Photo: Kate Geraghty
As difficult as it is to keep ships afloat, sometimes they can be devilishly hard to sink as well. At least that has been the experience of a group trying to scuttle the decommissioned HMAS Adelaide as an artificial reef and recreational diving site off the central coast of Australia. After years of lawsuits, the project is over budget by several million dollars and is facing even further delays.
While the circumstances were completely different from those on the Carnival Splendor, the problem encountered by the cruise ship Clelia II is apparently another example of a ship’s engines being impacted by damage to electrical control systems. The Clelia II‘s bridge was reported to be damaged by a large wave which broke the bridge windows and damaged the ship’s controls, cutting power to one engine.
Cruise ship Clelia II Limping Home
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MV Black Rose
Ships carrying metallic ores should be the most stable ships on the ocean. These cargoes are dense and carried in low the ship. If improperly loaded, ore cargoes can indeed break a ship in half, but stability should not be an issue. Nevertheless, three ships carrying nickel ore have capsized over a period of only 39 days with the loss of 44 officers and crew.
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Rusticles on the Titanic
Two interesting stories of shipwrecks in the press recently – the wreck of the Titanic is being consumed by newly identified steel-munching bacteria, while scientists are discovering large numbers of well preserved shipwrecks in the dark and cold Baltic where there are 1,500 confirmed wrecks in Finnish waters, nearly half of which them are more than a century old. Most experts believe the actual number is much higher.
Steel-munching bacteria are devouring the Titanic, say scientists
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Raw Faith
Update: The three masted schooner Raw Faith is reported to now have sunk after the crew of two was rescued by the Coast Guard.
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Two men were rescued by the Coast Guard from Raw Faith, a home-built 118′ three masted schooner, one hundred miles south-east of Nantucket today. Reportedly the two had set sail from Salem, Massachusetts on December 4th bound for Bermuda.
Why anyone would set attempt to sail in December to Bermuda on a 118′ foot schooner with a crew of only two is unclear. The rescue involved multiple aircraft and two Coast Guard cutters.
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The Original Pearl Harbor Attack Radio Emergency Broadcast from Washington DC
Thanks to Dave Shirlaw on the Marine History list for pointing out the video.
A bit over a week ago we suggested an aircraft carrier as a holiday gift for the person who has everything. OK, we admit that was not the most useful gift suggestion. We now wish to suggest something far more practical and which also supports a great cause. The American Sail Training Association (ASTA) in association with more than a dozen North American tall ships, including the USS Constellation, the Pride of Baltimore II , the A.J. Meerwald and the Lady Washington, are holding an eBay auction of tall ship sailing and sail training adventure this month as a holiday gift alternative. Visit the ASTA E-Bay store for more information.
Dr. Wubbo Ockles describing what he refers to as a “professional attack on the ship and maybe to me… as an attack on sustainability.”
New Pearl Harbor Visitors Center
The attack on the Pearl Harbor Naval Base, on Oʻahu, Hawaii by Japan on December 7th 1941 still resonates with Americans as evidenced by the literally hundreds of Pearl Harbor memorials scheduled around the country in remembrance of what President Franklin Delano Roosevelt referred to as a “Day of Infamy.” In Pearl Harbor itself, the memorial will include the the dedication of the new $56 million Pearl Harbor Visitor Center is a highlight event.
New Visitor Center To Be Dedicated Tomorrow
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For anyone in the area, sailor and author John Rousmaniere will be a guest at Mystic Seaport Museum on Thursday, December 9th for a wine and cheese reception beginning at at 5:30 p.m, followed by a presentation of sea stories beginning around 6:00 p.m. The program concludes by 7:30 p.m. after questions and answers, book signings, and the drawing of the prize-winning raffle ticket for a free copy of one of his books, the winner’s choice.
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The Boston Globe has documented the boarding of the USS Constitution by a Redcoat! During her long years of active duty, the USS Constitution, known as Old Ironsides, was never successfully boarded by enemy marines. Yet, here we see the distinctive uniform of a Royal Navy Marine – a red coat with white trim and a black belt. Immediately behind the Redcoat was a gentlemen in green. Could that be a British rifleman? The hat definably looks wrong however. (Looks more like an elf than a rifleman. ) And I didn’t think the Royal Navy allowed their marines to have such long white beards. Very confusing.
A trailer for Joan Druett‘s wonderful new book – Tupaia, Captain Cook’s Polynesian Navigator. We will be reviewing the book later in the week.
Tor Viking
MV Golden Seas, a 74,475 DWT bulk carrier, which suffered a turbocharger failure on its main engines and was in danger of drifting onto the Aleutian Islands, has been taken under tow by the tug/supply boat Tor Viking II. The bulk carrier is being towed to Dutch Harbor, Alaska and is expected to arrive early Tuesday. The US Coast Guard Cutter Alex Haley is escorting the two vessels.
Bulk Carrier Rescued After Being Disabled & Adrift in Bering Sea
Mati Karmin, an Estonian sculptor, is not turning swords into plowshares, but he is turning marine mines into some rather remarkable furniture and household appliances. Karmin’s mine furniture is steampunk with a post-apocalyptic twist. On the northern coast of Estonia, especially on Naissaar and other islands, there were large fields of anti-submarine mines left behind when the Soviets withdrew in the early 90s. The explosives in the mines had been burned out, leaving rusting steel spheres. Karmin has turned these relics of war into armchairs, fireplaces, baby carriages, swings, beds, desks and and a variety of other useful and quirky items.
Thanks to Alaric Bond for passing this along.
The MV Hong Wei with a cargo of 40,000 tons of nickel ore, sank Saturday off the northern Philippines. Fourteen crew were rescued and ten remain missing. The ship was Panamanian flag and had a Chinese crew. The Hong Wei is the second bulker carrying nickel ore to sink in the Pacific in the last month. On November 11th, the Nasco Diamond loaded with 55,000 tonnes of nickel ore from Indonesia to China sank off the southern coast of Japan.
10 Chinese sailors missing, 14 rescued after cargo ship sinks
Photo: Sara Francis
The 74, 475 DWT MV Golden Seas carrying a cargo of rapeseed oil suffered a turbocharger failure on its main engine late Thursday night, reducing main engine power sufficiently so that the ship could not make headway against the 29 foot seas and 35 knot winds. The ship was drifting perilously close to the shore of the Aleutian Islands. The Coast Guard reported that with moderating weather conditions, the crew had regained control of the ship while roughly 24 miles from shore and was now steaming at about 3.5 knots.
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Ockels’ sustainable voyage to go ahead
Wubbo Ockels, a former Dutch astronaut, says he is convinced his sailing yacht Ecolution, which was sunk by unknown assailants earlier this week, will soon be repaired, so he can continue his sustainable energy campaign. Mr Ockels has since received thousands of messages of support.
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Portsmouth Historic Dockyard has posted some lovely photos of HMS Victory and the dockyard after a recent snowfall. Click on the thumbnails for a larger image. To see more visit their website or Facebook album page.
HMS Terror
History is full of strange connections. This week an almost 200-year-old copy of “The Star Spangled Banner” is to be sold at auction house at Christie’s auction house in Manhattan. The sheet music is currently valued at between $200,000 and $300,000. The Star Spangled Banner, which became the national anthem of the United States, is known for the vivid lyrics, “by the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, we knew through the night that our flag was still there.”
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Last week, we posted about a new book which examines the causes of the tragic explosion and sinking of the HMS Dasher, in which 379 out of 528 crewmen died and ranks as one of Britain’s worst naval disasters during World War II. David Hayes was kind enough to point out video footage from the 2007 memorial weekend for survivors, families of survivors and those lost when the HMS Dasher sunk off of Arran on 27th March 1943.