Last August we posted “Did an Arsonist Torch the USS Bonhomme Richard?” The Navy has concluded that the answer is yes, as it has charged a seaman apprentice with deliberately starting a fire last year that destroyed the amphibious assault … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
The Hawaii Department of Transportation’s Harbors Division put out a second request for proposals (RFP) for the “removal of the derelict sailing vessel Falls of Clyde from Honolulu Harbor.” A previous RFP issued in late April was later canceled after a … Continue reading
A short video of Tradewind Voyages’ Golden Horizon sailing at night between Poole & Portland. Golden Horizon is the largest square-rigged sailing ship in the world. A 272 passenger, five-masted barque, she is 532 feet (162 meters) long, with a … Continue reading
The Sea Venture was the flagship of the Third Supply mission to the Jamestown Colony that was wrecked in Bermuda in 1609. A 300-ton ship commissioned by the London Company, she was one of the first single timbered merchantmen built … Continue reading
Positive news from Grays Harbor Historical Seaport in Aberdeen, WA. The Hawaiian Chieftain, a 65′ on deck square topsail ketch, has been sold and will eventually be returning to her home state of Hawai’i. Briefly known as the Spirit of Larinda. … Continue reading
Last month we posted that a recent Queen Mary inspection survey revealed that lack of maintenance and neglected repairs have left the converted Cunard passenger liner vulnerable to flooding or possibly even capsizing. In early June, the City of Long Beach, … Continue reading
Tradewind Voyages Golden Horizon has recently embarked on her maiden voyage, after a brief delay. As she set sail on a four-day voyage from Dover, UK, the ship was forced to turn around due to a financial dispute between the … Continue reading
Last Saturday, USNS John Lewis (T-AO 205), the first in a new class of Navy oiler, was christened at NASSCO on the one-year anniversary of the congressman’s death. It’s fitting that we honor John Lewis with this formidable ship, because … Continue reading
Crowley Maritime Corporation has announced that it will build and operate eWolf, the first all-electric powered harbor tugboat in the United States. The electric ship assist and escort tug will be 200 GRT, 82 feet long, with a main propulsion … Continue reading
The Italian government is banning large cruise ships from calling on the Venice lagoon after declaring the lagoon a national monument. Italy had come under pressure from Unesco, the UN’s heritage agency, that threatened to put Venice on its endangered … Continue reading
US Today reports that American Cruise Lines has canceled the next Alaska cruise on its American Constellation after three people tested positive for COVID-19. The ship took off for a 10-night cruise from Juneau, Alaska on July 4, but the trip … Continue reading
Last September, we posted about the wreck of the steam collier SS Ayrfield, abandoned in Homebush Bay, near Sydney, Australia, before it could be scrapped, that has now been taken over by a mangrove forest. A reader pointed out a similar … Continue reading
Last month, we posted that UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has announced the construction of a new national flagship intended to promote British businesses around the world. So far the proposal to replace the royal yacht Britannia, has been greeted … Continue reading
Reuters is reporting that an Egyptian court has lifted the detention order on the Ever Given container ship, allowing its expected release from the Suez Canal on Wednesday, according to a lawyer and judicial sources. The Ever Given’s owners and … Continue reading
Fifty-one years ago today, 100,000 people lined the banks of the River Avon in Bristol as the SS Great Britain returned to her birthplace. In the intervening years, the rusting hulk was meticulously restored to her former glory and now … Continue reading
This weekend four tall ships participated in the Tall Ships Festival that this year is a part of the Boothbay Harbor Windjammer Days which continues through July 2. Two of the tall ships, the privateer schooner Lynx and the schooner … Continue reading
Yesterday, more than 20 Russian aircraft and two coastguard ships shadowed the Royal Navy destroyer, HMS Defender, sailing near Crimea. Moscow’s defence ministry said a patrol ship fired warning shots and a jet dropped bombs in the path of HMS … Continue reading
The US Navy is having a problem with its Virginia-class fast attack submarines. Secretary of the Navy Thomas Harker told the Senate Armed Services Committee that some parts are wearing out far faster than expected. The Navy has had to … Continue reading
Before chemical or petroleum-based sealants, tar made from pine trees had a myriad of uses; from protecting hemp ropes, lines, and cable from rot; to waterproofing canvas; for preserving wood; to being used as an antiseptic in chronic skin conditions. … Continue reading
Happy Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Juneteenth National Independence Day is also the newest Federal holiday. The legislation, passed by both the House and Senate, was recently signed into law … Continue reading