Remains of 4,000-Year-Old Mesopotamian Boat Discovered

Posted on by April 17, 2022

Photo: Deutsches Archäologisches Institut

When the burial ship at Sutton Hoo in the UK was uncovered in 1939, the ship itself was missing. The wooden planks and frames of the ship, dating from around 600 AD, had rotted away. Nevertheless, an almost intact impression of the hull was left in the hard-packed soil.

Now the remains of a Mesopotamian boat, estimated to date back 4,000 years, have been discovered. Like the Sutton Hoo ship, the organic material that made up the boat’s hull had rotted away, but the boat’s form was preserved by the waterproof coating of bitumen that had originally covered the hull.

The largely intact 4,000-year-old Mesopotamian boat was discovered in excavations of the ancient Sumerian city of Uruk by a joint German-Iraqi team. The Deutsches Archäologisches Institut describes the boat as 23′ long and up to 4.5′ wide. It is not thicker than 3/8″ in many places. The organic remains are no longer preserved and are only visible as imprints in the bitumen. During the excavation, the boat was documented three-dimensionally by photogrammetry. The archaeological context shows that it sank at the bank of a river that has since silted up, probably about 4000 years ago, and was overlaid by sediments.

Continue reading →

Adolph Hitler’s Yachts — Part 2 : Ostwind and the Offshore Reef

Posted on by April 24, 2022

Nordwind, sister to Ostwind Image: ClassicSailboats.org

Yesterday we posted about the patrol ship, the Grille, described by some as “Hitler’s yacht.” Today we will look at a second vessel to bear the same title — the Ostwind.

In 1936, the German government had two racing sailboats built, the Ostwind and the Nordwind, reputedly because the German sailing team had performed poorly in the previous Olympics. The Ostwind was seized by the Americans in 1947, while the Nordwind was said to be taken by the British and renamed White Rose. The two sailboats were designed by Heinrich Gruber, a well-known naval architect of the day, and were 85′ overall. 

Was the Ostwind really Hitler’s yacht? It seems doubtful. There is allegedly a photograph of Hitler and his Mistress Eva Braun taken aboard the boat, but there is no real evidence that Hitler spent much time aboard. The legend of the Ostwind as Hitler’s yacht seem to spring up in the 1950s when the boat was in the United States and a group of investors attempted to raise money to restore the boat and make it a museum. Stories of romantic getaways on the yacht arose as did an account that Hitler had a special fondness for the boat and always referred to it as his “special lady.” These tales seemed to originate in the decades after the war, however.

Continue reading →

Adolph Hitler’s Yachts — Part 1: Aviso Grille & the New Jersey Repair Shop Toilet

Posted on by April 23, 2022

With the advent of Putin’s brutal invasion of Ukraine, we have posted about superyachts owned by Russian oligarchs including several yachts that may or may not be owned by the dictator himself.  Here is a two-part post about yachts associated with another brutal despot — Adolph Hitler. 

Adolph Hitler does not seem to have been much of a yachtsman. He may have been too busy invading other countries and committing mass murder to spend much time aboard ships and boats. Nevertheless, at least one sailboat and one small ship have gone down in history labeled as “Hitler’s yachts.” Whether they deserved that designation is the subject of considerable disagreement. Both vessels are gone and yet remnants of each have stayed with us — in an artificial reef in the Atlantic off South Florida and, oddly enough, in the bathroom of an auto repair shop in South Jersey. 

Continue reading →

Repost: Swimming with Sea Lions in the Galapagos

Posted on by April 22, 2022

My wife and I took an incredible trip to the Galapagos in 2017. An updated repost.  We spent a week on Ecoventura‘s 83’ MY Eric and visited six of the more eastern islands of the archipelago. We saw many of the species of plants and animals that helped Charles Darwin formulate his theory of evolution as described in his “On the Origin of the Species” of 1859. One of our favorites were the nearly ubiquitous sea lions which we snorkeled with almost every day.

Shortly after we started snorkeling off the beach at Punta Pitt on San Cristobal, on our first full day in the Galapagos, several sea lion pups swam over to play.  We were barely in waist deep water before two pups began literally swimming circles around us. The short video we shot is below. 

Continue reading →

Repost: Swimming with Galápagos Green Sea Turtles

Posted on by April 12, 2022

An updated repost. Like so many other species, Galápagos green sea turtles are unique to the archipelago. Here is a short video of snorkeling with Galápagos green sea turtles off Punto Cormorant on Floreana Island in the Galapagos in early November, 2017. 

Galápagos Sea Green Turtles, Floreana Island, Galapagos

Nautical Coincidence & Lifeboat Morality – Richard Parker and the Mignonette

Posted on by April 12, 2022

Here is another old favorite, a companion repost to yesterday’s repost of “The Unsinkable Hugh Williams – Truth Behind the Legend?”

We recently posted in response to a video, “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?.”  It recounted how three men named Hugh Williams were each the only survivors of shipwrecks in the treacherousness Menai Straits off North Wales. More remarkably, two of the Hugh Williams escaped from shipwrecks on the same day,  December 5th separated by over a hundred years.  The video claimed that all three Hugh Williams’ ships sank on December 5th, but that was not the case.  And Hugh Williams is a very common name in North Wales, so while it is a remarkable coincidence, it doesn’t quite rank as the “strangest ever recorded.”

On the topic of nautical coincidences, Chris Quigley at the Quigley’s Cabinet blog, mentioned the Mignonette coincidence.  All that we can say is, Hugh Williams meet Richard Parker.  The case of Richard Parker and the Mignonette does indeed involve coincidence but the story remains compelling because it raises issues of morality that are very tricky to address, even to this day.

Continue reading →

Repost: The Unsinkable Hugh Williams – Truth Behind the Legend?

Posted on by April 19, 2022

I am traveling this week, so it seems like a good time to repost an old blog favorite, the remarkable story of the unsinkable Hugh Williams.

There is a video bouncing around the web these days called “The Strangest Coincidence Ever Recorded?”   (The video is embedded at the bottom of the post.) It tells the story of a ship that sank in the Menai Strait off the coast of Wales on December 5, 1664. All 81 passengers died, except one. His name was Hugh Williams. Then on December 5th, 1785 another ship with 60 aboard sank in the Menai Strait. The only survivor – a man named Hugh Williams. In 1820 on December 5th, a third vessel sank in the Menai Strait. All 25 aboard were drowned except, you guessed it, a man named Hugh Williams.

An amazing tale, but is it history or just an oft retold sea story?   It could easily be a bit of each.

Continue reading →

After Unloading 500 Containers & Additional Dredging Ever Forward is Finally Free

Posted on by April 18, 2022

Stuck in Chesapeake Bay mud for more than five weeks, the container ship Ever Forward is finally free. Refloating the 1,100-foot long ship required discharging 500 containers and additional dredging but she was dragged by seven tugs from the mudbank early on Sunday. Once freed and in the channel, the ship needed to be quickly ballasted to be able to fit under the Bay Bridge. The ship was then anchored to complete a damage survey.

Ever Forward on the move

Thanks to David Rye for contributing to this post.

Götheborg of Sweden: Climbing the Rig

Posted on by April 12, 2022

Sailing onboard Götheborg of Sweden involves climbing and working in the rig, at the highest about 40 meters up, or far out on a yard. Everyone who sails with the ship goes through rig training, and even though most are a bit nervous, to begin with, it soon becomes one of the favorite tasks for many on board. This short film clip is footage from the midship watch on the sailing leg from Stockholm to Gothenburg in September 2021.

Climbing the Rig

Götheborg of Sweden: Life Onboard as a Deckhand

Posted on by April 12, 2022

A short video that seeks to answer the question, what is it like to sail onboard Götheborg of Sweden as a deckhand? Have a look at what happens onboard: From bringing your passport when you sign on, to rig training, lessons, fire round, lookout post – and all the other fun things that happen onboard!

This short video was shot in September last year (2021) when the organization’s Head of Communication sailed with the ship from Stockholm to Gothenburg, and “volunteered” to be the guinea pig for explaining life on board.

Life onboard as a deckhand

Museum Ship USS The Sullivans Floods at Dock in Lake Erie

Posted on by April 16, 2022

Sad news. The museum ship, the USS The Sullivans in the Buffalo and Erie County Naval & Military Park was taking on water Thursday morning.  Buffalo News reports that Paul Marzello, park president and CEO, said the park staff realized the ship was taking on water between 9 and 10 p.m. Wednesday. They put an emergency repair call into Bidco, the company hired to repair the hull of the decommissioned destroyer.

USS The Sullivans (DD-537) is a retired United States Navy Fletcher-class destroyer. The ship was named in honor of the five Sullivan brothers (George, Francis, Joseph, Madison, and Albert) aged 20 to 27 who lost their lives when their ship, USS Juneau, was sunk by a Japanese submarine during the Naval Battle of Guadalcanal on 13 November 1942. This was the greatest military loss by any one American family during World War II. She was also the first ship commissioned in the Navy that honored more than one person. Continue reading →

Moscow Burning — Explosions & Fire Engulf Russian Flagship Moskva

Posted on by April 14, 2022

Moskva, a guided-missile cruiser and the flagship of the Russian Black Sea fleet, suffered ammunition explosions and fire while operating in the Black Sea off Odesa on April 13. Exactly what happened is unclear. 

Reuters reports that Ukraine’s southern military command said that it hit the warship with a Ukrainian-made Neptune anti-ship missile and that it had started to sink.

Russia said that a fire broke out aboard the ship that caused an explosion of ammunition. They say that the crew of its Black Sea fleet flagship were evacuated on Thursday and measures were being taken to tow the ship back to port.  Continue reading →

Repost: The Zong Massacre, General Average and Abolition

Posted on by April 12, 2022

Yesterday we posted about the What, How, & Why of the Ancient Principle of General Average. Here is a repost about a massacre, in which general average was declared involving a shipment of human cargo.

On November 29, 1781, the British slave ship Zong was desperately short of potable water, in part due to an error in navigation and in part due to an incompetent cooper. Captain Luke Collingwood, in command of the ship, ordered his crew to throw one-third of the ship’s cargo overboard — a shipment of Africans bound for slavery in Jamaica. Between November 29th and December 1st, 132 Africans, still bound in shackles, were thrown overboard and drowned.  The ship and its human cargo had been insured in England for £8,000.  After the ship finally arrived in port, the ship’s owners filed an insurance claim for the Africans killed by the officers and crew, claiming general average.

Continue reading →

The What, How, & Why of the Ancient Principle of General Average

Posted on by April 12, 2022

Kyrenia Ship. When the original ship was sailing in around 300 BC, General Average had already been in practice for 500-1,000 years.

Following several attempts to free the Ever Forward, the ship’s owner declared General Average, citing “the increasing costs arising from the continued attempts to refloat the vessel.” What this means, in practice, is that the owners of the cargo now stuck aboard the ship will not only have to wait longer to receive their cargo but will have to pay more to get it. 

The principle of general average is that all partners in a maritime venture share the risk of the venture. Specifically, the costs of any cargo loss resulting from necessary efforts to save the ship, the crew, and the rest of the cargo will be shared among the rest of the cargo owners.
Continue reading →

Update: Floating Cranes Begin to Unload Containers from Stranded Ever Forward

Posted on by April 11, 2022

Container News is reporting that the unloading of containers from Ever Forward has begun. The plan is to unload 550 containers over the next few days to lighten the load of the ship before the next refloat attempt. Salvors are currently moving a box every ten minutes on average.

As of 11:00 am, local time, today, April 11, 54 containers have been removed, according to Container News sources. “More containers will be unloaded today as both crane barges are now unloading the containers simultaneously,” an official told Container News.

During daylight hours, cranes will lift the containers onto receiving barges. Those barges will ferry the containers back to the Seagirt Marine Terminal in Baltimore. Continue reading →

Repost: Snorkeling With Manatees in a Murky Crystal River

Posted on by April 10, 2022

Yesterday, we posted about Florida manatees that are starving because pollution in Florida waterways has decimated the sea grass that manatees rely on as food during the winter months.  I was reminded of a post from 2017 about snorkeling with manatees in Crystal River, Florida that captured both the hope for manatee recovery while also observing the problem of water pollution.

2017 was actually a very good year for Florida manatees. The state manatee population had grown from just over a thousand in 1991 to over 6,000.  Regulations to limit boat speed in areas frequented by manatees have been largely successful as have efforts to preserve winter habitats.

Nevertheless, water pollution was an increasing problem. Crystal River, known for gin clear water, had grown murky due to a type of alga known as Lyngbya, fed by excess fertilizer, leaky sewer and septic tanks, and domestic animal waste leaching into the local springs from the groundwater. Here is a 2017 repost, including video of snorkeling with manatees:

Continue reading →

Update: Florida Manatees Are Starving, 10 Tons of Lettuce May Be Too Little, Too Late

Posted on by April 9, 2022

In December we posted about an emergency feeding program for starving Florida manatees to help them survive the winter. The sea grass that manatees rely on for food has been decimated by pollution, killed off by algae blooms fueled largely by human waste and fertilizer runoff from lawns and farms. As more people moved to the region and wastewater infrastructure aged, more toxins leaked into the waterways.

Over the winter, state and federal wildlife officials fed manatees in the Indian River Lagoon ten tons of romaine lettuce to supplement their dwindling food supply. 

The New York Times reports that the feeding experiment, funded by $116,000 in public donations, was a gamble. Between Jan. 1 and April 1, the number of confirmed deaths fell to 479, down from 612 in 2021. In 2020, that figure was 205.

Continue reading →

Virginia, Maine’s First Ship, Scheduled For Early June Launch

Posted on by June 6, 2022

Pinnace Virginia, Image: Maine’s First Ship

A reconstruction of the pinnace Virginia is nearing completion after being under construction for over a decade in Bath, Maine. The original 51-foot pinnace, built in 1607 by the Popham Colony at its settlement at the mouth of the Kennebec River, was the first English ocean-going ship built in the Americas. If all goes well, the new Virginia will be launched into the Kennebec River on June 4th.

The new Virginia’s keel was laid in 2011, said Maine’s First Ship Executive Director, Kirstie Truluck. Research, planning and construction, however, dates back to 1994 when the remains of the Popham Colony were discovered at the southernmost end of Phippsburg.

Continue reading →

Navy Seeks To Dispose of All Freedom-Class Littoral Combat Ships Now in Service

Posted on by April 8, 2022

USS Little Rock

USNI News reports that the nine Freedom-class Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) currently in Navy service – the youngest of which commissioned in 2020 – have been marked for disposal as part of the Department of Defense’s Fiscal Year 2023 budget proposal.

The ships – USS Fort Worth (LCS-3), USS Milwaukee (LCS-5), USS Detroit (LCS-7), USS Little Rock (LCS-9), USS Sioux City (LCS-11), USS Wichita (LCS-13), USS Billings (LCS-15), and USS St. Louis (LCS-19) – are part of the 24 ships the service has chosen to decommission in FY 2023 for an estimated $3.6 billion in savings.

Continue reading →

Changes at the Helm of the Historic Maine Schooner Lewis R. French

Posted on by April 7, 2022

Congratulations to Captain Becky Wright and Nathan Sigouin who have taken over the helm and the stewardship of the historic Maine schooner Lewis R. French. Launched in April 1871, the French is a National Historic Landmark and the oldest commercial sailing vessel in the U.S.  

From the schooner’s website:

Captain Becky Wright and Nathan Sigouin take great pride in owning a vessel as wonderful as the Lewis R. French.

Captain Becky

Becky grew up in the woods of New Hampshire, taking trips to visit family on the Maine Coast. Starting as a young teenager she began reading every bit of material on traditional sailing she could get her hands on, from Chapman’s Piloting and Small Boat Handling to the writings of Patrick O’Brian and C.S. Forester.

Continue reading →