Happy Maewyn Succat’s Day

Posted on by March 17, 2011

Maewyn Succat

We have been posting a lot about piracy and kidnapping recently.  Today is a reminder about how little things change over the centuries.  Somewhere around the year 400 AD, a lad of 16, named Maewyn Succat, was kidnapped by pirates from his home in Britain and was taken as a slave to Ireland.  He was a slave for six years, during which time he converted to Christianity.   He finally escaped and returned to his family in England.  He  became a priest and studied at a seminary in France.   When he was almost 60, he returned to Ireland.  By then Pope Celestine I had given him the name “Patercius” or “Patritius.”    We know him better these days as Patrick.   He did alright in Ireland.   He founded over three hundred churches and apparently had a way with snakes.   Today is his feast day.  Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all.

Tom Hanks to Play Captain Richard Phillips in Maersk Alabama Hijacking Movie

Posted on by March 17, 2011

It is being reported that Tom Hanks will play Captain Richard Phillips in a new movie about the attempted hijacking of the Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates in 2009.    The movie, based on Phillip’s book , A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALS, and Dangerous Days at Sea, is being produced by Kevin Spacey and the team from “The Social Network.”

Tom Hanks to play heroic captain Richard Phillips

 

 

Update: Wisdom, the Albatross, Survives Tsunami

Posted on by March 17, 2011

Last week we posted about a Laysan albatross, nicknamed Wisdom, who, at at least 60, is the oldest known wild bird and who also recently became a mother again, delivering a healthy chick.   The BBC has now reported that while the tsunami killed thousands of albatrosses and other endangered species at a wildlife sanctuary north-west of Hawaii,  Wisdom was among the survivors.  Perhaps that shouldn’t be too surprising.  She is one tough old bird.

Japan tsunami: Thousands of seabirds killed near Hawaii

A Country in Trouble – A Glimpse of Post-Tsunami Japan

Posted on by March 16, 2011

An excellent report by ABC which, among other things, highlights the humanitarian support being provided by the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.

[iframe: src=”http://widget.newsinc.com/single.htm?WID=2&VID=23365344&freewheel=69016&sitesection=ndnsubss” height=”320″ width=”425″ scrolling=”no” frameborder=”0″ marginwidth=”0″ marginheight=”0″]

Life Plus 80 Years – Five Pirates Sentenced for Attack on USS Nicholas

Posted on by March 26, 2013

On April 1st, last year, fittingly enough, April Fool’s Day, a group of Somali pirates in open boats decided to attack the 445-foot guided-missile frigate, USS Nicholas.  The outcome was predictable.   Five pirates were captured and their boats were sunk.   At the end of November the five were convicted of piracy in a Virginia court, the first piracy conviction in an American courtroom since 1819.  Yesterday, they were sentenced to life terms plus eighty years.   In February, Abdiwali Abdiqadir Muse, the only surviving pirate from the attack on the Maersk Alabama was sentenced to 33 years and nine months for his crimes.

5 Somali pirates get life for attack on Nicholas

A Celebration of the Trireme at the Mariners’ Museum

Posted on by March 16, 2011

I am a huge fan of triremes and  am looking forward to seeing the trireme Olympias when she visits New York harbor during Op-Sail in 2012.  In the mean time, however, the Mariners’ Museum in Hampton Roads, VA is hosting a two day Celebration of the Trireme.   Presented by the Friends of the Trible Library and Friends of the Mariners’ Museum Library, it is being held on March 17 & 18, 2011.   March 17th with feature  a panel discussion, moderated by Bill Cogar: “The Trireme and Athenian Democracy” at the CNU David Student Union, Ball Room at 4pm.  On March 18th, there will be a presentation: “Rowing the Olympias” by Dr. Gordon Kelly of Lewis and Clark College.

For more trireme posts, click here.

 

Farewell to HMS Ark Royal

Posted on by March 15, 2011

The Ark Royal, the flagship of the Royal Navy has been decommissioned.   It will be another decade before a new aircraft carrier takes her place.

Ark Royal: decommissioning marks end of a long and celebrated history

The early retirement of the fifth Ark Royal marks the end of a triumphant career for one of the most famous names in British naval history.

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the article along.

Has the Lost City of Atlantis Been Found in a Spanish Marsh?

Posted on by March 15, 2011

Researchers believe that they may have found the location of the lost city of Atlantis in a coastal Spanish marsh.   Plato described the legendary island-city in about 360 B.C. as having “in a single day and night … disappeared into the depths of the sea.”    The researchers believe that the ancient city was destroyed by tsunami. Whether or not their research holds up, destruction by a tsunami seems highly credible.  Their work is the subject of a National Geographic documentary – Finding Atlantis.

Was Lost City of Atlantis Found in Spanish Marsh?

Thanks to Irwin Bryan for passing along the article.

INS Kalpeni Nabs 61 Pirates on Mother Ship, Frees 13 Hostages

Posted on by March 14, 2011

INS Kalpeni

Last Friday, the Indian Navy picked up as distress call from the container ship MV Vancouver Bridge, which was under attack by pirates  in the Indian Ocean, about 600 nautical miles off the Indian coast.  When spotted by an Indian patrol aircraft, the pirates broke off the attack and retreated to a “mother ship,”  the Vega 5, a fishing vessel hijacked on December 28, 2010.  On Saturday night, the Indian Navy’s newest fast attack craft, INS Kalpeni, intercepted the Vega and after a brief firefight  captured 61 pirates and freed the Vega’s crew of 13 who had been held as hostages since the ship had been hijacked.

Navy apprehends 61 pirates in 2 day operation

 

Washed Away: Three Tsunami-Swept Towns

Posted on by March 14, 2011

Kesennuma Photo:AP

We have previously posted about the destruction of the town of Minamisanriku by the tsunami, where 9,500 people are reported to be missing.  Other news reports now suggest that similar or greater numbers may be missing in the towns of  Kesennuma and Rikuzentakata.

Washed Away: Three Tsunami-Swept Towns

U.S. 7th Fleet Moves Away from Stricken Nuclear Plants; Another Reactor Explosion

Posted on by March 14, 2011

USS Ronald Reagan

The US 7th fleet has moved away from the Fukushima nuclear power plants after helicopters from the carrier Ronald Reagan were exposed to an airborne radioactive plume.  Seventeen Navy personnel are being treated for what is described as “low levels of contamination.”    Sensors aboard the carrier Ronald Reagan indicated that the ship had also been exposed to low level contamination.  The carrier group had been roughly 100 miles away from the crippled reactors and has now moved so that that it is no longer down-wind of the power plants.

17 in U.S. Navy Treated for Contamination
Continue reading →

Pirates on Trial – Has the Game Changed?

Posted on by March 14, 2011

The battle against piracy in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea may be changing.   This week Japan announced that  it would try four suspected pirates being held by the US Navy after they were captured attempting to hijack the Japanese owned tanker MV Guanabara.   Recently pirates have also been charged for their crimes in courts in South Korea, Malaysia, Germany , the Netherlands and the United States.

Japan to try suspects in pirate attack
Continue reading →

The Power of Water – A Town Swept Away and Reactors Melting Down

Posted on by March 13, 2011

The New York Times published an article this morning, The Destructive Power of Water, where it compares the force of a ten meter high tsunami wave to “a hundred tanks coming across you. Even though it’s a fluid, it operates like a solid hammer.”    Fortunately, Japan has some of the strictest building codes in the world, specifically intended to save lives during earthquakes. Nothing, however can withstand the force of a tsunami.
Continue reading →

A Hawaiian Tsunami – National Geographic Simulation

Posted on by March 12, 2011

The Hawaiian islands and the West Coast of the United States suffered relatively minor damage in Friday’s tsunami.   What would a tsunami created by a major eruption of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano be like?  National Geographic presents  a chilling simulation.  Thanks to Linda Collison for posting this on Facebook.

Ultimate Tsunami – Honolulu Hawaii
[iframe: title=”YouTube video player” width=”425″ height=”349″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Iw3Dj6uGT04″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen]

Aftermath of the Tsunami – Explosion at Nuclear Power Plant, Five Reactors at Risk

Posted on by March 12, 2011

Explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 reactor

Friday’s 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 10-meter high tsunami on the  coast of northeast Japan devastated cities and villages, killing as many as 1,300.   It also significantly damaged at least five nuclear reactors at two power plants. Yesterday afternoon, a massive explosion rocked the Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 reactor, causing a portion of a building to crumble, and injuring four workers.  Radiation is now leaking from the reactor which is at risk of a melt-down.

Explosion rocks Japanese nuclear power plant; 5 reactors in peril
Continue reading →

32nd Annual Snow Row at the Hull Lifesaving Museum

Posted on by March 11, 2011

The Hull Lifesaving Museum near Boston is sponsoring their 32nd Annual “Snow Row” this weekend. Festivities begin with the annual “Snow Ball” this evening at the Clarion Nantasket Beach Resort and Conference Center, followed by Saturday’s race at the Windmill Point Boathouse, Hull.

32nd Annual Snow Row
Continue reading →

Huge 8.9 Earthquake off Japan Triggers Tsunami , Tsunami Warnings in Hawaii and USS West Coast

Posted on by March 11, 2011

Photo: Kyodo News, via Associated Press

The largest earthquake in Japanese recorded history, 8.9 on the Richter scale, which struck about 80 miles offshore, has triggered devastating tsunami waves on the  coast of northeast Japan.   Tsunami warnings have gone up in at least 50 countries and territories, including Hawaii and the US West Coast.

Huge Earthquake Triggers Tsunami Off Japan’s Coast
Continue reading →