South Street Seaport Hosts an Afternoon of Online Sea Chanteys, Sunday, July 5, 202

In May, we posted about the virtual return New York’s South Street Seaport Museum‘s monthly Chantey Sing.  It was great fun. The next Seaport Chantey sing is scheduled for this Sunday, July 5th. From the Seaport press release: 

South Street Seaport Museum’s monthly sea-music Sea Chanteys and Maritime Music continues – virtually. From our living rooms and kitchens, and even from the deck of Wavertree, join our round-robin of shared songs, featuring members of the New York Packet and friends. Listen in, lead or request a song, and belt out the choruses for your neighbors to hear during a Virtual Chantey Sing on Sunday, July 5, 2020 from 2-4pm. The event is FREE. Sign up here to receive the Zoom link 24 hours prior: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=4pcqx8iab&oeidk=a07eh55kqffdc22ec73.

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Keel Laying for Interlake’s Mark W. Barker, First US Flag Laker in 35 Years

On June 23, the keel was laid for the Interlake Steamship‘s new Great Lakes bulk carrier at Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding in Sturgeon Bay, WI.  The 639 ft-long, 28,000-tonne Lake-Class self-unloading bulker is the first US flag self-propelled bulk carrier to be built in the Great Lakes in 35 years. 

The ship’s name was revealed by Interlake chairman James R Barker who named it Mark W Barker, after his son. Barker said: “This ship is more than the steel assembled here by Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding.

“This ship represents Interlake’s determination to be an active and responsible participant in all aspects of Great Lakes trade.

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Update: Maine Windjammers Get OK to Sail, With Strict Requirements

We recently posted about a delay in the start of the Maine windjammer schooner passenger season due to the pandemic and concerns that it may not start at all. The good news is that the State of Maine, working with the Maine Windjammer Association and others, has agreed on a set of rules and guidelines to allow overnight windjammer cruises to start in July. 

Cruise Critic reports that Maine has been one of the most cautious states in allowing non-residents to enter for tourism. The regulations surrounding windjammer cruising reflect that. All out-of-state visitors must have a negative COVID-19 test result within 72 hours of travel. While the state exempts fellow New England states Vermont and New Hampshire, the MWA said some captains might require all passengers to prove they tested negative for COVID-19, regardless of the state.

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Beluga Whale Appears Off San Diego, Thousands of Miles From Home Waters

Whale watchers off San Diego were shocked to see what appeared to be a beluga whale in southern Californian waters. Video shot from a drone confirmed the sighting. Belugas typically live in the waters of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. This is believed to be the first beluga sighted so far south in the Pacific. 

Experts from Alaska said it appears to them that the whale did not escape from captivity, but instead is what they call an “explorer” who wandered off from a pod in the wild. The good news is that there is a lot of food for it in our water so, if it’s healthy, it definitely has a chance to survive, according to reporting by CBS8.

Beluga whale spotted close to San Diego

Solo Sailor’s 85 Day Voyage Across Atlantic to Reunite with Family in Pandemic

At the end of May, we posted about the unplanned 10,000-mile voyage of the bark Europa, made necessary when the pandemic shut down transportation options for its crew. Argentine sailor, Juan Manuel Ballestero, 47, faced a similar challenge and found a similar solution. Ballestero was on the Portuguese island of Porto Santo and wanted to return to Argentina to be with his 90-year-old father and 82-year old mother. However, in mid-March, Argentina canceled all international passenger flights to shield the country from the new coronavirus. There was no way to fly home.

Rather than being trapped by the lockdown, Ballestero set off on March 24, to sail back to Argentina, singlehanded on his Ohlson 29 sailboat named Skua, It was an eventful voyage that would ultimately take 85 days.

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Maine Windjammers Face Uncertain Season in Pandemic

For decades, schooners referred to as “windjammers” have sailed up and down the Maine coast carrying vacationers from May to October. This year, however, the pandemic has delayed the season and there are concerns that it may not start at all. 

Already Boothbay’s 58th Annual Windjammer Days, scheduled for this week have been canceled. Likewise, the Maine Windjammer Association has canceled its 44th Annual Great Schooner Race, scheduled for July 2 and the Parade of Sail scheduled for July 10 in Roclkand.

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Update: Golden Horizon, ex-Flying Clipper, World’s Largest Sailing Ship, to Sail from UK Next Year

While this may not appear to be the best time to start a new cruise venture, if all goes well, in the Spring of 2021, Tradewind Voyages will offer voyages on the Golden Horizon, a 272 passenger five-masted barque.  Setting 68,000 square feet of sail, or over twice the sail area of the clipper ship Cutty Sark, she is the largest square-rigged sailing ship in the world.  The design of the ship was inspired by the France II, built in 1913.

Some of this may sound familiar. For the last five years, we have been following the construction of the Flying Clipper for Star Clipper Lines.  Last year we posted about a contract dispute between Star Clipper and the Croatian shipyard Brodosplit. Unable to come to terms, the shipyard took over the ship.  Reportedly, Brodosplit still owns the square-rigger which is, or will be, chartered to the UK based Tradewind. 

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Container Ship Maersk Idaho Held Off Virginia Beach After Crew Test Positive for COVID-19

The 958-foot long, US flag container ship, Maersk Idaho is anchored off the coast of Virginia after several crew members tested positive for COVID-19. Maersk is working on a plan to evacuate the ship, bring the crew to a quarantine facility, clean the ship and then bring a new crew on board, said Patrick McCaffery, Maersk Line’s general counsel, as reported by the Virginia Pilot

The ship had transited the Atlantic from Bremerhaven Germany to Newark, NJ. One crew member had become ill with symptoms of pneumonia after the ship arrived in the Port of Newark. He was taken to a hospital where he tested positive for COVID-19. By the time Maersk was notified of the positive case, the Idaho was en route to Norfolk where, according to the Port of Virginia’s vessel schedule, it was scheduled to load and unload cargo at Virginia International Gateway this weekend. 

In subsequent testing on Sunday, nine more crew tested positive for the virus. All had been asymptomatic.

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Covid-19 Fears & the Alaskan Salmon Season in Bristol Bay

Every year, the Alaskan fishing industry attracts tens of thousands of migrant workers. In remote Bristol Bay, Alaska, between 10,000 and 15,000 fishermen come to work on the salmon boats plying the Bering Sea, while another 6,000 workers or so arrive to process the salmon brought ashore. Salmon fishing brings in $700 million each year to this remote, sparsely populated area. But, as reported by the Counter, with only 15 hospital beds and limited medical resources, local tribal leaders are wondering: Are the risks worth it?  

As of June 23rd, Alaska Public Media reports that 12 seafood workers in Dillingham, a Bristol Bay hub town, have tested positive for COVID-19 while under quarantine, sparking anxiety in the small community. The Bristol Bay region didn’t have a single Covid-19 case until May 16. The salmon fishing season starts at the beginning of June.

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Sahara Dust Plume May Temporarily Damp Down Atlantic Hurricanes

A huge cloud of desert dust has blown off the Sahara and is bound across the Atlantic Ocean heading toward the United States. While dust plumes are not uncommon, this plume is exceptionally large and dense with the highest concentration of dust particles observed in 50 to 60 years.

The plume has already turned blue Caribbean skies a hazy brownish gray and is expected to arrive on the US Gulf Coast later this week after traveling 5,000 miles from Africa. 

The plume could have a  range of impacts on local weather in the South-East. Sunsets and sunrises may look  brighter and more vibrant, with orange and red hues showing up more clearly as the dust scatters the sun’s rays.

The dust should also bring drier air which has the benefit that tropical storms and hurricanes in this already busy hurricane season may be temporarily less active while the plume is around. 

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Will the Cruise Industry Survive the Pandemic Headwinds?

Pullmantur Cruceros, a joint venture between Royal Caribbean and Cruises Investment Holding, has filed for reorganization under Spanish insolvency laws. Cruises Investment Holding owns 51 percent of the three-ship Spanish cruise line, while Royal Caribbean owns the remaining 49 percent. 

Pullmantur’s board of directors issued a statement that reads in part, “Despite the great progress the company made to achieve a turnaround in 2019, … the headwinds caused by the pandemic are too strong for Pullmantur to overcome without a reorganization.”

While the bankruptcy filing impacts only a small cruise operation, it does raise the question — what impact will the pandemic headwinds have on the cruise industry as a whole?

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Cruise Lines Delay US Port Restart Again, Until at Least September 15th

In mid-March, the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) announced that the major cruise lines were shutting down operations from all US ports for at least 30 days in response to the coronavirus pandemic. A month later, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) extended its “No Sail Order” fro up to 100 days. Nevertheless, by mid-May, the major cruise lines were planning restarting operations in July and August.

Now, reality has set in, once again and the CLIA announced last Friday that the major cruise lines will not attempt starting operations from the US until September 15th.

Whether the latest date is any more likely than the previous targets remains to be seen. Recently, a White House advisor raised concerns about a second wave of the novel coronavirus pandemic this fall, as 29 states and U.S. territories logged an increase in their seven-day average of newly reported cases after many lifted restrictions in recent weeks.

Approaching the 50th Anniversay of the Exploding Whale — Exploding Whale Park

Fifty years ago this November,  the residents of Florence, Oregon learned how not to dispose of a dead whale. Now, a half-century later they have named a park after that lesson. The residents have recently chosen to name a local recreational area “Exploding Whale Memorial Park.”

On November 9, 1970, a 45-foot  long, 8-ton whale, described variously as a gray or sperm whale, washed ashore at Florence on the central Oregon Coast.  At the time, Oregon beaches were under the jurisdiction of the state’s Highway Division, which, after consulting with the United States Navy, decided to remove the whale using dynamite – assuming that the resulting pieces would be small enough for scavenger animals to consume.

It turned out to be a really, really bad idea. Continue reading

Navy Refuses to Reinstate Captain Crozier, Despite Earlier Recommendation

The US government has now reversed the recommendation made by high ranking Navy officials that Capt. Brett Crozier, commander of the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, be reinstated.  

In April, the coronavirus was spreading out of control on the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt.  When a letter he wrote seeking help for his ship’s crew was leaked to the press, Captain Crozier was fired. Notwithstanding his dismissal, the Navy acted on Capt. Crozier’s recommendations and requests. 

In late April, the Navy reviewed the firing and recommended that Captain Crozier be reinstated. Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Mike Gilday presented the recommendations to the acting secretary of the Navy James McPherson who forwarded them to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper. Esper chose not to accept the recommendations and reopened the investigation, which was supposed to be finished by May.

Now in late June, the Navy has reversed its position and has decided not to reinstate Captain Crozier but also to recommend additional administrative punishment. 

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Happy Juneteenth! When Emancipation Arrived by Steamship, 155 Years Ago Today

USS Cornubia, ex lady Davis

Today is Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States, when 155 years ago, emancipation arrived in Galveston, Texas by steamship. Here is an updated repost from a few years ago.

Although the surrender at Appomattox Court House, Virginia signaled the end of the nation’s Civil War on April 9, 1865, emancipation did not arrive in Texas until two ex-Confederate steamships sailed into Galveston Harbor two months later. 

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Clearwater’s 2020 Virtual Great Hudson River Revival: An Epic Stream to Save the River

The Clearwater Great Hudson River Revival is a music and environmental summer festival held yearly since 1966, on the banks of the Hudson River. It is said to be America’s oldest and the largest annual festival of its kind. 

In the year of a pandemic,  the things have changed. This year’s Revival will be a series of online performances and events streamed live on Saturday, June 20th, from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on the Clearwater’s website, YouTube channel and Facebook page.

Performers will include Judy Collins; Peter Yarrow; Tom Chapin and the Chapin Sisters; Guy Davis; Kyle Tigges; The Mammals; Reggie Harris; David Amram; John McCutcheon; Jay Ungar and Molly Mason; Noel Paul Stookey; Tom Paxton and more. All proceeds benefit Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit environmental organization. 

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Eighty Years Ago Today — Sinking of the HMT Lancastria, the Worst Maritime Disaster in British History

On June 17, 1940, the HMT Lancastria was sunk by German bombers near the French port of Saint-Nazaire. An estimated 4,000 people died in the sinking. Fewer than 2,500 survived. It was the worst maritime disaster in British history, worse than the Titanic and the Lusitania combined. While often described as forgotten history, that is not accurate. Rather than being forgotten, the tragic sinking was largely covered up for almost 70 years. 

Several weeks after the evacuation at Dunkirk, there were still more than 100,000 troops and civilians in need of evacuation from France. The Cunard passenger liner Lancastria had been requisitioned by the British government. Although the ship configured as a troopship had a capacity of 2,180 including 330 crew, the captain was ordered to take as many people aboard as possible. Estimates of passengers embarked range from 5,000 to 7,200. 

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USS Gerald R. Ford — Almost a Carrier or Still a Berthing Barge?

The $13 billion dollar aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford  is the most expensive warship the world has ever seen. Commissioned in 2017, the ship is still not ready for deployment.  Is the Ford almost ready for combat service or is it still what critics have called a $13 billion berthing barge? It all depends on who you ask — the Navy or the General Accounting Office (GAO).

According to the Navy, things are going well. The National Interest reports that the USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) recently completed the tests to prove that the latest aircraft carrier to enter service can launch and recover jets. Now the U.S. Navy has announced that it has the largest air wing embark to date. In addition, the Ford completed its first ordnance movement from a lower deck magazine to the carrier’s F/A-18E Super Hornets using the ship’s state-of-the-art Advanced Weapons Elevators.

A GAO Report issued at roughly the same time as the Navy announcement has a somewhat different view. Continue reading

Remembering the General Slocum Disaster of June 15, 1904

An updated repost from a few year’s back. One hundred and sixteen years ago today, the disaster on the General Slocum resulted in the largest loss of life in New York City prior to the attacks of 9/11/01.

At around 9AM on June 15, 1904, approximately 1,350 passengers, mostly women and children from the German-American community of New York’s Lower East Side, boarded the Knickerbocker Steamship Company paddle steamer General Slocum for an annual end-of-school outing to Locust Grove Picnic Ground at Eatons Neck on Long Island.  The trip was sponsored by the St. Mark’s Evangelical Lutheran Church.

Instead of a fun-filled day away from the city, the trip shortly turned into a nightmare. Continue reading

After Three Years, USS Fitzgerald Returns to Service

USS Fitzgerald after collision

On June 17, 2017, the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, USS Fitzgerald, collided with the container ship  ACX Crystal near Toyko Bay off the coast of Japan. Seven US sailors died in the collision and at least three more were injured, including the destroyer’s commanding officer. 

Now, almost three years to the day after the collision, the USS Fitzgerald has finally returned to service, sailing from Ingalls Shipbuilding bound for her homeport of San Diego. The ship was transported by heavy-lift ship to the Mississippi shipyard almost a year after the collision, where it underwent two years of repairs and upgrading, impacting every aspect of the ship, including hull structure, machinery, electrical, combat systems, comms, intelligence and command, and control systems.

A US Navy investigation of the collision determined that Fitzgerald’s watch teams “disregarded established norms of basic contact management and, more importantly, leadership failed to adhere to well-established protocols in place to prevent collisions,” concluding that the accident was avoidable.