Last September we posted about an article in the Telegraph, Cutty Sark restoration turning into a fiasco. Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing on an update recently published in the Private Eye. The restoration of the Cutty Sark, after a major fire in 2007, … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
Workers excavating at the new World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan have uncovered the remains of an 18th century wooden merchant ship. The ship was found 20 feet below street level, is roughly 30 feet in length and was probably buried intentionally as land fill. It … Continue reading
For anyone researching a particular ship, ShipIndex.org could prove invaluable. It offers a searchable database with 143,935 entries in the free database and 1,349,574 entries available with premium access. Having done a bit of searching, it looks both easy and powerful. ShipIndex.org … Continue reading
Twenty five years ago this week, French government agents attached limpit mines to the hull of the Greenpeace ship Rainbow Warrior, in Auckland harbor in New Zealand to stop the ship from protesting French nuclear testing in Moruroa. The exploding mines sank the Rainbow Warrior, killing Fernando Pereira, … Continue reading
At the end of the recent holiday weekend I was amazed to see what at first looked like a schooner race in New York harbor. Six large schooners were all short tacking down the channel against a gentle southerly breeze. I soon realized … Continue reading
A fire in deck containers stowed forward of the house on the 8,000 TEU containership, Charlotte Maersk, is reported to be contained. The fire broke out on Wednesday as the ship was passing through the Straits of Malacca bound … Continue reading
A sad irony that doesn’t actually involve whales. The converted Ore/Bulk/Oil ship named “A Whale“ has not yet proven effective in skimming oil from the water, though modifications and testing continue. ‘A Whale’ oil skimmer testing extended a week Unfortunately, whale … Continue reading
Sail Tampa Bay 2010 is a five day festival, which starts today, celebrating Tampa Bay’s rich maritime history. The festival centerpiece is a visit by three sail training ships – the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Eagle, three-masted Columbian training barque Gloria … Continue reading
Until recent the narco subs used to smuggle cocaine into the United States were submarines in name only, as they were not designed to dive underwater and resurface. Last week, however, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration and Ecuadorian authorities seized a 108 … Continue reading
We had previously posted about the fleet of sailing ships visiting Toronto as part of the Great Lakes United TALL SHIPS CHALLENGE, coordinated by the American Sail Training Association (ASTA) across all five Great Lakes. The fleet has now moved on to Cleveland, Ohio. … Continue reading
Forty years ago, on July 5th, 100,000 people lined the banks of the River Avon to witness the return of the SS Great Britain, or what was left of her. After spending 37 years on the seabed in the Falklands, she was a rusting … Continue reading
Whale of a skimmer not ready to attack Gulf oil after weekend of testing The behemoth Taiwanese oil skimmer, A Whale, is not yet ready attack the Gulf of Mexico oil spill after a weekend of testing proved inconclusive, said … Continue reading
NASA has recently published an analysis of the arctic operations of the icebreaker USCGC Healy. The Healy has been serving as a research vessel in Arctic water with more than 4,200 square feet of scientific laboratory space, numerous electronic sensor systems, … Continue reading
“A Whale” is by far the biggest oil skimmer ever built. The bigger question question may be, “Will it work?” The converted oil/bulk ore carrier is currently docked in Boothville, La., docks as it is made ready for 48 hours … Continue reading
After a season’s delay due to lack of access to icebreakers, Parks Canada is renewing its search for Franklin’s ship’s Erebus and Terror. They will also be searching for the HMS Investigator, a ship which was caught in the ice … Continue reading
The Wall Street Journal is reporting that an agreement has been reached between Norwegian Cruise Line and the SS United States Conservancy, a preservationist group, to save the SS United States from the scrap yard. The Conservancy is reported to have agreed to pay NCL … Continue reading
The Redpath Toronto Waterfront Festival started yesterday and will run through July 4th. The festival is hosting fifteen sailing ships and schooners, including HMS Bounty, the brig Niagara, the Bark Europa, the Pride of Baltimore II, Brig Roald Amundsen, … Continue reading
Update: According to her AIS (Automatic Identification System) the A Whale is now off Louisiana. Thanks to Buck for pointing it out. Click here to see per position on the chart. A Taiwanese-owned, Liberian-flagged tanker, the A Whale, has been modified … Continue reading
We are five days late but nevertheless would like to wish Commander William Donald Aelian “Bill” King a most happy 100th birthday. He is only living submarine commander from World War II. He initially served on the battleship, HMS Resolution, and later becoming … Continue reading
Famous steam drifter celebrates 80th birthday in Yarmouth The world’s last surviving steam drifter, the Lydia Eva, will be celebrating her 80th birthday in Great Yarmouth on Sunday. As well as celebrating her birthday, the weekend will also mark … Continue reading