Virgin Oceanic Diving into the Deep

Posted on by April 9, 2011

After dabbling with space ships, Richard Branson has turned to the deep oceans.   The Virgin Oceanic team will be diving to the deepest ocean depths in a one man submarine designed by Graham Hawkes.  The submarine has an operating depth of 37,000ft (7 miles) and is capable of operating for 24hrs unaided. Its top speed is around 3 knots.

The Life Aquatic with Richard Branson

Virgin Oceanic Sub Trailer

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Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the article along.

What the Tsunami Carried Away – Debris at Sea

Posted on by April 8, 2011

Photo: Kyoto News

For all the damage that the Japanese tsunami of March 11th left behind on shore,  it also carried considerable wreckage out to sea.   this week the Japanese Coast Guard warned ships to look out for and avoid the floating debris and wreckage.

Japan warns ships to avoid floating houses, debris
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Fatal Shooting on the Nuclear Submarine HMS Astute

Posted on by April 8, 2011

HMS Astute

The BBC is reporting that one sailor has been killed and another seriously injured on the Royal Navy nuclear submarine HMS Astute. A member of the crew is reported to have shot two of his fellow sailors before being overpowered.   HMS Astute, the Navy’s newest and most advanced submarine, is docked at Southampton’s Eastern Docks on a five-day official visit to the city.  The UK Press  Association  is also  reporting that Southampton City Council’s mayor, leader and chief executive were aboard the submarine at the time of the shooting but were uninjured.

Last October we posted about HMS Astute running aground off Skye during a training mission.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the news along.

The Sands of Fire Island – Le Papillon and Gluckauf

Posted on by April 9, 2011

Photo: Will van Dorp

Fire Island is a thirty mile long barrier island on the south shore of Long Island, east of the entrance of New York harbor.   Last week, Le Papillon, a 50′ steel pinky schooner, went ashore on the beach on Fire Island near the village of SaltAire.   The 19 year old captain and the two 20 year old passengers were rescued without injury.  Will van Dorp of the Tugster blog captured dramatic photos of the grounded schooner in the Fire Island surf. What will become of  Le Papillon? That is difficult to say, but by Tuesday of this week, an ad appeared in Craigslist offering the schooner for sale for $15,000, with the important requirement: “Needs immediate removal.”  Le Papillon is neither the first nor likely to be the last vessel to run aground on the Fire Island shoals.
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85 year old, Anthony Smith, Crosses the Atlantic on Raft “An-Tiki”

Posted on by April 7, 2011

After 66 days at sea, Anthony Smith and a crew of three friends arrived in St. Maarten on a voyage from the Canary Islands on the raft “An-Tiki“.   Smith celebrated  his 85th birthday during the voyage.  The crew of the An-Tiki included John Russell, David Hildred, and Andrew Bainbridge.

Sailor, 85, crosses Atlantic on raft with friends
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Concerns Over Radiation Spread Faster than the Currents

Posted on by April 7, 2011

My wife and I are celebrating our 25th wedding anniversary in a week by having dinner at Le Bernardin.  I had proposed in the Le Bernardin, when the restaurant was still in Paris, so it has always seemed a great place to celebrate anniversaries.  What does this have to do with radiation?   The New York Times recently reported:

“Eric Ripert, the chef of Le Bernardin, the high temple of seafood in Manhattan, bought a new kitchen gadget a few days ago: a radiation detector.
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Tall Ship Elissa in Space and a Possible Rodent Problem

Posted on by April 6, 2011

The Tall Ship Elissa was built was built in Aberdeen, Scotland in 1877 by Alexander Hall and Co. She has been fully restored and is currently sailing out of Galveston, Texas. She recently successfully completed drydocking and inspection.  A small piece of the ship will be involved in another docking, this time in space.  US astronaut Catherine Coleman, a friend of the Galveston Historical Foundation, agreed to take a piece of deck planking from the Elissa on her current mission to the International Space Station.  When the astronaut returns in May of this year, she will leave the Elissa‘s plank  aboard the station.

Aberdeen-built tall ship on International Space Station
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Escaping from Libya, Overloaded Boat Sinks, 250 Passengers Missing

Posted on by April 6, 2011

A boat overloaded with migrants sailing from Libya capsized south south of the island of Lampedusa , off Sicily, early today.   Fifteen are confirmed dead and between 130 and 250 are believed to be missing.

Migrant boat sinks off Italy, up to 250 missing
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Slavery at sea ? Abuse of Sailors on New Zealand Chartered Fishing Vessles

Posted on by February 25, 2012

A disturbing report from New Zealand on abusive conditions for  seamen  aboard  chartered  fishing vessels in New Zealand waters.

Slavery at sea exposed

Alerted to terrible conditions on foreign fishing vessels after nearly 30 people lost their lives, Michael Field began asking questions.

Secret papers reveal the government has allowed fishermen from poor countries to be exploited in New Zealand waters.
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HMS Bounty to Begin European Voyage

Posted on by April 5, 2011

HMS Bounty is making ready to sail from San Juan, Puerto Rico tomorrow to begin this season’s European voyage.   She will be calling at ports in the UK, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Germany and Russia, before returning to the US around October. For her complete schedule click here. She was originally intending to sail today but was delayed awaiting the arrival of parts.

The ship is a replica of the Royal Navy ship on which a famous mutiny occurred in 1789.  She was built for the 1962 movie  “Mutiny on the Bounty,” starring Marlon Brando.

 

Of Tsunamis and Seawalls

Posted on by April 5, 2011

Recent articles on the power of the tsunami that recently struck Japan say a lot about  both the power of the tsunami waves and the challenges of trying to cope with a constant threat from the ocean.   Japan’s first line of defense against tsunamis has been its extensive investment in seawalls.  As reported by the New York Times:  At least 40 percent of Japan’s 22,000-mile coastline is lined with concrete seawalls, breakwaters or other structures meant to protect the country against high waves, typhoons or even tsunamis. They are as much a part of Japan’s coastal scenery as beaches or fishing boats, especially in areas where the government estimates the possibility of a major earthquake occurring in the next three decades at more than 90 percent, like the northern stretch that was devastated by Friday’s earthquake and tsunami.

The headline of the article says all that need be said: Seawalls Offered Little Protection Against Tsunami’s Crushing Waves .   A follow-up article touches on the downside of relying on a fixed defense against the power of the sea.

In Japan, Seawall Offered a False Sense of Security
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Air France 447 Wreck Site Located in Atlantic off Brazil

Posted on by April 5, 2011

Photo: BEA, via Reuters

After over two years and three failed searches, an international team, including specialists from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, in partnership  with French authorities, have located the primary wreckage of Air France Flight 447 which disappeared over the Atlantic Ocean on May 31, 2009 while en route from Rio de Janeiro to Paris.  In addition to wreckage,  it is reported that the remains of multiple victims were also sited.    The discovery was made using side scan sonars from  Remus 6000 drone submarines, deployed by the search vessel, the MV Alucia.

Bodies From 2009 Air France Crash Are Found
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Laura Dekker, Singlehanding the Media Circus

Posted on by April 5, 2011

Laura Dekker, the 15 year old Dutch sailor who is sailing rather leisurely alone around the world on her yacht Guppy, has been  by all appearances handling the sailing part of her journey without too much difficulty.  If she completes here multi-stop circumnavigation prior to turning seventeen on September 20, 2012, she will be the youngest person to sail alone  around the world.  Recently, she was criticized for not handing the media as well as she has the seafaring.  Personally I think the attack is grossly unfair and rather misplaced.  She posted a few honest comments on her blog about dealing with the media when she was near exhaustion.  And she is all of 15 years old.  This silliness does, however, point out that to sail around the world alone these days, it is a good idea to have an advance teams of publicists precede you.

Teen sailor Laura Dekker lashes out against media
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Sailors and Society in Georgian England

Posted on by April 4, 2011

“Sailors and Society in Georgian England : The Home of Lord Nelson, Jane Austen & Jack Aubrey” – It sounds a bit like someone’s history thesis but in fact is a ten day luxury tour  organized and escorted by British maritime scholar and author of more than thirty books, Brian Lavery, and  Annemarie Victory, the owner of the New York-based specialty tour company that bears her name.  The tour sounds perfect for my wife and me.  I am a fan of Georgian Naval Fiction while my wife is a Janeite, a rabid fan of Jane Austen.  It is, however, a bit beyond my budget at around $10,000 a person, once airfare and incidentals are figured in.  Sounds like a wonderful trip all the same.  The tour is from September 12 to 22, 2011.

“Sailors and Society in Georgian England : The Home of Lord Nelson, Jane Austen & Jack Aubrey”

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the information along.

 

PT 658 – The Last Running PT Boat

Posted on by April 3, 2011

The fascinating story of the last running World War II motor torpedo boat, the PT 658, an historic relic rescued, rebuilt and restored by a group of gray-haired ex-PT boaters.

Save the PT Boat

PT Boat 658

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Nightingale Island Spill – Race to Rescue the Rockhoppers

Posted on by April 3, 2011

Fewer than 300 people live on the Tristan da Cuhna island chain, the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, 2,816 kilometres from the nearest land.  An estimated 200,000  penguins, however, including roughly half of the world’s endangered Northern Rockhopper penguin, call the islands home.  When the bulk carrier Olivia grounded and then broke up on March 16 off Nightingale Island,  it became a race to save as many penguins as possible from the up to 1,500 metric tons of heavy fuel that spilled when the 75,000 tonne  bulker broke up.

Nightingale Island Oil Spill


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Ark Royal for Sale Online

Posted on by April 2, 2011

The Ark Royal is for sale,  presumably to a scrap yard but “alternatively the vessel may be purchased for re-use/refurbishment for non-warlike purposes.”  The main engine, most machinery and all weapons will be removed.  She will be available for inspection in early May and all bids are due by Monday 13th June 2011.

Tenders > Vessel ARK ROYAL R07

HMS Ark Royal, nicknamed “The Mighty Ark,” is the fifth Royal Navy ship to bear the name of the 1587 flagship that defeated the Spanish Armada in 1588. She was the flagship of the Royal Navy, the third and final Invincible-class light aircraft carrier.

Turning a Blind Eye – Nelson at Copenhagen

Posted on by April 2, 2011

On April 2, 1801 at a key moment at the Battle of Copenhagen, Admiral Sir Hyde Parker, in overall command of the British forces, sent a signal to Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson to withdraw.  Nelson is said to have lifted his telescope to his blind eye and to have remarked, “I really do not see the signal.”  He carried on and won a great victory.   The phrase to “turn a blind eye” is attributed to this moment in what was Nelsen’s most hard fought victory, two hundred and ten years ago today.

Women at Sea and the SB What?

Posted on by April 2, 2011

We recently posted about “Women At Sea: Screening, Conversation, Reception,” which was held last Wednesday in Manhattan.  The program included a fascinating documentary Shipping Out, the Story of America’s Seafaring Women and a panel discussion with a number of women seafarers, including the Coast Guard Captain of the Port of New York, Capt. Linda L. Fagan; Coast Guard Head of Prevention, Commander Linda A. Sturgis;  tugboat Captain Ann Loeding; Sandy Hook Pilot, Capt. Coleen Quinn; former tanker, bulker and car carrier Second Mate Debra Tischler; Chief Engineer Jessica DuLong, and Marissa Strawbridge, Second Mate of the SBX-1.  The program and the presentations were extremely interesting and well done.

At the end of the evening I did ask myself one question, what is an SBX-1?  I had even asked Ms. Strawbridge and I still wasn’t sure.
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Astrodene’s Historic Naval Fiction Log Book

Posted on by April 1, 2011

Astrodene’s Historic Naval Fiction Log Book, a monthly newsletter on naval and nautical fiction and non-fiction is out for April.   Books due for release this month are the novels,  The Mountain of Gold by J. D. Davies, and Honor Bound by Robert N. Macomber, as well as non-fiction by Wynford Davies, HMS Warrior – Ironclad .   To read more, click here.