Brig Pilgrim Sinks at Dock in Dana Point, CA, Salvage Attempts Underway

The brig Pilgrim, a replica of the ship immortalized in Richard Henry Dana’s 1840 memoir, Two Years Before the Mast, sank at the dock over the weekend in Dana Point, CA. The replica brig, owned by the Ocean Institute has served as a classroom for marine science and maritime history programs since arriving in Dana Point in 1981. 

The brig is reported to have begun listing to starboard on Saturday night and to have sunk on Sunday. On Monday, attempts began to salvage the vessel and to determine why she sank. 

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USNS Comfort Arrives in NYC & New Hospitals on the Harbor

When particularly interesting ships arrive in New York harbor, I like to go down the waterfront, as time permits, to see them in. This morning was chilly and overcast and in the spirit of social distancing, I watched the arrival of the Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort by webcam.

Comfort is now docked at the cruise terminal at Pier 90 on the Hudson River.  The ship will provide an additional 1,000 beds to support the New York hospital system during the peak of coronavirus pandemic.

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USNS Comfort Steams Toward NYC — Concerns About Covid-19 Screening

The Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort  is currently steaming north toward New York harbor to help support the city hospital system during the coronavirus crisis. The ship will dock at a newly dredged berth at Pier 90 on the Hudson River.

The ship does not have the facilities or equipment to cope with an infectious disease outbreak, so the Comfort will take overflow patients who do not have the coronavirus, from other New York hospitals. There is a concern, however, whether the more than 1,200 personnel aboard have been adequately screened for the Covid-19 virus.

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USS Constitution Museum Goes Virtual

We recently posted about two virtual tours available on the historic frigate USS Constitution. In these days of the coronavirus lockdown, the ship is closed as is the shoreside museum. Just as you can tour the ship virtually, the USS Constitution Museum has developed a virtual portal to bring the museum to visitors while the public can no longer visit the museum.

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Aircraft Carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt Diverted to Guam Due to Virus Outbreak

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71) has diverted to Guam following an outbreak of coronavirus onboard. Following initial news of three infected sailors, the number of cases is now said to have risen to “dozens.”  The sailors infected with the virus have been airlifted to a naval medical hospital on Guam. The infected sailors are reported to have mild cases of the virus and have not required hospitalization. 

The carrier’s medical personnel have begun testing the rest of the crew. There are about 800 test kits onboard the ship. The testing will continue in Guam with the intention of testing all 5,000 aboard. The Roosevelt is the first Navy ship at sea to have reported a coronavirus outbreak. 

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Open Seas, Closed Borders — Crews Trapped by Covid-19

Despite the pandemic caused by the coronavirus, known as Covid-19, ships keep moving across the oceans.  Oil tankers, bulk carriers, and container ships carry critical resources and manufactured goods to industry and consumers across the globe. Now, however, dozens of nations, including the 27 nations of the European Union, have temporarily closed their external borders to most foreign nationals.

The problem is that ships’ crew, whose contracts of employment are up, can be effectively trapped. They are often prevented from disembarking and, even in the increasingly race cases where they can go ashore, in many countries, international air travel is just not available.

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USS Gerald R. Ford, Clogged Toilets and Overflowing Costs

The US Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, USS Gerald R. Ford, is the largest aircraft carrier ever built and, at over $13 billion, is also the most expensive. Nevertheless, because of problems with mission-critical systems, the ship has been referred to by one critic as nothing more than a “nuclear-powered berthing barge.” 

Unfortunately, a recent GAO report on unaccounted maintenance costs suggests that the Ford may not be so great as a berthing barge either. The problem? The toilets and the entire sewage system tends to get easily clogged. When this happens, the Navy has to flush the system with acid to clear it at a reported cost of $400,000. How often does this happen? The GAO says that the Navy cannot say.

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During the Lockdown, a Choice of Virtual Tours of USS Constitution

If you are among the hundreds of millions locked down during the current coronavirus outbreak and would like to get out, even virtually, you might want to take a virtual tour of the USS Constitution, also known as Old Ironsides.  

Actually, there are at least two virtual tours to choose from. In normal times, there are daily public tours onboard the historic ship. To help limit the spread of the virus, these tours have been suspended until further notice. There is, however, currently a live virtual tour available at 1PM ET every day on Facebook.  As the tour guides lead you virtually through the warship, you can ask questions by posting in the comment section.

If you can’t make the live video tours, Google Maps has a self-guided virtual tour of the ship that lets you wander about using either your keyboard or mouse and to jump between decks with a single click.

The Constitution is a wooden-hulled, three-masted United States Navy heavy frigate, launched in 1797. Alongside at Pier One of the former Charlestown Navy Yard, she is the world’s oldest commissioned naval vessel afloat.

No, Dolphins and Swans Have Not Returned to the Canals of Venice

Social and the mainstream press have been running stories showing swans and dolphins returning to the canals of Venice in the wake of the shutdowns to limit the coronavirus.  The possible silver lining to the overwhelming tragedy in Italy appears, however, to be largely fiction.

As reported by Snopes: “The dolphins shown in the video, it turns out, were not swimming in the iconic canals of Venice, but off the coast of Sardinia, an Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea,” 653 km from Venice. Sightings of dolphins in Sardina predate the coronavirus outbreak by many years. 

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A Sunday Distraction — Windjammer Thrills Newsreel

As a brief respite from the current madness, here is a mixed-up montage of sailing footage from the Castle Films newsreel named Windjammer Thrills. The newsreel starts with the square-rigged training ship Christian Radich, moves on to fishing schooner races with a nice shot of the Gertrude L.Theobald, then jumps to the America’s Cup, dinghy sailing, iceboating, and beach sailing. An entertaining hodgepodge.

AGE OF SAIL SCHOONERS & SAILING SHIPS / AMERICA’S CUP NEWSREEL 73412

Tow-Rags, or How Sailors Cleaned Their Bums

In the United States recently, there has been a lot of attention given to those who hoard toilet paper in preparation for the coronavirus onslaught. As toilet paper is one of the basic necessities of modern life, hoarding seems to be particularly bad form. Nevertheless, as we consider the prospect of doing without, it also raises the question of what folks did before the advent of toilet paper. This being a nautical blog, however, we will focus on how sailors of old kept their bums more or less clean.

Sailors in the Age of Sail used tow-rags. What is a tow-rag? As can be seen in the video below, close to the ship’s head — the toilets in the bow or “head” of the ship — there was a long rope ending in a short rag that hung over the side into the water. After using the head, the sailor could then clean his backside with the wet rag then drop the rope back over the side. The rag would then be cleaned either by being literally towed by the ship under sail or to be washed by the action of wave and current if at anchor.

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Blocked from Port, CMV Cruise Ships Transfer Passengers at Sea

The plan was for the Cruise and Maritime Voyages (CMV) ships Vasco da Gama and Columbus to refuel, reprovision and swap passengers in the port of Phuket, Thailand before returning to their respective homeports to be temporarily laid up. When barred from entering Phuket and all other Southeast Asian ports over coronavirus concerns, however, CMV got creative. The two ships rendezvoused 12 miles off the coast of Thailand and transferred 239 passengers and over 500 pieces of luggage by launch. 

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Hospital Ships USNS Mercy & USNS Comfort Deploying

The good news is that the Pentagon announced that it is activating the two US Navy hospital ships, USNS Mercy and USNS Comfort, notionally to provide additional capacity in the developing coronavirus pandemic. The bad news is that it is increasingly unclear how much support they will provide and when they will be able to deploy.

USNS Mercy is stationed in San Diego, CA and is expected to deploy along the US West Coast. USNS Comfort is based in Norfolk, VA and will be sent to New York harbor. Both ships are converted San Clemente-class oil tankers.

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Cruise Ships Blocked from Ports Around the World Over Coronavirus Fears

More that one hundred Australian doctors and dentists on a medical conference cruise have found themselves stranded onboard the cruise ship Roald Amundsen off Punta Arenas, Chile after the country after the country banned cruise ships from docking in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Chile announced the ban on Sunday following an elderly passenger on one cruise ship testing positive for the coronavirus.

Guardian Australian has confirmed the doctors, dentists and medical experts from Australia were on board for a 10-night cruise to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands and the Chilean Fjords as part of a combined medical and dental conference put on by Unconventional Conventions.

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St. Patrick and the Pirates

The story goes that somewhere around the year 400 AD, a lad of 16, named Maewyn Succat, was kidnapped by pirates from his home in what is now Wales and was taken as a slave to Ireland.  He was enslaved for six years, during which time he converted to Christianity. He finally escaped and returned to his family. He became a priest and studied at a seminary in France. When he was almost 60, he returned to Ireland.  By then Pope Celestine I had given him the name “Patercius” or “Patritius.” We know him better these days as Patrick. He did alright in Ireland. He founded over three hundred churches and apparently had a way with snakes. Today is his feast day or as we call it, St. Patrick’s Day. 

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Cruise Ships and the Coronavirus — the Crews Pay the Price

While there is an understandable concern for the passengers on cruise ships struck by the coronavirus, the crews are often overlooked. What challenges do they face and what happens to them when the last passengers leave the ships?

Nowhere to Hide

When the cruise ship Diamond Princess was quarantined in Japan with over 3,500 passengers and crew aboard, videos began appearing on social media of passengers in their staterooms, often with balconies, providing commentary on their rather comfortable confinement. Occasionally a crew member would appear at a stateroom door to deliver meals and refreshments.

While the passengers posted to Youtube, the hard-working crew had no place to hide from the virus. Continue reading

T.S Kennedy Returns to Mass. Maritime from Sea Term 2020!

After all the stress of the past week, some beauty and tranquility feels appropriate. Here is some absolutely breathtaking drone footage, shot by Ryan Smith, of the Training Ship Kennedy returning to Massachusetts Maritime Academy from Sea Term 2020. A wonderfully shot and edited video.

T.S Kennedy Returns from Sea Term 2020!

To see more of Ryan’s video click here, here or here. Also, check out his Youtube channel.

US Cruise Industry Shutting Down For at Least 30 Days

The press release from the Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA) was clear — the cruise industry is now shut down. No more cruising from the United States. CLIA is the world’s largest cruise industry trade association, representing more than 50 cruise lines. Their statement read in part:

“CLIA ocean-going cruise lines will be voluntarily and temporarily suspending cruise ship operations from and to U.S. ports of call for 30 days as public health officials and the U.S. Government continue to address COVID-19.

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Soviet G-5 Torpedo Boat Lost During the Siege of Sevastopol Recovered By Russian Navy


The Russian Navy recently found and raised a Soviet G-5 Type motor torpedo boat sunk in the Siege of Sevastapol during World War II.  Approximately 300 G-5s were built, of which 73 were lost during World War II.

Despite specific differences in size and armament, American, British, and German motor torpedo boats used during World War II were fundamentally similar to each other — fast, lightly built primarily of wood and heavily armed with torpedo tubes facing forward. The Soviet G-5 was a very different craft altogether.

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Viking and Princess Temporarily Suspend Cruise Operations

Viking Cruises announced that it is suspending operations of all ocean and river cruises until May 1. Viking operates over 70 river and cruise vessels, including 16 ocean-going cruise ships. A short time later, Princess Cruises announced that it was stopping the operation of all 18 of its ships until May 11. Princess ships currently at sea will sail to their final destination or divert to an alternate port prior to March 17th.

Three Britons tested positive on a Viking vessel in Cambodia this week. Viking chairman Torstein Hagen announced the suspension of operations in a video saying, “I am sure you recognize that COVID-19 has made travel extremely complicated. An increasing number of ports — including Venice, Monte Carlo, and Bergen — have temporarily closed to cruise ships. Major attractions such as the Vatican and other museums have been closed, and some countries are imposing restrictions on public gatherings and visitors.”

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