Bulk Carrier Swanland Sinks off North Wales – Two Crew Rescued & Five Missing

Update: Prince William co-piloted the Sea King helicopter which rescued two crew from the sinking Swanland.   Prince William serves with RAF Valley in north Wales. The bulk carrier Swanland is reported to have sunk this morning off north  Wales in heavy … Continue reading

USCG Cutter Mohawk to become Reef off Sanibel Isalnd, FL

The World War II era US Coast Guard Cutter Mohawk is scheduled to be  scuttled in 2012, 16 miles off the coast of Sanibel Island, FL in the Gulf of Mexico to serve as an artificial reef. Veteran’s Memorial Reef planned off … Continue reading

British Tall Ship Youth Trust Plans Sale of the Stavros S Niarchos

The British Tall Ship Youth Trust has published a new development plan detailing some significant changes in the organization, including the planned sale of the one remaining tall ship owned by the Trust, the Stavros S Niarchos. In September of … Continue reading

Celebrities and the Titanic – Then and Now

When the RMS Titanic sank on April 15, 1912,  a number of those who died were celebrities of their day, including the American millionaires John Jacob Astor IV and Benjamin Guggenheim.  Canadian railroad president Charles Melville Hays and Isidor Straus, American owner of … Continue reading

Submarine Saturday – British Submarine Delay Concerns, HMS Astute Fires Harpoons & German Fuel Cell Sub

A report by Britain’s National Audit Office revealed that the Ministry of Defense is concerned that recent budget cuts have put the country at risk due to a shortage of modern attack submarines.   The National Audit Office said delays to … Continue reading

Tough Times in the Tanker Markets – General Maritime Bankruptcy and Continued Overcapacity

Last month we posted that tanker charter rates  were at the lowest they have been in 14 years and that the number of large tankers in lay up was approaching levels similar to those during the slump in the 1980′s.  This … Continue reading

New Documentary on Thames Sailing Barges – Red Sails

The Thames sailing barge was a remarkably efficient cargo carrier that lasted well into the 20th century before being replaced by diesel trucks. We have followed the rebuilding and the relaunching of the Thames sailing barge Cambria, which was the last British … Continue reading

USS George HW Bush – New $6 Billion Aircraft Carrier Without Working Toilets

The USS George HW Bush, the tenth of the Nimitz class, is the US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier.  It cost $6.2 billion to build and is powered by two nuclear reactors which can develop 260,000 shaft horsepower.  The carrier can … Continue reading

Dream Symphony and the Fusion Schooners: Modern High-Tech Wooden Shipbuilding

Yesterday, we looked at the Bugis phisini, a modern sailing ship built using traditional wood ship building methods that date back a thousand years or so. Today, a look at the other end of spectrum – wood sailing ships that … Continue reading

Where the Age of Sail Never Ended – the Bugis Phinisi, an Appreciation

For centuries, the Bugis people have sailed from South Sulawesi across the shallow seas of the Indonesian archipelago. They would sail east and west on the monsoons, regularly trading as far as Northern Australia in their two masted ships, known … Continue reading

Britain Set to Introduce Sailing Ships to Counter Emissions, or Maybe Not

I love the headline in the article in Sail-World – Britain set to introduce sailing ships to counter emissions.  The first paragraph reads: It’s official. The days of sail may be just about to recommence. The UK’s Committee on Climate Change has come out with … Continue reading