The maritime community has lost a great friend, shipmate, and leader in the passing of Howard Slotnick. A treasurer and chairman emeritus of National Maritime Historical Society, he served on the Coast Guard Foundation board and was an advisor to Tall Ships America. He also served on the board of trustees of Amistad America, and was an honorary trustee of South Street Seaport.
Here is a remembrance of Howard Slotnick by Roberta Weisbrod:
Howard Slotnick lived fully his ninety years. His joie de vivre and and love of the sea were one and the same. He expressed his devotion in myriad ways that have influenced the lives of New Yorkers, the spirit of our nation, and even the way the world appreciates maritime history and the waterfront.
To change the topic, for a day at least, here is a well done short video by the 
Given the complete debacle of the current administration’s response to the coronavirus, one might hope that our military might be better capable of reacting to the crisis. So far, the US Navy, at least, has demonstrated only how ill-prepared it is in fighting the virus, for reasons that are both practical and political.
The incident took place in the early hours of Mar. 30, 2020, but the cruise ship operator only released an 
Sailors on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt cheered for Captain Brett Crozier as he departed the ship in Guam. Captain Crozier was removed from duty by the Navy after he raised concerns about the spreading coronavirus on his ship in a letter that was leaked to the media. 
Grasping at any excuse to stop thinking about the pandemic, for Throw-back Thursday, here is an updated repost from several years ago about an almost magical ghost ship.
Sadly, this is not an April Fools joke. The 
When particularly interesting ships arrive in New York harbor, I like to go down the waterfront, as time permits, to see them in. This morning was chilly and overcast and in the spirit of social distancing, I watched the arrival of the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort by 
The Navy hospital ship 
We recently 
Despite the pandemic caused by the coronavirus, known as Covid-19, ships keep moving across the oceans. Oil tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships carry critical resources and manufactured goods to industry and consumers across the globe. Now, however, dozens of nations, including the 27 nations of the European Union, have temporarily closed their external borders to most foreign nationals.