The SSV Oliver Hazard Perry, the largest square-rigged sailing ship built in this country in over 100 years, is nearing completion. The 132′ long three masted steel ship has been hauled at at Newport Shipyard for final exterior work and painting. On the west coast, the Spar Shop at Gray’s Harbor Historical Seaport fabricated the masts, yards and spars on the largest tracer-lathe in North America. The masts, yards and spars have been delivered to the Perry‘s crew of riggers in Portsmouth, R.I. who are finishing the standing rigging. Likewise, Hood Sailmakers is completing the ship’s 14,000 square feet of sails.
From the OHP press release:
“The Perry is a modern, steel-hulled ocean-going civilian sail training vessel, with a 13 ½ story rig and 20 sails (made by Hood Sailmakers in Middletown, R.I.) with 14,000 sq. ft. of sail area,” says the ship’s Captain Richard Bailey, a Wellfleet, Mass. native greatly respected for his previous Tall Ship commands and his knowledge of maritime traditions, education and their combined relevance in the modern world. “Her design is based on centuries-old tradition, but her equipment is anything but antiquated.”
Update: The dead whale is now identified as a 
The Norwegian Breakway is one year old this week. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a particularly auspicious birthday. As the cruise ship entered New York harbor yesterday, after a seven day cruise, the captain reported some sort of problem related to the ship’s azipods, which prevented it from docking. Like most new cruise ships, the 1,068-foot Norwegian Breakway, which can carry 3,969 guests plus its crew of 1,651, does not have conventional shaft mounted propellers or rudders. Instead, it is powered by propellers mounted on streamlined pods, which can rotate, and therefore also serve as the ship’s rudders. The ship also has three bow thrusters.
It is not always easy to decipher the news being reported on the tragic sinking of the Korean ferry Sewol , which capsized in the Yellow Sea on April 16, leaving more than 300 dead or missing. There have been numerous reports that the ferry was overloaded when she sank, yet by all indications, the likely problem was that the ship had inadequate stability. The ferry sank while under the command of a relief captain. Last week the 
Last August we asked “
When the Cunard liner 
Update: 
This year, the 
Would the world’s first purpose-built oceangoing roll-on/roll-off ship make a good museum? The 
We have noted before the paradox of ocean shipping — it is simultaneously the most energy efficient means of transportation with the lowest carbon footprint while at the same time, it is a major polluter. (See our post from back in 2010 — 
For roughly fifty years, scientists have listened to an unidentified sound in the Southern Ocean, which has been described as a sort of mechanical quacking noise. It has been come to be known as the 
The death toll in the sinking of the 
Last week,