Onrust Returns to the Connecticut River

In 1614, the Onrust, captained by Dutch merchant explorer Adriaen Block, was the first European vessel to explore the Connecticut River. This summer, a replica of Block’s ship is returning to the river in a collaboration between the Connecticut River Museum in Essex, … Continue reading

World Oceans Day on the Lilac — Answering the Ocean’s Call: Stewardship of Our Ocean, Our Future

If you are around New York harbor on Thursday, June 8th, from 6 — 7:45 PM, stop by the historic USCG Cutter Lilac at Pier 25 on the Hudson River to celebrate World Oceans Day. The Lilac Preservation Project is hosting … Continue reading

The Log of the Record Run — Frederick William Wallace’s Ballad of the Effie M. Morrissey (Mary L. McKay)

One last post (at least for the immediate future) on the historic schooner Ernestina-Morrissey, which is now being restored in Boothbay, Maine.  Launched in February, 1894, she had a very successful almost thirty year fishing career, before becoming an Arctic exploration ship and then … Continue reading

Bob Bartlett and His “Little Morrisey” — Voyage to Greenland

Yesterday, we posted about the restoration of the historic schooner Ernestina, ex-Effie M. Morrissey.  Here is a documentary, narrated by the polar explorer, Captain Bob Bartlett, describing a voyage to Greenland in the schooner he refers to as his “Little Morrisey.” … Continue reading

Restoration of the Ernestina-Morrissey Continues

The restoration of the historic schooner Ernestina-Morrissey is a quiet success story. The schooner, launched in 1894, is being rebuilt in the Boothbay Harbor Shipyard. Arriving at the yard in April 2014, she is expected to be redelivered in 2019. The schooner, the official … Continue reading

Mayflower II at Mystic Seaport — the Restoration Continues

Here is a fascinating new video from Mystic Seaport Museum describing the restoration of Mayflower II  at the seaport’s Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard.  Mayflower II is a  reproduction of the original Mayflower  built from 1955-1957.   Restoration Continues: Mayflower II … Continue reading

On the Historic USCGC Lilac — Great Shipwrecks of New York’s ‘Great’ Lakes and The Hidden Hulks of New York Harbor

For those near New York harbor, there is a very interesting exhibit opening on the historic USCGC Lilac at Pier 25 in the Hudson River.  The exhibit “Great Shipwrecks of New York’s ‘Great’ Lakes  and The Hidden Hulks of New … Continue reading

Derelicts & Ghost Ships — Are Catamarans the New Lumber Schooners?

Derelicts, abandoned ships often waterlogged and just barely afloat, are fascinating ghosts which wander the seas according to the vagaries of the winds and the currents. They are also significant hazards to navigation. In the later half of the 19th … Continue reading

The Problems with the USS Gerald R. Ford (Hint — It’s Not the Catapults)

In an interview with Time, the notional Commander in Chief again showed his willful ignorance by calling for steam catapults rather than “digital catapults” on the new Gerald R. Ford class of aircraft carriers.  Aside from the limitations inherent in … Continue reading