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

Mutiny on the Gorch Fock ?

Last November, Sarah Schmidt, a 25 year old cadet fell to her death from the rigging of the German sailing training ship, Gorch Fock.   It is now being reported that shortly after Schmidt’s death the cadets aboard the ship mutinied and … Continue reading

Group Campaigning to Move the USS Olympia to San Francisco

A group of former workers at the Mare Island Naval Shipyard in the San Francisco Bay Area has launched a campaign to bring the USS Olympia to San Pablo Bay.  The Olympia, Commodore George Dewey’s flagship at the Battle of … Continue reading

“Hasan Reis” sinks, 22 Afghan immigrants die near Corfu

Grim news.  Late Saturday night, the wooden vessel  Hasan Reis in the Mediterranean, carrying over 260 passengers, reported to be illegal immigrants from Afghanistan, began to leak in heavy seas and subsequently sank.  The Dutch ship Momentum Scan rescued the survivors … Continue reading

Congratulations to the Historic Vessel Vega

Congratulations to the Capt. Shane Granger, Meggi Macoun, Joanne Har and all the good folks on the historic vessel Vega for being honored with the Asia Pacific Laureate Foundation annual award for Social Services in recognition of “Humanitarian Services to Isolated Island … Continue reading

The Three Cunard Queens Rendezvous in New York Harbor

This Thursday, January 13th, the three ships of the Cunard fleet – the Queen Mary II, the Queen Elizabeth and the recently delivered Queen Victoria –  will rendezvous in New York harbor near the Statue of Liberty around 6:45 PM.   A fireworks display will help to celebrate the “Cunard … Continue reading

Wreck of Perry’s USS Revenge reported found on 200th anniversary

Two hundred years ago today the USS Revenge, under the command of  Oliver Hazard Perry, sank in the waters off  Rhode Island.   On Friday, divers, Charles Buffum, Mike Fournier and Craig Harger, announced that they believe that they have  located the wreck.   In … Continue reading

Death on the Volendam in Lyttelton Harbour – crew member killed in lifeboat accident

Update: While originally reported that two crew members were knocked overboard during “a lifeboat training exercise,” it is now being reported that the sailors were performing lifeboat maintenance. The commenter (below) reports that both men were wearing safety harnesses which … Continue reading