In Show of Force, Russian Warships Arrive In Havana, Cuba

Posted on by June 13, 2024

On Wednesday four Russian naval vessels; a nuclear-powered submarine, a frigate, an oil tanker, and a rescue tug; arrived in Cuba for military drills.

The vessels’ visit has been seen as a show of force amid Moscow’s tensions with the West over the war in Ukraine, according to the BBC. The ships anchored in Havana Bay – some 90 miles (145km) from the US state of Florida.

Russia’s defence ministry says the Admiral Gorshkov frigate and the Kazan submarine both can carry advanced weapons, including hypersonic missiles Zircon. They earlier conducted missile drills in the Atlantic.

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The Wreck of Shackleton’s “Last Ship” Quest Discovered

Posted on by June 12, 2024

A sonar image of the Quest. It went down on 5 May 1962

The wreck of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s “last ship” Quest has been discovered on the seafloor off the coast of Newfoundland, Canada.

When I first read the news, I did a double-take. Just over two years ago, the wreck of Shackleton’s “lost ship,” Endurance, was discovered, after being trapped in pack ice and sinking in the Weddell Sea, beneath the Larsen C ice shelf, off Antarctica on November  21,1915. 

So the newly discovered wreck is Shackleton’s “last ship” and not his “lost ship.” 

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One Hundred Eighty Nine Dead or Missing After Migrant Boat Capsizes Off Yemen

Posted on by June 11, 2024

Fishermen rescuing survivors

At least 49 people from the Horn of Africa have died and 140 are missing after their boat capsized off the coast of Yemen, according to the UN’s International Organization for Migration (IOM).

Among the dead were six children and 31 women. Survivors told rescuers that the vessel, carrying 260 migrants, sank on Monday in strong winds. The search continues for the missing migrants. The IOM is providing aid to 71 survivors, including six children, with eight migrants referred to hospital.

In a statement on Tuesday, IOM spokesman Mohammedali Abunajela said “this recent tragedy is another reminder of the urgent need to work together to address urgent migration challenges”.

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Three Bitten in Two Shark Attacks on Florida Gulf Coast Within Hours of Each Other

Posted on by June 10, 2024

A woman was attacked by a shark on Friday afternoon while swimming in the Gulf of Mexico near Watersound Beach in Walton County, Florida. The victim, a woman in her 40s, sustained critical injuries on her midsection and left arm, according to South Walton Fire Chief Ryan Crawford. She was transported to a local trauma center where part of her arm had to be amputated. The attack occurred around 1:20pm.

Less than two hours later, two teenage girls were waist-deep in the water near Seacrest Beach, only about four miles east of the first incident, when a shark attacked them. One girl suffered “significant injuries to the upper leg and one hand” and was taken to a trauma center. The other girl had minor injuries on her foot and was taken to a hospital, according to officials.

Two shark attacks on the same day and so geographically close together are extremely rare.

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Throttle Stuck at Full Ahead on Container Ship MSC Michigan VII in Charleston Harbor, Bridge Shutdown

Posted on by June 7, 2024

Photo: vesselfinder,com

On Wednesday morning at 11:46 a.m. the container ship MSC Michigan VII departed the North Charleston Container Terminal in Charleston, South Carolina, with its engine set to “dead slow ahead” as it moved down the Cooper River toward the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. Instead of proceeding at a harbor speed of 6 -8 knots, however, the engine increased power to near full-ahead without warning, propelling the ship between 14 and 17  knots, and would not respond to commands.

Charleston Harbor pilot called in assistance from nearby tugboats; however, they could not reach the vessel due to the increased speed. 

The US Coast Guard was alerted to an “out of control vessel” in the Cooper River around 12:17 p.m. Wednesday, Coast Guard Sector Charleston Deputy Commander Randy Preston said. Authorities rushed to clear boaters from the vessel’s path and shut down the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge before the ship passed underneath.

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On the 80th Anniversary of D-Day, Remembering Andrew Jackson Higgins and the Higgins Boat

Posted on by June 6, 2024

I am aware of only one man who was praised by both Eisenhower and Hitler. A repost on the 80th anniversary of D-Day.

General Dwight David Eisenhower said “Andrew Higgins … is the man who won the war for us. … If Higgins had not designed and built those LCVPs, we never could have landed over an open beach. The whole strategy of the war would have been different.”  

Adolph Hitler referred to Andrew Higgins as the “new Noah,” though his admiration was more begrudging. On the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, better known as D-Day, it seems worthwhile to remember Andrew Higgins and the amazing Higgins boat.

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Latest “Fat Leonard” Bribery Case Falls Apart

Posted on by June 5, 2024

A federal judge dismissed the most recent felony convictions of five retired military officers who had admitted to accepting bribes from Leonard Francis, a Malaysian contractor nicknamed “Fat Leonard,” in one of the biggest corruption scandals in Navy history.

The dismissals came at the request of the government — not the defense — citing prosecutorial errors.

Retired US Navy officers Donald Hornbeck, Robert Gorsuch and Jose Luis Sanchez, and U.S. Marine Corps Col. Enrico DeGuzman had each admitted to accepting bribes from  Francis. Following the dismissals, the retired officers pleaded guilty to a lesser misdemeanor charge of disclosing information.

The judge also dismissed the entire case against former US Navy captain Stephen Shedd. In court documents and testimony, Shedd confessed to leaking military secrets on 10 occasions for prostitutes, vacations, luxury watches, and other bribes worth $105,000.

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Navy’s Former Second-Highest-Ranking Officer Arrested, Charged with Bribery

Posted on by June 1, 2024

The Department of Justice announced yesterday the arrest of Robert P. Burke, a retired four-star Navy Admiral, on criminal charges in a bribery scheme that allegedly awarded a sole-source contract to a company in 2021 in exchange for a $500,000-a-year job and stock options. Two business executives were also arrested and charged.

Adm. Burke, 62, of Coconut Creek, Fla., faces the prospect of becoming only the second U.S. admiral to be found guilty of committing a federal crime while on active duty, after his arrest on a five-count indictment returned Thursday in U.S. District Court in Washington.
 
Burke was arrested with Yongchul “Charlie” Kim, 50, and Meghan Messenger, 47, founders of the New York-based technology services firm Next Jump, prosecutors announced.
 
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The Problem of Sailors Stranded on Abandoned Ships Has Only Gotten Worse

Posted on by May 31, 2024

Back in 2021, we posted about Mohammed Aisha, the First Officer of the MV Aman, who had been stranded on the ship for almost four years, stuck off the Egyptian coast after the ship’s owners in Bahrain faced financial difficulties. He was finally freed and flown home to Syria.

Now, there are reports in the media of Abdul Nasser Saleh who finally returned home to Egypt after spending almost a decade working without pay on the cargo ship Al-Maha, abandoned by its owner at ports along the Red Sea.

Sadly the problem of ship owners abandoning crews aboard ships has only gotten worse.  As reported by the Independent, Saleh’s plight is part of a global problem that shows no signs of abating. The United Nations has logged an increasing number of crew members abandoned by shipowners, leaving sailors aboard for months and sometimes years without pay. More than 2,000 seafarers on some 150 ships were abandoned last year.
 
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No, Offshore Wind Farms Are Not Harming Whales, But Risks Remain

Posted on by May 30, 2024

A recent article in the journal Oceanus, hosted by the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), raises the question, “Are offshore wind farms harming whales?”

The short answer is “no.”

They write: A collection of seemingly grass-roots organizations claim that offshore wind projects are responsible for an uptick in whale deaths. But there’s no evidence to support their claims. Whales have been dying in larger numbers for many years, but offshore wind isn’t the reason why.

Many whale deaths go unreported because the animals don’t always wash up on shore. For those that do, a team of scientists is often quick to secure the carcass for a necropsy, which can help determine the cause of death. According to WHOI whale biologist Mark Baumgartner, offshore wind has never been found to be a contributing factor.

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Colombia Begins Exploring Galleon San José, ‘Holy Grail’ of Shipwrecks

Posted on by May 29, 2024

BBC reports that after decades of legal wrangling, the Colombian government has started exploring the wreck of the 18th-century Spanish galleon San José, dubbed the “holy grail of shipwrecks.”

The South American nation has also declared a protected archaeological area around the galleon – which was sunk by the British Royal Navy in 1708 in the Caribbean Sea.

The ship, whose ownership remains contested, was carrying one of the largest hauls of valuables ever lost at sea when it was attacked just outside of the Colombian city of Cartagena.  It is estimated to be laden with as much as £16bn ($20bn) in treasure.

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Wreckage of USS Harder, Famous World War II Submarine, Lost for 80 Years, Found in the South China Sea

Posted on by May 27, 2024

The  USS Harder, said to be the US Navy submarine that sank the most Japanese warships during World War Two, has been found in the South China Sea, some 80 years after it was sunk. 

The Harder, a Gato class submarine, was sunk in battle on 29 August 1944, along with its crew of 79 men. Resting at a depth of more than 3,000 feet, the vessel sits upright on her keel relatively intact except for the depth-charge damage aft of the conning tower. The wreckage of the submarine was found off the Philippines’ northern island of Luzon.

 Nicknamed “Hit ‘em HARDER”, she was one of the most famous submarines of World War II. Harder received the Presidential Unit Citation for her first five patrols and six battle stars for World War II service. Her commanding officer throughout her service, Commander Samuel D. Dealey (1906–1944), described as “a submariner’s submariner”, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor and four Navy Crosses during his lifetime.

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Schooner De Gallant Sinking Update: Coast Guard Suspends Search for Two Missing Mariners

Posted on by May 24, 2024

Photo: Fair Transport

We recently posted about the sinking of the cargo schooner De Gallant early Tuesday morning, 22 nautical miles north of the Bahamas island of Great Inagua, with eight sailors on board. Six of the crew were rescued from life rafts by the US Coast Guard, which began search and rescue operations to locate the two female crew members who were missing.

Yesterday, the Coast Guard announced that it had suspended its search for the two missing mariners. Since the initial report, rescue crews searched by air and sea for approximately 44 combined hours and covered more than 3,700 square miles.

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Viking Longship Draken Harald Hårfagre Returning Home to Norway

Posted on by May 23, 2024

Photo: https://www.drakenhh.com/

After more than seven years in US waters, the longship Draken Harald Hårfagre, known as the world’s largest Viking ship currently sailing, is returning home to Norway. The 115-foot-long ship left its temporary home at Mystic Seaport Museum on Sunday, May 19 bound for Newport, RI where it will await the arrival of the Dutch yacht transport ship Stadiongracht to arrive.

Draken is expected to be loaded onboard Stationgracht on May 26 outside Newport Harbor. Stadiongracht should arrive in Stavanger, Norway, on June 4, where Draken will be offloaded.

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Cargo Schooner De Gallant Sinks off the Bahamas, Two Crew Reported Missing

Posted on by May 22, 2024

Photo: Fair Transport

The cargo schooner De Gallant capsized and sank early Tuesday morning 22 nautical miles north of the Bahamas island of Great Inagua with eight sailors on board. So far, six people have been rescued from a life raft with two female crew members still missing. Rescue operations by the US Coast Guard are ongoing.

A statement by the Blue Schooner Company, the owner of De Gallant said that rescue operations carried out by the Regional Operational Surveillance and Rescue Center (CROSS) in Miami, in conjunction with CROSS Gris-Nez, reported yesterday at 2:59 p.m. UTC or 10:59 a.m. local time the helicopter rescue of six of the eight crew.

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Video of Deep-Sea Dana Octopus Squid Flashing Brilliant “Headlights”

Posted on by May 17, 2024

Researchers from the University of Western Australia (UWA) and Kelpie Geosciences in the U.K. recently caught some amazing video footage of a terrifying deep-sea squid that flashed a pair of brilliant “headlights” at the moment it goes in for the kill. 

The scientists dropped a free-fall camera baited with mackerel just north of the Samoan Passage in the South Pacific. As the camera sank to the bottom, it was attacked by a Taningia danae—also known as the Dana octopus squid at a depth of around 3,366 feet.

“As we were reviewing the footage, we realized we had captured something very rare,” said Heather Stewart, an adjunct professor at UWA and a member of Kelpie Geosciences, in a statement.

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Container Ship Dali May be Refloated This Week After Controlled Demolition Removes Bridge Wreckage

Posted on by May 14, 2024

The trapped container ship Dali will “hopefully” be refloated this week after authorities set off charges at a key portion of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Monday evening, an official said.

The charges helped demolish a portion of the bridge wreckage resting on the ship – a move meant to help free the vessel, nearly seven weeks after it struck the bridge and caused the span to collapse. During the planned detonation, a chunk of the collapsed structure appeared to fall away from the ship and into the water, though a portion of wreckage remained on top of the ship, video showed.

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Sailors’ Tattoos on Mother’s Day

Posted on by May 12, 2024

An updated repost appropriate for Mother’s Day.

Sailors choose their tattoos for various reasons. Among the most popular sailor tattoos are anchors, hearts, and swallows.  Not infrequently, “Mom” also appeared as a reminder of loved ones and home.  On Mother’s Day, it seems worthwhile to look at sailors’ tattoos that remind them of “Mom.”

Remy Melina, in the Live Science blog, writes about the popularity of “I Love Mom” tattoos:  The “I Love Mom” tattoo first became popular during World War II. As they traveled around the world, U.S. Navy sailors got tattoos to document their achievements and memories. Tattoo parlors began to pop up near military bases and patriotic tattoos came into vogue, according to John Gray’s book “I Love Mom: An Irreverent History of the Tattoo.” Continue reading →

Olympic Torch Arrives in Marseille on Three Masted Barque Belem

Posted on by May 10, 2024

Tens of thousands of people welcomed the Olympic torch Wednesday in the southern French city of Marseille, marking another milestone in the lead-up to the Summer Games in Paris. The flame arrived after a 12-day trip from Greece onboard the Belem, a 128-year-old three-masted barque that once transported sugar from France’s colonies in the West Indies.

Reuters reports that the torch was brought to land by Florent Manaudou, France’s 2012 Olympic men’s 50 metres freestyle swimming champion, who handed it to Paralympic athlete Nantenin Keita, a 400 metres gold medallist at the Rio Games in 2016.
She then passed it on to Marseille-born rapper Jul, who lit the cauldron in front of an ecstatic crowd estimated at 150,000. Earlier a flotilla of pleasure boats had welcomed the Belem to French shores.

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Carcass of Endangered Sei Whale Arrives at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal Pinned to Bow of MSC Meraviglia

Posted on by May 9, 2024

On Saturday, May 4, the cruise ship MSC Meraviglia arrived at the Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in New York Harbor dragging the carcass of a 44-foot-long endangered sei whale, caught on the ship’s bulbous bow.

Sei whales are endangered and are typically observed in deeper waters far from the coastline. NOAA’s Office of Law Enforcement is investigating this incident. The whale was relocated and towed to shore at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, to allow for better access to heavy equipment and resources to conduct a necropsy.

According to the New York Times, results of a preliminary investigation show broken bones in the whale’s right flipper; tissue trauma along its right shoulder blade; a full stomach, and a decent layer of blubber.  These all point toward the animal having been in otherwise good health when it was likely struck and killed by the ship, said Robert A. DiGiovanni, the chief scientist of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, which is leading the investigation.

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