Samoa police say 63 dead in tsunami, toll may rise

Posted on by April 24, 2010

Samoa police say 63 dead in tsunami, toll may rise

Samoan police commissioner Lilo Maiava told The Associated Press that police have confirmed 63 deaths, and officials are still searching the devastated areas, so the number of deaths might rise soon.

A powerful Pacific Ocean earthquake with a magnitude between 8.0 and 8.3 spawned towering tsunami waves that swept ashore early Tuesday on Samoa and American Samoa, flooding and flattening villages, killing dozens of people and leaving scores of others missing. At least 19 people also were killed in American Samoa.

The Leaving of Liverpool

Posted on by April 24, 2010

davidcrockett“The Leaving of Liverpool” is a wonderful sea song,  capturing both the promise of a new voyage and the sadness of leaving loved ones behind.   It was “collected” by William Main Doerflinger in 1951 from Dick Maitland, an old sailor at New York’s Snug Harbor, who while bosun on the General Knox around 1885, had learned it one night from a Liverpool man.

The song appears to date from around 1860 to 1874 based on the lyrics which mention Captain Burgess of the clipper ship David Crockett.   The David Crockett was a medium clipper ship built in Mystic, CT in 1853.  She was know for being fast, making the trip between New York and San Fransisco in an average of 101 days.   Two verses of “Leaving of Liverpool” mention the clipper ship and her captain:
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Aquacalypse Now – The End of Fish

Posted on by April 24, 2010

deadfishmagDaniel Pauly has an article in this month’s New Republic “Aquacalypse Now – The End of Fish“.   It addresses the very real and threatening problem of overfishing.  His is a great title for an article but his use of the metaphor of corporate fishing as a Ponzi scheme is interesting, but somewhat distracting. Well worth reading nevertheless.

There is room for optimism in a standing on the edge of a precipice sort of way. Three years ago a report was published in the journal Science predicting that “if fishing around the world continues at its present pace, more and more species will vanish, marine ecosystems will unravel and there will be “global collapse” of all species currently fished, possibly as soon as midcentury.”
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Record £240m cocaine bust as Royal Navy sinks smugglers

Posted on by April 24, 2010

The Royal Navy in joint operations with the US Coast Guard off South America has seized a £240 million cocaine shipment – the biggest haul in Royal Navy history.   HMS Iron Duke’s crew sank the 138ft drug boat with bursts of cannon fire after confiscating its cargo and arresting the smugglers.

Record £240m cocaine bust as Royal Navy sinks smugglers

Lobster Hot Line Hotter Than Expected

Posted on by April 24, 2010

To provide information about a new Canadian lobster industry financial stimulus program,  Canada’s department of fisheries set up a “hot line” which proved somewhat hotter than expected.  Instead of hearing information on lobstering, callers were greeted with a woman’s voice saying,  “Hey there, hot stuff, I’ve been waiting for your call.  Are you ready for some tantalizing fun?”   The agency apparently got the number right but the area code wrong, so the calls were directed to an phone sex service.  Oops.

Lobstermen Get Wrong Number for a Hot Line

Visualizing Sea-Lanes

Posted on by April 24, 2010

From New Scientist:  As new ways of analysing the world around us are developed, new ways to visualise that information are needed.  At the recent Eurographics Symposium, held in Berlin, traffic in shipping traffic near Rotterdam was mapped on both calm and rough weather days.

On a rough day it is clear that the shipping lanes have broken down, and that shipping density doesn’t get so high. The slow-moving vessels produce darker, more defined trails.  Click the images below for larger images:

Shipping Lanes - Calm seas Shipping Lanes - Rough Weather

The new visualisation method was developed by Niels Willems at Eindhoven University of Technology, the Netherlands, with colleagues Huub van de Wetering, and Jack van Wijk.

Photo for a Monday Morning – the bow of the NIRINT PRIDE

Posted on by April 24, 2010
NIRINT-PRIDE

Photo : Fred Vloo

Some Monday mornings feel like I was in a head on collision with a containership.  Here is a photo of the bow of the  Nirit Pride which did indeed collide earlier this month with the MSC vessel Nikita in shipping lanes near Rotterdam.

Fortunately no one was seriously injured and both ships returned to port safely with the assistance of salvage tugs.  Quick action by the salvors, Dutch Coast Guard and the Port Authority of Rotterdam prevented what could have have been a disaster as both ships were heavily damaged.

Rapid response averts Dutch disaster

Whale Watching Roundup – Whales, Sharks and Ships

Posted on by April 24, 2010

humpbacktailIn honor of our unexpected whale watching in New York harbor, we are taking a brief look at whale watching around the country this summer.  It has been an interesting summer indeed.   After staying off shore for several years, fin and humpback whales returned to waters off Montauk, at the eastern end of Long Island, to the delight of whale watchers.  On the West Coast, large krill patches close to shore off Southern California have attracted blue whales, which has pleased whale watchers while raising concerns that the whales are at risk of being hit by ships in the Santa Barbara ship channel.    Whales were no the only large marine life traveling close to shore this season – great white sharks closed several beaches to swimmers on Cape Cod.

Humpback, fin whales return to waters off Montauk
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Submarines Lost and Found, Part 4 – Russian WWI Sub Gepard May Be Found

Posted on by April 24, 2010

gepardAs reported by the Stockholm News –
WW1 Russian submarine found

The submarine wreck was discovered by a research ship of the Swedish Maritime Administration the 10 September. A closer study with a radio-controlled underwater vessel indicate that the submarine may be ‘Gepard’, one of twelve submarines of the Bars (snow leopard) class who operated in the Baltic Sea during WW1. “We have a strong suspicion that it’s ‘Gepard’, says Hans Oiås, responsible for the Swedish database of shipwrecks, to news agency TT.
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Unexpected Whale Watching in New York Harbor

Posted on by November 27, 2014
humpbackwhale1


Humpback Whale sighted last April in New York Harbor

This morning while sailing on the schooner Pioneer in Upper New York Harbor, we were all surprised when the captain shouted “whale”.    There, close aboard to starboard, the back and dorsal fin of a whale rose and then disappeared beneath the surface of the harbor. The whale surfaced again, some distance away swimming toward the Brooklyn shore near Red Hook.  Later in the morning, we saw it again, further off.  It looked to me to be a small humpback but could also have been a minke.   Unfortunately, we were handling sails when the whale surfaced and it didn’t wait around for anyone to grab their cameras.
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Update: Aftermath of the Sinking of the Princess Ashika

Posted on by April 24, 2010

liferingThere will be a preliminary hearing into the sinking of the ferry, Princess Ashika, next Thursday in Nuku’alofa by the Royal Commission set up by the Government to investigate the tragedy.

A letter from Port Authority Port Authority general manager, Lupeti Vi, to the Tongan Prime Minister, Feleti Sevele, revealed that welding repairs were carried out at night on the ill-fated ferry, without permission, to try to conceal how rusty the ferry was.  The letter also implied that the ferry might not have been insured.   According to the Lloyd’s Marine Intelligence Unit database, Princess Ashika had no current International Safety Management or International Ship and Port Facility Security code documentation.

A life buoy from the sunken Princess Ashika was found floating in Fijian water near Levuka about 1000 kilometers from where the ferry sank early last month.  The Princess Ashika formerly was owned by the Patterson Shipping Company of Fiji, whose owners are originally from Levuka. The buoy is being returned to Tonga.

The Swiss Decide Against Joining European Union’s Anti-Piracy Efforts

Posted on by April 24, 2010

SwitzerlandFlagPerhaps it is the thought that counts. Swiss lawmakers have decided against joining EU anti-piracy efforts because it would violate the country’s long-held tradition of neutrality.  The land-locked country lacks a blue water navy so could not send a ship or ships to support the efforts but  had considered sending thirty military support personnel.    The Swiss navy does operate ten patrol boats on Lakes Konstanz and Leman.  Thirty-two merchant ships in international trade fly the Swiss flag.

Archeology Weekend at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum

Posted on by April 24, 2010

sloop_wheel_smThe Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is hosting an Archeology Weekend tomorrow and Sunday. it will include  presentations on Lake Champlain shipwrecks and feature some of their latest explorations including early steamboats, gunboats, sailing vessels and canal boats. There will be special demonstrations in the Conservation Lab, lectures and films and presentations on what threatens the lake’s collection of shipwrecks and what you can do to help protect and preserve underwater cultural resources.

Archeology Weekend – September 26-27, 2009
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Billboards for Submarines?

Posted on by April 24, 2010

ivarssignWe previously posted about the Royal Navy installing Windows on submarines. We were relieved to learn that the  reference was to an a computer operating system and not panes of glass.    Then again, it appears that the late Ivar Haglund, owner of the Seattle restaurant chain, Ivar’s Seafood, expected submarine viewers when he installed underwater billboards for submarines in Puget Sound over fifty years ago.  On the other hand, some suggest that it may all be a hoax.

Is there something fishy about Ivar’s latest stunt?
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