Blue Sky M — Abandoned Migrant Ship on Autopilot

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

Italian Ro/Ro Ferry Norman Atlantic On Fire in High Winds & Seas in Adriatic

A fire broke out early Sunday on the Italian ro/ro ferry, Norman Atlantic, on route between the Greek port of Patras to Ancona, Italy with 478 passengers and crew aboard. The fire is believed to have broken out on the ro/ro deck. The ship is … Continue reading

The Wilkes Exploring Expedition and the US Botanic Garden

While visiting family in Washington DC, we visited the United States Botanic Garden. The Garden has a holiday exhibit that features model trains, specifically, Thomas the Tank Engine, which delighted my 2 year old grand nephew.  In addition to the trains … Continue reading

Recovery of the Volvo Ocean Racer Vestas Wind

In the end of November, the Team Vestas Wind, racing in the Volvo Ocean Race, ran aground on a reef in the remote Cargados Carajos archipelago about 430 km to the northeast of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean.  There were no injuries and the crew … Continue reading

SS City of Rio de Janeiro, San Francisco’s Deadliest Shipwreck Found Again

Recently, History.com featured an article titled “Found: San Francisco’s Deadliest Shipwreck.” They reported that the wreck of the 345-foot Pacific Mail Line passenger steamer SS City of Rio de Janeiro had been found by NOAA researchers using high-definition sonar in 287 feet … Continue reading

72 Years Later, Captain Claudius Credited with Sinking U-Boat

On July 30, 1942, Herbert Claudius in command of the patrol boat PC 566 was escorting passenger ship passenger ship Robert E. Lee in the Gulf of Mexico, southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The German U-boat U-166 … Continue reading

Russia & the French Mistral Amphibious Assault Ships

Back in 2010, we posted that some members of NATO were uncomfortable with a French contract to build two, with an option for two more, Mistral-class amphibious assault ships for Russia.  The first ship, the Vladivostok, was supposed to be delivered … Continue reading

Captain “Daddy Art” Daniels — Oldest Skipjack Captain Working the Chesapeake

We recently posted about the retired oyster dredging schooners A.J. Meerwald  and the Ada C. Lore.  Here is a wonderful short video featuring an interview with Arthur “Daddy Art” Daniels, a 93 year old skipjack captain, who is still dredging oysters … Continue reading

Cruise Ships & Sewage — FOE Misses the Point

Here is yet another case of the media taking a wildly inaccurate sets of claims about ships at face value.  The news media has been touting a new study by the environmental group Friends of the Earth. The title of the … Continue reading