In June, three Spanish divers located the wreck of the German World War II submarine U-966 near the coast of Galicia in north-west Spain. The BBC reports that the submarine’s wreckage is spread widely in a very rocky area where rough weather often makes diving … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
Forty-eight years ago today, 100,000 people who 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 has been meticulously restored to her former glory and … Continue reading
The MV Empire Strength, a 7,355 GRT refrigerated cargo ship, was built by Harland and Wolff in 1942. In her long career, she had seven owners and four names. When she was purchased by a Greek owner in 1965, she was renamed, MV E Evangelia. … Continue reading
USS Oriskany is an Essex-class aircraft carrier completed after World War II. She served in both the Korean and the Vietnam wars. In 2006, the almost 900′ long ship became the world’s largest artificial reef after being sunk 22 miles … Continue reading
We recently posted about crewing opportunities for the auxiliary-sail trading vessel Tiare Taporo operating from the Cook Islands. The Tiare Taporo is, however, not the only commercial sailing vessel serving the Cook islands. The SV Kwai will soon be departing on its 45th voyage from Hawaii calling … Continue reading
Last year we posted about warships from World War II that had vanished after illegal scrappers literally cut them up and hauled the steel away. Here is a news item on theft on a different scale and with a better outcome. … Continue reading
For several years, we have been following the attempts to raise Arctic explorer Roald Amundsen‘s research ship Maud from where it has been sitting in ice and mud for close to 90 years. To say that the conditions in Cambridge Bay off the Nunavut … Continue reading
A group of “urban explorers” ventured out to climb aboard an abandoned Soviet submarine tied up in the Maritime Quarter, the former NDSM shipyard in Amsterdam North, in the Netherlands. The submarine was built in 1956 or 1957. It was designated … Continue reading
A ferry across Lake Toba in North Sumatra sank on Monday in bad weather and a reported 192 are missing and feared dead. Only 18 survivors have been rescued. Rescuers looking for additional survivors have been hampered by high winds … Continue reading
On June 25th, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will be investigating an unidentified shipwreck 40 miles off the coast of Hatteras Island using a robotic submersible launched from the research vessel Okeanos Explorer. The exploration will be livestreamed with viewing … Continue reading
I recently saw two stories in the press that happen to overlap. Captain Reinhard Hardegen The first story was the report of the death of Reinhard Hardegen at 105 years old. Hardegen was believed to have been the last surviving German U-boat commander from … Continue reading
Three years ago, the BBC published an article with the clickbait title of “Why is the US still using a Nazi tall ship?” The article was about the USCG Cutter Eagle and was OK as far as it went. The title … Continue reading
Ever dream of sailing the Pacific on an inter-island trading ship? Well, the Auxiliary-Sail Trading Vessel Tiare Taporo, based in the Cook Islands is looking for crew. This sounds like a fascinating opportunity for the right individuals. From a notice by Pacific … Continue reading
The deaths of 17 sailors in the separate collisions with merchant ships of the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Fitzgerald and the USS John S. McCain has raised fundamental questions about the seamanship of US naval officers on the two ships, … Continue reading
Last week, the YM Efficiency, a 4250 TEU container ship bound from Taiwan to Sydney, Australia lost 83 containers in heavy seas while 30km off the coast of Port Stephens. In addition to the containers lost overboard, 30 other containers were … Continue reading
Last week, the Navy marked the 50th anniversary of the loss of the Skipjack-class nuclear submarine USS Scorpion (SSN 589) in a private observance at the Scorpion Memorial on Norfolk Naval Station. 99 officers and crew died when the submarine sank on May 22, … Continue reading
The replica stern-wheeler MV Oliver Cromwell sank in the Irish Sea while under tow from Gloucester to Northern Ireland. The vessel was reported to have started taking on water 10 miles west of South Stack near Holyhead, Anglesey, on Friday, sinking within three … Continue reading
Last February, we posted about human bone fragments found near the wreck of the pirate ship Whydah Gally on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The bones were located close to where a pistol, which possibly belonged to the ship’ captain, “Black Sam” Bellamy, had been recovered. Forensic … Continue reading
We recently posted about Portside NewYork’s tanker Mary A. Whalen‘s 80th birthday. We also posted about the ex-USCG lighthouse tender Lilac‘s 90th birthday, which is tomorrow. (Stop by for cake.) And coming up next weekend, June 2, is the oyster … Continue reading
On Monday, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) announced in a press release, that they “recently obtained authorization by Maritime Archaeology Consultants (MAC), Switzerland AG, and the Colombian government to release new details from the successful search for the three-century-old … Continue reading