Why did the Pirates Kill their Hostages ?

Posted on by February 22, 2011

USS Sterett

Why did the pirates kill their for American hostages aboard the sailing yacht Quest?   We may never know.  Naval officers are speculating  that the close approach of the destroyer USS Sterett may have panicked some of the pirates.  The Sterett reportedly drew closer to the Quest as the radio batteries aboard the yacht were growing weaker and the destroyer wanted to maintain contact.   The pirates were told that that was the reason the destroyer was approaching.   The pirates may have been aware that the last time the US Navy rescued a US citizens held by pirates, Captain Richard Phillips from the Maersk Alabama,  the three pirates were killed by snipers firing from the deck of a destroyer.
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Iranian Navy Ships Transit the Suez Canal – First Since 1979

Posted on by February 22, 2011

For the first time since the Iranian revolution in 1979, two ships of the Iranian Navy are transiting the Suez Canal bound for the Mediterranean Sea.  The two ships, Alvand, a patrol frigate and Kharg, a supply ship, entered the canal at 5:45am, local time, Tuesday.  Last week the nuclear powered US aircraft carrier USS Enterprise transited the Suez Canal in the other direction.  The Enterprise was one of the  four ships shadowing the hijacked yacht Quest. The hijacking ended tragically with the deaths of the  four American sailors aboard.

Iranian navy ships enter Suez Canal

Thanks to Phil Leon for passing the news along.

Pirates Kill American Hostages on SV Quest

Posted on by February 22, 2011

The US Central Command announced this morning that four Americans aboard the hijacked sailing vessel Quest were shot and killed by pirates at approximately 1 a.m. EST today.  The victims were Jean and Scott Adam, the owners of the yacht,  and Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, who had signed on as crew.   “We express our deepest condolences for the innocent lives callously lost aboard the Quest,” said Marine Gen. James N. Mattis, U.S. Central Command Commander.
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Gulf spill’s effects ‘may not be seen for a decade’

Posted on by February 21, 2011

In contrast to claims made by BP suggesting that the Gulf will have recovered from the Deep Horizon oil spill by 2012, a recent study presented at an American Association for the Advancement of Science conference says that the damage is far worse. The report by Dr. Samantha Joye of the University of Georgia suggests that  it may be a decade before the full effects on the Gulf become apparent.

Gulf spill’s effects ‘may not be seen for a decade’
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Update ; Hijacked SV Quest Split from Group; Now Trailed by US Navy

Posted on by February 21, 2011

We are learning more about the hijacked SV Quest, seized by pirates off Oman last Friday.   The sailing yacht, reportedly with Americans Scott and Jean Adam, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle aboard, had been sailing with the Oz-Med section of the Blue Water Rally.   The Blue Water Rallies are groups of cruising boas which travel together around the world for mutual support.    From the Blue Water Rally website:
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The Rise and Fall of the South Street Seaport Museum

Posted on by February 19, 2011

The restored South Street Seaport, on New York’s City’s East River, has always been an uneasy balance between a historic seaport and a real estate deal.   South Street  is now far  more shopping mall than historic seaport.  The current museum chairman, Frank J. Sciame,  is himself a real estate developer. Depending on who one asks, Sciame is either the museum’s savior or its destroyer.   Since March, Mr. Sciame has lent the museum $3 million to cover operating expenses.  Over the last three weeks, seven of the 21 trustees resigned from the museum board, and according to sources at the Seaport, twelve employees were furloughed on Monday, leaving at most a skeleton staff to continue Seaport operations.  Whether the Seaport Museum will survive its current financial crisis is unclear.

As reported in yesterday’s New York Times:
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A Blog for the ‘Sixth Borough’ – Tugster in the New York Times

Posted on by December 13, 2011

Will Van Dorp, Tugster Photo: Brian Luster

One of my favorite blogs is Will van Dorp’s Tugster : a water blog – part shipspotting, part anthropology and part wry commentary on life and the universe, Will and his omnipresent camera do a great job covering New York’s “six borough.”   Those who know New York might note that there are only five boroughs – Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, Staten Island and the Bronx.  The Tugster blog covers the sixth  –  the great harbor and the network of waterways that separate and also bind together the great city of New York.   Yesterday, the New York Times took note of Will’s work on Tugster:

A Blog for the ‘Sixth Borough’
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Pirates Capture Four Americans on Yacht in Indian Ocean

Posted on by February 20, 2011

SV Quest reported hijacked by pirates

Four Americans on the S/V Quest were seized by pirates this afternoon 240 nautical miles off the coast of Oman in the Indian Ocean.   Jean and Scott Adam, owners of the S/V Quest, have been sailing around the world for more than seven years.  With their two crew, they will join the over 815 sailors now being held hostage by pirates.

Somali pirates hijack US yacht: NGO
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Losing the War on Piracy – A Lack of Political Will

Posted on by February 18, 2011

Photo: english.alshahid.net

Last week the  Danish warship Esbern Snare captured a hijacked fishing vessel and freed two Yemeni hostages.  In addition to 16 pirates aboard the ship, the Danes  found rocket launchers, assault rifles, ammunition, large quantities of fuel and two skiffs.

The pirates were released due to a lack of evidence.  I’ll let that sink in for a moment.

Warship captures Somali pirates
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Japan Halts Whale Hunt, or Does it?

Posted on by February 17, 2011

Yesterday, Japan announced that due to concerns for safety they had suspended their whale hunt,  as of February 10th.   The Sea Shepherds claim that the Japanese are bluffing.   Perhaps Watson and his band of bumbling vigilante pirates are concerned over their “reality” TV show “Whale Wars.”    If the Japanese withdraw, it could severely cramp the production of Watson’s long running Animal Planet farce.

Japan halts whale hunt after chase by protesters

Whalers’ withdrawal a bluff, says Sea Shepherd

Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing the article along.

The Legend of Sadie, the Goat – Hudson River Pirate

Posted on by February 19, 2011

from Herbert Asbury's Gangs of New York, 1929

Recently the New York Times on its “Answers to Readers’ Questions About New York” blog was asked, “Can you tell me anything about a Hudson River pirate named Sadie the Goat?”  Sadie’s tale is worth retelling, whether or not she ever existed.

Sadie Farrell began her career as a thief in New York’s Bloody Fourth Ward in the late 1860s.  She earned her nickname, Sadie the Goat, for head butting her victims in the stomach.   She apparently had a running feud with Gallus Mag, the 6-foot bouncer of a Water Street dive called the Hole-in-the-Wall, who had raised ear-biting to a fine art.  Gallus would drag troublemakers out to the street by one ear clenched in her teeth.  In a fight with Gallus Mag, Sadie had one ear bitten off.  Galllus kept the trophy in a pickling jar. Continue reading →

Oyster Apocalypse?

Posted on by February 16, 2011

Photo: Tim Graham / Getty Images

According to a study published in the February issue of BioScience, 85% percent of the world’s native oyster reefs have been destroyed.

Oyster Apocalypse? Truth About Bivalve Obliteration

Three-quarters of the wild oysters left in the world, the study says, now live in North America — and they aren’t all doing that great, either. Many of the native reefs that still exist are “functionally extinct,” meaning they no longer play a significant role in the ecosystem, which is a big deal since these rugged little buggers used to do such things as create habitats for other species, keep the water clean and shore up coastlines. One of the last major areas to harbor native oyster reefs is the Gulf of Mexico, and at least half of the ones there were destroyed by the BP oil spill — or the subsequent attempts to clean it up.

Shipwreck’s ‘oldest beer’ to be brewed again

Posted on by February 16, 2011

Worlds Oldest Drinkable Beer

Last November we posted about a plan by Finnish authorities to allow one or several modern breweries to replicate the recipe of beer found in a Baltic Sea shipwreck dated between 1800 to 1830.  In addition to cases of champagne, the wreck contained five bottles of the oldest drinkable beer ever discovered.   Now the local government of the Aland island chain, where the wreck was found, has commissioned a scientific study to attempt to determine the beer’s original recipe, as the first step toward brewing the ancient beer.

Shipwreck’s ‘oldest beer’ to be brewed again
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Update: Opposition to Shipping Nuclear Waste on the Great Lakes

Posted on by February 15, 2011

Last week we posted about the approval granted  by the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission to allow Bruce Power to ship 1,600 tonnes of radioactive waste, in the form of 16 decommissioned nuclear reactors, across the Great Lakes, though the St. Lawrence Seaway and across the Atlantic Ocean to Sweden for recycling.  Not everyone is happy about it.   The Ontario First Nations are pointing out that the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission is “ignoring the rule of law” by approving a nuclear waste shipment through the Great Lakes.

Ontario First Nation says planned nuke shipment through Great Lakes ignores law
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New York’s Seaport Museum Struggles to Stay Afloat

Posted on by February 16, 2011

Photo: DNAinfo/Julie Shapiro

Update: The Seaport Museum “temporarily” laid-off another twelve staff members on Monday afternoon.

More bad news from the South Street Seaport.   Last week the Seaport Museum laid off the captain of the schooner Pioneer, as well a marine educator and several others.  We have posted previously about the museum’s so far unsuccessful attempts to sell historic vessels to bridge budget shortfalls.   The schooner Lettie Howard, the windjammer Peking, as well as the tug Helen McAllister and the lighter Marion M. are reported to be for sale.   The schooner Pioneer is supported by an active group of volunteers but is often inactive for lack of paying  passengers.  The museum, which has been referred to as the best kept secret in New York, has often not been effective in marketing its activities.

Seaport Museum Struggles to Stay Afloat
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Barge Waldhof Finally Raised from Rhine River

Posted on by February 14, 2011

The tank barge Waldhof which capsized a month ago in the Rhine River near Lorelei Rock  was finally raised today after its cargo of sulfuric acid was allowed to slowly drain off.   Two sailors where lost in the capsize. One of the bodies was found inside the barge cabin.    The second sailor remains missing and is presumed drowned.  The barge has now been towed to a safe harbor close by.   The capsized barge has severely restricted commercial travel on the Rhine River, Europe’s busiest inland water way.

Salvagers raise sunken barge to clear Rhine bottleneck

Previous Posts on the Capsize of the Waldhof

Thanks to Ulrich Rudofsky for the heads up.

Happy Battle of Cape St. Vincent’s day

Posted on by February 14, 2011

If by some chance you choose not celebrate St. Valentine’s Day, or you have simply reached the limit of how many hearts and flowers you can tolerate,   feel free to celebrate today as the Battle of Cape St. Vincent‘s Day.   Two hundred and fourteen years ago on this day, a British fleet under Admiral Sir John Jervis defeated a larger Spanish fleet under Admiral Don José de Córdoba near Cape St. Vincent, Portugal.  Nothing like black powder smoke and slaughter to clear the Valentine’s Day cobwebs.

Valentine Islands

Posted on by February 14, 2011

Are they islands of love on the storm-tossed seas of life?  Sadly, they probably are not, but they do look like Valentine’s Day hearts.

Sailors’ Valentines – Better than a Hallmark Card

Posted on by February 14, 2011

Happy Valentines Day!   Yesterday, the Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport, Maine held a sailor’s valentine workshop.  (See our previous post.)   Sailors’ valentines were traditionally octagonal wooden boxes with a glass front,  with intricate symmetrical designs inside, often made of shells and carved and polished woods or ivory.  They were particularly popular in the 1830s to 1850s.   While the name suggests that the  boxes were made by sailor’s for their loved ones, many of the “valentines” were made in Barbados.  Antique sailors’ valentines have become quite valuable. For beautiful, more modern, sailor’s valentines check out the work of Sandy Morgan and Lynda Susan Hennigan.