In a speech yesterday, Russian President Vladimir Putin threatened the United States with a new generation of nuclear weapons. Putin showed video animations of nuclear warheads raining down on Florida from a new design of an intercontinental cruise missile that he described as “invincible.” Perhaps even more disturbing was the presentation of a “doomsday” torpedo designed to create a 500-meter tsunami that could contaminate a large section of coastline with radiation, making the area unlivable for up to a century.
The new weapon, called Status-6 by the Russians and dubbed Kanyon by the CIA, is described as an unmanned nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed underwater vehicle able to deliver a thermonuclear cobalt bomb of up to 100 megatonnes. It is said to have a top speed of 100 km/h (54 kn), with a range of 10,000 km (5,400 NM.) Russian Oscar Class submarines are said to be capable of carrying up to four of the torpedoes secured externally.
Alexander V. Ezhkov, the owner of the ill-fated Polina Star III, has a 
Next Wednesday, March 7th, at 6PM, 
2017 was a disastrous year for the North Atlantic right whale and 2018 looks no better. In fact, it could be worse. Last year 17 North Atlantic right whales, died which is more than died in the past five years combined. Even worse, during this year’s breeding season, which typically runs from November through February, no newly-born calves have been sighted.
Last weekend, gold ingots and coins valued at $40 million salvaged from the wreck of the 
Around 1779, a portrait of two young women was commissioned by 
Here is a story well worth retelling. An updated repost from 2012. The remarkable story of Robert Smalls.
For years, naturalists have found the shells of giant shipworms, but have not located the giant shipworm itself. Last spring, that changed. Giant shipworms were discovered buried in the mud in a Philippine mangrove swamp. 
The timeline for when humans first took to the seas keeps getting moved back. A few years ago, stone tools were found on the 
A 30′ long stump of what is probably a hemlock tree has been floating vertically, bobbing up and down, in 
Yesterday, we posted about four barrels of rum from Lunenburg’s 
When the barque 
Joseph Conrad once wrote about a conversation with an old sailor who had just signed off a ship. The sailor said something to the effect that “the ship was alright. The problem was the people on it.” The comment seems to apply to a recent 10-day South Pacific cruise on the 
In October of last year, 
One hundred and twenty years ago today, on February 15, 1898, a mysterious explosion ripped through the hull of the American battleship USS Maine, at anchor in Havana harbor in Cuba. The ship sank killing 266 of the 350 men aboard. The loss of the USS Maine heightened the tension between the United States and Spain. Cuba was a Spanish colony and the island was gripped in a rebellion against Spain. USS Maine was in Havanna to protect U.S. interests. 
In fabricating ships’ hulls and building seawalls and docks, the goal is to resist the power of the waves. Recently, however, engineers have been working on techniques to harness rather than resist the immense power of ocean waves. In the fall of this year, the Irish firm, 
Last July, we posted about