Hard Times at Two Seaport Museums – South Street and Independence

New York and Philadelphia are major ports and centers of art and culture.  By all rights both should be home for major and successful seaport museums. Sadly that is not the case. Last month we posted about the Independence Seaport … Continue reading

Owner’s Manual for a Sunken Ship – RMS Titanic Manual: 1909-1912 Olympic Class

Haynes Manuals are well known as practical guides aimed at automobile enthusiastic and mechanics.  They have also branched out into manuals for domestic appliances, personal computers, digital photography, model railways, men,  babies, sex, and women. Reportedly the last four categories … Continue reading

The Titanic – from Maritime Tragedy to Pop Culture Icon

Ninety nine years ago today, the RMS Titanic sank after striking an iceberg in the North Atlantic with the loss of 1,517 passengers and crew.  The sinking of the Titanic had a major impact on  ship  operations.     The first International … Continue reading

Seaport Museum Founders Offer New Plan to Keep Institution Afloat

Peter Stanford and Robert Ferraro, two of the founders of the financially troubled South Street Seaport Museum in New York City, spoke to museum volunteers on Saturday. They presented their vision of how the museum could be saved and revived. … Continue reading

Happy Birthday, U.S. Submarine Force: 111 Today

One hundred and eleven years ago today the US Navy accepted  its first successful submarine, the USS Holland.  The previous November, in New York harbor, the Holland passed the Navy’s tests.  She ran for one mile underwater, surfaced, fired a torpedo then … Continue reading

Tragedy on the HMS Astute: Update

Reports now indicate that Ryan Donovan, 22,  a sailor on HMS Astute, burst into the submarine control room and opened fire with an SA80 assault rifle yesterday, killing the ship’s weapons engineering officer, Lt. Cmdr. Ian Molyneux, 36, and wounding a second officer, Lieutenant Commander … Continue reading