Australia to Build Nuclear Subs Under New Strategic Partnership with US & UK

Posted on by September 16, 2021

AP reports that President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday a new U.S. security alliance with Australia and Britain that will provide Australia with the technology and capability to deploy nuclear-powered submarines.

The agreement would make Australia the first country without nuclear weapons to obtain nuclear-powered submarines. The United States has previously only shared the technology with Britain in 1958. The submarines will be nuclear-powered but not armed with nuclear weapons.

Current plans are to build at least eight nuclear-powered submarines for the Royal Australian Navy in Adelaide, Australia. 

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NTSB Determines Inaccurate Stability Calculations Caused Capsizing of Golden Ray

Posted on by September 18, 2021

The final report issued yesterday by the National Transportation Safety Board Office (NTSB) summarizes what happened on Sept. 8, 2019, when the roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier Golden Ray capsized as it transited outbound through St. Simons Sound near Brunswick, Georgia.

​​Less than 40 minutes after leaving port, the 656-foot-long Golden Ray began to heel rapidly to port during a 68-degree turn to starboard. Despite attempts by the pilot and crew to counter the heel, the rate of turn to starboard increased, and the vessel reached a heel of 60 degrees to port in under a minute before it grounded outside of the channel.

The NTSB determined the probable cause of the capsizing of the Golden Ray was the chief officer’s error entering ballast quantities into the stability calculation program, which led to his incorrect determination of the vessel’s stability and resulted in the Golden Ray having an insufficient righting arm to counteract the forces developed during a turn while transiting outbound from the Port of Brunswick through St. Simons Sound. …

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Container Ship Port Backlog Breaking Both Ends of the Supply Chain

Posted on by September 14, 2021

Photo: REUTERS/Lucy Nicholson

The Marine Exchange of Southern California reports a new record for congestion in the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. As of Monday, of 140 ships in the ports, 85 are container ships. Only 31 containerships are alongside the piers loading or discharging, however. 56 are at anchor or simply adrift offshore awaiting berth space. This is the fourth time in three weeks that Los Angeles and Long Beach ports have hit a new record for backups and delays.

Pent-up demand from the pandemic has triggered a flood of inbound trade with China, overtaxing port and distribution hubs already struggling with COVID-19-related disruptions and a national labor shortage.

The disruptions, however, are not limited to the North American side of the Pacific. Last month Reuters reported that Chinese ports are facing congestion as vessels due to call at Ningbo are being diverted and cargo processing is slowed partly due to stricter disinfection measures under China’s “zero-tolerance” coronavirus policy.

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MS Satoshi, Attempt to “Seastead” on a Bitcoin Cruise Ship Fails, Not Surprisingly

Posted on by September 13, 2021

The Guardian recently published “The disastrous voyage of Satoshi, the world’s first cryptocurrency cruise ship.” Thanks to Joan Druett for pointing it out.

In 2020, three cryptocurrency enthusiasts bought a pandemic-bargain cruise ship with plans to create a libertarian utopia, that would be, in theory, free from conventions, regulations, and taxes. The 777 cabin, 804′ long ex-Pacific Dawn, would be anchored permanently off the coast of Panama and provide a home for freedom-loving digital nomads, entrepreneurs, and traders in crypto-currency. In homage to Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym of bitcoin’s mysterious inventor (or inventors), they renamed the ship the MS Satoshi.  The ship would be the first large-scale attempt at “seasteading.”  

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Ever Ace, World’s Newest Largest Container Ship Transits Suez Canal

Posted on by September 12, 2021

Photo: Taiwan International Ports Corp

Ever Ace, the newest world’s largest container ship capable of carrying the 23,992 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent units) transitted the Suez Canal at the beginning of this month. The Ever Ace is notionally 28 TEU larger than the previously largest container ship, HMM Algeciras, delivered last year.

The Ever Ace is the first in a planned series of 12 ultra-large container ships to be built for Taiwanese company Evergreen Marine.

The Ever Ace‘s transit through the Suez Canal is significant only in contrast to the grounding of the 20,000 TEU container ship, Ever Given, in the canal last March for 6 days, delaying roughly 400 ships and disrupting trade valued at almost $10 billion.

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Remembering the Great New York Boatlift on the 20th Anniversary of 9/11

Posted on by September 11, 2021

An updated repost. There is a line from a Paul Simon song, “these are the days of miracle and wonder.” One might not think to apply that lyric to the events of 9/11, twenty years ago today, and yet for at least part of that strange and horrible day, they fit. The great New York boatlift was part of the “miracle and wonder.” The wholly unplanned, boatlift was the spontaneous maritime evacuation of an estimated 500,000 people trapped in Lower Manhattan in less than 10 hours. The boatlift has been under-reported by the media, which is all the more reason to remember the mariners of New York who stepped up to perform what has been called the largest sea rescue in history.

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All Available Boats — Captain Michael Day’s Radio Call On 9/11/01

Posted on by September 11, 2021

There are moments in history when an individual makes the right choice at exactly the right moment and it makes all the difference. Such was the case with LT. Michael Day on the morning of September 11, 2001, in New York harbor.

LT Day was supposed to attend a meeting in the World Trade Center on that clear Tuesday morning in September.  Before he arrived, a commercial airliner flew into the World Trade Center’s North Tower. Just over a dozen minutes later, a second plane hit the South Tower. In less than two hours, both buildings would collapse in a maelstrom of fire and debris. New York City’s emergency response center had been in the World Trade Center complex and was buried in the rubble. 

When the towers fell, the US Coast Guard lost much of its communications. LT Day was dispatched in a cutter to serve as a “relay to pass information.” What he saw was nightmarish, out of the smoke, myriads of people driven by the fire and ash to the water’s edge, in desperate need of rescue.  

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9/11 Maritime Videos, Photos, & Oral History on the Tanker Mary Whalen Through 9/26

Posted on by September 9, 2021

Portside NewYork is hosting an exhibit of 9/11 videos, documents, and photography in a video booth on the deck of their flagship Mary A. Whalen in Red Hook, Brooklyn, and in an outdoor exhibit of banners. The exhibit runs through 9/26/21, open from 10am to 9pm. (If it is raining, the video booth and reading material will not be available; the exhibit banners on the fence are there in all weather.)

The videos and oral histories are also available online here and include:

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Commemorating 9/11 Boatlift After 20 Years — Flotilla on the Hudson & Anniversary Tribute Ashore

Posted on by September 9, 2021

Tomorrow, two events will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 boatlift, in which an estimated 500,00 people were rescued from Lower Manhattan following the attacks of 9/11.  We recently posted about the Flotilla and Blessing of the Fleet hosted by the Classic Harbor Line Fleet. 100% of all ticket sales are donated to various waterfront organizations. Click here to learn more and to purchase tickets.  

Onshore, the New York Council Navy League will present the 9/11 Boatlift 20th Anniversary Tribute, which will be held on Friday, September 10, 2021 at 1:00 P.M. at the American Merchant Mariners’ Memorial in Battery Park, Manhattan. 

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Retired Marine Corps Colonel Pleads Guilty in ‘Fat Leonard’ Scandal

Posted on by September 8, 2021

Fat Leonard

On March 14, 2017, The Department of Justice announced that retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Bruce Loveless and eight other high-ranking Navy officers had been indicted for accepting luxury travel, elaborate dinners, and services of prostitutes from foreign defense contractor “Fat Leonard” Francis in exchange for classified and internal U.S. Navy information.

The group of indicted officers have been described as a ‘tight group — calling themselves a “Band of Brothers” and “Cool Kids.”’  As their trial date finally approaches, now scheduled for November, the tight group may be growing apart. 

A week ago, retired Chief Warrant Officer Robert Gorsuch pleaded guilty to his role in the long-running bribery scandal.

On Friday, retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Enrico DeGuzman, 63, pleaded guilty to accepting more than $67,000 in hotel stays, extravagant meals and other perks from “Fat Leonard.”

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Large Rubber Duck, Named Joy, Mysteriously Appears in Belfast Harbor, Maine

Posted on by September 7, 2021

Since at least 2007, a variety of large inflatable rubber ducks have been showing up in harbors around the world. Most recently, a 25-foot high inflatable rubber duck appeared mysteriously in Belfast harbor in Maine. The word “JOY” was emblazoned on across its breast. The Belfast Harbor Master Katherine Given told the Bangor Daily News, “Everybody loves it, I have no idea who owns it, but it kind of fits Belfast. A lot of people want to keep it here.”

  A few days later, however, it was gone again, although there have been sightings in nearby Islesboro. Given says she received an anonymous letter from someone claiming to be responsible — and they hinted that it may land somewhere else.

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Royal Navy Pays Tribute to Last Surviving World War 2 Bomb Disposal Diver

Posted on by September 5, 2021

From the Royal Navy News: The last surviving World War 2 bomb disposal diver was honoured during a visit to the Diving Museum in Gosport.

John Payne, now 96, was on the first ‘P’ Party 1571 group – a select team of divers who cleared mines and unexploded bombs from harbours and ports in occupied Europe.

He was on the Normandy beaches following D-Day, helping to secure the Allied bridgehead and, along with others, saved many lives.

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Commemorating the Great 9/11 Boatlift

Posted on by September 5, 2021

In honor of 9/11 and in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Great Boatlift, the largest water evacuation in history, a Flotilla and Blessing of the Fleet is being organized on Friday, September 10. Passage aboard the Classic Harbor Line Fleet is being offered to participate in this grand event. 100% of all ticket sales are donated to various waterfront organizations.

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Götheborg & Expedition 2022 — Sailing for Asia in April

Posted on by September 4, 2021

Götheborg of Sweden, a full-sized replica of a Swedish East Indiaman, sailed home today from Stockholm to her homeport in preparation for a voyage to Asia in April of next year.  

The nearly 60-meter (197-feet) long East Indiaman is billed the world’s largest operational wooden sailing vessel and is modeled after the Götheborg that sank off Gothenburg, Sweden in 1745 while approaching the harbor on her return from a third voyage to China.

The ship’s planned itinerary on its Expedition 2022 includes stops in London, Lisbon, Palma de Mallorca, Athens, Alexandria, Djibouti, Muscat, Chennai, Singapore, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, and Shanghai.

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Tidal Turbines Impact on Seals, Fish and Other Sea Life

Posted on by September 3, 2021

Ocean Renewable Power Company (ORPC) Tidal Turbine

Our recent posts about tidal turbines to create clean energy have raised interesting comments and questions about the impact of the underwater turbines on fish and mammals. Will seals, seabirds, and fish be sliced and diced by underwater turbines? Will the sounds of underwater generators disrupt the marine habitat? Are these new technologies doing more harm than good?

While there is always more research to be done, all indications are that the tidal turbines, in their various forms, are not harming sealife. Indeed, in one case, the turbine installation may have created a marine sanctuary of sorts, promoting marine life.

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Poseidon — Russia Continues Development of Autonomous Nuclear “Doomsday” Torpedo

Posted on by September 2, 2021

Back in 2018, we posted “Status-6 — Putin’s Autonomous “Doomsday” Torpedo.” It described a huge new torpedo, initially called Status-6 by the Russians but now known as Poseidon, and dubbed Kanyon by the CIA, a 65′ long, autonomous nuclear-powered and nuclear-armed underwater vehicle able to deliver a thermonuclear cobalt bomb of up to 100 megatonnes. It is said to have a top speed of 100 km/h (54 kn), with a range of 10,000 km (5,400 NM.)  Russian Oscar Class submarines are said to be capable of carrying up to four of the torpedoes secured externally. We also noted that some experts doubted that the weapon was being developed while others claim that it had already being tested in the Arctic.

Recent satellite images of the Russian naval shipyard at Severodvinsk show that the Poseidon is very real and beginning to be tested.

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US Navy “Fat Leonard” Bribery Scandal Grinds On — New Guilty Plea

Posted on by September 1, 2021

“Fat Leonard” Francis

The “Fat Leonard” Navy bribery and corruption scandal keeps grinding inexorably onward. One might say that the pace is glacial, except in an age of climate change, glaciers appear to be moving faster. There has been a recent guilty plea and an upcoming trial for eight high-ranking Navy and ex-Navy officers in the scandal that has been ongoing for the last 8 years.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reports that yesterday, Robert Gorsuch, a retired Navy officer pleaded guilty to his role in the long-running “Fat Leonard” bribery scandal, two months before trial was set to begin for him and eight other high-ranking officials.

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Arthur John Priest — the Unsinkable Stoker

Posted on by August 31, 2021

Arthur John Priest was born on this day in 1887. He earned the nickname “the unsinkable stoker” after surviving the sinking of four ships, including the Titanic and its sister ship Britannic, as well as living through two ship collisions.

As a stoker, Priest was part of the “black gang” that manually shifted the hundreds of tonnes of coal each day to feed the insatiable boilers of the steamships of the time.     

In 1908, Priest was working as a stoker on the passenger liner RMS Asturias when, on its maiden voyage, it was in a collision with another ship. While there was no loss of life, the ship only barely made it back into port.

Priest served as a stoker on RMS Olympic in 1911. The Olympic was a near sister ship to the Titanic and the Britannic. It collided with HMS Hawke in the Solent, tearing two large holes in Olympic’s hull, above and below the waterline, resulting in the flooding of two of her watertight compartments and a twisted propeller shaft. HMS Hawke suffered severe damage to her bow and nearly capsized.

Priest found work on RMS Titanic the following year. Continue reading →

Tidal Power — Trials in East River on New Recyclable Blade Design

Posted on by August 30, 2021

One of the concerns with wind and tidal energy installations is that the turbine blades are built from materials that are not easily recyclable. As the blades wear out with use, they could create a significant disposal problem. For the last several years, the US Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) has been developing new designs for turbine blades that could be more easily recycled and may prove more durable in high-energy environments like tidal streams.  

NREL is now partnering with Verdant Power, whose tidal turbines are currently deployed in New York City’s East River, to test the new thermoplastic blade design. Unlike the current epoxy-infused composite thermoset blades, the thermoplastic blades can be melted down and recycled. The thermoplastic blades may also be better suited for use in tidal currents. The current testing should provide real-world data to determine if the new design is more rugged than the current blades. 

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Scientists Accidentally Discover the World’s Northernmost Island off Greenland

Posted on by August 29, 2021

The BBC reports that a group of scientists say they have discovered by luck what they believe is the world’s northernmost island off Greenland’s coast.

In July, the scientists flew to collect samples to what they thought was Oodaaq Island, that has been known since 1978. But when they checked their position with the Danish official in charge of registering Arctic islands, they were 800m (2,625ft) further north. The 60X30m island is the closest point of land to the North Pole, they say.

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