This May will be the 250th anniversary of the launching of HMS Victory, the 104-gun first-rate Royal Navy ship of the line best known as Lord Nelson’s flagship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. HMS Victory was also Keppel’s flagship at … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
The ferry MV Kalaka is making its last voyage today, a short trip to the scrap yard. The 276′ ferry carried millions of cars in the Puget Sound between Seattle and Bremerton between 1935 and 1967 and was notable for her streamlined … Continue reading
The Norwegian firm Lade AS is developing a hybrid ship design, Vindskip, in which the ship sails using lift off its airfoil shaped hull. It is an intriguing design. Nevertheless, I can’t quite figure out how it would work in … Continue reading
At 1 p.m. on Friday, the breaking news on the New York Post and the United Press Twitter feeds was that the Chinese had attacked US naval ships with missiles and that the “US Navy was engaged in active combat … Continue reading
In October 2013, we posted that a US Navy purchasing scandal sounded like a bad novel. Bribes, prostitutes, and Lady Gaga tickets were allegedly handed out to US Navy officers by a Malaysian businessman in exchange for classified information and … Continue reading
It doesn’t feel very much like summer right now, but at least we are on the far side of the winter solstice, so each day brings spring a bit closer. And this spring, the Oliver Hazard Perry, the first ocean-going … Continue reading
We have followed the E-Ship 1 for the last four years. The ship is a Ro/Lo cargo ship owned by the world’s third-largest wind turbine manufacturer, Germany’s Enercon GmbH and is distinctive because it is fitted with four Flettner rotors. The … Continue reading
The new generation of VLCC has arrived. The acronym usually refers to tankers, specifically, Very Large Crude Carriers, but in this case I am referring to Very Large Container Carriers. Perhaps they should be designated VLCS, for Very Large Container … Continue reading
Frank Jade was a passenger on the Royal Caribbean cruise ship Oasis of the Seas until Thursday morning when he said that a large wave knocked him off an open deck and into the sea, approximately eight miles from Cozumel, Mexico. Reportedly, no … Continue reading
One week ago the car carrier Höegh Osaka was intentionally beached on Bramble Bank off the Solent in the UK after the ship developed an unexplained list. Last Wednesday, the ship floated free from the bank. It is still, however, floating with a severe … Continue reading
Having just gotten back from warmer climes, I am still adjusting to the temperatures around 20 degrees F, with wind chills in the teens here on the banks of the Hudson River. I have come across a new video from … Continue reading
As we posted in December, the Mayflower II, a replica of the ship which brought the Pilgrims across the Atlantic in 1620, is now undergoing a multi-year restoration in the Henry B. duPont Preservation Shipyard at Mystic Seaport in Connecticut. … Continue reading
As we posted on Sunday, the passengers on the NorthLink ferry Hrossey, crossing Pentland Firth, off Scotland, saw a grim sight out the ferry windows — the bow of the cement carrier Cemfjord floating vertically in the water. The ship was loaded … Continue reading
The answer to the question as to whether the Höegh Osaka ran aground due to steering failure or pilot error, is neither. The car carrier was deliberately grounded on Bramble Bank when the ship developed an unexplained list after leaving Southhampton. Ingar … Continue reading
The passengers on the NorthLink ferry Hrossey, crossing Pentland Firth, off Scotland, saw a grim sight out the ferry windows — the bow of the cement carrier Cemfjord floating vertically in the water. No distress call was received from the … Continue reading
The car carrier MV Hoegh Osaka ran aground on Bramble Bank in the Solent around 21:30 GMT on Saturday. The crew of 28 was rescued and there are currently no reports of pollution. The ship was bound for Germany when she … Continue reading
The Italian Coast Guard has taken control of Ezadeen, a 240′ long, 50 year old cattle carrier registered in Sierra Leone, with 450 migrants aboard off the southern coast of Italy, near Crotone. The crew of the ship abandoned it … Continue reading
Straight from rescue operations on the ro/ro ferry Norman Atlantic, the Italian navy and coast guard rushed to intercept the Blue Sky M, a 3,500 DWT Moldavian freighter, which was reported to be carrying 700–1,000 migrants. A distress call had been received … Continue reading
The death toll among passengers and crew from the fire on the Norman Atlantic has risen to ten. One man died when attempting to leave the ship and an additional nine bodies were found aboard. The total death related to … Continue reading
As of Monday evening, local time, 478 passengers and crew have been rescued from the burning ro/ro ferry Norman Atlantic, which caught fire Sunday morning around 6 AM in the Adriatic Sea. At least 7 people have died. Many of the passengers … Continue reading