Skeletal Remains Of At Least 6 Pirates Found At 1717 Whydah Shipwreck Off Cape Cod

Last February, archaeologists in Cape Cod recovered six skeletons from the ruins of the Whydah, a British pirate ship that sank during a 1717 storm with 146 men—and a trove of treasure—on board. A team led by Barry Clifford, who discovered … Continue reading

Congratulations to Cmdr. Billie J. Farrell, First Woman to Command USS Constitution

Congratulations to Commander Billie J. Farrell who will be the 77th commanding officer and the first woman in the 224-year ship’s history to command the USS Constitution. She will assume command of the ship, known as Old Ironsides, during a … Continue reading

On 100th Anniversary of Shackleton’s Death, Two Memorial Expeditions in His Honor

Sir Ernest Shackleton died 100 years ago yesterday, on January 5, 1922, of a heart attack on South Georgia on an expedition to map the still uncharted coastal regions of Antarctica. He was only 47 when he died. Now, two … Continue reading

Will Carrier USS Gerald R. Ford be Ready to Deploy in 2022?

When the USS Gerald R. Ford was delivered in 2017, it was still years away from deployment as an aircraft carrier. Most of the 11 Advanced Weapons Elevators (AWE) didn’t work. The electromagnetic aircraft launch system (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting … Continue reading

CDC : Avoid Cruise Ship Travel Due to COVID-19 Omicron Variant

Late last week, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised its COVID-19 travel health notice level for cruise ships to its highest warning level and said people should avoid traveling on cruise ships regardless of their vaccination status, … Continue reading

Largest Kite Sail Wind-Assisted Propulsion Being Tested on Ro/Ro Ville de Bordeaux

Kites may be returning to provide wind-assisted propulsion to commercial ships. In January of next year, the 5,200 dwt Ro/Ro Ville de Bordeaux, chartered by Airbus and operated by Louis Dreyfus Armateurs, will begin testing a 500-square-meter half-size demonstration version … Continue reading

Navy Tests High Energy Laser on USS Portland in Gulf of Aden

In 2014, we posted about the deployment of a prototype 30-kilowatt-class Laser Weapon System (LAWS) on the USS Ponce, an Austin-class amphibious transport dock, for field testing in the Persian Gulf. Last week, the Navy announced that the amphibious transport … Continue reading

Tragic Launching of HMS Albion, 1898, Caught on Film

On June 21, 1898, HMS Albion sat on the launching ways at the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company at Blackwall. The launching that would soon end in tragedy was also one of the first disasters to be captured on film. … Continue reading

Norwegian Tall Ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl Visiting New York Next Week on One Ocean Circumnavigation

The Norwegian sail training ship Statsraad Lehmkuhl will be visiting New York harbor next week. The three-masted barque, built in 1914, will be docking at Brooklyn Bridge Park and will be available for tours from December 19 to 27, from … Continue reading

Clydebank Declaration for Green Shipping Corridors, Progress Toward Limiting Climate Change

While many were disappointed by the lack of major breakthroughs at COP26, the recent U.N. climate talks, significant progress was made in beginning to clean up shipping emissions on global trade routes. As reported by the Washington Post, the United … Continue reading

One Year After Pearl Harbor — Launching of the Battleship USS New Jersey, December 7, 1942

On this, the 80th anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, I thought that it might be interesting to look one year forward to gauge how the US responded to the attack. On December 7, 1942, American shipyards launched … Continue reading

Captain of MV Vantage Wave Died at Sea. Six Months Later, His Body Was Still in the Freezer

On April 19, 2021, Captain Dan Sandu, 68, from Romania, master of the general cargo ship MV Vantage Wave, died at sea, apparently from cardiac arrest. The ship was on route from Paradip India to Guangzhou, China, with cargo of … Continue reading

Suiso Frontier, World’s First Liquefied Hydrogen Carrier Readies to Sail From Japanese Shipyard

Reuters is reporting that Suiso Frontier, the world’s first liquefied hydrogen carrier could leave Japan for Australia to pick up its first cargo of hydrogen late this month. The ship will carry 1,250 m3 of liquefied hydrogen cooled to –253°C, … Continue reading

Freight Expectations — 60 Minutes Looks at America’s Supply Chain Crunch

When things are going well, the international shipping supply chain is largely invisible and can be taken for granted by most of us.  These days things are not going well. The pandemic has triggered massive trade imbalances. Critical links in … Continue reading

Grain de Sail to Deliver Medical Supplies to Dominican Republic by Sail

In what is described as the first carbon-free humanitarian logistics effort, Grain de Sail has announced that it is partnering with two non-profits to deliver unused medical supplies from New York to the Dominican Republic by sail. Grain de Sail … Continue reading