Nautical Coincidence & Lifeboat Morality – Richard Parker and the Mignonette

Posted on by May 4, 2013

Lifeboat from the Mignonette

We recently posted in response to a video, “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?.”  It recounted how three men named Hugh Williams were each the only survivors of shipwrecks in the treacherousness Menai Straits off North Wales. More remarkably, two of the Hugh Williams escaped from shipwrecks on the same day,  December 5th separated by over a hundred years.  The video claimed that all three Hugh Williams’ ships sank on December 5th, but that was not the case.  And Hugh Williams is a very common name in North Wales, so while it is a remarkable coincidence, it doesn’t quite rank as the “strangest ever recorded.”

On the topic of nautical coincidences, Chris Quigley at the Quigley’s Cabinet blog, mentioned the Mignonette coincidence.  All that we can say is, Hugh Williams meet Richard Parker.  The case of Richard Parker and the  Mignonette does indeed involve coincidence but the story remains compelling because it raises issues of morality that are very tricky to address, even to this day.

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Another Zanzibar Ferry Sinks – 38 Dead, 100 Missing

Posted on by July 19, 2012

Last September we posted about the sinking of a ferry off Zanzibarwith the loss of 200 passengers.  Yesterday, another ferry sank off the Zanzibar coast. Thirty eight are confirmed dead with another 100 missing.  Zanzibar police spokesman Mohamed Mhina said, “Search operations continue but it is now almost impossible survivors will be found…  The ship has completely sunk. There were 290 people on board.”

38 dead, over 100 missing in Zanzibar ferry disaster

Update: Wreck of the SS Garisopa – Odyssey Marine Recovers 48 Tons of Silver From Three Miles Down

Posted on by July 23, 2013

Photo: Odyssey Marine

Last September we posted that Odyssey Marine Exploration had located the wreck of the S.S. Gairsoppa, which was torpedoed in February of 1941 by a German U-boat. When she sank, the ship was loaded with 240 tonnes of silver believed to be worth approximately $200 million (around £155 million.) Yesterday the company announced that, so far, they have recovered approximately 48 tonnes of silver worth roughly $38 million. The wreck lies almost three miles below the surface and is one of the most valuable and  deepest ship wrecks ever salvaged. Salvage operations are expected to continue through September. Under a salvage contract with the British government, Odyssey will keep 80% of the proceeds after expenses.

Odyssey Announces First Load of Silver Cargo from Three Miles Deep
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Update: New Explosions on Container Ship MSC Flaminia Burning in the North Atlantic, Smit Tug Fairmont Expedition Arrives

Posted on by July 19, 2012

On Sunday we posted about an explosion and fire aboard the container ship MSC Flaminia in the North Atlantic about a thousand miles west of Cornwall.  The first officer died from burns received in the fire and one crew member is missing. The rest of the 25 crew were evacuated and the ship was abandoned.   Now, four days later, the ship is burning and new explosions have been reported.  The first firefighting tug, the Smit Fairmont Expedition, has arrived at the drifting ship. The new explosions interrupted the tug’s firefighting operations.  A second firefighting tug is expected to arrive today.

From photographs sent back, it appears that the fire has spread through at least five stacks of containers, or close to 220′ along the length of the 980′ ship. So far, the engine room, deck house and after hatches do not appear to be on fire. The container ship Hanjin Ottowa is also standing by to help assess the situation aboard the burning ship.

Explosions on “MSC Flaminia”

Rescuers Reach “MSC Flaminia”

Privateer Royaliste, the Sternwheeler Portland and the Very Bad Friday the 13th

Posted on by July 20, 2012

Correction: Based on local news reports, we originally posted that water pressure from the steamer Portland‘s paddle-wheel damaged the Royaliste.  We were incorrect. The Portland clearly backed into the ketch, which was tied up  alongside the dock.  See the video below, which shows the impact.   Thanks to Captain Larsen and Robert Kennedy for pointing out our error and to Alaric Bond for forwarding the video of the collision.

Friday, June 13th, should have been a great day at the first St. Helen’s Maritime Heritage Festival for both the 55′ privateer ketch Royaliste and the 186′ historic stern-wheel steamer Portland.   Both ships were making debuts of a sort.  The Royaliste has been undergoing extensive restoration for several years and her first public re-appearance was last Friday. Likewise, the sternwheeler Portland, built in 1949 and owned by the Oregon Maritime Museum, was carrying its first passengers down the Columbia River since a mechanical failure nearly sent it plummeting over the Bonneville Dam in 2008.

Unfortunately, things did not go well when the vessels crossed paths. The Royaliste was at the dock when the Portland came backing down. The sternwheeler’s rail struck the ketch’s starboard side, opening several seams in the ketch’s planking.  (See the video below.)   The Royaliste immediately began taking on water and was saved from sinking by portable pumps provided by U.S. Coast Guard and the Columbia County Sheriff’s Office marine unit.  According to its Facebook page, the Royaliste has made it back to its home port in Schooner Creek and is being kept afloat by pumps pending the arrival of the insurance surveyors.

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Diplomacy Wins – Korea Reverses Decision to Resume Whaling

Posted on by July 18, 2012

When Korea announced plans, earlier this month, to resume whaling for “scientific purposes” it was hit by a tsunami of protests from environmental groups and nations around the world.  France, the United States, Australia and New Zealand in particular spoke out strongly against the Korean plan.  Korea planned to exploit the loophole provided for “scientific whaling for research” in Article VIII of the whaling convention.

Yielding to diplomatic pressure from countries around the world, Korea has now scrapped its plan to resume whaling.   South Korea has banned commercial whale hunting since 1986, but allows the sale of meat from whales accidentally caught in fishing nets. Norway and Iceland are the only two countries who engage in commercial whaling. Japan engages in whaling for “research,” which critics argue is merely a pretense to provide cover for commercial whaling.  Thanks to Phil Leon for passing along the news.

Topsail Schooner Unicorn with All Female Crew First to Arrive for Halifax Tall Ships Festival 2012

Posted on by July 18, 2012

On a fog-shrouded Tuesday, the schooner Unicorn was the first to arrive in Halifax for their Tall Ships Festival. In addition to being a lovely topsail schooner, the Unicorn is the only tall ship sailing in the world with an entirely female crew. The schooner is host to the “Sisters Under Sail Program.” Founded by Dawn Santamaria, the program introduces young women to tall ship sailing, directed by a professional all-female crew.  Last year, Dawn Santamaria was honored with the 2011 Leadership In Women’s Sailing Award at the National Women’s Sailing Association Conference, in Marblehead, MA for the Sisters Under Sail program.  Thanks to Linda Collison for passing along the news.

Serious Threat to Endangered Whales – Ship Strikes & Entangling Nets

Posted on by July 17, 2012

Photo/John Calambokidis, Cascadia Research

One of the greatest threats to many endangered species of whale is being run down by ships or getting entangled in fishing nets.  This week, federal maritime officials have approved a plan to protect whales in and around San Francisco Bay that features rerouting ship traffic and finding better ways to track whale locations.  The new rules, which were developed working with the shipping industry, are in response to a dramatic increase in the number of deaths of migrating blue, fin and humpback whales due to being struck by ships.  The whale species are all endangered and are believed to have been drawn closer to shore and into shipping lanes by an abundance of krill, the shrimp-like organisms that the whales eat.

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Falls of Clyde, Last Four-Masted Full-Rigged Iron Ship, Needs Volunteers & Funds

Posted on by July 16, 2012

Falls of Clyde is the last four-masted full-rigged iron ship and the only surviving sailing oil tanker. The ship was launched in 1878 in Port Glasgow, Scotland, for the Fall Line.  She became a museum ship in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1971, but was never  properly maintained.  In 2008, the Bishop Museum, which had control of the ship, was preparing to tow her out sea and scuttle her. In September 2008, the Friends of Falls of Clyde, a non-profit group of volunteers, saved the ship by acquiring it, and has been attempting to raise money to drydock, repair and begin the restoration of the long-neglected historic ship.

It has not been easy going. The organization has secured $350,000 from the Robert J. Pfeiffer Foundation, and was hoping to receive another half million dollars from the Federal preservation program, “Save America’s Treasures.” Unfortunately, Congress in its wisdom, or lack thereof, cut funding for the program.  The volunteers of the Friends of Falls of Clyde are determined to carry one. To learn more about the ship click here.   To donate to help save the Falls of Clyde, click here.

Falls of Clyde needs volunteers, funds

http://youtu.be/HRKxJ5dGg6U

The Unsinkable Hugh Williams – Truth Behind the Legend?

Posted on by May 9, 2014

There is a video bouncing around the web these days called “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?”   (The video is embedded at the bottom of the post.) It tells the story of a ship which sank in the Menai Strait off the coast of Wales on December 5, 1664. All 81 passengers died, except one. His name was Hugh Williams.  Then on December 5th, 1785 another ship with 60 aboard sank in the Menai Strait. The only survivor – a man named Hugh Williams.   In 1820 on December 5th, a third vessel sank in the Menai Strait. All 25 aboard were drowned except, you guessed it, a man named Hugh Williams.

An amazing tale, but is it history or just a an oft retold sea story?   It could easily be a bit of each.

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Containership MSC Flaminia in Flames in the North Atlantic

Posted on by July 16, 2012

The container ship, MSC Flaminia, is in flames, drifting in the North Atlantic, roughly half way between Britain and Canada, approximately 1,000 miles west of Cornwall.   One man is reported either be missing or to have died from burns. At least three others were injured in an attempt to fight a fire and explosion which broke out in a container in the No. 4 hatch on Saturday.  MSC Flaminia is a 6,732 TEU post-Panamax ship, registered in Germany and built in 2001.  The ship’s crew of 25 abandoned ship and was picked up in a lifeboat and liferaft by the VLCC DS Crown.  The injured crew were transferred to the container ship  MSC Stella, which is carrying them to the Azores for treatment.  The burning ship is beyond the range of rescue helicopters.  Tradewinds reports that oceangoing salvage tugs may have been dispatched to fight the fire.

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Stowaway Cat Survives Trip From Shangai to Los Angeles in Sealed Container

Posted on by July 14, 2012

Photo: Department of Animal Care and Control/Associated Press

Toward the end of June, we posted about the minor media circus that grew out of a report of possible stowaways on the container ship, Ville D’Aquarius, bound for Port Newark. After a multi-agency task force swung into action to investigate, the media began reporting that there were between 20 and 60 Pakistani stowaways aboard the ship and making veiled and not so veiled references to terrorism. There turned out to be no stowaways found aboard the ship.

Recently, however,we have heard of a real, live, proven stowaway hiding in a sealed shipping container.  A container, originally loaded in Shanghai, was opened at a business in Compton, California, near Los Angeles.  Inside was a 3-month-old kitten, which had apparently survived without food or water for the up to 21 day that it often takes to make the 6,500 mile journey from China.  Remarkably, the kitten appears to be in reasonable good health, despite the ordeal.

Kitten survives freighter trip from Shanghai to Los Angeles without food, water

The kitten, nicknamed Ni Hao (NEE’-How), which means “hello” in Mandarin, is not the first feline to surreptitiously take to the sea as a stowaway. In April 2011, a cat who vanished from his home in New Zealand was found stowed away in a container in Australia, after a voyage of 18 days and more than 2,200 miles.  Likewise in November 2009, a cat was found in a container unloaded in the British port of Felixstowe after a after a 3,000 mile journey from Egypt.

City of Water & Fire – A Day in New York Harbor

Posted on by July 15, 2012

Smokey fire at South Street Seaport

Today the  the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance hosted the “City of Water Day” to celebrate New York – New Jersey harbor.  Festivities were centered on Governor’s Island and Liberty State Park with activities spread across the waterfront from Edgewater to Brooklyn and Staten Island.  In addition to food, music, exhibits, ship tours and kayaking, one of the highlights of the day were free harbor rides on the historic fireboat John J. Harvey.

On the East River, other fireboats were hard at work.  Just as the City of Water festival was ending, a fire broke out on Pier 17 at the South Street Seaport on the East River, sending hundreds fleeing from the shopping pavilion on the dock. The South Street Seaport shopping mall was not part of the City of Water festival but is a popular tourist destination.   The New York Fire Department mobilized 33 units and 140 firefighters, fighting the fire from both trucks on land and fireboats from the water. The three alarm fire was extinguished in about two hours. No one was injured.   A city of water and fire indeed.  Thanks to Carolina Salguero at Portside New York for the heads up on Facebook.

Fire Causes Smoke and Panic at the South Street Seaport

Update: Viking Longship Dragon Harald Fairhair Under Sail

Posted on by July 14, 2012

We have been following the construction of the Dragon Harald Fairhair, (or in Norwegian Draken Harald Hårfagre)  the largest Viking longship to have been built in modern times. (See our previous post – Building the Viking Longship Dragon Harald Fairhair.)  Built of oak, in the town of Haugesund in Western Norway, the ship is hundred and fourteen feet, twenty-seven feet wide, displacing seventy tons, and will carry thirty-two hundred square feet of sail. She was recently launched and has begun sailing trials.  A short video of one of her first sails.

Dragon Harald Fairhair (Viking Longship)

Baltic “UFO” a Top-Secret Nazi Anti-Submarine Weapon?

Posted on by July 13, 2012

This story just keeps getting stranger.  A year ago last June, the Swedish treasure hunters, Ocean X Team, saw something that they did not understand while doing sonar sweeps of the bottom of the Baltic Sea.   There appeared to be a 200′ diameter disk on the bottom, which the press dubbed the “Millenium Falcon” as it resembled the Star Wars space craft.  This June, the Ocean X Team dove on the site and the mystery only deepened.  The object on the bottom appeared to be a dome described as “mushroom shaped.”

Now, a former Swedish naval officer and WWII expert Anders Autellus is suggesting that the structure – measuring 200ft by 25ft – could be the base of a top-secret Nazi device designed to block British and Russian submarine movements in the area during World War II.

Sonar scans show that ‘UFO’ at bottom of Baltic sea may actually be a top-secret Nazi anti-submarine defence lost since the Second World War

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Update: Saving the SS United States at $1 per Square Inch

Posted on by July 13, 2012

In February 2011, we posted that the the SS United States Conservancy had purchased the S.S. United States from Norwegian Cruise Line.  The sale was made possible by a $5.8 million gift by Philadelphia philanthropist H.F. “Gerry” Lenfest.  Since then the Conservancy has raised $5 million of the estimated $25 million needed to  to restore the exterior and part of the interior of the ships to house a museum.

The Conservancy has now kicked off a new fundraising campaign and a new interactive web site – Save the United States – Help restore America’s Flagship.  Visitors to the new web site can help save the ship at $1 per square inch by “purchasing” a piece of the ship. Visitors to the site can choose the section they want to sponsor by scrolling and zooming around a virtual model on the website, can “meet” other donors throughout the ship, personalize and upload images and memories of the ship, as well as share it through social media sites.  To donate and learn more, click here.

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Update: USS Ponce, One of the Oldest Amphibious Transport Dock Ships, Forward Command Post and Commando Mothership After All

Posted on by February 19, 2014

Last February, we posted about the modification to the USS Ponce prior to being sent to the Persian Gulf. (See Mine-Detecting Dolphins and USS Ponce, Commando “Mothership” in Persian Gulf?)   We included the question mark in the post title because, while the press was referring to the ship as a “commando mothership,”  a floating base from which commando raids could be launched, the Navy admirals were busy denying that it would be any such thing.  Now it appears that the ship, one of the oldest Amphibious Transport Dock Ship will indeed be used as a “commando mothership” as well as a forward command post.  (Thanks to Dave Shirlaw for pointing out that the USS Denver is three years older than the Ponce.)

Floating Base Gives U.S. New Footing in the Persian Gulf
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The Rocket’s Red Glare, Bombs Bursting in Air – the Battle of Stonington, 1814

Posted on by April 12, 2016

Yesterday, I went on a field trip  with the New York Shiplore and Model Club to Stonington and Mystic, Connecticut. (Thanks to Lee Gruzen, Norman Brouwer and Linda Zatkowski for making the arrangements.)  Our first stop was Stonington, Connecticut, a small village on the extreme eastern coast of the state.  In the center of the village, two 18 pound cannon are on display in the fittingly named Cannon Square.  On their tampions, blocking the ends of the cannon’s muzzles, is the date 1814, when the two cannons, manned by local militia, almost miraculously drove off a British force of four Royal Navy ships under the command of Captain Sir Thomas Hardy, Nelson’s flag captain on HMS Victory at the Battle of Trafalgar.  The battle may not have been of any great strategic importance, but was one of a series of American victories in the last days of the War of 1812.

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The Return of Commercial Sail – UT Wind Challenger & Retracting Rigid Wing Sails

Posted on by July 10, 2012

Early airplane wings were built of canvas stretched over a wooden frame, held together with wire rigging.  Modern airplane wings are built of aluminum and other metals.  The comparison to sails, masts and rigging on ships may not apply directly.  Nevertheless, the last America’s Cup winner, the US-17, formerly known as the BMW Oracle Racing 90,  screamed to victory in 2010, sailing on a 223 feet rigid wing sail, more than 80 percent larger than the wing of a Boeing 747 airplane. Now a Japanese group, including engineers from the University of Tokyo, are developing the design of a merchant ship with retracting rigid wing sails, the UT Wind Challenger.

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Ernest Borgnine – from Gunners-Mate to Marty to McHale’s Navy and Sponge Bob Square Pants

Posted on by July 9, 2012

Ernest Borgnine has died at the age of 95.  He joined the Navy in 1935, straight out of high school and served through World War II, leaving the service with the rank of gunner’s mate 1st class.  He became an actor, appearing in over 140 movies and winning an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1955 for the movie, Marty.  He is probably best known, however, for his role as Lt.Commander Quentin McHale in McHale’s Navy, a situation comedy about the insubordinate crew of a PT boat in the Pacific during World War II which ran from 1962-1966. Actor and comedian Tim Conway played his second in command in McHale’s Navy. More than thirty years later they would re-unite in 1999 when Borgnine voiced the role of the elderly superhero Mermaid Man in the cartoon SpongeBob SquarePants, where Tim Conway provided the voice of Mermaid Man’s sidekick, Barnacle Boy.

[iframe: width=”560″ height=”315″ frameborder=”0″ scrolling=”no” src=”http://www.washingtonpost.com/ernest-borgnine-dies-at-the-age-of-95/2012/07/09/gJQAYOKwXW_inline.html”]

Ernest Borgnine dies at 95; won Oscar for ‘Marty,’ showed comic side in sitcom

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