Online Tour of NS Savanah – World’s first nuclear powered merchant ship

Posted on by August 21, 2010

In 1819, the SS Savannah was first steamship in the world to cross the Atlantic Ocean.   Despite this accomplishment, the Savannah was a commercial failure and was converted back to sail shortly after returning from Europe.   It is somehow fitting that one hundred and forty years later in 1959,  the first nuclear powered cargo ship would be named after the SS Savannah.   Like her namesake the NS Savannah was a commercial failure, operating at a loss between 1962 and 1971, before being decommissioned.  The NS Savannah is currently laid up in the Port of Baltimore, Maryland.

The Historic Naval Ships Association has put together a fascinating “virtual tour”of the NS Savannah, the “ship of the future” that time  left behind.

VIRTUAL TOUR OF NS SAVANNAH

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Laura Dekker Sets Sail from Somewhere

Posted on by August 23, 2010

Laura Dekker, the Dutch 14 year old, reportedly set sail on Saturday on her attempt to sail around the world alone, at least according to her manager.   Ms. Dekker was originally reported to have departed from Portugal but is now believed to have left via Gibraltar on her 38′ yacht, Guppy.  If she completes the voyage within two years she will be the youngest person to have completed a single-handed circumnavigation.   Australian teenager Jessica Watson is likely to retain the tile of the youngest to single-hand around the world non-stop as Ms. Dekker is reportedly planning at stopping in as many as 20 ports along the way.   Last April Ms Dekker won a court case against Dutch social services who sought to prevent her from making the circumnavigation attempt due to her age.

Teenager Dekker ‘sets sail’ on world record bid

Lost at Sea – The Ocean in the English Imagination, 1550-1750

Posted on by August 21, 2010

Astrolabe c.16th -17th century

The Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC has been hosting an intriguing exhibit:  Lost at Sea – The Ocean in the English Imagination, 1550-1750.   Unfortunately the exhibit itself is almost over, running only through September 4th.  Nevertheless, for those of us who cannot make it to Washington, the exhibit website itself is fascinating.

The NY Times recently published a review of the exhibit:

The Sea and the English Who Tried to Master It.
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Right Whales Shouting to be Heard

Posted on by August 21, 2010

Recent studies by researchers at Penn State have suggested that Northern Right Whales increase the volumes of their calls to counteract increases in environmental noise, such as propeller noise from ships.  This is the first time that an ability to modulate call volume to adjust to environmental noise has been documented  in baleen whales.

Lone whales shout to overcome noise pollution

Just like people in a bar or other noisy location, North American right whales increase the volume of their calls as environmental noise increases; and just like humans, at a certain point, it may become too costly to continue to shout, according to marine and acoustic scientists.

First Large Tanker to Transit Russia’s Northeast Passage

Posted on by August 19, 2010

Interesting news from various sources on the first large tanker to transit Russia’s Northeast Passage through the Arctic.  The Barents Observer reports that the “100,000 tons tanker Baltica left Murmansk on Saturday loaded with gas condensate for China. This is the first time a high-tonnage tanker takes the Northern Sea Route from Europe to Asia.” The Barents Observer also reports, ” The tanker will be followed by the nuclear ice breakers “Rossiya”, “Taymyr” and “50 years of Victory”. The latter will have divers and specialists on oil spill clean-up as well as necessary equipment. “
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Trouble on the Delaware – Three Historic Ships at Risk

Posted on by August 19, 2010

Cruiser Olympia, the oldest steel warship afloat, but for how long?

The day after Philadelphia’s tall ship, the newly repaired, Gazela, arrived in New York harbor, an article in this morning’s New York Times focussed on the three historic ships in trouble on the Delaware River, in or near Philadelphia – the Olympia, the battleship New Jersey and the passenger liner SS United States.  Sadly, the arguably most historic of the three ships, the Olympia, is the ship at the greatest risk with no currently viable rescue plan.

Efforts in Philadelphia to Save Showpiece Ships
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Barquentine Gazela Arrives in New York Harbor

Posted on by August 19, 2010

Philadelphia’s tall ship, the barquentine Gazela Primeiro, arrived in New York harbor yesterday, on her way to PortSide New York.  (See our previous post – The Gazela at Portside with Vaudeville and Pirates – Oh My!)   The classic ship will available for daytime tours starting today through Monday the 23rd. By night,  the ship will host Philadelphia’s Cabaret Red Light’s “The Seven Deadly Seas”   tonight through Sunday.   Here are a few photographs of the Gazela taken by Captain Richard Dorfman from the schooner Pioneer.  Click on the thumbnails to view larger images.   

Two US Navy Commanding Officers Relieved of Command

Posted on by August 18, 2010

USS Peleliu

Two US Navy officers, in command of the USS Gunston Hall and USS Peleliu, were relieved of their commands within days of each other over charges related to  sexual harassment.

Cmdr. Fred R. Wilhelm, the Commanding Officer of the amphibious dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall after an investigation into allegations of sexual harassment, simple assault, and conduct unbecoming of an officer.  The ship’s former executive officer, Cmdr. Kevin S. Rafferty, and former command master chief, Wayne Owings, received non-judicial punishment for failing to take action after repeated observations of inappropriate conduct. Owings also faced sexual harassment and simple assault charges.
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SAIL Amsterdam 2010 Festival August 19th-23rd

Posted on by August 18, 2010

SAIL Amsterdam 2010, which starts tomorrow and runs through the weekend, will feature roughly 600 ships berthing in and around the harbor, ranging from traditional tall ships to historical replicas, to traditional coasting craft, as well as modern yachts and naval vessels.  Twenty Class A tall ships are expected to participate.  The festival is held every five years and is Europe’s largest nautical event.  The last festival in 2005 attracted an estimated 2 million visitors.  A great time to be in Amsterdam.

Sail Amsterdam ready to get underway

E Ship 1 – Has the Flettner Rotor Ship Finally Arrived?

Posted on by August 17, 2010

The E Ship 1 arrived in Dublin last week with a cargo of wind turbines manufactured by Enercon.    What was striking was the ship itself, with four tall pillars rising vertically from the ship, two forward and two aft.   The pillars are Flettner rotors, first  developed in the 1920s by German engineer Anton Flettner.  They are in essence, motor powered sails, 27 meters tall and 4 meters in diameter.  The spinning vertical rotors develop aerodynamic lift using the Magnus effect.   As the wind blows across the spinning rotors, they develop lift similar that of an airfoil shape of a conventional sail.  Unlike masts and sails, however, the vertical Flettner rotor does not interfere with cargo operations.  The Flettner rotors are expected to save  30-40% in fuel costs at 16 knots.
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The Gazela at Portside with Vaudeville and Pirates – Oh My!

Posted on by August 23, 2010

Earlier this month we posted about Philadelphia’s tall ship, the barquentine Gazela, returning to sea after suffering rudder damage several years ago.  After participating in a  Portuguese festival in New Bedford, MA the Gazela will be visiting PortSide  New York,starting this Thursday August 19th to Monday the 23rd.  She will be “bringing education by day and pirate cabaret at night.”  There will be daytime tours of the historic barquentine and at night Philadelphia’s  Cabaret Red Light’s troupe will be presenting nightly performances of Pirate Cabaret  – “The Seven Deadly Seas: Waylaid & Hornswoggled.”  The performaces promise “sword fights, dancing girls and plenty of vaudeville charm – definitely  not your Disney pirates.   Tickets may be purchased here. For photographs including dancing girls (oh my) check out Will’s post on the Tugster blog.

Gazela, the Country’s Oldest Wooden Square-Rigger, Comes to NYC

A review of Seven Deadly Seas

SUP Around Manhattan & Tension between Sea Sweepers and Stickless Surfers

Posted on by August 15, 2010

A week ago we posted about the increasing popularity of Stand-Up-Paddling (SUP) also known as paddle-boarding.  The sport was new to us, but obviously we have been behind the times, at least when it comes to stand-up paddling.   Last Friday, the Surfers Environmental Alliance sponsored their 4th Annual SEAPADDLE NYC, a SUP paddle and race around Manhattan (well almost all the way around.)  The events raised money for eight different charities providing services to families with autism.

In other news, the NY Times is reporting tension between traditional surfers and the SUPers who are beginning to move from calm waters to take on the big waves with paddles in hand.

Rivalry as Stand-Up Paddlers Head to Bigger Surf
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US firm awarded $110m for salvaging Titanic artifacts

Posted on by August 15, 2010

In 1994, US Courts gave salvage rights to the RMS Titanic, 2.5 miles beneath the surface of the North Atlantic, to RMS Titanic Inc, a subsidiary of Premier Exhibitions Inc,  but explicitly did not grant ownership of the wreck or the artifacts. Since then the company has undertaken seven expeditions to the wreck site and has retrieved more than 5,500 artifacts.  On Friday, a A US federal judge awarded the US exhibition company $110m for salvaging artifacts from the wreck of the RMS Titanic, ruling that the company is entitled to their full market value. Whether or not the exhibitions company will be granted ownership of the objects has yet to be determined.

US firm awarded $110m for salvaging Titanic artifacts

The Schooner Atlantic Reborn

Posted on by August 14, 2010

Photo credit: Kees Stuip

In 1905, the three masted schooner yacht Atlantic sailed 3006 miles in twelve days, four hours, one minute and nine seconds; winning the Kaiser’s Cup from New York to the Lizard and setting the record for the fastest transatlantic passage by a monohull, during a race.  The record stood for over a century and the Atlantic became a legend.

In 2007, Dutch entrepreneur, Ed Kastelein, commissioned the building of a new Atlantic, based on original plans of the William Gardner design.  Now three years after her keel was laid,  she sailed for the first time at the end of June.   The schooner is 185 feet (56 metres) on deck, with a waterline length of 138 feet (42 meters) and a bowsprit to boom length of 227 feet (69 metres).

Sailing Schooner ATLANTIC
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Removal of the Murmansk Shipwreck on Webcam and Documentary

Posted on by August 14, 2010

After a service life of almost 40 years, the Soviet light cruiser Murmansk was decommissioned and sold for scrap.  On Christmas Eve in 1994, the ship was under tow to India when the tug lost control of the ship in a storm.  The Murmansk ran aground outside the harbor breakwater just off Sørvær in northern Norway.  In 2009 money was finally appropriated to remove the wreck.   The plan is to enclose the wreck behind new temporary jetties, drain the water around the wreck, then cut the vessel in pieces on the dry bottom.  The operation should be completed in 2011.   The wreck removal is being documented as a part of a new documentary.   A panoramic webcam also has been set up for those wishing to monitor progress of the project.  Click  on the image above to see the panorama.

Shipwreck removal to become documentary

The Sinking of the Kursk – Ten Years Later

Posted on by August 13, 2010

The Russian Oscar-II class nuclear-powered cruise missile submarine Kursk sank ten years ago yesterday with a loss of all aboard.  One hundred and sixteen crew members and two weapons experts died in what is believed to have been the explosion of a faulty torpedo.  At 154m long and four stories high, the Kursk was the largest attack submarine ever built.

10 years after Kursk sinking, questions remain
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Petermann Ice Island Drifting Toward Canada could Threaten Ships, Oil Platforms

Posted on by August 12, 2010

Last Saturday we posted about a one hundred square mile ice island that broke off from the Petermann glacier in Greenland.   Experts from the Canadian government, with the aid of NASA , the European Space agency and numerous other academic institutions, are planning how to deal with the massive ice island as it breaks up while drifts to the south over the next two years, potentially threatening oil platforms and shipping.

Giant iceberg drifting toward Canada could threaten ships, oil platforms
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The Sinking of the MSC Chitra: Port Re-opens while the Finger-pointing Intensifies

Posted on by August 12, 2010

MSC Chitra

The containership MSC Chitra and the bulk carrier Khalijia 3 collided near Mumbai, India on Saturday, resulting in the sinking of the  MSC Chitra, a significant oil spill and the loss of at least 200 containers in the ship channel which posed a danger to navigation.  The spill and the lost containers, both sunk and floating, shut down full port operations.  Now five days later the port has reopened and the finger-pointing as to who is responsible for the collision has intensified.   MSC is blaming the operation of the Khalijia 3, while local news is highlighting past safety problems on the MSC Chitra.  Others are questioning the effectiveness of the response to the events by the Indian government.
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