New Zealand Community Rallies to Save 30 Stranded Pilot Whales

Posted on by November 26, 2024

Good news for change. On Sunday, a pod of more than 30 pilot whales became stranded on Ruakākā Beach near Whangārei in northern New Zealand. Hundreds of residents joined forces with conservationists to save the pod. The rescue effort was spearheaded by the local Māori group, Patuharakeke. Remarkably, most of the pilot whales were refloated and swam out to sea, but three adults and one calf died.

Patuharakeke remained on the beach through the night to make sure none of the rescued whales were re-stranded.

The Department of Conservation (DOC), which is responsible with managing stranded marine rescues, called the rescue effort “incredible, with everyone coming together for the whales”.

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Egyptian Liveaboard Dive Boat Sinks in Red Sea, Sixteen Missing

Posted on by November 25, 2024

The Sea Story, a 44m Egyptian tourist liveaboard dive boat, sank in the Red Sea early this morning. Of the 44 aboard, including 13 crew, 28 were rescued while 16 remain missing. The crew was all Egyptian, while the tourists were reported to be from a mix of countries including Great Britain, the US, Finland, Germany, China, Spain, and Poland. It is unclear who is among the rescued and who is still missing.

The Sea Story left port near Marsa Alam on Sunday for a five-day diving trip. The vessel sent a distress signal at 05:30 (03:30 GMT).

Authorities have not indicated the possible cause of the incident but added accounts of people onboard mentioned a wave hit the boat and caused it to capsize. The BBC reports that weather forecasters had warned against marine activities for Sunday and Monday.

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US Navy’s Military Sealift Command to Sideline 17 Ships Due to Mariner Shortage

Posted on by November 22, 2024

The Military Sealift Command (MSC) operates approximately 125 replenishment and military transport ships to support the US Navy. Currently, MSC has more ships than it has civilian mariners to sustainably operate them.  MSC’s commander confirmed Thursday that the command will sideline 17 ships to ease the stress on civilian mariners.

“That number’s based on again the number of mariners that we need to get us to 95 percent [manning],” Rear Adm. Philip Sobeck told reporters in a call Thursday morning. “It is aligning the force so that we are most ready and that we are getting after the fleet requirements.”

MSC crews the Navy’s logistics and support vessels, with 4,500 billets across the command. There are about 5,500, or 1.27 mariners per billet, to fill positions on an MSC ship. That ratio means a mariner is at sea for four months, off for one month and then must return to work. The new move will allow mariners more time on shore.

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Facing Rising Seas, Can Tuvalu Become the First Digital Nation?

Posted on by November 21, 2024

The Pacific island nation of Tuvalu is facing an existential threat due to rising sea levels, caused by climate change. According to NASA, the sea level in Tuvalu has risen nearly 6 inches in the past 30 years and is expected to rise further in the coming decades, potentially inundating large parts of the country during high tides. At the current rate of global sea level rise, the entire country will be submerged in a matter of decades.

Rather than be erased by the rising waters, Tuvalu is attempting to become the “First Digital Nation,” by digitally recording its land, archiving its culture, and digitizing its government, so that Tuvalu can exist as a nation even after its land is no more. 

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Update: Undersea Cables Cut — Chinese Bulk Carrier Suspected, Irish Navy Intercepts Russian Spy Ship

Posted on by November 20, 2024

We posted yesterday about a telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Germany that was severed Monday morning, and a 218km internet link between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island that stopped working on Sunday.

Chinese Bulk Carrier Detained

Today, a Chinese-flagged bulk carrier Yi Peng 3 is suspected of being involved in the sabotage of the two undersea fiber optic cables. The Danish Navy detained the Chinese bulk carrier last night. Yi Peng 3 is now anchored in the Kattegat strait between Denmark and Sweden on Wednesday, with a Danish navy patrol ship at anchor nearby.

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Baltic Sea Communications Cables Severed — Sabotage Suspected

Posted on by November 19, 2024

Early Monday morning, a 1,170km (730-mile) telecommunications cable in the Baltic Sea between Finland and Germany was severed, while a 218km internet link between Lithuania and Sweden’s Gotland Island stopped working on Sunday.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said damage to two undersea cables looks like an act of sabotage and a “hybrid action”, without knowing who is to blame.

The incidents came at a time of heightened tension with Russia and Pistorius said “nobody believes that these cables were cut accidentally”, reports the BBC.

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Watch Given to Captain of Carpathia, Rescuer of 700 on Titanic, Sells for Record £1.56M at Auction

Posted on by November 18, 2024

An interesting story from the Guardian. When the RMS Titanic struck an iceberg and sank on 15 April 1912, approximately 1,500 died. The RMS Carpathia, under the command of Captain Arthur Rostron, rescued 706 passengers and crew from the Titanic‘s lifeboats.

A gold pocket watch, presented to Captain Rostron by Madeleine Astor and two other widows of high-profile and wealthy businessmen, was sold at auction over the weekend for a record £1.56m, the highest amount ever paid for Titanic memorabilia, according to auctioneers Henry Aldridge & Son of Devizes, Wiltshire.

The 18-carat Tiffany & Co timepiece bears an inscription reading “Presented to Captain Rostron with the heartfelt gratitude and appreciation of three survivors of the Titanic April 15th 1912 Mrs John B Thayer, Mrs John Jacob Astor and Mrs George D Widener”.

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Rescuing Rye Seeds From 146 Year Old Shipwreck in Hopes of Resurrecting Michigan Crop

Posted on by November 17, 2024

In November 1878, the wooden schooner James R. Bentley set sail from Chicago bound for Buffalo loaded with a large shipment of rye. It encountered heavy seas and gale-force winds during the voyage, struck a shoal, and sank near 40 Mile Point Lighthouse in Lake Huron just north of Rogers City.  The crew was rescued. The rye sank with the schooner.

Now 146 years later, Mammoth Distilling and Michigan State University (MSU) have teamed up to bring back what has become known as Bentley rye.

On Sept. 17, two divers went 160 feet to the bottom of Lake Huron and extracted seeds from the wreck where they have rested in near-freezing water for 146 years. The seeds were put on ice and rushed to MSU where Eric Olson, an expert in wheat breeding and genetics, tried to get them to germinate.

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Expecting a Shipwreck, Researchers Discover World’s Largest Coral

Posted on by November 14, 2024

On the chart, it was marked as a shipwreck in the Pacific Ocean near the Solomon Islands, but when scientists and filmmakers from the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas took a closer look, they were shocked to find the world’s largest-ever recorded coral. The mega coral is a collection of many tiny connected creatures that together form one organism rather than a coral reef.

As reported by the BBC, the coral measures 34m wide, 32m long and 5.5m high – which is bigger than a blue whale. The coral is estimated to be at 300-years-old.

The coral was found in deeper waters than some coral reefs which scientists think might be why it is in good health.

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New Destroyer USS John Basilone Commissioned on Hudson River in New York City

Posted on by November 13, 2024

Last Saturday morning at Pier 88 on the Hudson River, the US Navy commissioned its newest destroyer, USS John Basilone. With the New York City skyline as a backdrop, the ceremony took place between the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid and the Manhattan Cruise Terminal .

USS John Basilone (DDG-122) is a Flight IIA Arleigh Burke–class guided missile destroyer in the United States Navy. The 72nd ship in the class, the destroyer is named for United States Marine Corps Gunnery Sergeant John Basilone, who received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for valor, for actions during the Guadalcanal Campaign in the Pacific War. He was killed in action during the February 1945 invasion of Iwo Jima and posthumously awarded the Navy Cross. Basilone was the only enlisted Marine to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross during World War II.

USS John Basilone is commissioned in New York

Thanks to David Rye for contributing to this post.

Repost: On Armistice Day, Remembering the German High Seas Fleet Mutinies of 1918

Posted on by November 11, 2024

Soldiers’ council of the Prinzregent Luitpold

In the US, today is Veteran’s Day, when we honor those who have served in the military. It coincides with Armistice Day, the anniversary of the signing of the armistice which ended World War I, on the 11th hour of the 11th day, of the 11th month of 1918, when the guns finally fell silent after four years of bloody conflict.

Today is a good time to recall the mutiny of the German High Seas Fleet, which played a significant role in finally ending the war. Here is an updated repost of an article from a few years ago about the naval mutinies.

The mutinies at Wilhelmshaven on October 29th and at Kiel on November 3, triggered the German revolution and swept aside the monarchy within a few days. The naval mutinies led directly to the end of the German Empire and to the establishment of the Weimar Republic.

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Art on Superyachts — $3 Million Warhol “Brillo Pad Box” Sculpture Thrown Out With the Trash

Posted on by November 9, 2024

In 1964, pop-artist Andy Warhol shocked the art world by making hundreds of replicas of supermarket cartons and presenting them as art. He painted screenprints of soup cans, then sculptures of packaging for Kellogg’s cornflakes and Heinz ketchup. Among the most notorious were his sculptures of boxes of Brillo soap pads. 

One of the many copies of Brillo boxes sold at auction in 2010 for $3 million. HBO would subsequently make a documentary about the pricey and somewhat controversial Brillo box sculpture.

So, what does this have to do with superyachts? Continue reading →

The Cost of Corruption — Legacy of the US Navy Fat Leonard Scandal

Posted on by November 8, 2024

“Fat Leonard” Francis

The decades-long “Fat Leonard” bribery and corruption scandal may finally have come to an end.  This week, Malaysian ship-supply contractor, Leonard Glenn Francis, 60, known as “Fat Leonard” was sentenced to 15 years in prison for bribing US Navy officials to secure tens of millions of dollars in military contracts.

The New York Times reports that, as part of his sentence, Mr. Francis was also ordered to pay $20 million in restitution to the Navy and a $150,000 fine, and he was forced to forfeit $35 million in “ill-gotten proceeds from his crimes.”

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A Lesson Un-Learned: Two “Influencers” Drown After Refusing to Wear Life Jackets So Not to Ruin Their Tans

Posted on by November 4, 2024

A sad account that reinforces an old lesson, while also highlighting an unexpected risk of social media.  Vice reports that two Brazilian Instagram “influencers” drowned in a boating accident off the coast of São Paulo after opting not to wear life jackets, believing the safety gear would ruin their tans. One of the two victims reportedly did not know how to swim.

Aline Tamara Moreira de Amorim, 37, and Beatriz Tavares da Silva Faria, 27, were part of a group returning from a yacht party when their speedboat capsized in the area known as Garganta do Diabo – or the Devil’s Throat – which is filled with rapids and waterfalls. Both were repeatedly told by the boat’s captain to wear their life preservers since the vessel would be overcrowded and navigating rough waters.

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Eighty Three Years Ago Today: The Sinking of the USS Reuben James – October 31, 1941

Posted on by October 31, 2024

The first American naval ship lost in World War II was not sunk in the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.  Over a month before, on October 31, 1941, the destroyer USS Reuben James, escorting a convoy bound for Britain, was sunk by a torpedo from a German submarine, U552 near Iceland.  Of the 159-man crew, only 44 survived.  This was the third attack by German submarines on US destroyers.   On September 1941, the destroyer USS Greer exchanged fire with a German submarine, but was not hit.  Then, on October 17th, the destroyer USS Kearny was hit by a German torpedo but survived. Eleven crew members were killed and 22 injured in the attack.

The sinking of the Reuben James was memorialized by the American folk singer Woody Guthrie: Continue reading →

Update: FLIP, Famous Flipping Research Platform, Saved From Scrapping

Posted on by October 28, 2024

In August of last year, we bade a sad farewell to the Floating Instrument Platform, known as FLIP, which after 61 years of service, had been retired and was scheduled to be sent to a scrapyard. Fortunately, our reporting was premature. It now appears that FLIP will flip again.

Maritime Executive reports that the iconic offshore platform has been saved from scrapping and is now in France where it is being modernized to start a new phase of its research missions. The vessel/platform was developed for the US Navy’s Office of Naval Research and operated by the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.

UK firm DEEP, a subsea design firm seeking to develop underwater human habitats, reports it acted quickly after learning that FLIP had been decommissioned and towed to Mexico last year to be dismantled. DEEP founder and CEO Kristen Tertoole assembled a team and sent them to Mexico with the instructions, “Save her. Don’t come back without her.”

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Eighty Years Ago Today — Battle off Samar, a Victory Against All Odds

Posted on by October 25, 2024

The Battle of Leyte Gulf was fought eighty years ago this week between the US and Australian navies and the Imperial Japanese Navy.  It was the largest naval battle of World War II and by some standards the largest naval battle in history. Fought between October 23-26, 1944, it was actually a series of battles that spanned over more than 100,000 square miles of sea and involved more than 800 ships and 1,800 aircraft. The battle of Leyte Gulf was a major allied victory and effectively destroyed the Imperial Japanese Navy as a fighting force.

The Battle off Samar, fought on October 25, 1942, eighty years ago today, saved the landings at Leyte Gulf from likely destruction. The powerful US Navy 3rd fleet had been lured north by a decoy Japanese force, leaving the Leyte landing beaches protected only by three small escort carrier task forces designated by their call signs, Taffy 1, 2, and 3.

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Chinese Aquarium Whale Shark Turns Out to Be a Robot

Posted on by October 22, 2024

After being closed for five years for renovations, the Xiaomeisha Sea World aquarium in Shenzhen, China reopened its doors on October 1. During its week-long trial run, the 60,000 sqm sea park attracted around 100,000 visitors who each paid around $40 to enter the aquarium. But, much to their disappointment, they discovered that the giant whale shark on display was, in reality, a robot.

Many social media users posted under the hashtag “Netizens complain about spending hundreds of yuan at Xiaomeisha Sea World to see fake fish.”

A user on Chinese social media shared their disappointment after visiting, stating, “I was so excited to see the ‘whale shark exhibit,’ but instead found a mechanical shark. While I understand the need for animal protection, I’d rather they didn’t include a fake one; it detracted from the experience.”

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Celebrating Trafalgar Day and the Anniversary of the Launching of “Old Ironsides”

Posted on by October 21, 2024

Two hundred and nineteen years ago today, in 1805, the Royal Navy, commanded by Vice-Admiral Horatio Nelson, defeated the combined French and Spanish fleets in the Atlantic off Cape Trafalgar.  The decisive victory ended French plans to use the combined fleet to take control of the English Channel and enable Napoleon’s Grande Armée to invade England. Tragically, Nelson was shot by a French sniper and died shortly before the battle ended. Today is celebrated as Trafalgar Day to commemorate Nelson and his greatest victory.

Today also happens to be the 227th anniversary of the launch of the USS Constitution, launched on October 21, 1797. Nicknamed “Old Ironsides ” after a round shot from HMS Guerriere bounced off her sides in a battle during the War of 1812, the USS Constitution is the oldest commissioned ship in the US Navy and the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel still afloat.

HMS Victory, Nelson’s flagship in the Battle of Trafalgar, launched in 1765, is the oldest commissioned warship in the world, being 32 years older than the Constitution. The Victory, however, on permanent exhibit in drydock in Portsmouth, is no longer afloat, allowing the Constitution to claim the bragging rights as the oldest floating commissioned naval vessel. 

Collapse of Ferry Dock on Georgia’s Sapelo Island Kills 7

Posted on by October 20, 2024

At least seven people were killed yesterday when part of a ferry dock collapsed on Georgia’s Sapelo Island, where crowds had gathered for a fall celebration by the island’s tiny Gullah-Geechee community of Black slave descendants.

The Georgia Department of Natural Resources, which manages the island and operates its ferry service, said on Sunday that 20 people went into the water when the gangway collapsed and that three people remained in critical condition. All of the people who went into the water have been accounted for.

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