Cruise Ships and the Coronavirus — the Crews Pay the Price

Posted on by March 16, 2020

While there is an understandable concern for the passengers on cruise ships struck by the coronavirus, the crews are often overlooked. What challenges do they face and what happens to them when the last passengers leave the ships?

Nowhere to Hide

When the cruise ship Diamond Princess was quarantined in Japan with over 3,500 passengers and crew aboard, videos began appearing on social media of passengers in their staterooms, often with balconies, providing commentary on their rather comfortable confinement. Occasionally a crew member would appear at a stateroom door to deliver meals and refreshments.

While the passengers posted to Youtube, the hard-working crew had no place to hide from the virus. Continue reading →

T.S Kennedy Returns to Mass. Maritime from Sea Term 2020!

Posted on by March 15, 2020

After all the stress of the past week, some beauty and tranquility feels appropriate. Here is some absolutely breathtaking drone footage, shot by Ryan Smith, of the Training Ship Kennedy returning to Massachusetts Maritime Academy from Sea Term 2020. A wonderfully shot and edited video.

T.S Kennedy Returns from Sea Term 2020!

To see more of Ryan’s video click here, here or here. Also, check out his Youtube channel.

US Cruise Industry Shutting Down For at Least 30 Days

Posted on by March 14, 2020

The press release from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) was clear — the cruise industry is now shut down. No more cruising from the United States. CLIA is the world’s largest cruise industry trade association, representing more than 50 cruise lines. Their statement read in part:

“CLIA ocean-going cruise lines will be voluntarily and temporarily suspending cruise ship operations from and to U.S. ports of call for 30 days as public health officials and the U.S. Government continue to address COVID-19.

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Soviet G-5 Torpedo Boat Lost During the Siege of Sevastopol Recovered By Russian Navy

Posted on by March 13, 2020


The Russian Navy recently found and raised a Soviet G-5 Type motor torpedo boat sunk in the Siege of Sevastapol during World War II.  Approximately 300 G-5s were built, of which 73 were lost during World War II.

Despite specific differences in size and armament, American, British, and German motor torpedo boats used during World War II were fundamentally similar to each other — fast, lightly built primarily of wood and heavily armed with torpedo tubes facing forward. The Soviet G-5 was a very different craft altogether.

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Viking and Princess Temporarily Suspend Cruise Operations

Posted on by March 12, 2020

Viking Cruises announced that it is suspending operations of all ocean and river cruises until May 1. Viking operates over 70 river and cruise vessels, including 16 ocean-going cruise ships. A short time later, Princess Cruises announced that it was stopping the operation of all 18 of its ships until May 11. Princess ships currently at sea will sail to their final destination or divert to an alternate port prior to March 17th.

Three Britons tested positive on a Viking vessel in Cambodia this week. Viking chairman Torstein Hagen announced the suspension of operations in a video saying, “I am sure you recognize that COVID-19 has made travel extremely complicated. An increasing number of ports — including Venice, Monte Carlo, and Bergen — have temporarily closed to cruise ships. Major attractions such as the Vatican and other museums have been closed, and some countries are imposing restrictions on public gatherings and visitors.”

Continue reading →

Review — Hellfire Corner by Alaric Bond, First of His Coastal Force Series

Posted on by March 12, 2020

The Strait of Dover, only 18 nautical miles wide between Britain and France, dividing the English Channel from the North Sea, is one of the world’s busiest seaways. While requiring careful navigation today, during World War II it was a very treacherous stretch of water indeed. German and British artillery on either shore pounded coastal towns and military bases, as well as ships passing through the strait. Fighter planes filled the skies and high-speed gunboats from both sides dashed across the waters, either attacking or defending convoys. The narrow strait was also a likely German invasion route into England. The town of Dover and the nearby waters quickly earned the nickname of Hellfire Corner.

This is the setting for Alaric Bond‘s latest novel, Hellfire Corner, which follows the officers and crew of a motor gunboat based in Dover in 1941. Bond, best known for his Fighting Sail series, brings to life the often-overlooked history of the British Coastal Forces in the darkest days of the Second World War. Manned by volunteers with a mix of old-time Royal Navy and reserve officers, the Coastal Force was made up of fast, heavily armed but lightly built wooden gasoline-powered motor gunboats and motor torpedo boats. 

Continue reading →

SS United States Plans for Floating Hotel Moves Forward

Posted on by March 10, 2020

The once-grand passenger liner SS United States may be moving closer to conversion and restoration to a floating hotel, hospitality space, and museum.  RXR Realty, a real estate owner, operator, and developer in the New York Tri-State area, has partnered with the SS United States Conservancy to develop the ship as a waterfront destination.

Continue reading →

Will Coronavirus Cripple the Cruise Industry? State Department Warns Americans Off Cruises

Posted on by March 9, 2020

Will the coronavirus cripple the cruise industry? With 278 ships in service and 19 scheduled to be delivered in 2020, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) values the industry’s global economic output at $150 billion worldwide. The past several weeks have been particularly difficult both for the industry and its passengers.

After several major coronavirus outbreaks, the US State Department has advised U.S. citizens against traveling by cruise ship as coronavirus COVID-19 continues to spread around the world. The State Department statement reads in part:

U.S. citizens, particularly travelers with underlying health conditions, should not travel by cruise ship.  CDC notes increased risk of infection of COVID-19 in a cruise ship environment. In order to curb the spread of COVID-19, many countries have implemented strict screening procedures that have denied port entry rights to ships and prevented passengers from disembarking.  In some cases, local authorities have permitted disembarkation but subjected passengers to local quarantine procedures.  While the U.S. government has evacuated some cruise ship passengers in recent weeks, repatriation flights should not be relied upon as an option for U.S. citizens under the potential risk of quarantine by local authorities.   Continue reading →

Update: Betelgeuse Getting Brighter — More Likely Dust Cloud than Supernova

Posted on by March 8, 2020

Betelgeuse, with and without dust cloud

We recently posted about the red giant navigational star Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion, which was observed to be growing significantly dimmer. Not a little dimmer but about 40% dimmer. Some astronomers speculated that the dimming suggested that the star may be close to exploding into a supernova as its core collapses. They say that this could happen anytime within the next 100,000 years, or so, a relatively narrow window in astronomical time, if less so from a merely human perspective.  

Not long after our post, blog reader Kevin commented that the star had begun to brighten again. (Thanks Kevin for the heads-up.) So what is going on? 

As reported by Forbes, a new study suggests that the star is not about to explode, it is just a bit dusty.

Continue reading →

Update: Cruise Ship Grand Princess — 21 of 45 Test Positive for Coronavirus

Posted on by March 7, 2020

In a press conference yesterday, Vice President Pence announced that of the 45 people tested on the cruise ship Grand Princess, 21 has been found to be infected with the coronavirus Covid-19. Of the 21, 19 were ship’s crew and two were passengers. The San Francisco bound ship had been held offshore in the Pacific pending the results of the testing.

He said that the ship would be moved to a “non-commercial port” this weekend. “All passengers and crew will be tested for the coronavirus,” Pence said. “Those that need to be quarantined will be quarantined. Those that require additional medical attention will receive it.” 

Continue reading →

Eurythenes plasticus — Newly Discovered Deep Sea Amphipod Named After Plastic In Its Guts

Posted on by March 6, 2020

British researchers have discovered a new species of amphipod. The team from England’s Newcastle University, led by Dr Alan Jamieson, found the shrimp-like crustacean in the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench between Japan and the Philippines and below the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The Mariana Trench is the deepest point on Earth’s surface, reaching more than 36,000 feet (11.000 meters) deep.

Despite the great depth at which the animal was discovered, the researchers were alarmed to find that the animal’s stomach contained pieces of polyethylene-terephthalate. Polyethylene-terephthalate, commonly abbreviated PET, is a common plastic resin used in fibers for clothing, in packaging for food and bottles for liquids. They decided to name the animal Eurythenes plasticus to highlight that plastic pollution is now so prevalent that even a new species of amphipod living nearly 7km below sea level had ingested plastic.

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Déjà Vu — Cruise Ship Grand Princess Held Offshore For Coronavirus Testing

Posted on by March 5, 2020

Yogi Berra is alleged to have said, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” News of another cruise ship in limbo over the coronavirus feels that way. 

On February 5th, we posted about the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that was being held for coronavirus testing and quarantine at Yokohama, Japan, confining roughly 3,700 passengers and crew. Now, almost exactly one month later, the cruise ship, Grand Princess, is being held off San Francisco pending testing of passengers and crew, who have shown the symptoms of the coronavirus. Passengers who were on the previous voyage and remained aboard will also be tested. 

Continue reading →

The Monitor’s Dahlgren Guns, Frank Butts’ Boots and the Wailing Black Cat

Posted on by March 4, 2020

On New Year’s Eve, 1862, USS Monitor was under tow off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina in a winter storm. The ship was taking on water and in grave danger of sinking. Francis “Frank” Butts, of Providence, R.I., the Monitor‘s helmsman, was bailing water from the ship’s turret which housed two 11″ smoothbore Dahlgren guns.

USS Monitor was an iron-hulled steam-powered warship whose battle with the Confederate ironclad CSS Virginia, ex-Merrimack, had made wooden battleships obsolete in a single afternoon. While the Monitor survived its battle with CSS Virginia, it was losing its battle with the Atlantic winter storm.

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Climate Change Causing Faster Winds and Accelerating Currents

Posted on by March 3, 2020

Climate change is affecting the oceans in a wide variety of ways. Oceans are warming and acidifying as temperatures rise and CO2 increases. Sea levels are rising as polar ice caps melt. Recently a study suggests that ocean currents have been accelerating, driven by rising wind speeds.

Scientific American reports that a study published…in Science Advances finds that global ocean circulation has been accelerating since the 1990s. The study examined decades of observations from instruments that monitor the seas’ kinetic energy—a measurement of how fast the water is moving.

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Congratulations to Australian Bill Hatfield, 81, the Oldest, Non-Stop, Unassisted Circumnavigator

Posted on by March 2, 2020

Congratulations to Australian Bill Hatfield, who at 81, recently completed a solo, non-stop, unassisted circumnavigation of the globe. His almost nine-month voyage on his 38-foot yacht L’Eau Commotion, was all the more remarkable because he sailed westward against the prevailing winds and currents. He had previously made three unsuccessful attempts but was turned back each time by weather or damage to his boat. 

The previous holder of bragging rights to the title of oldest solo circumnavigate is Jeanne Socrates, who at 77 completed a solo, unassisted circumnavigation. 

Brisbane grandfather becomes oldest solo sailor