Happy Birthday US Navy – Whenever and Wherever the Date and Place May be

Posted on by October 13, 2023

Today, October 13th, is celebrated as the birthday of the United States Navy, not to be confused with Navy Day which was once celebrated on October 27th.  The current “birthday” may have more to do with bragging rights than real birthdays. An updated repost.

Over the years, the founding of the Navy has been celebrated on various dates — the most common being either March 27th, the day in 1794 when the Congress authorized the construction of five frigates, or April 30th, the day in 1798 when the Navy Department was first established.
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150-Year-Old Alligator Reef Light in Florida Keys Shines Again

Posted on by October 11, 2023

After sitting dark for a decade, Alligator Reef Light in the Florida Keys is shining again. An Islamorada community group is spending $6 million to restore and preserve the 150-year-old lighthouse. The group turned on its new solar-powered lights last Saturday.

In 1822, the  U.S. Navy schooner Alligator, part of the U. S. Navy Anti-Piracy Squadron that had been established in Key West, went aground on a reef southeast of Upper Matecumbe Key in the Florida Keys. In 1873, a lighthouse was built just north of Alligator Reef, named after the ill-fated schooner. It was automated in 1963 and was last operational in July 2014, when it was replaced by a 16′ steel structure with a less powerful light located adjacent to it.  

On February 1, 2019, it was announced that the lighthouse would be given away freely to any government agencies, educational agencies, non-profit corporations, or any community development organizations who wanted to use it for “educational, park, recreational, cultural or historic preservation purposes.”

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Tragedy on the Schooner Grace Bailey — Main Mast Breaks, Killing 1 & Injuring 3

Posted on by October 10, 2023

The schooner Grace Bailey, built in 1882, was returning from a four-day Fall Foliage cruise on Monday morning, when an upper section of the main mast broke and fell to the deck, killing one passenger and injuring three others.  Thirty-three people were on board the schooner, which was about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) east of Rockland harbor, Maine, the Coast Guard said.

Dr. Emily Mecklenburg, 40, of Rockland, was declared dead when she was brought ashore by a Coast Guard boat following the accident. The Maine Medical Examiner’s Office in Augusta said a cause of death has not yet been determined.

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Footprints in the Sand on Columbus Day — When Did Humans First Arrive in the Americas?

Posted on by October 9, 2023

Ancient human footprints from White Sands. Photo: national Parks Service

Like millions of other children, I was taught that Christopher Columbus discovered America in 1492.  Then when I was seven years old, the site of the Norse settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland was discovered and I learned that Columbus was not only not the first, or even the first European, to discover the Americas.

All of this raises the question of the meaning of “discovery.”  The two American continents had been populated for thousands of years when the Norse and Columbus stepped ashore for the first time.  Who were the first humans to “discover” America? When did they arrive and by what means? The answers are still emerging, but they appear to have been sailors who arrived by boat.

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Bound4Blue Suction Sails to be Installed on Chemical Tanker & Ro/Ro

Posted on by October 6, 2023

Recently, it was announced that Bound4Blue’s eSAIL® suction sails will be installed on an Odfjell chemical tanker and a ro/ro for Louis Dreyfus Armateurs.

The technology goes by various names. When developed for Jacques-Ives Cousteau’s research vessel, Alcyone, it was referred to as a turbosail. The Dutch firm eConowind‘s version is called a ventfoil. And Bound4Blue eSAIL®  are termed suction sails. 

Whatever you call it, the designs are fixed airfoil-shaped spars with an internal fan that uses boundary layer suction to generate thrust. The suction system helps the airflow to re-adhere to the sail, generating additional lift, reducing the load on the ship’s main engines, and delivering savings in fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

Odfjell chemical tanker

Odfjell will install four eSAIL® suction sails on a chemical tanker.

“Since 2020, we have been studying sail technologies as a potential energy efficiency measure for our fleet, and we are excited to now take the next step by partnering with bound4blue to implement their pioneering eSAIL® system on one of our chemical tankers,” said Jan Opedal, Manager Projects at Odfjell. “This technology has significant potential to reduce emissions by harvesting the energy on the ship itself and transforming it directly into a forward thrust.” 

Louis Dreyfus Armateurs Ro/Ro

French shipping company Louis Dreyfus Armateurs working with Airbus, which charters one of its ships, will install Bound4Blue suction sails on a ro/ro cargo vessel as a test of the technology, the first-ever fixed suction sail installation on a ro/ro.

The three 72-foot-high suction sails will be fitted aboard the Ville de Bordeaux, a 19-year-old Ro-Ro built in 2004 and operating for Airbus transporting A320 aircraft subassemblies from Europe to Mobile, Alabama for final assembly. The vessel registered in France is 506 feet in length and 5,200 dwt.

“We at Airbus have been studying wind-assisted technologies as a potential energy source for our maritime operations for many years,” said Nicolas Chrétien, Head of Sustainability & Environment at Airbus. “This technology looks promising and we are eager to start testing it in real conditions by the end of the year.”

The suction sails will be installed on the Ville de Bordeaux ahead of a six-month performance monitoring period starting in early 2024.

Bound4Blue asserts that the technology creates as much as six to seven times more lift than a conventional rigid sail.

Odfjell to Install Suction Sails on a Chemical Tanker

Coast Guard Rescues 12 From M/V Bonnie G, Aground off U.S. Virgin Islands

Posted on by October 5, 2023

Yesterday the USCG issued a press release: A Coast Guard boat crew rescued 12 people, Wednesday morning, after they were forced to abandon the M/V Bonnie G that was taking on water and ran aground just south of the airport in St. Thomas.

All 12 persons aboard the Bonnie G, a 195-foot Vanuatu-flagged “ro-ro” cargo vessel, are safe and no injuries have been reported to the Coast Guard. 

Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan received VHF marine radio communication from the Bonnie G at 3:41 a.m., Wednesday, reporting the vessel was taking on water in the engine room and that the people onboard were abandoning ship onto two life rafts and a lifeboat.

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Drone Video — School of Rays Foil Attack by Hungry Shark

Posted on by October 4, 2023

Sharks are among the top predators of sting rays. Here is a short video of a large school of stingrays narrowly escaping a shark attack in September off Anna Maria Island, in Manatee County, FL. The drone footage, captured by Justin Nadeau, shows the schooling behavior of the rays foiling the shark attack. By the video’s end, the shark swims away hungry, failing to catch a single ray. Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing along the video. 

Shark chases hundreds of stingrays off Florida coast

Using eDNA to Search for Nessie in Scotland and Angel Sharks Off Corsica

Posted on by October 2, 2023

Angel Shark

Until fairly recently, scientists attempting to establish the existence, health, or migration of marine life had to use nets, cameras, or other means to identify and count the number of animals involved. Now researchers have a new and powerful tool, environmental DNA, or eDNA, a revolutionary technology that is helping scientists detect in real time the genetic information that animals leave in their wake.

Scientists have refined ways of extracting strands of genetic material from salt water, soil, and air. Depending on conditions, DNA can last for days in the ocean after an animal has shed it. Using small water samples collected at differing depths researchers can track where a specific species has swum, by checking DNA samples against reference databases.
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Two Ships of US Navy “Ghost Fleet” Visit Japan

Posted on by October 1, 2023

LUSV Ranger

In August, we posted about how Ukrainian naval drones are redefining warfare in the Black Sea in Ukraine’s battle against the ongoing Russian invasion. On the other side of the globe, two US Navy unmanned surface vessels (USV) arrived in Yokosuka, Japan in mid-September, during a period of increasing tensions with China. 

The USVs are significantly different from the Ukrainian drones in both size and strategy. The USVs Mariner and Ranger are a part of the US Navy’s Ghost Fleet Overlord, a program for prototyping multi-mission unmanned vessels that was started in 2018. Ghost Fleet Overlord is a program of the Department of Defense’s Strategic Capabilities Office being executed in partnership with the US Navy.

In the month prior, the ships participated in exercises including the Large Scale Exercise 2023 — operating in conjunction with the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson and its strike group — while the Navy evaluated the new technology, according to Cmdr. Jeremiah Daley, head of Unmanned Surface Vessel Division One.

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Rare Dumbo Octopus Videoed by ROV in Deep Waters of North Pacific

Posted on by September 28, 2023

The ROV Hercules, operated by the E/V Nautilus, a research vessel owned by the nonprofit Ocean Exploration Trust, has captured video of a rare dumbo octopus at a depth of over 1,600 meters deep.  The research vessel was exploring the Woollard Seamount in the Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument in the North Pacific. 

The octopus is named dumbo because it resembles the title character of the 1941 Disney film, using its ear-like fins to swim. Dumbo octopuses are the deepest living octopuses known and have an average life span of three to five years. They do not have an ink sack, unlike other cephalopods, and lack the ability to change color.

“Ghostly” Dumbo Octopus in the Deep Sea | Nautilus Live

Thanks to David Rye for contributing to this post.

Playful Humpbacks & Other Whales “Kelping” — Wearing Seaweed as a Hat

Posted on by September 27, 2023

Photo: Whale Watch Western Australia

There is so much that we do not understand about the social behaviors of whales and dolphins. Dolphins off the Australian coast, for example, have been observed wearing sponges as hats in what is believed to be an attempt, though not often necessarily successful, to attract a mate. Likewise, in 1987 off the coast of Washington, at least three groups of teenaged orcas inexplicably began wearing dead salmon as hats. The behavior spread in what appeared to be a “fad” for a few months before disappearing again.

Humpbacks and other baleen whales have been observed “kelping”, balancing seaweed on their rostrum —  their flat upper head.  In a recent study from Griffith University in Australia, researchers have observed that this behavior is far more common than previously appreciated. Also, while the activity appears playful, it may have other benefits for the whales. 

The researchers collected over 100 examples on social media of whales playing with seaweed, known as “kelping”. They note that it’s not just one species –  gray whales, southern and northern right whales, and humpback whales all do it.

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MSC Orders Two Cruise Ships With Green Multi-Fuel Options

Posted on by September 27, 2023

The headline on Cruise&Ferry.net reads “MSC confirms orders for hydrogen-powered ships for Explora Journeys.” The headline is somewhat misleading as the new ships on order from Fincantieri for MSC’s luxury cruise brand Explora Journeys, will not be hydrogen-powered, per se, but will apparently be configured with the capability to burn a range of green or at least greener fuels. 

The new ships, Explora V and VI will reportedly make use of liquid hydrogen with fuel cells for their hotel operations while docked in ports to enable them to switch off their engines and eliminate carbon emissions. Propulsive power will be provided by a new generation of liquefied natural gas (LNG) engines that will reduce the issue of methane slip, in which unburned fuel escapes into the atmosphere. 

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Disappointing Results of Largest Loch Ness Monster Hunt in 50 Years

Posted on by September 22, 2023

Over the weekend of August 26th and 27th, hundreds of volunteers gathered on the shores and on the waters of Loch Ness for what was billed as the largest search for the Loch Ness monster in 50 years. What was discovered during the “quest” weekend?

The so-called monster proved to be elusive, despite hundreds of searchers using everything from binoculars and webcams to thermal-imaging drones and hydrophones. With live streaming of the event, the world was invited to observe, but sadly for the Nessie enthusiasts, the monster did not show.

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Update: SS Badger — MARAD Approves $600,000 Study to Convert Coal-Burning Steamship to Zero-Emissions

Posted on by September 21, 2023

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Maritime Administration (MARAD) has awarded nearly $12 million in grants to eight marine highway projects across the nation under the United States Marine Highway Program (USMHP). 

One of these grants, $600,000 awarded to Lake Michigan Carferry, Inc., is to study the feasibility of converting the historic steamship SS Badger, the last coal-fired, passenger car ferry operating on the Great Lakes, to a zero-emission ferry vessel. 

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“Hero” Humpbacks Attempt to Protect Seal From Orca Attack

Posted on by September 16, 2023

Recently, Bertie Gregory, a National Geographic Explorer and host of Animals Up Close on Disney+, observed a remarkable attempt by two humpback whales to protect a seal under attack by a pod of orcas in Antarctica’s Weddell Sea.

National Geographic reports that Gregory and his crew had traveled across the Drake Passage that separates South America from the southernmost continent to film a rare orca population called B1. Known for their unique strategy of creating waves that knock seals off pieces of ice, these genetically distinct Antarctic orcas, likely number only around a hundred.

Gregory and his crew of filmmakers and scientists began following a small pod of B1s hunting seals in the driving snow. Soon, the pod zeroed in on their prey—a Weddell seal lying smack-dab in the middle of a large piece of ice.

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British Endurance Swimmer Lewis Pugh Swims 315 Mile Length of Hudson River

Posted on by September 15, 2023

On August 13 2023, British endurance swimmer and environmental activist Lewis Pugh began his 315-mile (507-km) swim down the Hudson River, from its source at Lake Tear of the Clouds, to its end at New York City. He finished the swim, ‘exhausted but rejuvenated’, on Wednesday, September 13, at Battery Park.  Pugh made the epic swim to raise awareness of water quality.

The 53-year-old endurance swimmer emerged from the water off the lower tip of Manhattan after a month-long journey, clad in a Speedo, cap and goggles. He smiled and raised his fist in triumph as he climbed out. Supporters who had gathered despite light rain cheered.

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Guessing the Deployment After Royal Navy Vanguard Class Sub Returns Looking Like a “Sea Monster”

Posted on by September 14, 2023

Photo: Sheila Weir / Royal Navy

The War Zone column from the Drive.com blog recently featured photographs of a Royal Navy Vanguard class submarine returning to HM Naval Base Clyde, which is also known as Faslane, on the west coast of Scotland, after a 197-day nuclear deterrent patrol. The nuclear ballistic missile sub looked like what they describe as a “sea monster that had emerged from a long slumber at the bottom of the ocean.”  The hull is indeed covered by an impressive growth of marine fouling.

Of course, the mission of ballistic missile submarines, often referred to as “boomers,” is to serve as undetectable launch platforms for intercontinental missiles, which is to say that their job is to go find a place to hide in the ocean for extended periods of time.  The opportunity to keep the hull free of maritime growth is, at best, limited, even with the latest anti-fouling coatings now available.

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On the 22st Anniversary of 9/11, Remembering the Great New York Boatlift

Posted on by September 11, 2023

An updated repost. There is a line from a Paul Simon song, “these are the days of miracle and wonder.” One might not think to apply that lyric to the events of 9/11, 22 years ago today. Yet for at least part of that strange and horrible day, they fit.

The great New York boatlift was part of the “miracle and wonder.” The wholly unplanned boatlift was the spontaneous maritime evacuation of an estimated 500,000 people trapped in Lower Manhattan in less than 10 hours. The boatlift has been under-reported by the media, which is all the more reason to remember the mariners of New York who stepped up to perform what has been called the largest sea rescue in history.

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Update: North Korea Launches Submarine Claimed to be Capable of Launching Nuclear Missiles

Posted on by September 8, 2023

North Korea has unveiled a new “tactical nuclear attack submarine,” based on a remodeled Soviet-era vessel, equipped with multiple launching tubes capable of launching nuclear missiles. Submarine No. 841 – named Hero Kim Kun Ok – will be one of the main “underwater offensive means of the naval force” of North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un said at the launch ceremony on Wednesday.

But South Korea’s military expressed skepticism about the submarine on Friday, saying that it “doesn’t look capable of normal operation” and that there were signs of “deception and exaggeration” in the North’s report.

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Update: Reza Baluchi Attempts to Run Across the Atlantic in His “Hamster Wheel of Doom,” Arrested By Coast Guard

Posted on by September 6, 2023

Photo: FLAGLER COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

Reza Baluchi is at it again. The US Coast Guard intercepted Baluchi in the Atlantic about 70 miles (110km) off Tybee Island, Georgia on August 26 in his most recent attempt to run across the ocean, this time from the US East Coast to London, in what the Coast Guard refers to as a “Hamster Wheel of Doom.”  

For over a decade, extreme runner Baluchi has set off on a series of quixotic voyages in a homemade bubble contraption with a metal frame that looks like a human hamster wheel. This is at least his fourth attempted transit, all of which have ended with his being rescued or stopped by the Coast Guard. 

This time the Coast Guard says its cutter encountered Baluchi while making preparations for an offshore hurricane. Officials said the 44-year-old marathon runner refused to leave the vessel for three days. Baluchi refused to step off the vessel and threatened to kill himself. He also claimed that he had a bomb on board, according to court papers.

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