The composite clipper, City of Adelaide, built in 1864, is the world’s oldest surviving clipper ship. Between 1864 and 1887 the ship made 23 voyages from London and Plymouth to Adelaide, South Australia. Approximately a quarter of a million Australians … Continue reading
Category Archives: Ships
The owners of the product tanker Arsenal lost contact with the ship while she was underway in the South China Sea near the Anambas Archipelago, Indonesia. Fearing that the ship might have been hijacked by pirates, they contacted the Indonesian … Continue reading
We posted earlier today about the USS Slater’s dazzle camouflage paint. Dazzle, sometimes referred to as razzle dazzle, is a very different approach to camouflage. Where most camouflage attempts to hide an object or person, dazzle camouflage on ships uses … Continue reading
In April we posted about the drydocking of USS Slater, the last World War II destroyer escort still afloat in the United States, at Caddell Dry Dock in Staten Island. Yesterday, her repairs completed, newly cleaned, and painted, she returned to her … Continue reading
In 2010, we posted about a shipwreck in the Baltic, off the Åland Islands of Sweden, in which 30 bottles of champagne and 5 bottles of beer were found intact in the wreckage. In 2011, two bottles of the champagne were … Continue reading
In January 1841, the Hillman Brothers shipyard on the Acushnet River in New Bedford, MA delivered a new whaleship, the Charles W. Morgan. Yesterday, the Charles W. Morgan, the only surviving wooden whaling ship, sailed back into New Bedford, where she was built more than 170 … Continue reading
Great video of climbing to the royal yard on the Charles W. Morgan. Atop the world on the Charles W. Morgan … Continue reading
I wish that I had been sent to a summer camp aboard a historic schooner when I was a kid. Growing up in Texas, I remember summer camps notable for scrub mesquite trees, cactus and snakes, only some of which were … Continue reading
The Coast Guard has issued its final report on the sinking of HMS Bounty in October 2012. You can read the report here. In the report, there is one oblique reference to 1998 in which “the Seventh Coast Guard District … Continue reading
The Atlantic Monthly has a wonderful feature this month — World War I in Photos: The War at Sea by Alan Taylor. Moving troops and supplies by sea was vital to all armies involved in the war. The battle for … Continue reading
Yesterday, while maneuvering our 18′ catboat through the traffic in the Morris Canal on the West bank of the Hudson off Lower Manhattan, we had the pleasure of crossing paths with the schooner Lettie G. Howard. Lettie is an 1893 Fredonia-model fishing schooner owned and … Continue reading
The USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned naval warship afloat. The wooden three masted “super-frigate” in launched in 1797, is due for a three year overhaul and dry-docking starting in early 2015. Before the historic ship enters the shipyard, she will leave the … Continue reading
A little over a week ago, we posted about a 90′ yacht, valued at around $10 million, which capsized and sank on her launching in Anacortes, Washington. Since then there has been no definitive determination as to what caused the … Continue reading
There is a magic to ship’s figureheads. In Conrad’s Mirror of the Sea who wrote about the ships and figureheads that he saw on London’s docks: It was a noble gathering of the fairest and the swiftest, each bearing … Continue reading
Yesterday, we posted about the Big Rubber Duck, which is scheduled to lead the Tall Ships Grand Parade of Sail at the Tall Ships Festival L.A., August 20, 2014. One commenter suggested that we needed more rubber ducks while another suggested … Continue reading
Last week, the brig Unicorn sank after apparently hitting a submerged object on her way from St. Lucia to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for dry docking. The captain and nine crew escaped by boat and were rescued by the … Continue reading
Good News — the State of Pennsylvania has committed $4.8 million for a major overhaul of the Brig Niagara. As reported by YourErie.com: “Maintaining the Brig Niagara, a sea-going legacy of American freedom and the sacrifices of the men who sailed her … Continue reading
The Sailing School Vessel Spirit of South Carolina is finally going to auction. As we posted in late 2011, the now defunct South Carolina Maritime Foundation ran into financial problems only a few years after the 90′ on-deck schooner went … Continue reading
How is your day going? It has to be better than the unfortunate folks at Northern Marine in Anacortes, Washington, who had a 90′ expedition motor yacht roll over and sink when it was launched last Sunday. Rescuers and first responders had … Continue reading
If the sea were influenced by public support and social media, the four missing sailors on the lost Beneteau 40.7, Cheeki Rafiki, would be home with their families by now. Unfortunately, that is not the case. One week ago today, the captain of … Continue reading