I will admit to doing a double take when I saw the USCG press release announcing “Coast Guard Cutter Harriet Lane returns home after 9-week patrol.” I wondered, who would name a ship the Harriet Lane? For the record, the … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
Perhaps not a case of swords into plowshares, but at least a destroyer into an artificial reef. In November, the 535 foot decommissioned Navy destroyer, USS Arthur W. Radford, will sink beneath the waters off Cape May Point to become the longest vessel ever turned … Continue reading
Passengers should embark and disembark by the gangway only. Three stories, two of them tragic, of unusual arrivals and departures from cruise ships last week. On the Holland America cruise ship, Prinsendam, passengers were shocked when a powered hang glider made a crash landing on … Continue reading
Well planned passive resistance proved to be an effective tactic for the crew of the MV Lugela this weekend. Earlier this month we posted about the hijacking and subsequent recapture of the M/V Magellan Star from Somali pirates by US Marine commandos, after … Continue reading
An update on our post from last June on the SS Robin, an 1890 built steam coaster, the last of her kind and the oldest complete steamship in the world. She arrived in Tillbury last week aboard a a custom built pontoon barge in … Continue reading
The Australian Hospital Ship Centaur was torpedoed by a Japanese submarine off the coast of Queensland, Australia, on 14 May 1943. Of the 332 medical personnel and civilian crew aboard, 268 were killed. The exact position of the sunken ship … Continue reading
In light of the recent claims in Louise Patten’s new book, Good as Gold , which we posted about earlier this week, we are very pleased to welcome Tim Maltin, author of 101 Things You Thought You Knew About the Titanic…But Didn’t, as guest … Continue reading
The brig Prince William owned by the Tall Ships Youth Trust has been sold to the Pakistan Navy and has been renamed the PNS Rah Naward. The Prince William was delivered in 2001, a sistership to the TS Stavros S. … Continue reading
We have posted about Reid Stowe’s remarkable non-stop voyage of over 1100 days at sea. Now that Reid has been home for several months, Adam Sternbergh writing in the New Yorker magazine has written a portrait of Reid’s voyage … Continue reading
Argosy Cruises has announced that the 86 year old ferry, MV Kirkland, which was severely damaged by fire at the end of last month, will not be rebuilt. The 1924 wooden-hulled car ferry served passengers all over the Pacific Northwest. The … Continue reading
It looks like the guided missile frigate HMAS Adelaide will indeed be scuttled off Avoca Beach, north of Sydney in New South Wales, to create an artificial diving site. Last March we posted about a court case brought by environmentalists which prevented the planned scuttling … Continue reading
We have previously posted about efforts to permanently moor the decommissioned aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy in Portland, Maine. The Navy is is considering proposals from Portland and Rhode Island. Many in Portland are not happy at the prospect … Continue reading
As cruise ships grow ever larger safety professionals have questioned whether passengers will be able to get to the life boats in time in case of an emergency. (See Captain D. Peter Boucher’s BIGGER IS BETTER – NOT on his Nautical Log blog for … Continue reading
Ancestry.co.uk. has published, on-line records, held by National Archives of 19th Century prison ships providing a glimpse into the lives of the estimated 200,000 inmates. Prison ship records from 19th Century published The records outline the disease-ridden conditions on the “prison hulks”, created … Continue reading
As reported in Sail Magazine, the next America’s Cup will be sailed in 2013 in 72′ catamarans with wing sails. America’s Cup in Cats! According to officials, the new AC72 class will regularly attain speeds of 30 knots, “excite fans” as they … Continue reading
There was an amusing bit of bantering and ballyhooing about ship jargon in the New York Times yesterday. In an article about the remains of ship found in the excavation near the new World Trade Center (see our previous posts here) … Continue reading
On July 7th, we posted about a collision between a barge towed by the tug Caribbean Sea and a disabled “Duck boat” DUKW 34 at anchor in the Delaware River off Philadelphia. Two of the 35 passengers on the duck … Continue reading
Jiaolong, 蛟龙, in Chinese folklore, is a shape-shifting water dragon. For several months this summer the Chinese government has been quietly testing a new submersible, named Jiaolong, designed to dive to 7,000 meters. If successful, it will be the deepest diving submersible in the world, diving … Continue reading
More details on the capture of the M/V Magellan Star. The crew and the ship management company kept their heads and their sense of humor when the ship was boarded by Somali pirates on Wednesday. When the pirates boarded the ship, … Continue reading
The Toshiba Tall Ships Festival at Dana Point this weekend offers a wide range of attractions and activities. It all starts with a parade of ships and schooners at sunset this evening. The Brig Pilgrim, the replica of the ship made famous by Richard Henry Dana, has … Continue reading