The Sinking of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff, 65 Years Ago – the Greatest Maritime Disaster in History

Many ships carrying civilians were sunk during World War II by both sides. If current estimates are correct, the torpedoing of the M/V Wilhelm Gustloff resulted in the largest loss of life from the sinking of one vessel in maritime … Continue reading

Breaking up the City of Adelaide Could Bankrupt Scottish Museum

The Scottish Maritime Museum is in dire financial straits.  The City of Adelaide, the oldest (just barely) surviving composite clipper ship in the world,  has been rotting on a slipway at Irvine, near Glasgow, for almost a decade because the museum lacked the funds to … Continue reading

PS Ryde – Mine-sweeper ship that defied the Germans on D-Day set to be scrapped

Not every historic vessel can be saved and not every historic vessel should be saved.  The difficult question is deciding which are worthy of saving  before they fall prey to the ravages of time or, in this case,  the bureaucracy.  A story from today’s Daily … Continue reading

Royal Mail Ship St Helena – Delivery Service for a Remote Island

Delivery service for the remote island of St Helena The tiny British colony of St Helena in the South Atlantic – the world’s most remote inhabited island – is being hit by Whitehall’s spending cuts.   An airport considered by many … Continue reading

Oil Spill in Texas Contained

An Aframax tanker, the Eagle Otome,  collided with an oil barge in the Sabine Neches Waterway at Port Arthur, Texas on Saturday.  Initial reports suggested 12, 000 barrels of crude oil were unaccounted for, though local officials are now estimating that approximately 1,000 barrels … Continue reading

Crowley Establishing Flow of Relief Cargo Into Haiti

Crowley Establishing Flow of Relief Cargo Into Haiti Crowley Maritime Corporation, working under contract with the U.S. Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM), is unloading Haiti relief cargo in Rio Haina, Dominican Republic, today. Fifty six of the 68 20-foot containers of water … Continue reading

Schooner Amistad Sails for Haiti

While the amphibious assault ship USS Bataan arrived in Haiti yesterday and the hospital ship USNS Comfort arrived the day before,  naval ships are not the only vessels sailing to aid the earthquake victims.  The schooner Amistad is on her way bearing both supplies and a … Continue reading

Porta-au-Prince Harbor to Reopen in Days – Crane Ships, Barge Carrier and OPDS Deployed

The US military hopes to have the port of Port-au-Prince open for shipments of emergency relief supplies in two or three days. Damaged Haiti port to open in 2-3 days: U.S. commander In related news, the Maritime Administration has ordered … Continue reading