.  … Continue reading

Update: Chinese Vessel Did More Damage to Tubbataha Reef than USS Guardian

Despite being smaller than the USS Guardian and spending less time aground on the Tubbataha reef, the Chinese fishing vessel F/V Min Long Yu, which ran aground on the protected reef on April 8, apparently did more damage than the US Navy minesweeper.  In addition … Continue reading

E/S Orcelle – Wallenius Wilhelmsen Concept Car Carrier Powered by Sun, Wind and Waves

In a recent Working Harbor Committee presentation, “Sailing Ships at Work – Past, Present and Future,” we included the E/S Orcelle, a Wallenius Wilhelmsen concept car carrier design, as an example of an innovative design that featured wing sails, as one … Continue reading

Saving the Lettie G Howard – South Street Seaport Museum Raises $250,000 to Restore Historic Schooner

Wonderful news!  In February 2012, the 1893 built, Freedonia class fishing schooner, Lettie G. Howard was drydocked to repair rot in her keelson.  The rot was found to be far more extensive than expected and since then the South Street … Continue reading

Chinese and Japanese Ships Contest Disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea

Things are getting tense again in the East China Sea, specifically between the Chinese and Japanese.  The dispute is over a small group of uninhabited islands that lie between Okinawa and Taiwan and are known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu … Continue reading

Congratulations to PortSide NewYork – Winner of the White House “Champions of Change” Award !

Our hearty congratulations to PortSide NewYork, which today was awarded a White House Champions of Change award in recognition for the wonderful work done by the non-profit organization to assist their neighbors in Red Hook, a Brooklyn community absolutely devastated by Hurricane Sandy. The … Continue reading

A Video for a Saturday Morning – Picton Castle Sailing Out the Anchor at Palmerston Island

Remind me again why jobs, homes and careers are so important. After watching this video it is awfully easy to question one’s priorities. Here is the Barque Picton Castle sailing out the anchor at Palmerston Island in the Cook Islands in the South Pacific. Click here to … Continue reading

The Texas City Disaster – the Explosions of the SS Grandcamp & the SS High Flyer

On Wednesday night, a huge explosion ripped through West, Texas; a small central Texas town, south of Dallas. The fertilizer factory caught fire and exploded, leveling homes and buildings for a five blocks area, killing from 5 – 40 people and injuring … Continue reading

A Swan Adrift – Abandoned Sailing Yachts Drifting on the Deep Blue Sea

In February, Wolfhound, a 48′ Nautor Swan sailing yacht, was abandoned in a storm just north of Bermuda by her Irish owner, Alan McGettigan, and a crew of three. The sailors were rescued by a passing freighter. The boat was reported to have sunk. Instead, … Continue reading