We recently posted about the death of John “Jock” Moffatt, at 97, the Scottish pilot credited with disabling the German battleship Bismarck with a torpedo fired from his Fairey Swordfish biplane in May 1941. In the post, we included a photo of … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
As we posted yesterday, a Chinese naval vessel seized one of USNS Bowditch’s drone gliders. Today there are news reports that the Chinese are giving it back. Unfortunately, in the interim, several news outlets either misinterpreted what transpired, or, at the very least, led with headlines … Continue reading
In one of the stranger escalations of tensions between the US and the Chinese, a Chinese naval vessel seized one of USNS Bowditch drone gliders. USNS Bowditch is an oceanographic survey vessel which operates with a mix of civilian and military crew members. The … Continue reading
On May 27, 1941, the German battleship Bismarck had just sunk the pride of the Royal Navy, HMS Hood. As she was close to escaping into safe waters, Bismarck was attacked by a swarm of obsolete Fairey Swordfish biplanes launched from the carrier HMS … Continue reading
Back in 2012, we posted about Australian billionaire Clive Palmer’s grand plans to build a sorta-replica of RMS Titanic. The Titanic II, as it was to be known, was supposed to be built in a Chinese shipyard enter with a … Continue reading
I am not sure when this actually takes place, but it seems like an appropriate video for a grey cold and rainy Monday. Here is the P&O Cruises Oriana departing Southampton’s City Cruise Terminal for a refit. As per the Rules … Continue reading
Here is a lovely drone video by François Monier of what is left of Mulberry B just offshore near the French village of Arromanches. One of the reasons that the Germans were skeptical of an Allied invasion of Normandy was … Continue reading
Recently, the New York Times featured an article on 40 recently discovered wooden shipwrecks located deep in the Black Sea off the Bulgarian coast. In age, the wrecks span a millennium, from the ninth to the 19th centuries. What is … Continue reading
I learned yesterday that USS Arizona was not supposed to be in Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. This is one of those minor facts that invariably seem to pop up to remind us that history is just as often … Continue reading
On the 75th anniversary of the Japanese attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, it is a good time to remember Dorie Miller. Miller was a Navy messman on the battleship USS West Virginia, who showed incredible courage … Continue reading
Our belated congratulations to Captain Radhika Menon, who was awarded the IMO Award for Exceptional Bravery at Sea at a ceremony at the end of last month. Captain Menon is both the first Indian female merchant marine captain and the first … Continue reading
“The experience of LCS, it broke the Navy,” said Sean Stackley, Assistant Secretary of the Navy for research, development and acquisition. The Navy’s ambitious Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) program promised low cost, highly flexible, reliable, multi-mission ships. So far they … Continue reading
The three masted barque Statsraad Lehmkuhl is many things. Based in Bergen, Norway, at 102 years old, she is Norway’s largest and oldest square-rigged sailing ship. She is also very beautiful and very fast. In this year’s Tall Ship Races, she … Continue reading
Here is some remarkable video footage of the two leaders of the Vendee Globe single-handed around the world race, shot from a French Navy helicopter from the frigate Nivôse. The helicopter videoed Armel le Cleac’h, sailing Banque Populaire VIII, and … Continue reading
The Justice Department has announced that Princess Cruise Lines will pay a record $40 million fine for “deliberate pollution of the seas and intentional acts to cover it up” in what it called “the largest-ever criminal penalty involving deliberate vessel … Continue reading
For Throwback-Thursday, here is a video beginning with the construction of the schooner Virginia in 2005 through to the sailing of the Gloucester Schooner race of 2007, which the Virginia won. Start to the Finishline from Mike Goodwin on Vimeo. … Continue reading
Overfishing is a huge problem in the world’s oceans. Exacerbating the problem is fishing piracy. A year ago, we posted “Can Big Data Stop Overfishing? Will Google’s Global Fishing Watch Succeed?” The post described how Oceana, SkyTruth and Google were launching … Continue reading
Titanic had two sisters — the Olympic and the Britannic. While the Olympic had a productive 24 year operating life, the Britannic was only slightly more lucky than her ill-fated sister, Titanic. Just over 100 years ago, on November 21, … Continue reading
When the New York Times features your obituary on the front page, it probably means that you are dead. Sadly, that is the case of with historic ferryboat Binghamton. Yesterday, the New York Times featured an article “Final Departure for … Continue reading
The Tall Ship Lynx is reported to have found a winter home in St. Petersburg, FL. The ship visited St. Pete last winter and is now expected to make the Gulf Coast city its permanent winter home, according to a … Continue reading