Aftermath of the Tsunami – Explosion at Nuclear Power Plant, Five Reactors at Risk

Posted on by March 12, 2011

Explosion at the Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 reactor

Friday’s 8.9 magnitude earthquake and 10-meter high tsunami on the  coast of northeast Japan devastated cities and villages, killing as many as 1,300.   It also significantly damaged at least five nuclear reactors at two power plants. Yesterday afternoon, a massive explosion rocked the Fukushima Daiichi No. 1 reactor, causing a portion of a building to crumble, and injuring four workers.  Radiation is now leaking from the reactor which is at risk of a melt-down.

Explosion rocks Japanese nuclear power plant; 5 reactors in peril
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32nd Annual Snow Row at the Hull Lifesaving Museum

Posted on by March 11, 2011

The Hull Lifesaving Museum near Boston is sponsoring their 32nd Annual “Snow Row” this weekend. Festivities begin with the annual “Snow Ball” this evening at the Clarion Nantasket Beach Resort and Conference Center, followed by Saturday’s race at the Windmill Point Boathouse, Hull.

32nd Annual Snow Row
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Huge 8.9 Earthquake off Japan Triggers Tsunami , Tsunami Warnings in Hawaii and USS West Coast

Posted on by March 11, 2011

Photo: Kyodo News, via Associated Press

The largest earthquake in Japanese recorded history, 8.9 on the Richter scale, which struck about 80 miles offshore, has triggered devastating tsunami waves on the  coast of northeast Japan.   Tsunami warnings have gone up in at least 50 countries and territories, including Hawaii and the US West Coast.

Huge Earthquake Triggers Tsunami Off Japan’s Coast
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The Oldest Albatross, a Mother at 60!

Posted on by March 10, 2011

The U.S. Geological Survey press release began:  “The oldest known U.S. wild bird – a coyly conservative 60 — is a new mother.”

Why the Albatross Is Our Albatross

Last month, a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service biologist spotted this Laysan albatross on the world’s most remote coral atoll, smack in the middle of the Pacific near Hawaii. The bird was first tagged by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in 1956, when she was estimated to be about five years old. That means today, she’s at least 60 — the oldest known living wild bird in the U.S.
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Maersk Alabama Attacked for the Third Time – Will Armed Guards on Merchant Ships Become the Norm?

Posted on by March 10, 2011

This week the Maersk Alabama was attacked by pirates for the third time in the last two years.    In April of 2009, pirates boarded the Maersk containership and took her captain, Richard Phillips, hostage.  He was later rescued when Navy sharpshooters killed the pirates who were holding him.  Then in November of 2009, another group of pirates attacked the ship, but were driven off by armed guards aboard the ship.    This week, fire from armed personnel on the ship also drove off the pirates.

Pirates target the Maersk Alabama again
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Red Sea Piracy may be going Multinational

Posted on by March 9, 2011

Piracy in the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean can be wildly profitable and is relatively risk free.   If a pirate is caught by any of the multinational naval task force, chances are that they will simply let the pirate go free.   So I suppose it isn’t surprising that that not only has the scope of piracy expanded to encompass the Indian Oceans and Arabia Sea, but now it also appears that the pool of pirates is also becoming multi-national.  In addition to Somalis,  Yemenis are also getting into the act.

Red Sea piracy may be going multinational – U.S.
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On International Women’s Day – An interview with Rescue Swimmer Sarah Faulkner

Posted on by July 15, 2020

Today is International Women’s Day.  Indeed, it is the 100th Anniversary of the first International  Women’s Day in 1911.   We have followed with interest the women who have progressively stepped up to serve in jobs that not too long ago were reserved solely for men –  whether on submarines,  the bridge of a cruise ship,  from the engine room flat to the bridge of a research vessel, or rowing alone across a mighty ocean.   Now in honor of International  Women’s Day, here is an interview with US Coast Guard Rescue Swimmer Petty Officer Second Class Sara Faulkner. She is one of 300 rescue swimmers in the Coast Guard and one of only four women.

She’ll drop in and save your life
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New Owner Sought for Cruiser Olympia

Posted on by March 8, 2011

Yesterday the Independence Seaport Museum posted a “NOTICE OF AVAILABILITY OF TRANSFER APPLICATION PROCESS FOR CRUISER, OLYMPIA” to formally begin the process of seeking a new owner for the historic cruiser launched in 1892.  From the notice:

The Olympia, Admiral Dewey’s flagship and once the most celebrated, state-of-the art naval vessel afloat, will be scrapped or scuttled unless a new owner can be found. In terms of historic value, the National Historic Landmark Olympia has been equated to the USS Constitution and the Constellation as one of the most important vessels in U.S. Naval history. The ship straddles the shift between the age of sail and the age of steel, and marks the launch of the modern steel Navy. Deferred maintenance has reached a critical stage and the ship requires $2-5 million of immediate stabilization. A further estimated $10-20 million will be required for dry-dock and restoration.
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U.S. Commandos Retake Tanker MV Guanabara From Pirates

Posted on by March 8, 2011

Commandos from the USS Bulkeley boarded the Japanese owned tanker MV Guanabara on Sunday after the crew reported that the ship was under attack by pirates.  The commandos captured four pirates aboard the ship without firing a shot.  The crew had withdrawn to the ship’s “safe room.”

U.S. Commandos Free Ship, Crew From Pirates
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Mate on the Phone With his Mother During Collision with Duck Boat

Posted on by March 8, 2011

Last July, there was a collision involving the tug Caribbean Sea pushing a barge and a disabled “Duck boat” DUKW 34 at anchor in the Delaware River off Philadelphia. Two of the 35 passengers on the duck boat drowned in the collision.  The mate, the officer on watch, was apparently talking to his mother on the phone prior to and during the collision.

Tug boat lookout on phone during fatal crash, safety board says
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Did Vikings Navigate with ‘Sunstones’?

Posted on by March 7, 2013

When the sun was out the Vikings could navigate with “sun compass,”  a sort of modified sundial.   According to legend, when the sky was overcast the Vikings used a “sunstone.”  A new study suggests that the sunstone might not have been legend.

Did Vikings navigate with ‘sunstone’?

Vikings could have navigated the oceans in inclement weather with the aid of a crystal that pinpointed the sun’s location behind banks of clouds and fog, a new study suggests.
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Adjust Your Compass Now: the North Pole is Migrating to Russia

Posted on by January 22, 2014

In June of last year, we posted about the Quest for the South Magnetic Pole.  Recently the Independent featured an article describing how the magnetic north pole is  moving faster than at any time in human history, apparently shifting from Canada to Russia.

Adjust your compass now: the north pole is migrating to Russia
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Update: XO Movie Night on the Enterprise – the Admiral’s Report

Posted on by March 6, 2011

On Thursday Adm. John C. Harvey Jr., the head of Fleet Forces Command, announced the results of the investigation of the aircraft carrier Enterprise videos and recommended punishment for 40 officers and senior enlisted sailors.

Lewd Navy Video Report

Lewd Navy Videos Sink More Than The Captain Who Made Them
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Commander Nigel Matthews

Posted on by March 6, 2011

Commander Nigel Matthews

Commander Nigel Matthews, who has died aged 89, survived being run over by an aircraft carrier and flew again the same day.

Nigel Matthews died on December 19. His first wife died in 1977; he married, secondly, Annette Pask (née Pinhey) in 1979 and she predeceased him in 2008. He is survived by four children of his first marriage and a stepdaughter.
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