Slightly over two years ago we posted about the hijacking of the Ukranian ro/ro Faina by Somali pirates. The pirates were surprised to discover that the ship was loaded with arms, including 33 Russian T-72 battle tanks. The pirates claimed … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
As difficult as it is to keep ships afloat, sometimes they can be devilishly hard to sink as well. At least that has been the experience of a group trying to scuttle the decommissioned HMAS Adelaide as an artificial reef and recreational diving site off the central … Continue reading
While the circumstances were completely different from those on the Carnival Splendor, the problem encountered by the cruise ship Clelia II is apparently another example of a ship’s engines being impacted by damage to electrical control systems. The Clelia II‘s … Continue reading
Ships carrying metallic ores should be the most stable ships on the ocean. These cargoes are dense and carried in low the ship. If improperly loaded, ore cargoes can indeed break a ship in half, but stability should not be an issue. Nevertheless, three ships carrying nickel ore … Continue reading
Two interesting stories of shipwrecks in the press recently – the wreck of the Titanic is being consumed by newly identified steel-munching bacteria, while scientists are discovering large numbers of well preserved shipwrecks in the dark and cold Baltic where there are 1,500 confirmed wrecks … Continue reading
Update: The three masted schooner Raw Faith is reported to now have sunk after the crew of two was rescued by the Coast Guard. __________ Two men were rescued by the Coast Guard from Raw Faith, a home-built 118′ three … Continue reading
A bit over a week ago we suggested an aircraft carrier as a holiday gift for the person who has everything. OK, we admit that was not the most useful gift suggestion. We now wish to suggest something far more practical and which also … Continue reading
Dr. Wubbo Ockles describing what he refers to as a “professional attack on the ship and maybe to me… as an attack on sustainability.” Dr. Wubbo Ockels on the Sinking of his Sailyacht Ecolution … Continue reading
The Boston Globe has documented the boarding of the USS Constitution by a Redcoat! During her long years of active duty, the USS Constitution, known as Old Ironsides, was never successfully boarded by enemy marines. Yet, here we see the … Continue reading
MV Golden Seas, a 74,475 DWT bulk carrier, which suffered a turbocharger failure on its main engines and was in danger of drifting onto the Aleutian Islands, has been taken under tow by the tug/supply boat Tor Viking II. The bulk carrier is … Continue reading
The MV Hong Wei with a cargo of 40,000 tons of nickel ore, sank Saturday off the northern Philippines. Fourteen crew were rescued and ten remain missing. The ship was Panamanian flag and had a Chinese crew. The … Continue reading
The 74, 475 DWT MV Golden Seas carrying a cargo of rapeseed oil suffered a turbocharger failure on its main engine late Thursday night, reducing main engine power sufficiently so that the ship could not make headway against the 29 foot seas and … Continue reading
Ockels’ sustainable voyage to go ahead Wubbo Ockels, a former Dutch astronaut, says he is convinced his sailing yacht Ecolution, which was sunk by unknown assailants earlier this week, will soon be repaired, so he can continue his sustainable energy … Continue reading
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard has posted some lovely photos of HMS Victory and the dockyard after a recent snowfall. Click on the thumbnails for a larger image. To see more visit their website or Facebook album page. … Continue reading
History is full of strange connections. This week an almost 200-year-old copy of “The Star Spangled Banner” is to be sold at auction house at Christie’s auction house in Manhattan. The sheet music is currently valued at between … Continue reading