Given all the economic damage being done by needless trade wars, it seems worthwhile to recall the ship that opened the trade with the United States’ first trading partner, China. The new nation had won the Revolutionary War but had … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
Congratulations to Captain Belinda Bennett, the first black female captain of a cruise ship. Captain Bennett has sailed for Windstar Cruise Lines for 14 years and is now in command of the MSY Wind Star, operating in the Caribbean in winter … Continue reading
Last week, the Ellen, the world’s largest all-electric ferry, completed its maiden voyage in Denmark. From a press release by Leclanché, the provider of the batteries to power the ferry: The world’s largest all-electric ferry, named Eferry Ellen, made its … Continue reading
If you haven’t been in Times Square in New York City within the past few decades, it has been transformed into a realm of light and video with every available building and wall covered with electronic billboards advertising products and … Continue reading
Apparently, Monday was World Photography Day. In its honor, a bit belatedly, here is a photo of Brunel’s revolutionary ship, SS Great Britain, taken in 1844. Not only is it believed to be the first photograph of the Great Britain, but … Continue reading
Sad news reported by ClassicSailboats.org. The 114-year-old sailing yacht Iolaire was lost off Ibiza in late July. She ran ashore after an uncontrolled jibe and sank. The crew escaped without injury. Iolaire, previously owned for over half a century by … Continue reading
Neoline, a French designer and operator of cargo sailing ships, is partnering with car manufacturer Groupe Renault, heavy equipment builder Manitou, and boat builder Groupe Beneteau, to build two 136-meter ro-ros, each with 4,200 square meters of sail area and … Continue reading
Today is “National Rum Day” in the United States. Why? Why not? In observation of the day, it seems worthwhile to consider the role of rum at sea. Before there was rum, there was water. The problem with water was … Continue reading
On Wednesday, 16-year-old Swedish climate activist, Greta Thunberg, set sail from Plymouth, England on a racing yacht bound for New York. She is traveling to participate in United Nations climate talks in September, and she refuses to fly because aviation … Continue reading
Great news! The Swedish East Indiaman Götheborg will sail again thanks to support from the shipping agency Greencarrier Group, which has announced that it will take the full operational and financial responsibility for the ship for the next two years. … Continue reading
If you are in New York City this evening, head over to Pier 25 on the Hudson River to the historic lighthouse tender the ex-USCGC Lilac for a free concert in honor of National Lighthouse Day. The concert, from 6:00 … Continue reading
The 27th Annual Great North River Tugboat Race, sponsored by the Working Harbor Committee, will be held on the Hudson River near Pier 84 starting at 11 a.m. on September 1st. Watch from shore or get onboard the Spectator Boat … Continue reading
At about 9AM on January 15, 1942, the British tanker Coimbra, bound from Bayonne, NJ for Halifax, laden with 8,038 tons of lubricating oil, sank after being struck by two torpedoes fired by the German submarine U-123 off the southern shore … Continue reading
Coast Guard Day in the United States is this Sunday, August 4th, commemorating the founding of the U. S. Coast Guard as the Revenue Marine on August 4, 1790, by the Secretary of the Treasury, Alexander Hamilton. On the ex-USCG … Continue reading
The good news is that last month there was a debate in the UK’s House of Lords about what to do with the wreck of the Liberty ship SS Richard Montgomery, which sank loaded with munitions in the Thames estuary … Continue reading
The W.O. Decker, the last wooden tug in New York harbor, is back at work. The 52′ tug, built in 1930 in Long Island City, is now offering harbor tours from the South Street Seaport on New York’s East River. … Continue reading
In the general category of you can’t make this stuff up, in early hours of Friday morning, a mass brawl broke out on the P&O Britannia, in which passengers used furniture and plates as weapons, according to witnesses. Six people—three … Continue reading
The USCG barque Eagle has returned to its longstanding homeport at the US Coast Guard Academy in New London, CT, which had been the ship’s homeport since 1946. The Eagle, a 295-foot barque used as a training cutter for future … Continue reading
Sandy Hook pilots have been guiding ships into New York harbor since 1694 when Colonial legislators first mandated that pilots be stationed at the barrier beach at the mouth of the great harbor. Here are two short videos of New … Continue reading
A 15-year-old girl was allegedly plied with liquor aboard a Royal Caribbean ship by a group of men, before being taken to a cabin and gang-raped. She was on a seven-day cruise with her two sisters and grandparents beginning the … Continue reading