Operation Dynamo – the Little Ships Return to Ramsgate for 70th anniversary

This Wednesday the surviving “Little Ships” of the Dunkirk evacuation will rendezvous in Ramsgate to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the famous World War II evacuation, codenamed Operation Dynamo. Little Ships gather in Ramsgate for 70th anniversary of Dunkirk evacuations … Continue reading

Just Before Fleet Week, President of Intrepid Museum Resigns Suddenly

Bill White, the longtime president of the Intrepid Sea Air and Space Museum, resigned abruptly on Wednesday morning.   No clear reason was given for his resignation which comes just one week before New York Fleet Week, in which the museum … Continue reading

Kalmar Nyckel to Star in “The Ship That Changed the World”

The Kalmar Nyckel will be featured in an upcoming documentary, “The Ship That Changed the World.” Delaware’s sailing star – Kalmar Nyckel the ‘wow factor’ in new documentary F ilm director Malcolm Dixelius knew he had found his “star” when … Continue reading

North Korean Torpedo Sank Patrol Ship – “There is No Other Plausible Explanation”

Now that a South Korean investigation has concluded that a North Korean torpedo sank the South Korean Corvette Cheonan killing 46 sailors, the real question becomes, how to respond? Torpedo accusation raises Korean security stakes … Continue reading

The Final Demise of the SS C. W. Pasley

Concrete ships were constructed in both World War I and World War II when steel was in short supply.  They were not wildly successful, as they were limited in deadweight and had a tendency to crack.  (No concrete ships were built after the end … Continue reading

Ship-spotting on a Monday Morning

Will, over at the Tugster blog, is no doubt the preeminent New York harbor ship-spotter.  If one is so inclined, it is easy to spent far more time than one might have planned browsing his thousands of photographs – all well organized and accompanied by fascinating commentary. … Continue reading

Russian Cruiser Aurora Turns 110

The Russian Cruiser Aurora was launched 110 years ago this month. She is currently a museum ship in St. Petersburg, the city where she was built. The Cruiser “Aurora” The historical ship Aurora has been turned into a museum and is docked … Continue reading

Moby, Mocha and the Whale Ship Essex

People are often surprised to hear that Herman Melville’s masterpiece, Moby Dick, was inspired, at least in part, by the sinking of the whale ship Essex by a sperm whale.  By all accounts the sinking of the Essex  haunted  Melville  and  unquestionably supplied him with … Continue reading

MV Moscow University – Why Anti-Piracy Efforts off Somalia Are Doomed to Fail

Two news stories, days apart demonstrate, at least to me, why the current efforts to combat piracy off the coast of Somalia are doomed to fail.  We posted previously how the tanker MV Moscow University was recaptured from pirates by … Continue reading

Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World – a Review

A few days ago, we posted about Ric Burns’ new documentary, Into the Deep: America, Whaling & the World, which will be broadcast tomorrow, May 10, at 9PM on most PBS channel in the United States. I had the opportunity to … Continue reading

Ancient treasures set for auction in Indonesia

Ancient treasures set for auction in Indonesia An ancient treasure trove salvaged from a 1,000-year-old shipwreck found by Indonesian fishermen is set to go under the hammer in Jakarta Wednesday with a minimum price of 80 million dollars.  Belgian treasure-hunter … Continue reading

Russian special forces capture oil tanker Moscow University

Close cooperation between the ship’s personnel and the Russian military allowed Russian special forces to storm the captured tanker Moscow University without unduly jeopardizing the safety of the crew. Russian special forces capture oil tanker … Continue reading