Mr. Trash Wheel on the West Coast

Posted on by October 31, 2018

Earlier this year, we posted about Baltimore’s “Mr. Trash Wheel,” a water-wheel and solar powered conveyor system which lifts drifting trash from the water of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Mr. Trash Wheel has been so successful that three other similar trash wheels have been installed around Baltimore harbor.  

Now, a similar water wheel will be installed on the West Coast at Newport Beach, California.  The Orange County Register reports that, on Thursday, Oct. 25, Newport Beach Mayor Duffy Duffield went to Santa Cruz and received a $1.7 million grant from the California Ocean Protection Council to fund the Newport Bay Water Wheel Project. Funding would pay for permits, construction, and installation of the wheel, which should be in place by 2020.

“We are very grateful that the Ocean Protection Council provided us with such a generous grant and are excited to bring our water wheel project to fruition,” Duffield said.

A Less Than Excellent Docking by the Cruise/Ferry Excellent in Barcelona

Posted on by November 1, 2018

When the cruise/ferry Excellent docked in Barcelona, her arrival was less than, shall we say, excellent. Yesterday, at around 8AM, local time, the 663′ long ship was caught in high winds. While waiting for additional tugs, the ship was blown down on to the dock, striking and toppling a container gantry crane. The gantry crane fell on stacks of containers, causing a fire. Some of the burning containers were reported to contain hazardous materials. Barcelona firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze by around 11AM. No injuries were reported on the ship, the dock or among the firefighters. 

The cruise/ferry Excellent has a capacity for 2253 passengers and 760 vehicles and is owned by the Italian firm Grandi Navi Veloci. Thanks to Phil Leon for contributing to this post.

Ferry crashes into crane and causes fire

Study — Oceans Warming Faster Than Previously Thought

Posted on by October 31, 2018

A new study published in the journal Nature suggests that over the last quarter-century, the oceans have been retaining 60% more heat than scientists had previously thought.  If so, the Earth could be set to warm even faster than predicted. 

The Washington Post reports that the higher-than-expected amount of heat in the oceans means more heat is being retained within Earth’s climate system each year, rather than escaping into space. In essence, more heat in the oceans signals that global warming is more advanced than scientists thought.

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Join Us For “Hell Around the Horn” at NMHS Seminar Series, Nov 3rd

Posted on by October 29, 2018

If you are in the neighborhood, consider joining us when I give a presentation about my novel, Hell Around the Horn, at the National Maritime Historical Society Seminar Series this Saturday at the Hendrick Hudson Free Library, 185 Kings Ferry Road, Montrose, NY. Welcome and refreshments begin at 10:30 AM, with the presentation at 11:00 AM.

From the National Maritime Historical Society website: 

The November NMHS Seminar Series features Hell Around the Horn with author and “Old Salt Blog” founder and host Rick Spilman. This nautical thriller is set in the last days of the great age of sail. In 1905, a young ship’s captain and his family set sail on the windjammer, Lady Rebecca, from Cardiff, Wales with a cargo of coal bound for Chile, by way of Cape Horn. Before they reach the Southern Ocean, the cargo catches fire, the mate threatens mutiny and one of the crew may be going mad, yet the greatest challenge will prove to be surviving the vicious westerly winds and mountainous seas of the worst Cape Horn winter in memory.

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New Memorial to NY Tug Crew Abducted by UFO in 1977

Posted on by October 28, 2018

Photograph by Joe Reginella

A new bronze statue, pedestal, and plaque have been erected at New York’s Battery Park, memorializing the six crew of the harbor tug Maria 120 who mysteriously vanished during the New York City blackout of 1977. Some believe that the sailors were abducted by a UFO. The statue is of a tug crewman gazing up at what can be presumed to be an alien spacecraft as an extraterrestrial figure lays at his feet

Do you recall this bit of forgotten history? Probably not, as it never happened. Nevertheless, the plaque and monument are quite real, as is the website, NYC UFO Tugboat Abduction, subtitled, “Learn the Truth about New York’s UFO Cover-Up.” There is also a Youtube video and an on-line gift shop. Of course, it is all a spoof, the most recent latest public art piece from Staten Island-based sculptor Joe Reginella.

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Little Brigs are for Sale

Posted on by October 27, 2018

Sad news from the Little Brig Trust, which operates two very small tall-ships. The Gosport based charity has announced that after a review of operations, that it did not have the capacity to continue into 2019, and so are putting their two “little brigs” up for sale.

As we posted in 2010, the two 9 meter brigs, the Bob Allen and the Caroline Allen, were designed to introduce sailors as young as ten to the fun and challenges of sailing a square-rigged “tall ship.”   The small tall-ships cost less to build, operate and crew than larger vessels. They are also incredibly cute.  The small tall-ships were designed by British naval architect Colin Mudie.  

The statement by the Trust went on to say: We are placing the Little Brigs for sale as one lot and welcome offers based on the fact they have life-rafts, life-jackets and a multitude of other items (including two working engines) we have sent a minimum reserve.

If you would like to purchase please send a bid to info@littlebrig.org and we will contact you to discuss.

“Invisible” Superyacht Mirage — Good Idea or Bad?

Posted on by October 26, 2018

Italian boatbuilders Fincantieri and Dutch firm Van Geest Designs have developed a design of a 106 meter “Superyacht,” named Mirage, which would effectively become invisible at sea. The design features specially mirrored glass which is intended to reflect the image of the sea back to onlookers, making the yacht apparently vanish at distances over 50 meters. 

So far, the yacht is only a design. Designer Pieter Van Geest says that after working for over a year on the plans, the yacht itself would take three and a half years to construct. Mirage would cost an estimated £200 million.

Is this a brilliant concept or a really bad idea? Continue reading →

The History Guy on the Naval Battle of Campeche

Posted on by October 25, 2018

Here is a fascinating bit of history from the “History Guy” about when the navies of the Republic of Texas and the Republic of the Yucatan faced off against the most modern warships of their time, the ironclads of the Mexican Navy, the steamers Guadalupe and Moctezuma.  They fought in the Naval Battle of Campeche in 1843. Remarkably, the battle between the wooden ships and the iron steamers ended in a draw.   

The Naval Battle of Campeche

A Sail on the Draken Harald Hårfagre in New York Harbor

Posted on by October 24, 2018

Photo: Bjoern Kils

On Monday, I was fortunate enough to have been invited by the good folks at Highland Park Whisky to sail for an afternoon on the Draken Harald Hårfagre in New York harbor. At 115′ feet from stem to stern, Draken Harald Hårfagre is the largest Viking ship built in modern times. 

Built in Haugesund in Western Norway, the ship and her crew made an epic crossing of the Atlantic in 2016, following the old Viking route westward. The ship then toured the Great Lakes before traveling down the Hudson to New York, before wintering over at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Connecticut. This year the ship has just finished a 14 harbor East Coast tour from Maine to South Carolina.

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Scientists Find Oldest Intact Shipwreck in Black Sea

Posted on by October 23, 2018

In the dark and oxygenless waters of the Black Sea two miles below the surface, a team of maritime archaeologists, scientists and surveyors has discovered what it believes to be the world’s oldest intact shipwreck. Carbon dating suggests that the wreck is more than 2,400 years ago. A remote-controlled submarine piloted by British scientists spotted the 75 foot Greek trading lying on its side about 50 miles off the coast of Bulgaria. The vessel was found lying whole with its mast, rudders and rowing benches in place.

The ship is believed to have been a trading vessel of a type that researchers have only seen represented on ancient Greek pottery.

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Hurricane Michael Unearths Ships Lost in Hurricane 119 Years Ago

Posted on by October 22, 2018

Ships were wrecked on Dog island during a hurricane in 1899.

In 1899, a hurricane carried 15 ships ashore on Dog Island, a barrier island on the northwestern Florida Gulf coast. Recently, Hurricane Micheal unearthed several of the lost ships. The exposed wooden ships now rest in plain view near the west end of the island on the Gulf of Mexico.

USA Today reports that the ships are well-documented wrecks, according to the Florida Department of State. Because state resources are being allocated to more urgent hurricane recovery efforts, there are currently no plans for state archaeologists to visit the site.

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Grays Harbor Historical Seaport: Learn. Sail. Discover.

Posted on by October 18, 2018

Here is the very nicely done 2018 promotional video for Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, produced by Leftcoast Media House.  Grays Harbor, Washington is homeport to the West Coast’s tall ships, Lady Washington and Hawaiian Chieftain.

Grays Harbor Historical Seaport: Learn. Sail. Discover. from Grays Harbor Historical Seaport on Vimeo.

Aircraft Carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, First Visit to New York Harbor

Posted on by October 20, 2018

The HMS Queen Elizabeth, Great Britain’s new aircraft carrier, sailed beneath the Verrazano Bridge yesterday on a weeklong visit to New York harbor. The ship which cost £3.1 billion is 932 feet long, displaces 65,000 tonnes, and is the largest warship ever built by the Royal Navy.

As the new carrier sailed into the harbor, the Royal Marines band and a bagpiper played as many of the more than 1,000 personnel onboard stood at attention, lining the rails and walkways.

During her stay in New York, the ship nicknamed, “Big Lizzie,” will host a major forum on cybersecurity. The UK Defence secretary Gavin Williamson will be announcing a joint drive with the US to counter cyber-warfare. Gavin Williamson is visiting HMS Queen Elizabeth, where he will make a speech during a special Trafalgar Day dinner held on board.

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Raye Montague, Barrier-Shattering Navy Ship Designer, Dies at 83

Posted on by October 22, 2018

Barrier-shattering naval engineer Raye Montague has died at the age of 83. At the age of 7, she was inspired to become an engineer after she toured a captured German submarine with her grandmother during World War II.  As an African-American girl, however, she was told that becoming an engineer was simply not an option.

Thirty years later, Raye Montague became the first person to use a computer program to rapidly develop a preliminary ship design for the U.S. Navy. The design process had previously taken the Navy two years. Montague completed the preliminary design of the Oliver Hazard Perry Class frigate in less than 19 hours. Her accomplishment revolutionized the way the Navy designs ships and submarines. 

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Coast Guard Auxiliary Radio Day & 79th Anniversary Celebration on Cutter Lilac

Posted on by October 18, 2018

This Saturday, October 20, from 1:00 to 5:00 PM at Manhattan’s Pier 25, at West Street and N. Moore Street, on the Hudson River, the retired U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Lilac will be hosting a celebration of 79th anniversary of the founding of the US Coast Guard Auxiliary with a special Radio Day event.  The Lower Manhattan Flotilla of the Auxiliary will install a ham radio station on the Liliac which will open to the public especially for the afternoon.  Visitors will be able to learn about the importance of radio in maritime communications by observing operators send and receive messages as part of this nationwide Radio Day. 

Auxiliarists will be on hand to discuss their work and provide information on recreational boating safety, a key part of their mission to support the Coast Guard. As always, Lilac‘s volunteers will share the ship’s story with visitors who wish to take a tour. 

Lilac is a retired Coast Guard cutter that carried supplies to lighthouses and maintained buoys from 1933 to 1972.  USCGC Lilac is America’s only surviving steam-powered lighthouse tender and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Continue reading →