New USCG Cutter to be Named for Elizebeth S. Friedman, Pioneering Code Breaker

Posted on by July 12, 2020

The US Coast Guard will name the eleventh ship in its new Legend-Class National Security Cutter (NSC) program in honor of Elizebeth Smith Friedman, a pioneering code-breaker for the Coast Guard during the prohibition era and World War II.

Marine-Executive reports that Elizabeth Smith Friedman, known as “America’s first female cryptanalyst,”  is considered to the founder of the modern-day Coast Guard Intelligence Program. Her work with the Coast Guard began soon after the passage of the Volstead Act, which prohibited the manufacture, sale, or trade of alcohol in the United States. Liquor smugglers frequently made use of radios to coordinate their activities and began to encode their messages. Friedman was detailed by the Department of Treasury to the Coast Guard and between 1927 and 1930, she is estimated to have solved over 12,000 smuggling messages in hundreds of different code systems. Her work led to 650 federal prosecutions and she testified in 33 cases. 

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Time-Lapse of Comet Neowise

Posted on by July 11, 2020

On March 27, astronomers discovered a new comet that they designated C/2020 F3. The comet was located using NASA’s space telescope, the Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE), the comet is being called Neowise. While not one of the brighter comets, like Hale-Bopp, the great comet of 1997,” nevertheless Neowise should be visible with the naked eye until early August. Let’s hope that the ancient lore of comets as harbingers of doom does not apply. We have had enough ill-fortune in 2020 already.  

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DNA Suggests Ancient Voyagers Sailed Between Polynesia and South America

Posted on by July 10, 2020

One possible route. Graphic: Jonathan Corum | Source: Nature

For decades scholars have argued over how the myriad islands of Polynesia came to be settled. Did the early settlers sail or drift on rafts from South America on the prevailing currents and then continue to sail westward? Or, did voyagers arrive from the east in double-hulled sailing canoes? If the settlers came from the east, did they ever reach South America in their epic voyages across the Pacific? Did Polynesians and Native Americans ever meet?

A study published in the July 8 issue of the journal Nature may have some of the answers to these questions. A team of researchers led by Alexander G. Ioannidis analyzed the DNA of 807 individuals from 17 Pacific island populations and 15 Pacific coast Native American groups. They found conclusive evidence of Polynesian and Native American contact around AD 1200, which was about the time of the settlement of remote Oceania. The Native American group was most closely related to the indigenous inhabitants of present-day Colombia.

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Searching for Type D — A New Species of Killer Whale?

Posted on by July 9, 2020

How little we know about the ocean is staggering. What little we know and understand about orcas, killer whales, is just one example.

For years, there were thought to be two types of orcas — residents and transients. Residents stayed or returned to one area whereas transients were more wide-ranging. In 1988, scientists discovered a previously unknown type of offshore killer whale. Additionally, three types of Antarctic killers were identified, designated A, B, and C. A fourth type with very different body shape and markings was first seen in a mass stranding in New Zealand in 1955, but had not been seen alive by scientists until just recently.  Here is a video about the search for this new type, perhaps a new species, of killer whale, referred to as the Type D.   

Searching for Type D: A New Species of Killer Whale?

Matthew Fontaine Maury — From Hero, to Traitor, to “Lost Cause” Statue

Posted on by July 9, 2020

Matthew Fontaine Maury in US Navy uniform

Recently, four statues of Confederates were removed from city property in Richmond, Virginia. Three of the individuals represented by the statues were well know — Jefferson Davis, the president of the Confederacy, and the Confederate generals, Stonewall Jackson and J.E.B. Stuart. The fourth statue, of Confederate naval officer, Matthew Fontaine Maury is less well known.  

In the 1850s, as an oceanographer and a US naval officer, Maury developed a series of wind and tide charts, using data from thousands of ship’s logs, that significantly improved passage times for many sailing ships. He was something of a hero to many ship owners, captains, and sailors.

With the advent of the Civil War, Maury joined the Confederate Navy and went to England to help arrange the acquisition of ships for the Confederacy. He also developed mines to sink US Navy ships. In the 1860s, many considered him to be a traitor. Who was Matthew Fontaine Maury? Was he a hero, a traitor, or perhaps both?

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Row of Life — Celebrating the Remarkable Angela Madsen

Posted on by July 7, 2020

On April 24, Angela Madsen set off from Marina del Rey, California bound for Hawaii in the 20′ ocean rowing boat, Row of Life. A three-time Paralympian and a Marine veteran, her goal was to be the first paraplegic and at 60, the oldest woman to row the Pacific Ocean alone.

After 60 days alone at sea, rowing 1,114 nautical miles, roughly halfway to Hawaii, Angela Madsen died while attempting to repair a parachute anchor. When she didn’t report in on June 20, Angela’s wife, Debra Madsen and Soraya Simi, a friend who is making a documentary about Angela, contacted the Coast Guard. A Coast Guard plane spotted her in the water, lifeless, and tethered to her boat. Angela’s body was recovered by a German-flagged cargo ship that diverted to her location. 

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Versabar’s VB-10,000, Golden Arches, Readies to Lift Golden Ray

Posted on by March 18, 2021

In September 2019, the car carrier Golden Ray lost stability and partially capsized as it departed the Port of Brunswick, GA, carrying about 4,200 vehicles. In October 2019, the Golden Ray was declared a total loss, and it was announced that the ship would be cut up in place and scrapped.

But how does one scrap a 660′ long car carrier with a 116′ beam, still loaded with over 4,000 vehicles? To scrap the Golden Ray calls for the “Golden Arches,” Versabar’s VB-10,000 heavy lift catamaran. The VB-10,000 is the largest heavy-lift vessel ever built in the United States, featuring two truss space frames spanning two barges.  The color and shape of the trusses on VB-10,000 have earned it the nickname, Golden Arches, after McDonald’s signature logo.

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Sandy Ground, Second New Staten Island Ferry Launched at Eastern Shipbuilding

Posted on by July 5, 2020

On Friday, June 26, 2020, Eastern Shipbuilding Group launched the Sandy Ground, the second of three new 4,500-passenger ferries for New York City’s Staten Island Ferry system. The Ollis Class ferries will be double-ended, with an overall length of 320 feet, beam of 70 feet, and draft of 13 feet at the design load at the waterline. The launch took place at Eastern’s Allanton facility in Panama City, Fla.

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Close Encounters With Humpback Whales Off the Jersey Shore

Posted on by July 4, 2020

Two groups of fishermen had recent close encounters with humpback whales off the Jersey Shore.

In early June, two men fishing in a 25′ boat not far offshore near Seaside Park, NJ were thrown from their boat when it was capsized by a humpback whale. The juvenile humpback was apparently feeding on the same school of fish that the fishermen were trying to haul in.

“He was six feet in front of me, kind of like if you’ve ever saw ‘Jaws,’” angler Robert Riley told ABC 7 of the harrowing moment a whale sprang from the sea on Monday. “The fish just breached the water and I was like, ‘It’s going to land on us.'”

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South Street Seaport Hosts an Afternoon of Online Sea Chanteys, Sunday, July 5, 202

Posted on by July 3, 2020

In May, we posted about the virtual return New York’s South Street Seaport Museum‘s monthly Chantey Sing.  It was great fun. The next Seaport Chantey sing is scheduled for this Sunday, July 5th. From the Seaport press release: 

South Street Seaport Museum’s monthly sea-music Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music continues – virtually. From our living rooms and kitchens, and even from the deck of Wavertree, join our round-robin of shared songs, featuring members of the New York Packet and friends. Listen in, lead or request a song, and belt out the choruses for your neighbors to hear during a Virtual Chantey Sing on Sunday, July 5, 2020 from 2-4pm. The event is FREE. Sign up here to receive the Zoom link 24 hours prior: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=4pcqx8iab&oeidk=a07eh55kqffdc22ec73.

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Keel Laying for Interlake’s Mark W. Barker, First US Flag Laker in 35 Years

Posted on by July 2, 2020

On June 23, the keel was laid for the Interlake Steamship‘s new Great Lakes bulk carrier at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI.  The 639 ft-long, 28,000-tonne Lake-Class self-unloading bulker is the first US flag self-propelled bulk carrier to be built in the Great Lakes in 35 years. 

The ship’s name was revealed by Interlake chairman James R Barker who named it Mark W Barker, after his son. Barker said: “This ship is more than the steel assembled here by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.

“This ship represents Interlake’s determination to be an active and responsible participant in all aspects of Great Lakes trade.

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Update: Maine Windjammers Get OK to Sail, With Strict Requirements

Posted on by July 1, 2020

We recently posted about a delay in the start of the Maine windjammer schooner passenger season due to the pandemic and concerns that it may not start at all. The good news is that the State of Maine, working with the Maine Windjammer Association and others, has agreed on a set of rules and guidelines to allow overnight windjammer cruises to start in July. 

Cruise Critic reports that Maine has been one of the most cautious states in allowing non-residents to enter for tourism. The regulations surrounding windjammer cruising reflect that. All out-of-state visitors must have a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of travel. While the state exempts fellow New England states Vermont and New Hampshire, the MWA said some captains might require all passengers to prove they tested negative for COVID-19, regardless of the state.

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Beluga Whale Appears Off San Diego, Thousands of Miles From Home Waters

Posted on by June 30, 2020

Whale watchers off San Diego were shocked to see what appeared to be a beluga whale in southern Californian waters. Video shot from a drone confirmed the sighting. Belugas typically live in the waters of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. This is believed to be the first beluga sighted so far south in the Pacific. 

Experts from Alaska said it appears to them that the whale did not escape from captivity, but instead is what they call an “explorer” who wandered off from a pod in the wild. The good news is that there is a lot of food for it in our water so, if it’s healthy, it definitely has a chance to survive, according to reporting by CBS8.

Beluga whale spotted close to San Diego

Solo Sailor’s 85 Day Voyage Across Atlantic to Reunite with Family in Pandemic

Posted on by June 29, 2020

At the end of May, we posted about the unplanned 10,000-mile voyage of the bark Europa, made necessary when the pandemic shut down transportation options for its crew. Argentine sailor, Juan Manuel Ballestero, 47, faced a similar challenge and found a similar solution. Ballestero was on the Portuguese island of Porto Santo and wanted to return to Argentina to be with his 90-year-old father and 82-year old mother. However, in mid-March, Argentina canceled all international passenger flights to shield the country from the new coronavirus. There was no way to fly home.

Rather than being trapped by the lockdown, Ballestero set off on March 24, to sail back to Argentina, singlehanded on his Ohlson 29 sailboat named Skua, It was an eventful voyage that would ultimately take 85 days.

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Maine Windjammers Face Uncertain Season in Pandemic

Posted on by June 28, 2020

For decades, schooners referred to as “windjammers” have sailed up and down the Maine coast carrying vacationers from May to October. This year, however, the pandemic has delayed the season and there are concerns that it may not start at all. 

Already Boothbay’s 58th Annual Windjammer Days, scheduled for this week have been canceled. Likewise, the Maine Windjammer Association has canceled its 44th Annual Great Schooner Race, scheduled for July 2 and the Parade of Sail scheduled for July 10 in Roclkand.

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