Ten years ago today, the Confederate Navy submarine H.L. Hunley was raised from the bottom of Charleston harbor in South Carolina, where it sank in 1864. The Hunley was the first submarine to sink an enemy warship in combat. A decade after the submarine was raised, there is still no consensus on the cause of the submarine sinking after it attacked and sank the USS Housatonic on blockade duty in Charleston’s outer harbor.
10 years on, mystery of Confederate sub remains
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Enormous Ice Block Breaks Off Greenland Glacier
A 100-square-mile block of ice 600 feet thick has calved off one of the largest ocean-bordering glaciers in Greenland. The Arctic hasn’t lost a chunk of ice that big since 1962.
“In the early morning hours of August 5, an ice island four times the size of Manhattan was born in northern Greenland,” oceanographer Andreas Muenchow of University of Delaware said in a press release August 6. “The freshwater stored in this ice island could keep the Delaware or Hudson rivers flowing for more than two years. It could also keep all U.S. public tap water flowing for 120 days.”
Petermann glacier is located about 600 miles south of the North Pole. Muenchow and a team of scientists have been studying it since 2003. They had been expecting the glacier to calve, but this piece is much larger than anyone had expected.
The glacier lost about one-quarter of its 43-mile long floating ice-shelf.
This is the season for waterfront and harbor festivals. Here are three that promise good food along with music and the sea air.
In Washington state, the first Gig Harbor Wine & Food Festival starts at noon today at the future site of the Harbor History Museum. The festival features tasting tent with more than 35 wineries, local restaurants and food businesses and is sponsored by the Harbor History Museum and the Gig Harbor Historic Waterfront Association.
About a thousand miles down the Pacific Cost, as part of the summer-long Long Beach Sea Festival, the 17th Annual Long Beach Crawfish Festival starts today, promising lots of crawfish and Zydeco music. A taste of Louisiana on the West Coast.
Down East on the East Coast, in Rockland Maine the 63rd Annual Maine Lobster Festival is in fill swing. It started on Wednesday and continues through Sunday.
An update to our previous post – the Sapphire Princess cruise ship, which was found to have impaled a female humpback whale on her bulbous bow last week, probably did not kill the whale. A necropsy finished this week suggests that the whale was already dead. This is the second dead whale impaled by the Sapphire Princess in two years. Almost exactly a year ago, the Sapphire Princess arrived in Vancouver with 70′ fin whale impaled on its bow. A subsequent necropsy determined that the fin whale had also probably been dead when struck by the cruise ship.
Inspectors have identified traces of homemade explosives on the hull of the MOL tanker M. Star, confirming that it was the target of a terrorist attack. The ship was struck by an explosion just after midnight on July 28, as the vessel was traveling through the Strait of Hormuz. A group with ties to Al-Qaida has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Japanese oil tanker hit by terrorist bomb, say inspectors
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We recently posted about the world’s oldest champagne found on the Baltic seabed. While not as old, yet equally historic, a case of Shackleton’s Whisky has recently gone on display at the the Canterbury Museum in Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island.
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Last week we posted about Navy Days at the Portsmouth Naval Base which took place over the weekend. Thanks to David Hayes for pointing out this video of the festivities for all of us who couldn’t make it to Portsmouth.
Nina & Pinta
Replicas of two of Christopher Columbus’ ships, the Nina and Pinta, will be visiting Hudson, Wisconsin. The ships will be open to visitors at the Hudson Docks from Friday, Aug. 6, through Monday, Aug. 16.
Columbus Ship Replicas Come To Wisconsin
The “Nina” was built without power tools. Archaeology magazine calls it “the most historically correct Columbus replica ever built.” The “Pinta” was recently built to accompany the “Nina.”
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Sounds like a great evening for those in the New York area. Thanks to Al Cuenin for the heads up.
From oceans to puddles, songs of the seas, lakes, canals, and the ships and sailors who sail them. A singalong evening aboard an historic tanker, the Mary Whalen. Bring voices, instruments, and ears. Bring the kids. Bring a picnic. This will be a grand evening for the whole family.
When: Sunday 8 August, 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. TankerTime aboard the Mary Whalen starts at 5:00 p.m.
Where: see www.portsidenewyork.org
Who: Singers and musicians from the Folk Music Society of New York
How much: Free
The Salem Maritime Festival starts this Friday. The tall ship Friendship of Salem will be joined in port by Schooner Thomas E. Lannon and Schooner Fame of Salem. The Friendship is a replica of an 1797 East Indiaman. The Thomas E. Lannon is based on the design of a fishing schooner while the Fame is a replica of the successful privateer from the War of 1812. In addition to these vessels, the master gun team of USS Constitution will conduct full gun exercises with a replica 1812-era 5,600-pound cast iron long gun. There will also be live demonstrations of boat-building, coopering, rope making, cargo loading, sail-setting, and other traditional crafts.
Over the last week, there have been no shortage of theories and often contradictory claims about what caused the damage to the hull and deck house of the MOL tanker M. Star while transiting the Straits of Hormuz. The initial suggestion by a port official in the United Arab Emirates that the ship was hit by a freak wave has been largely discounted. Likewise the claim by an Iranian marine authority that the explosion was do “tank overheating”, does not appear consistent with the damage to the ship. Other theories have included a collision, possibly with a submarine, a grenade and sea mine. Recently there has been speculation that the damage was caused by a waterborne improvised explosive device.
Recently, Abdullah Azzam Brigades, a group associated with Al Qaeda, has claimed responsibility for an attack on the ship. Some analysts have expressed skepticism as the group has made questionable claims in the past. The investigation continues.
Happy birthday to the United States Coast Guard! Two hundred and twenty years ago today, Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, created the Revenue-Marine, later renamed the Revenue Cutter Service. For nine years, until the re-establishment of the United States Navy in 1798, the Revenue Cutter Service was the only naval force of the young republic. The U.S. Coast Guard was established in 1915 when the Revenue Cutter Service was merged with the United States Life-Saving Service. The joining of the two organizations established the Coast Guard’s dual role of life saving and law enforcement.
U.S. Coast Guard to celebrate 220th birthday
I see that today is also the birthday of President Obama, who is 171 years younger than the US Coast Guard. Our best birthday wishes to both.
Race number two of the Tall Ships Races 2010 is now under way from Kristiansand, Norway to Hartlepool, UK. The tall ships will be on display in Hartlepool from August 7th through the 10th.
The lovely schooner A.J. Meerwald will be sailing out of Cape May, one of the loveliest towns in New Jersey, through early September. From the folks at Bayshore Discovery Project:
Utsch’s Marina in Cape May will be the port-of-call for New Jersey’s Tall Ship, the authentically restored 1928 oyster schooner A.J. Meerwald, from August 3 through Sept. 5, 2010. The Meerwald offers unique sailing experiences for visitors young, old and in-between. Join a pirate crew, sample some salty oysters, trawl for marine life, send the kids off for a day-camp on the high seas, or take an evening cruise after a day on the beach.
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Just over a week after a Dutch court gave 14 year old Laura Dekker permission to attempt to sail around the world alone, the teenager is setting sail. She will be sailing first from the Netherlands to Portugal with her father as crew. Her solo round the world attempt will start from Portugal at a date yet to be announced. One of the objections to her attempted round the world sail was that it will interfere with her schooling. Perhaps to assuage these concerns, Ms. Dekker has posted a photo of the school books she will be taking with her on her voyage on her blog.
