On March 20th, 1602 the Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie, the VOC, or in English, the United Dutch East India Company was established as a chartered company. It would dominate European trade with Asia for almost 200 years.
Claude Choules, the last surviving combat veteran of World War I celebrated his 110th birthday with family and friends in Perth earlier this month. Though he served in two World Wars, the first in the Royal Navy and the second in the Australian Navy, he hated war according to his son, who said that he only marched in Anzac Day parades when he was ordered to.
Claude Choules, last World War I veteran ‘hated war,’ says son
He’s the last known male survivor of more than 70 million military personnel during WWI, after American veteran Frank Buckles passed away on Sunday also aged 110.
Continue reading
Last November, we posted about the rebuilding of the last commercial Thames sailing barge, Cambria. The reconstruction is nearing its completion. Tomorrow, Monday 21st March, 2011, the Cambria will be relaunched into Faversham Creek, and move downstream to Iron Wharf to complete fitting-out.
Photo: Mark Teiwes
We can only wish them the best of luck and look forward to trying their rum.
Rum’s in the family – Ipswich distillery inspired by privateer ancestor
It seems Andrew Cabot has inherited not only his name, but some business sense and a taste for rum from his ancestor.
Continue reading
The Greek-owned 75,000 tonne bulk carrier, MV Oliva ran aground on March 16th at 04.30, at Spinners Point, on the far north-west promontory of Nightingale Island, a 4 square kilometer island in the Tristan da Cunha archipelago in the South Atlantic. The crew of 22 have been taken to safety on Tristan da Cuhna. As of Friday, it was reported that the MV Oliva was breaking up and that all or part of part of her 1,500 tonnes of heavy fuel oil was spilling into the water around Nightingale Island. The MV Oliva was in transit from Santos, Brazil to Singapore with a cargo of soybeans. A salvage tug is on its way from Cape Town and is expected to arrive at Nightingale on the 21st.
Tristan da Cunha is the most remote inhabited archipelago in the world, lying 2,816 kilometres (1,750 mi) from the nearest land, South Africa, and 3,360 kilometres (2,088 mi) from South America. There is considerable concern about the environmental and economic impact of the grounding.
Continue reading
The US Coast Guard Barque Eagle, built in Hamburg, Germany, in 1936, arrived in Philadelphia on Friday, on the first stop of her 75th anniversary tour.
The tall ship Eagle has landed _ in Philadelphia
Continue reading
Tonight the moon will rise larger and brighter than it has in almost twenty years. It will be a super “perigee moon” when the appearance of the full moon coincides with the passing of the moon closest to the earth.
[iframe: title=”YouTube video player” width=”480″ height=”295″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/r1yalg_Apdw” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen]
Continue reading
This sounds like a wonderful gig for the right artist.
Artist required for The Tall Ships Races 2011 onboard Swan
In a first for The Tall Ships Races, the former herring drifter Swan will host an artist in residence for the whole of The Tall Ships Races 2011. In a project called, ‘LK 243 Undersail’, the Swan Trust with partners, Shetland Arts and Taigh Chearsabhagh Arts Centre, North Uist has received funding from Creative Scotland and Scotland’s Islands Fund. The project will focus on Swan, its crew, the host ports and the people involved in The Tall Ships Races 2011.
Continue reading
Just reading in Treehugger about Nic Kruger, a furniture designer, in Knysna, South Africa, who runs Shipwreck Furniture, which makes tables, benches and shelves from timber recovered from shipwrecked boats. Very interesting stuff. Not sure that it goes with the decor in my house. Then again, most of the time, my office looks a bit like a shipwreck, so who knows. To check out their portfolio of furniture click here.
The son of a fisherman, who moved on to selling khat, Saeed Yare became a pirate only two years ago and “earned” over $2.4 million in 2010 in ransom of ships and crews. It is estimated that piracy is inflicting a $12-billion toll on the global economy.
Somali pirate: I made $2.4 mln from ransoms in 2010
Continue reading
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.
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
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.
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″]
The German submarine U-106 was believed to have hit a British mine when it sank on October 7, 1917 off the coast of the Netherlands.