Definitely a Fluke — Whale’s Tail Saves Train from Plunge Off Tracks

Posted on by November 3, 2020

A commuter train car careened off the end of elevated train tracks yesterday near Rotterdam in the Netherlands. It was saved from plunging more than 30 feet to the ground when it landed on the sculpture of a whale’s tail. It was indeed a fluke.

The NYTimes quotes Ruud Natrop, a spokesman for safety in the Rotterdam-Rijnmond area, where the accident occurred. “It’s like the scene of a Hollywood movie,” he said. “Thank God the tail was there.”

The derailment, in the city of Spijkenisse, happened around 12:30 a.m. on Monday, according to local news outlets. The driver was the only person on the city train and was unharmed, Mr. Natrop said, and was taken to the hospital for an evaluation and then to the police station for questioning.
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Socially Distanced Office in New York’s East River

Posted on by November 1, 2020

Boaters were recently surprised to find a man working in a fully outfitted office on a raft anchored in New York’s East River. The office was the brainchild of Improv Everywhere, a New York City-based comedy collective that stages unexpected performances in public places. They refer to the workspace as New York’s Most Socially Distanced Office. 

From their website: The floating office included a water cooler, a battery-powered computer with working internet, and a variety of contemporary office furniture. Workers were transported to the office by a shuttle boat at Brooklyn’s Main Street Park.

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The Legend of the Gray Man of Pawley’s Island

Posted on by October 31, 2020

On Halloween, it seems appropriate to look at the legend of the Gray Man of Pawley’s Island, South Carolina, a benevolent ghost said to warn residents of coming severe storms and hurricanes. Those who heed his warnings are said to survive the storms while their homes and property remain undamaged. 

The story, with several variations, is said to date from 1822. Its origin is alleged to be of a young man going to visit his fiance, who dies after falling into quicksand on Pawley’s Island. His ghost is said to continue to walk the beaches of the island, providing warnings of foul weather — a ghostly freelance meteorologist, of sorts.

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The Launching of the Demologos, First Steam Powered Warship

Posted on by October 30, 2020

On October 29, 1815, 205 years ago yesterday, the Demologos, the first steam-powered warship, was launched from Adam and Noah Brown‘s shipyard on New York’s East River. It was a steam-powered floating battery designed by steamboat pioneer Robert Fulton to be used to protect New York harbor from the British during the War of 1812. After sea trials, the battery was delivered to the United States Navy in June, 1816. 

The design of the vessel featured a catamaran hull with a single centerline midship paddlewheel capable of propelling the battery at five knots, under good conditions. Originally designed to mount thirty 32-pounder guns, later drawings show eighteen. She was also intended to carry two 100-pounder Columbiads, which were never installed.

While the design was innovative, the timing was poor. Robert Fulton died the previous February of 1815, at the age of 49. Also during the same month, a peace treaty was signed, ending the War of 1812. 

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60 of 92 Passengers Test Positive for Covid-19 After Folk Music Cruise on Danube

Posted on by October 29, 2020

You might call it yodeling for Covid. Following a folk-music themed cruise on MS Swiss Crystal, 60 of 92 passengers have tested positive for Covid-19. The cruise was from Passau to Frankfurt between October 10 and 17, on the Danube and Main rivers.

The organizers say that pandemic precautions were observed, with notable exceptions. The cruise featured several music events which included hours of singing in enclosed spaces – including yodeling. Social distancing and mask wear was reportedly observed during part of the cruise but not during the music-making. 

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Golden Arches, VB-10,000 Heavy-Lift Arrives to Begin Scrapping Golden Ray

Posted on by October 28, 2020

Delayed for months by both hurricanes and the pandemic, Versabar’s heavy-lift catamaran VB-10,000, nicknamed the “Golden Arches,” arrived yesterday at St. Simons Island, GA to begin the scrapping of the wrecked car carrier, Golden Ray. The car carrier rolled on its side in September of 2019 as it departed the Port of Brunswick, GA, carrying about 4,200 vehicles. VB-10,000 is the largest heavy-lift vessel ever built in the United States. It will use chains to slice the Golden Ray into eight sections, to be placed on barges, and towed away to be scrapped.

VB-10,000 Heavy-Lift Vessel Arrives at Golden Ray Wreck Site

Happy Birthday to Galveston’s Tall Ship Elissa

Posted on by October 27, 2020

One hundred and forty-three years ago today on October 27th, 1877, the three-masted iron-hulled merchant sailing ship Elissa was launched in Aberdeen, Scotland. She is now a museum ship at the Texas Seaport Museum. In honor of her birthday, here is a repost of a video by Mike Headley of the Elissa on her yearly sail.

SAILING ON THE ELISSA

Collision With Container Ship Cuts Greek Minesweeper Kallisto in Half

Posted on by October 27, 2020

The Greek Navy minesweeper HS Kallisto was cut in half following a collision with the containership Maersk Launceston. The stern of the minesweeper apparently sank following the collision while the bow was taken under tow by salvors. The minesweeper’s crew was evacuated. Two of the crew were reported to be injured.  

The Maersk Launceston was leaving Piraeus, Greece, bound for Canakkale, Turkey when the collision took place at 0740 UTC, today.  The container ship was ordered to return to Piraeus pending an investigation. The ship’s captain has been arrested. The container ship is reported to have sustained slight damage to her bow.

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Special Forces End Tanker “Hijacking” by Stowaways Off Isle of Wight

Posted on by October 26, 2020

Seven people were detained after British special forces stormed the Liberian registered tanker, Nave Andromeda, that was suspected of having been hijacked off the Isle of Wight.

The BBC reports that sixteen members of the Special Boat Service (SBS) ended a 10-hour standoff which started when stowaways on board the tanker reportedly made violent threats against the crew.

The boarding by the SBS commandoes took place at around 19.30 on Friday after the ship issued a mayday call earlier in the day. Sky News reports that the operation involved two Royal Navy Merlin helicopters, along with two Royal Navy Wildcat helicopters. The commandos regained control of the tanker within around seven minutes of boarding the ship. The seven stowaways were captured without harm. 

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Borat on a Barge Appears in New York, London and Toronto

Posted on by October 25, 2020

Back in 2013, we posted about a large inflatable rubber duck that was visiting ports around the globe. It was created by the Dutch artist Florentijn Hofman  and was named “Spreading Joy Around the World.”  Nevertheless, it was universally known simply as “Rubber Duck.”

Seven years later, we have Borat on a barge, an inflatable 40′ long scantily-clad figure of Sacha Baron Cohen’s character, Borat, reclining on a deck barge. And there is not one inflated Borat, but three. Last Thursday and Friday, inflatable nearly-naked Borats appeared reclining on deck barges on New York City’s Hudson River, at Toronto’s Harborfront and in the Thames River near London Bridge.

If the inflatable Rubber Duck was a honey bee meant to spread joy, Borat on a barge is a murder hornet meant to promote a movie. All so perfectly emblematic of the year 2020.

The Wide Awakes Navy “Boats the Vote” on Eve of Early Voting

Posted on by October 24, 2020

On the eve of the first day of early voting in New York, an exquisite mix of music and the sound of merriment rose from the murky waters of the Gowanus Canal as the Wide Awakes Navy and the Gowanus Dredgers hosted a “Boat the Vote” rally. Dozens of kayaks and small boats floated in the 4th Street basin while fellow supporters lined the shore, as Shequida Hall, a classically trained drag queen opera singer serenaded the assembled, backed up by French horn quartet, the Metropolitan Horn Authority. The acoustics, visuals, and spirit of the event were said to be amazing. 

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The Staten Island Quarantine War of 1858

Posted on by October 23, 2020

The story of the New York Marine Hospital in Staten Island—known simply as “the Quarantine,” seems very timely. It was the firey center of what became known as the Staten Island Quarantine War of 1858. At the time it was the largest quarantine facility in the United States.

The idea to isolate the sick and contagious from the general population to limit the spread of disease may date back thousands of years. The word quarantine is from the 14th-century Venetian word quarantena, meaning “forty days,” the period that all ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore during the Black Death plague epidemic.

From 1795 to 1798, yellow fever killed thousands in New York City. In reaction, the New York City Common Council passed a quarantine law funding the creation of the New York Marine Hospital.  The Marine Hospital, which became known as the Quarantine, was established on Staten Island in the former town of Castleton, overlooking Upper New York Bay. Continue reading →

USS Stout — Pandemic Wear and Tear After 215 Days at Sea

Posted on by October 22, 2020

The pandemic has taken a toll on even those of us who remained untouched by the virus. In a trivial example, for me, it was a haircut. After five months without a haircut, I was feeling very shaggy when the barbershops finally reopened.

The same applies to ships. The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Stout remained at sea continuously for 215 days straight without a port call, in large part to stay isolated from the pandemic. And it showed. The Drive.com described the appearance of the ship looked “like a set from a dystopian naval thriller, streaked in rust, her hull dinged and battered from the hard deployment.”

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

Posted on by October 21, 2020

Two hundred and fifteen 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 musketeer 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 226th anniversary of the launching of the USS Constitution, launched on October 21, 1794. Continue reading →

US Coast Guard Testing Unmanned Vessels Off Hawaii

Posted on by October 20, 2020

The US Coast Guard Research and Development Center (RDC) has begun testing and evaluation of several unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) off the south shore of Oahu, Hawaii. The testing is scheduled to run through early November, conducted in partnership with local Coast Guard units.

“The tests will focus on autonomous vessel systems from Saildrone and Spatial Integration Systems, in addition to a USCG owned autonomous research vessel made by Metal Shark,” according to a press release issued by the Coast Guard 14th District.

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Rescue Underway on Remote South Atlantic Gough Island

Posted on by October 19, 2020

Image: Tristan da Cunha Website

A rescue is underway to save 62 seafarers stranded on Gough Island in the South Atlantic, one of the most remote islands in the world. The fishing/research vessel, Geo Searcher, is reported to have sunk after hitting rocks about a mile off the island. The crew took to lifeboats and landed on Gough Island, making their way to an island weather station. There were two reported injures but neither were life-threatening.

The South African Maritime Safety Authority​ (SAMSA) has sent the polar supply and research vessel, SA Agulhas II, to rescue the stranded crew.  The ship has two helicopters and a doctor on board. SA Agulhas II is expected to arrive sometime tomorrow.

Gough Island is approximately 250 miles southeast of Tristan da Cunha and more than 1,700 miles west of Cape Town, South Africa.

Farewell to the Aurora Australis, AKA Orange Roughy

Posted on by October 18, 2020

Australia’s only home-built icebreaker will soon leave their shores. The icebreaker Aurora Australis, affectionately nicknamed Orange Roughy, is ending her more than thirty-year career serving Australia. Launched at Carrington Slipways in New South Wales in 1989, the ship helped Australia make its mark in Antarctica. Over three decades, the ship has carried more than 14,000 crew and scientists on over 150 expeditions.

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Over-Budget, Long Delayed and Scandal Ridden, Venice’s MOSE Works in First Real Test

Posted on by October 17, 2020

Venice, Italy is sinking at about 1mm per year. The sea level in the Northern Adriatic is rising. At peak tidal conditions, referred to as acqua alta, almost half of Venice’s streets have been known to flood.  None of this is new and for the last 17 years, the city has been building a series of 78 moving barriers in the three inlets to the Venician lagoon, to prevent city flooding.

The project, called MOSE (MOdulo Sperimentale Elettromeccanico, Experimental Electromechanical Module), has been plagued by delays, cost overruns, and scandal and has often been called a failure in the media. Nevertheless, on October 3, something remarkable took place. During a particularly high tide, the MOSE flood gates were raised and they worked. The waters of the Adriatic were held back. The streets of Venice did not flood. 

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2020 Virtual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race

Posted on by October 16, 2020

We are a bit late posting about the 2020 Virtual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, but there is still time to join in. 

In any normal year, the Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race attracts dozens of schooners on the Bay, to race from Baltimore down to Norfolk. But 2020 is obviously not a normal year.

This year, they are holding a Virtual Race! Continue reading →