The first images of the design of the royal barge that will carry the Queen of England down the Thames during her Diamond Jubilee celebrations next year have been published. With no disrespect implied to the Queen, I am a … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
For over 200 years, gundalows – sail and oar powered cargo barges – moved on the winds and tides of the rivers and estuaries along the New England coast. Yesterday, the brand new gundalow, Piscataqua, splashed into the the Piscataqua River … Continue reading
After being gutted by fire in 2007, the 1869 composite tea clipper Cutty Sark has been undergoing a methodical reconstruction. She reached a milestone recently when her foremast was restepped in the ship. The main and mizzen masts are expected to be … Continue reading
Yesterday we posted about the New York Police Department Harbor Unit’s use of ROVs to maintain security in the harbot. We had missed an amusing post by Portside New York‘s Carolina Salguero on NPYD security training on the MARY A. WHALEN. From her post: … Continue reading
Last February the crew of the 130′ long by 120′ wide maxi-trimaran Banque Populaire V was forced to give up their attempt to the win the Jules Verne trophy for the fastest circumnavigation by sail when the trimaran struck an “unidentified floating object” while … Continue reading
HMS Ocean, a Royal Navy amphibious assault ship, had planned for a seven week deployment but was diverted to Libya and ended up being away for 225 days with 176 at sea. When they received word that they would be back in … Continue reading
Last Sunday we posted about the CBC program,Land and Sea, which was broadcasting a half hour documentary on traditional schooners in Nova Scotia. It is now available to watch on-line. The documentary tells the story of four different schooner owners … Continue reading
On Friday, the “Christmas Tree Ship” arrived again on the Chicago docks, bringing Christmas trees to needy families. The arrival of the ship has become a Chicago holiday tradition, honoring of the memory of Capt Herman Schuenemann and his three … Continue reading
Today the Christmas Ship is Chicago’s largest all volunteer charitable support program for inner city youth and their families at Christmas time. At the turn of the twentieth century, the “Christmas Tree Ship” was a family business. In the mid 1880s, August and … Continue reading
In the United States, we have seen an explosion of so-called “reality TV,” which is usually more akin to unscripted soap opera than reality, fortunately. In Canada, however, the CBC has some wonderful programming which is reality television in … Continue reading
Valeska Paris recently appeared on the Australian television program “Lateline” where she charged that she was held for twelve years against her will on the cruise ship MV Freewinds, a ship operated by the Church of Scientology. The ship, the … Continue reading
Twenty five years ago today, the ore-bulk-oil carrier MV Kowloon Bridge sank off the coast of West Cork with a cargo of 165,000 tons of iron ore and 2,000 tons of bunker oil, becoming the world’s largest shipwreck by tonnage. The Kowloon … Continue reading
After an lovely warm November, winter is beginning to settle in here on the banks of the Hudson River, so it feels like a good time to feature a video of warm water, blue sky and white sails. Here is a video shot by Jimmy … Continue reading
The gangway to HMS Belfast, collapsed into the Thames River in London shortly after noon today. Two work men are reported to have been taken to the hospital with what are described as abrasions. More than 100 people on board the ship, including 30 school … Continue reading
The Naval Heritage Society is attempting to to build a full-scale, fully functional replica of of the USS Hornet, a sloop of war built in 1805, which had a successful career in the War of 1812 and beyond, before being lost in a hurricane in … Continue reading