The Two Brothers and the Two Captains – Who was Unlucky?

The wreck of the whale ship Two Brothers, which sank 188 years ago on French Frigate Shoals, 600 miles northwest of Honolulu,  was recently located by divers.   The captain of the whale ship was George Pollard Jr., whose previous ship, … Continue reading

Carnival Splendor Set to Sail from San Francisco

The Carnival Splendor, which was crippled by an engine room fire on November 8th, leaving it drifting for days off the coast of Mexico with nearly 4,500 crew members and passengers aboard, is expected to sail from San Francisco on Friday … Continue reading

Update: Wreck of the Waldhof – Controlled Release of Sulphuric Acid into the Rhine

Salvors are now reported to be beginning a slow release of sulphuric acid from the capsized tank barge, Waldhof, which capsized in the Rhine on January 13th near the infamous Lorelei Rock, in hope of averting a larger uncontrolled acid spill on … Continue reading

Pirates Hijack Two Tankers in Two Days – MV Savina Caylyn & MV Irene SL

Yesterday, the Italian-owned Aframax tanker MV Savina Caylyn was hijacked by pirates approximately 670 nautical miles East of Socotra Island in the Indian Ocean.  Today, the Greek-owned VLCC MV Irene SL was hijacked  approximately 350 nautical miles South East of … Continue reading

On Jules Verne’s Birthday – A Look at the Submarines named Nautilus

On this the 183th anniversary of the birth of Jules Verne, it seems worthwhile to look at the submarines named Nautilus.    Click on any of the thumbnails for a larger image. … Continue reading

Update : Collision in Mumbai – Indian Navy and the Mumbai Port Trust at Fault ?

The sinking of the frigate INS Vindhyagiri, following a collision with the container ship MV Nordlake, last Sunday near Mumbai harbor,  is the worst-ever peacetime loss for the Indian Navy.   That the accident occurred as the warship was returning … Continue reading

Sail this summer on the Picton Castle

The barque Picton Castle, known for its around the world voyages, is offering cruises this summer sailing around Newfoundland. It sounds fantastic. Sail Around Newfoundland Starkly stunning coastline. Incredible whales, seabirds and maybe even icebergs. Hospitable folks in big towns and small outport … Continue reading

Spirit of South Carolina Tall Ship program

A wonderful video highlighting the educational programs on the schooner Spirit of South Carolina. Spirit of South Carolina Tall Ship program [iframe: title=”YouTube video player” class=”youtube-player” type=”text/html” width=”480″ height=”295″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/TQVS21CoBcQ” frameborder=”0″ allowFullScreen] Thanks to Troy LeBoeuf for pointing it out. … Continue reading

Passengers on Antarctic cruise ship, Polar Star, to be evacuated after grounding

On Monday, the Polar Star struck a rock while at anchor near Detaille Island, a small island off the Northern end of Arrowsmith Peninsula in Antarctica.     The grounding damaged the outer hull of the double hulled ship.  The ship sailed for the Arctowski Station, … Continue reading

The Big U purchased by Conservancy

Today, the SS United States Conservancy purchased the S.S. United States from Norwegian Cruise Line.  As we posted last July, the sale was made possible by a reported $5.8 million pledge by Philadelphia philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest.   The sale was delayed  when the … Continue reading