Another great event that I wish I was attending. Starting tomorrow September 5th and lasting through the 9th, the Royal Greenwich Tall Ships Festival will take place at three sites across Royal Greenwich and one in neighboring Canary Wharf. The tall ships … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
The Charles W. Morgan has returned to the Mystic Seaport Museum from her 38th voyage. Her previous voyages, between 1841 and 1921, took her around the globe hunting whales, whereas the 38th voyage took the wooden whaling ship to ports in New England, … Continue reading
The Suezmax oil tanker United Kalavrvta has been motoring in large circles in the Gulf of Mexico for over a month. Today her AIS (Automatic Identification System) transponder was turned off, making her far more difficult to track. The ship has, at … Continue reading
The schooners start arriving in Gloucester, MA tomorrow for the 30th Annual Gloucester Schooner Festival. Twenty three schooners are participating this year. The US Coast Guard barque Eagle, while definitely not a schooner, will also be visiting. On Saturday, the schooners will … Continue reading
On December 31, 1862 while under tow in a gale off Cape Hatteras, USS Monitor sank. The Monitor had been in service for only ten months and yet in that brief time had revolutionized naval warfare. The wreck of the … Continue reading
This week, US Navy divers confirmed the location of the wreck of the USS Houston in Banten Bay off the Java Sea. The heavy cruiser was nicknamed the “The Galloping Ghost of the Java Coast,” and sank along with the Australian light … Continue reading
Great Lakes freighters are known for their longevity. Compared to their salt water sisters, lakes boats, as they are called, rust slowly and tend to be around for a long time. Here are two lakes freighters, Benson Ford and John W. … Continue reading
We posted in June 2012 about protests over the docking of large cruise ships in Venice, Italy. The arrival of the MSC Davina at 139,400 GT, almost 1,100 feet long, about 125 feet wide and carries up to 5,329 passengers and crew, … Continue reading
For the last thirty five hundred years, Peruvian fisherman have paddled boats called caballito de totora, the little reed horses, out through the surf to cast their nets offshore. At the end of the day, they ride the waves back to shore … Continue reading
The recent sinking of the Concordia yawl, Winnie of Bourne, brought to mind just how remarkable this class of boats indeed is. Winnie of Bourne was raised from the bottom near the entrance of Nantucket harbor just two days after she sank, … Continue reading
Last night, my wife and I took to a two hour sail on the schooner Pioneer to watch the “super moon” rise over New York harbor. The “super moon,” is in scientific terms referred to as a “perigee moon,” a … Continue reading
Captain Francesco Schettino recently gave a two-hour lecture on emergency procedures to criminal science masters candidates at Rome’s Sapienza University. Yes, this is the same Capt. Schettino who ripped open the side of the cruise ship Costa Concordia on a reef, then … Continue reading
In the press, they have been described as “sister ships” which is not literally true. Falls of Clyde, an iron-hulled four masted ship built in 1878 in Port Glasgow, is older and larger than Glennlee, a three masted steel-hulled barque, also built in … Continue reading
In early July, the 114-foot long Draken Harald Hårfagre, the largest Viking replica ever built, was sailing across the North Sea, from Haugesund in Norway. Three days out, in high seas, the ship’s mast failed and went over the side. No one … Continue reading
Four years ago, workers excavating at the new World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan uncovered the remains of an 18th century wooden merchant ship. The ship was found 20 feet below street level, is roughly 30 feet in length and was probably buried intentionally as land … Continue reading
Great news, for a change. The historic schooner Ernestina, ex-Effie M. Morrissey will sail again. Private donors, Bob Hildreth and Gerry Lenfest, have committed to contribute $2.8 million to the restoration of the historic schooner. The new donations more than match the State … Continue reading
Ocean Classroom Foundation, a non-profit organization based in Maine, has run educational programs for students aboard schooners for almost 20 years. Sadly, it will be closing down at the end of the summer; it’s three schooners will be put up for sale … Continue reading
In 1665, HMS London, a 64-gun second-rate ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, exploded in the Thames Estuary off Southend. Recent dives on the wreck have recovered a wide range of artifacts and remains. As reported by the … Continue reading
The bad news just keeps coming. The Virginia Maritime Heritage Foundation has announced that the schooner Virginia will be suspending the remainder of her 2014 season and will be returned to Hampton Roads in August, where she will be put up … Continue reading
The rumors had been dire for some time and now they appear to be confirmed. Marlinspike Magazine is reporting that the Ocean Classroom Foundation‘s three vessels, the schooners Spirit of Massachusetts, Harvey Gamage, & Westward will be auctioned. As reported by Marlinspike: … Continue reading