UN Court Orders ARA Libertad Released from Ghana

Posted on by December 15, 2012

Q2ARALibertadOn October 2, the government of Ghana seized the Argentine navy sail training ship Libertad in the port of Tema on behalf of US billionaire Paul Singer.  The government of Argentina appealed the seizure to the U.N. International Sea Tribunal in Hamburg, Germany.  Today the tribunal ruled that Ghana must release the ARA Libertad and its crew “immediately and unconditionally.”

UN Court Orders Release of Argentine Ship in Ghana

The ruling said warships enjoy immunity under international law and seizing the ship was “a source of conflict that may endanger friendly relations among states.” It wasn’t immediately clear whether the ruling is final and whether it can be appealed.

(Potentially) Really Great News About the Tanker Mary A. Whalen

Posted on by December 14, 2012

7-hull+bitsReally great news about the tanker, Mary A. Whalen. (Negotiations are not finalized so perhaps we should say “potentially great news” so as not to jinx anything.)  For the last six years, the historic tanker and PortSide New York, the non-profit educational organization based on the ship, have been without a permanent home.  If all goes well that may soon change. Portside has announced:

“PortSide is negotiating with GBX▪Gowanus Bay Terminal to have a homeport in Red Hook, Brooklyn.  The tanker MARY A. WHALEN would be publicly accessible directly from Columbia Street, at a site next to her first home at Ira S. Bushey’sshipyard and fuel terminal at the foot of Court Street.  A home at GBX, a vital, industrial facility with a rich history, would be in keeping with PortSide’s mission to bring the landside community and working waterfront closer together while exploring and promoting Red Hook’s past.   Post Sandy, our plans for such Red Hook cultural tourism are more important than ever.”

There is more good news:

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Joan Druett’s The Beckoning Ice, A Wiki Coffin Mystery – A Review

Posted on by December 14, 2012

beckoningiceJoan Druett’s The Beckoning Ice, the fifth in her series of Wiki Coffin nautical mysteries, begins in 1839, on the sealer Betsey of Stonington, homeward bound from “a short but very profitable season far south of Cape Horn.” The schooner is very nearly wrecked on a massive iceberg, which looms suddenly out of the fog. The terror of nearly hitting the ice island is only made worse by the corpse of a man, apparently bludgeoned to dead, frozen on a ledge on the face of the ice.

The Betsey later crosses the course of the small flotilla of ships, brigs and schooners of the U.S. Exploring Expedition, a joint naval and scientific venture sent to chart the Pacific to help promote American trade. When the sealers report the apparent murder, Wiki Coffin is called to investigate, which will not be immediately easy to do, as the expedition is bound for Orange harbor in Tierra del Fuego. Soon Wiki will also have to investigate the suspicious suicide of a young naval lieutenant as well as avoiding several attempts on his own life. While performing his other duties and coping with bigotry and misunderstanding in the small fleet, Wiki must untangle the skein of secrets and alliances that result in the death of the young officer while evading the determined killers that threaten his own survival.

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The Tainted Prize (Under Admiralty Orders – The Oliver Quintrell Series) by M.C. Muir : a Review

Posted on by December 13, 2012

taintedprizeThe Tainted Prize is Margaret Muir’s second book of the Oliver Quintrell series. After sending Captain Quintrell to the bottom of the world in pursuit of Floating Gold, the admiralty is confident in the good captain’s discretion. It is 1803. The Peace of Amiens has collapsed. Captain Quintrell is given command of the frigate HMS Perpetual and is set off on a secret mission to South America to search for a missing frigate and to undertake a diplomatic mission that might impact the outcome of the war with Bonaparte and France. In addition to coping with French corvettes, privateers and slavers, Quintrell and the officers and crew of HMS Perpetual must also face the Southern Ocean and the winding and treacherous Straits of Magellan.

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Storm Surge Barriers for New York Harbor? Would They Do Enough?

Posted on by December 13, 2012

Rotterdam, London, St. Petersburg, and Toyko all have storm surge barriers to protect low-lying areas from flooding.  In the United States, Stamford, Connecticut; Providence, Rhode Island; and New Bedford, Massachusetts all have storm barriers.  Should New York, which suffered significant flooding two years in a row from Hurricane Irene and Superstorm Sandy, follow their example?  Many are now demanding that some sort of action be taken to prevent future large scale flooding.

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Update: John B. Caddell, Tanker Carried Ashore by Sandy on Staten Island, Hauled Back in the Water

Posted on by December 12, 2012
John B. Caddell with tug and crane barge assist on her way to repair yard. Photo: Staten Island Advance

John B. Caddell with tug and crane barge assist on her way to repair yard. Photo: Staten Island Advance

The John B. Caddell, 700 gross ton water tanker, that washed up on Front Street, in Staten Island, NY during Hurricane Sandy a month and a half ago, is back in the water.  In a team effort lead by the Coast Guard in coordination with least eight state, local and federal agencies, the tanker was hoisted and hauled off the road and rocky beach and back into the water by Donjon Marine using the Chesapeake 1000  crane barge, reported to be one of the largest on the East Coast.  The Staten Island Advance has a wonderful gallery of the before, during and after shots of the tanker salvage:

Gallery: Tanker washed ashore Staten Island by Hurricane Sandy removed to salvage yard

Update: SS Badger – Days May Be Numbered as Special Provision Removed from Funding Bill

Posted on by December 12, 2012

Badger2We recently posted about the SS Badger, a 410-foot long coal-fired passenger and vehicle ferry operating in Lake Michigan and the last coal-fired passenger vessel operating on the Great Lakes. Her supporters call her a national treasure, while to her detractors, consider the vessel to be an environmental menace. Since 2008, the vessel has been operating operating on an EPA waiver that allows it to continue dumping 4 tons of toxic coal ash daily into the lake. That waiver runs out on December 19, 2012. Her supporters managed to insert language in a US Coast Guard funding bill to allow the Badger to continue dumping ash for the life of the ship. Last week that language was stricken from the draft bill, which passed the on Wednesday. Unless the EPA grants another waiver, the SS Badger may stop operations in a week.

SS Badger suffers setback

Australia Plans Huge Marine Reserve in Coral Sea – Praise and Conflict

Posted on by December 11, 2012

The government of Australia plans to establish the world’s largest marine reserve in the Coral Sea, covering an area more than one-and-a-half times the size of France. If approved, the Coral Sea reserve, would be approximately 989,842 sq km. While environmentalists have praised the move, the Australian fishing industry has condemned the reserve as unnecessary pointing to a the recent release of a government report showing that more than 90 per cent of fish stocks are sustainable.  On the other hand, earlier this year a UNESCO report concluded that Australia’s Great Barrier Reef is under imminent threat from industrial development and may be considered for listing as a world heritage site “in danger” within the next year.

South Street Seaport Museum Reopening December 14th with New Exhibits

Posted on by December 10, 2012

The South Street Seaport Museum is reopening on Friday, December 14 with the launch of two new exhibitions –  A Fisherman’s Dream: Folk Art by Mario Sanchez and Street Shots/NYC, a presentation of contemporary New York City street photography. They will join ongoing special exhibitions Compass: Folk Art in Four Directions, organized by the American Folk Art Museum, and Romancing New York: Watercolors by Frederick Brosen.

“Superstorm Sandy may have dealt us a body blow but we are getting back up on our feet: today we’re proud to announce that the Museum is ready to reopen and with fantastic new exhibitions. In large part, we are re-opening as a statement of faith in our mission and community, and visitors will have to use stairs and accept heat blown-in from heaters sitting on the sidewalk. But we are ready to welcome all comers,” said Susan Henshaw Jones, President of the South Street Seaport Museum.

CBC’s Land And Sea – Shipbuilding in the Maritimes

Posted on by December 10, 2012

Last week, we posted about the documentary “Shipbuilding in the Maritimes,” which aired on Sunday on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s Land and Sea. For those of us who do not get the programming on  television, the CBC is good enough to post the Land and Sea programs on line. “Shipbuilding in the Maritimes,” a half hour documentary on the once-thriving shipbuilding centers in Atlantic Canada, is embedded below.  Worth a look.

Shipbuilding in the Maritimes

Bulk Carrier Cape Apricot Takes Out Largest Berth at North America’s Largest Coal Exporter

Posted on by December 9, 2012

At around 1 AM on Friday morning, the Cape Apricot, a cape-sized bulk carrier, chartered to K Line, smashed through a coal conveyor serving the largest of two berths at Westshore Terminals in Vancouver, Canada.  An undetermined amount of coal was spilled into Georgia Strait.  Westshore Terminals is North America’s largest coal exporting port facility.  The bulk carrier took out approximately 100 meters of the conveyor, the causeway, water pipes, electrical lines and an adjacent road.

Ship crashes into dock at Westshore Terminals, spilling coal into water

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The Strange New World of Single-handed Racing – Alex Thomson Vendée Globe Week 4 Highlights

Posted on by December 15, 2012

In 1969 in the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race, the first non-stop, single-handed, round-the-world yacht race, there was considerable concern for Robin Knox Johnson whose radio had malfunctioned off New Zealand.  Four months later, he was able to make contact with a British tanker using his signal lamp, letting the world know that he was OK.  Knox-Johnston was the only competitor to complete the race and went to be declared the winner.

How times have changed. The video below features the Week 4 highlights of Alex Thomson sailing the Open 60 Hugo Boss in the waters South of the Cape of Good Hope in the Vendée Globe single-handed around the world race.  Thomson is currently in fifth place in the highly competitive race and has reported speeds of over 30 knots which he describes as “terrifying and stressful.”  In addition to sailing to avoid icebergs, he also managed to appear live on BBC Breakfast, a morning television news program, where among other things he chatted about football scores.  Thomson suggests that those who wish to keep up wit the latest on his race should follow him on Twitter @AlexThomson99.

Unintended Consequences – HMAS Adelaide Scuttled & Cases of the Bends Hit Record Highs

Posted on by December 8, 2012

The transition from warship to artificial reef did not go smoothly for the HMAS Adelaide.  Now roughly 100 feet below the surface, the popularity of the reefed ship has created new problems – a dramatic increase in the cases of the bends.

In 2008, the Australian guided missile frigate, HMAS Adelaide, was decommissioned.  In 2009, plans were underway to sink the ship as an artificial reef off New South Wales.  This was delayed by opposition from environmental groups which claimed that the ship still contained toxic materials. After lawsuits, mediation and further removal of wiring and insulation from the ship, HMAS Adelaide was finally scuttled on April 13, 2011 off Avoca Beach, New South Wales, in 32 metres (105 ft) of water.  Now, medical experts are reporting a record high number of divers in New South Whales suffering from decompression sickness, often referred to as the bends, due to diving on the wreck.

DIVING SICKNESS RISES AFTER NAVAL SHIP SINKS

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The Battle of Plattsburgh and Pearl Harbor

Posted on by December 7, 2012

USS Macdonough (DD-351)

It seems to me that history is all about connections. Lawrence Gooley, writing in the Adirondack Almanack, notes how many ships present at the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, were named in remembrance of those who fought at the Battle of Plattsburgh of September 11, 1814. Of the thirty US destroyers at Pearl Harbor, five were named after officers or vessels which fought at Plattsburg. These were the USS Allen, Aylwin, Cassin,  Henley, and the Macdonough. Another three ships at Pearl Harbor, which had been built as destroyers but were converted to minelayers, were also named after vessels at Plattsburgh, the Gamble, Montgomery, and Preble.   Of the eight ships, only the USS Cassin was heavily damaged, and was initially considered lost but was rebuilt by February 5, 1944.  During the attack on Pearl Harbor, USS Macdonough downed one of the Japanese attack planes before heading out to sea to join others in the search for the Japanese task force.

The Battle of Plattsburgh in 1814 denied the British control of Lake Champlain. The lack of the lake as a supply line resulted in the turning back of an invading British army of 11,000 men, intent on redrawing the map of the fledgling United States.  Thanks to Steve Philips for passing along the Adirondack Almanack article.

Hono­lulu after Pearl Harbor: A Report Published for the First Time, 71 Years Later

Posted on by December 7, 2012

In December of 1941, Betty McIntosh was a reporter for the Honolulu Star Bulletin. On December 7th, when the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked, she was sent out by her editors to report from a “women’s point of view.”  The article she wrote went unpublished, however, because her editors thought that it was “too graphic” and would disturb her women readers. The article went unpublished for 71 years until the Washington Post finally published it yesterday.  Ms. McIntosh went on to work as a spy for the ISS and the CIA. She is now 97 and still writing.

Hono­lulu after Pearl Harbor: A report published for the first time, 71 years later

Maritime Shipbuilding on CBC’s Land & Sea

Posted on by December 6, 2012

The CBC’s Land & Sea is without question the favorite television program that I have never watched on television. While I cannot get Canadian broadcasting on my television, Land & Sea fortunately also puts their programming on-line. We have previously posted about their programs “Nova Scotia Schooners” and “Rumrunners.”

This Sunday, December 9th at noon, Land and Sea is featuring “Shipbuilding in the Maritimes” a half hour documentary that focuses on the once-thriving shipbuilding centers in Atlantic Canada were once the most vibrant, productive, and profitable shipbuilding region in the world. Click here to learn more.

Maritime Shipbuilding

Five Dead, Six Missing After Car Carrier Baltic Ace Sinks in Collision

Posted on by December 15, 2012

Following the sinking last night of the car carrier Baltic Ace, the bodies of five sailors have been recovered.  Six of the crew are missing and presumed dead in the icy waters of the North Sea. The 485-foot long Bahamain-flagged   car carrier, Baltic Ace, collided with the container ship  Corvus J,  on Wednesday night  65 km (40 nautical miles) off the coast of the southern Netherlands.  Of the 24 sailors aboard the Baltic Ace, thirteen were rescued, eleven by helicopter and two by ships participating in the rescue.  No injuries were reported in twelve crew on the 134-meter (440-foot) long Cypriot flagged, Corvus J,  which was seriously damaged but not in danger of sinking.  The Baltic Ace is reported to have been carrying 1,400 cars.

VesselFinder.com has posted an AIS track of the collision:

EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: The collision between BALTIC ACE and CORVUS J [AIS Historical Data]

Car Carrier Baltic Ace Sinks After Collision with Container Ship Corvus J in Shipping Lanes Off Rotterdam

Posted on by December 5, 2012

Baltic Ace

The car carrier, Baltic Ace, is reported to have collided with the container ship, Corvus J, this evening in crowded shipping lanes around 60 miles off the coast of Rotterdam.  The Baltic Ace is believed to have sunk. Her crew of 24 took to life rafts and rescue operations are underway. There is no word yet on casualties. The Cyrus J is reported to be badly damaged but not in danger of sinking.

The BBC reports: The Baltic Ace was sailing under a Bahamas flag. It was transporting cars from Zeebrugge in Belgium to Finland when it collided with the Cyprus-registered container ship, the Corvus J, sailing from Grangemouth in Scotland to the Belgian port of Antwerp.

The shipping lane where the accident happened is one of the busiest in the North Sea, close to the entrance to Rotterdam port, which is Europe’s busiest.

Joan Druett Review: Hell Around the Horn by Rick Spilman

Posted on by December 5, 2012

Joan Druett, award winning maritime historian and novelist, recently reviewed Hell Around the Horn for Historic Naval Fiction.

Those Gallant Seamen Get their Story Told at Last

Ringing with authenticity, this nail-biter is a tale of battling wind and weather to sail from the Atlantic to the Pacific via the most dreaded landmark in the sailor’s lexicon, Cape Horn.

Stories of ships in the Age of Sail are usually told from the quarterdeck, and the fight is against other ships. Rick Spilman’s novel, by contrast, revisits the windjammer era when men fought the elements with just rope and canvas, using muscle and willpower to get a freight to a destination. In the tradition of old salts who once wrote hugely popular stories of life under sail — men like “Shalimar” (F. C. Hendry), Captain F. Coffin, Jan de Hartog and Alexander Bone — “Hell Around the Horn” tells it like it was for the ordinary people who lived unthinkably dangerous lives at sea, from the point of view of the foc’sle and the half-deck, as well as the cabin.

Based on real events, this is the story of one captain’s struggle to get his ship to port, with just his seafaring knowledge and his increasingly weary crew to help, and with the added problem of a bloodyminded mate. A detail I particularly liked was that he had his wife and family with him. Spilman reveals her experiences through her letters, which are as convincingly written as the rest of the book.

Thoroughly recommended to all salt water souls, armchair sailors in particular.