Cmdr. Andrew Coles of HMS Astute Relieved of Command

Posted on by November 27, 2010

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

Not a great shock, but Cmdr. Andrew Coles has been relived of his command of  HMS Astute, the Royal Navy’s newest and “stealthiest” submarine which very publicly  ran aground last month near the Skye bridge off the Isle of Skye.

Officer relieved of command over grounded sub

“Commander Coles will continue to serve in the Royal Navy and he will be reappointed to a post where his talents and experience can be used to best effect,” a ministry statement said. “A new commanding officer will be appointed as soon as possible.”

Thanks to David Rye for the heads up.

Update: Boozy teens’ midnight trip goes 1300km astray

Posted on by November 27, 2010

Photo: Tai Fredricsen

On Thursday, we posted about three Tokelauan teenage boys who had attempted to row the sixty miles between two small Pacific islands, became lost and drifted  for fifty days across nearly 1,000 miles of the Pacific  in a small aluminum skiff.   A more complete story is now coming about how the three boys, two aged 15  and one 14, found themselves in this predicament. It all started with a girl.

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HMS Invincible For Sale – the Perfect Holiday Gift?

Posted on by November 27, 2010

HMS INVINCIBLE

The holiday shopping season is in full swing. But what can you get for the person who has everything? Why not a used aircraft carrier? Just because the Royal Navy won’t be able to launch ship-borne fixed wing aircraft for the next decade doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t be able to!

HMS Invincible is for sale by tender.  Admittedly the ship is a bit of a fixer-upper. She is almost thirty years old and her generators and pumps are described as generally unserviceable or not working.  The most likely buyers are steel scrap yards.  The ship may be seen by appointment only between 29th Nov 2010 and 10th Dec 2010. Bids are due by 10:00am Wednesday, January 5, 2011.

Sale by Tender – HMS Invincible
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Pirates (OK, Not Real Pirates) Drop Anchor in Key West

Posted on by November 27, 2010

In my grumpier moments, I object to celebrating Disneyfied pirates, especially given that piracy is, after all, still a serious problem and not merely a quaint relic of the 16th and 17th centuries.  Then again, I can’t be grumpy all the time.   “Pirates in Paradise”, the ten days of “pure piratical escapades celebrating Key West’s rich & colorful maritime heritage” sounds like lots of fun, particularly if enough rum is involved.

Pirates in Paradise
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Pirates Who Attacked US Navy Ship Convicted, While French Command Ship is Attacked Again

Posted on by November 25, 2010

USS Nicholas

Five Somali pirates who attacked the USS Nicholas, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate,  in a wildly misguided attempt to hijack the ship in a late night attack last April, were convicted of piracy in a court in Virginia.  The prosecution said that this is the first piracy conviction in an American courtroom since 1819.  The pirates face mandatory life terms.
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Thanksgiving at Sea – Holiday Roundoup

Posted on by November 25, 2010

Today is celebrated as a day of Thanksgiving in the United States.  At the Old Salt Blog we would like to express our sincere thanks and gratitude to all our readers and contributors, who make putting together the blog such fun. We do appreciate it.

No one agrees when or where the first Thanksgiving celebration took place in North America.  Most point to the Plimoth Colony in Massachusetts in 1621 while some argue for St Augustine, Florida in 1565.
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At TEDX: Jorne Langelaan, The new age of sail

Posted on by November 25, 2010

TED (Technology Entertainment and Design) is a global series of conferences focusing on “Ideas Worth Spreading.”   An upcoming TEDxAmsterdam conference will feature Jorne Langelaan, one of  the founders of Fair Transport Shipping. With their brigantine Tres Hombres, they are attempting to demonstrate that windpower may be a solution to sustainable cargo shipping.  Lagelaan will be speaking at the conference on November 30th.

Jorne Langelaan, The new age of sail
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Three Teenagers Found Alive after Fifty Days adrift in Pacific Ocean

Posted on by November 27, 2010

Photo: Tai Fredricsen

Three boys had attempted to row the sixty miles between two small Pacific islands. Instead they became lost at sea and drifted  for fifty days across nearly 1,000 miles of ocean in a small aluminum dinghy, surviving on raw seagull and fish, until they were rescued yesterday.  The three boys, ages 14 and 15,  are reported to be in remarkably good health.

Three teenagers, who survived on raw seagull and fish, found alive after FIFTY DAYS adrift in tiny dinghy in Pacific Ocean
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After 67 years, the truth of HMS Dasher tragedy is revealed

Posted on by February 6, 2015

In 1940 and 1941, Moore McCormack Lines took delivery of four Rio class C3 Class passenger/cargo liners from Sun Shipbuilding.   They were the Rio Hudson, the Rio Parana, the Rio de la Plata and the  Rio de Janeiro.  In May of 1942, they were all requisitioned by the US government and converted to small aircraft carriers known as “baby flat-tops.”   Three were given to the Royal Navy and one was retained by the US Navy.   The Rio Parana, renamed HMS Biter, had a difficult service life, being hit by a torpedo from one of her own aircraft and then later being damaged by fire while in port.  The Rio de Janeiro, however had the most tragic history.  Renamed HMS Dasher, she sank after an explosion during aircraft refueling on March 27, 1943, with a loss of 379 out of 528 crewmen.    At the time, the cause of the explosion was covered up.  Now author and historian John Steele and his wife Noreen have written a book, The American Connection to the Sinking of HMS Dasher, examining the causes of the tragic sinking.

After 67 years, the truth of HMS Dasher tragedy is revealed
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Sea Shepherd Farce Continues with New Toy Boat and Movie Star

Posted on by November 23, 2010

Paul Watson and his merry band of bumbling pirates, the Sea Shepherds, stars of the “reality” TV show, Whale Wars, have a new high speed toy boat and have recruited Michelle Rodriguez, the actor who played the kick-ass helicopter pilot in the hit movie, Avatar, to join them at some point, her schedule permitting, on a voyage in the Southern Ocean.  Nothing like a flashy boat  and Hollywood tough-girl glamor when violating international law on “reality TV.”
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The Big U to become a dockside casino? What are the odds?

Posted on by November 23, 2010

Photo: MICHAEL S. WIRTZ

They are two projects in trouble.  One is a group of ship enthusiasts trying to save the rusting hulk of an historic passenger liner and the other, an Indian tribe trying to save a long-delayed casino project.

Yesterday, the SS United States Conservancy proposed moving the SS United States upriver to become part of the new Foxwoods/Harrah’s casino project on the Delaware River in Philadelphia.  So far, the casino group has shown no interest in the proposal, facing challenges and deadlines of its own.
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Tasting the Shipwreck Champagne and Brewing Shipwreck Beer

Posted on by November 22, 2010

Last July, we posted about Baltic Bubbly – ‘World’s oldest champagne’, bottles of champagne thought to pre-date the French Revolution found in a shipwreck on the Baltic seabed.  Recently there was a tasting of one of the bottles of the historic champagne in Mariehamn.  The champagne was judged to be quite palatable and is expected to fetch up to £40,000 a bottle at an upcoming public auction.

Bottles of beer were also found at the same shipwreck.  Last week, Finnish authorities said that they would allow one or several modern breweries to replicate the recipe of beer.

Shipwreck champagne could fetch £40,000 a bottle

Minsento’s Deep Green Underwater Kite

Posted on by November 23, 2010

Minesto, a spin-off of the Swedish-based Saab Group, has a new approach to harnessing tidal energy – underwater kites.   They have recently raised an excessive of €2 million in new capital to test the company’s underwater kite generator design, Deep Green, off the coast of Northern Ireland.

Deep Green Tidal Kites: The Newest Underwater Green Energy Initiative
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Fire on the Carnival Splendor – What did it cost?

Posted on by November 21, 2010

What did the fire on the Carnival Splendor cost Carnival Corporation?  No one really knows exactly, but Carnival announced that they estimate a cost of 7 cents per share.   Based on the number of outstanding shares from their 2009 10k, on a fully diluted basis, that puts the estimated cost at around $56 million dollars.   Most of this is presumably lost revenue from the cruise operations. The Splendor will be out of service until mid January, 2011.