Shiplore Screening of “Trapped In Typhoon Alley” — the Mystery of the Loss of the MV Derbyshire

Posted on by March 16, 2019

The disappearance of the Capesize bulk carrier MV Derbyshire in Typhoon Orchid shocked the shipping industry.  How a new, large and well-built ship with a trained crew could have simply vanished became a mystery that would take more than 20 years to solve.  

On Monday, March 18th, New York’s Shiplore is screening Trapped in Typhoon Alley, episode one of a new documentary series “Disasters at Sea” produced by Exploration Production Inc. in association with Smithsonian Networks and Discovery Channel (Canada). The documentary looks at the sinking of the MV Derbyshire in 1980 and the two decades of investigations which followed before the mystery of her sinking was finally solved. I was fortunate enough to appear briefly as an expert commenter in the documentary. I will be providing additional commentary on the sinking and investigations before and after the documentary. 

If you are in the area, stop by 80 White Street, Monday, March 18th at 7:30 PM.

USS Fort McHenry Quarantined at Sea for Two Months

Posted on by March 15, 2019


USS Fort McHenry, a US Navy Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship, with over 700 sailors and Marines aboard, has spent the last two months at sea without a port-call. The reason? There has been an outbreak of parotitis, a virus with symptoms similar to the mumps.

Until CNN asked about the time the ship had been at sea, the Navy had not disclosed that the vessel was effectively being quarantined. The illness first broke out in December, with the most recent case being reported on March 9. So far, only about 25 of the more than 700 aboard have caught the virus.

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Women’s History Month — Eleanor Creesy, Navigator of the Clipper Ship Flying Cloud

Posted on by March 14, 2019

During Women’s History Month it is a worthwhile remembering Eleanor Creesy, the navigator of the clipper ship Flying Cloud, who with her husband, Captain Josiah Creesy, set world sailing records for the fastest passage between New York and San Francisco. 

Eleanor Prentiss was born in 1814, in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the daughter of a master mariner, who taught his daughter the art and science of navigation. Eleanor knew how to use a chronometer and a sextant and how to make a sight reduction. In 1841, Eleanor married Captain Josiah Perkins Creesy. The couple sailed together on the ship Oneida in the China trade. Josiah was captain of the ship but Eleanor was the navigator.

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Clipper Ship Cutty Sark 150th Anniversary — A Year-Long Celebration

Posted on by March 13, 2019

In February 1869, one hundred and fifty years ago, construction of the composite clipper ship Cutty Sark began on the banks of the River Clyde for the Jock Willis Shipping Line. The clipper ship sailed on its first voyage a year later in February 1870.

The Cutty Sark was one of the last tea clippers to be built, was one of the fastest and, perhaps most remarkably, is one of only two clipper ships to survive today. Now fully restored in a drydock in Greenwich, UK, the historic tea clipper is the centerpiece of a year-long celebration of its 150th anniversary.

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Container Fire Sinks Con/Ro Grande America in Bay of Biscay

Posted on by March 13, 2019

Another container fire has claimed another ship. On Sunday, a fire broke out in a weather-deck container on the roll on/roll off container ship MV Grande America while in the Bay of Biscay, 150 miles off the French coast. The fire quickly spread to other containers and to vehicles on the ro-ro deck. The captain ordered the crew of 27 to abandon ship. A lifeboat was launched but was damaged in heavy seas. 

Fortunately, HMS Argyll, a Royal Navy ‘Duke’ Class frigate, was in the area and was diverted to rescue Grande America’s crew. The rescue lasted eight hours in rough conditions. The crew were taken to the French port of Brest. Some of the crew required hospitalization, but no life-threatening injuries were reported.

The French authorities dispatched a Falcon 50 maritime surveillance plane to the scene. A fire fighting salvage tug attempted to bring the fire under control. Nevertheless, France’s Marine Nationale reported today that Grande America sank in the Bay of Biscay in 4,600 meters of water. MV Grande America was 28,000 DWT and operated by Grimaldi Group. 

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New Species of Orca Identified — Say Hello to Type D

Posted on by March 11, 2019

It is remarkable how little we really know about orcas, also known as killer whales. In January, a team of NOAA scientists located and began to study a likely new species of orca about 60 miles off the coast of Cape Horn, Chile, at the very tip of South America. The species referred to as Type D, looks quite different from other orcas, with a more rounded head, a pointier and narrower dorsal fin, and a very small white eye patch.

The Type D was type D killer whales, were previously known from amateur photographs, fishermen’s descriptions, and one mass stranding—but never encountered in their natural state by cetacean experts.

Mysterious new orca species likely identified

The Women Lighthouse Keepers of New Orleans’ New Canal Lighthouse

Posted on by March 4, 2023

New Canal Lighthouse

We recently posted about a planned statue honoring Kate Walker, the lighthouse keeper of the Robbins Reef Light in New York harbor for close to 35 years. Kate took over as keeper when her husband died of pneumonia in 1886. Oddly enough, in the 1800s, when women weren’t allowed to vote or own property, they could become lighthouse keepers.

Curbed New Orleans has posted an article about the female lighthouse keepers of the New Canal Lighthouse, on Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans, LA. They quote Lake Pontchartrain Basin Foundation Education Center director Chris Cook, who said, “Across the country, it wasn’t unusual for the man to die and the wife to take over. It is unusual that it happened so many times in the New Orleans area.”

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Right Whales, Seismic Testing, & a Congressman and an Air Horn

Posted on by March 9, 2019

Recently, an official with the Trump administration testified repeatedly at a hearing of the House Natural Resources subcommittee that the firing of commercial air guns under water every 10 seconds over a period of months in search of oil and gas deposits would have next to no effect on endangered right whales. Right whales use echolocation to communicate, feed, mate and keep track of their babies.

Despite testimony that the loud noises caused stress in the whales, lowered resistance to disease and was likely to interfere with the reproduction of the highly endangered whales, the administration, represented by Chris Oliver, an assistant administrator for fisheries, argued that there was no conclusive evidence that the seismic testing had ever actually killed a right whale. Oliver described the noise from commercial air guns as “sub-lethal.” 

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Statue Honoring Lighthouse Keeper Kate Walker

Posted on by March 9, 2019

New York City has announced a new statue of the late Robbins Reef Lighthouse keeper Katherine Walker which will be installed at the Staten Island Ferry landing.

Though standing only 4’10” tall and weighing around 100 pounds, Katherine Walker served as the keeper of the Robbins Reef Lighthouse for 35 years, following the death of her husband. In addition to the arduous task of keeping the light burning, she also rowed across the choppy waters of Upper New York harbor, a mile each way, to take her two children to school on Staten Island, weather permitting. 

An immigrant from Germany, Kate met and married John Walker, who in 1883 was appointed keeper of the Robbins Reef Lighthouse. Kate found herself living on a reef inhabited solely by harbor seals. (Robbins Reef comes from the early Dutch name, “Robyns Rift,” or Seal Rocks.) 

From SailNorthEast: In 1886 John Walker died from pneumonia, leaving Kate, now 38 and a widow with two teenaged children. His last words to her were not romantic but they were prophetic: “Mind the light, Kate.” And she did — from that day on, every single day, for more than three decades.

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In the Deepest Ocean Trenches, Animals Eating Plastic

Posted on by March 7, 2019

Photo: ALAN JAMIESON / NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY

The bottom of the Mariana Trench, in the western Pacific Ocean, is the deepest point in any ocean of the world.  At its deepest, the bottom is over 36,000 feet below the surface. In comparison, Mount Everest is 29,000 above sea level, or over a mile shorter than the trench is deep.  

Researchers studying animals that live in these great depths have made several disturbing discoveries. Alan Jamieson, a marine biologist at Newcastle University, has been studying amphipods—scavenger relatives of crabs and shrimp that dwell in the deepest abyss. A few years ago, he tested these tiny creatures for pollutants and found high concentrations of toxic polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs. PCBs have been banned for decades but persist in nature. Recently, Jamieson and his team started testing the amphipods for plastics.

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Congratulations to USCG Lt. Ronaqua Russell — First Black Female Aviator Awarded Air Medal

Posted on by March 19, 2019

Congratulations to Lt. Ronaqua Russell, the first African-American female aviator in the Coast Guard to receive the Air Medal.  From the Coast Guard press release:

The Air Medal is awarded to an individual who distinguishes themselves by heroic or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Russell received this honor in recognition for her actions in response to Hurricane Harvey, one of the most destructive storms in U.S. history.  Continue reading →

100 Knot Wind Gusts Rock Cruise Ship Norwegian Escape, Several Passengers Injured

Posted on by March 5, 2019

The Norwegian Escape was struck by extreme wind gusts of around 100 knots, eight hours after the ship sailed from New York on a seven-night cruise to the Bahamas.  The ship heeled to the port side in the high winds. The ship arrived at its first destination at Port Canaveral in Florida on Tuesday morning.

Norwegian Cruise Lines tweeted: Several injuries were reported and those guests and crew received immediate attention or are being treated by the ship’s medical staff. There was no damage to the ship; she remains fully operational and continues her scheduled itinerary.

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World’s Oldest Clipper Ship, City Of Adelaide – Forced to Move, In Need of a Home

Posted on by March 4, 2019

It has been a long and difficult journey for the world’s oldest surviving clipper ship, the City of Adelaide. The ship has still not quite found a home. In 2014, the ship was rescued from likely scrapping and carried by barge from Scotland to its namesake city in South Australia. The South Australian government contributed A$850,000 to help defray some of the costs of the move. The ship, sitting on a deck barge was temporarily brought into Dock 1 in the Port of Adelaide.

The composite clipper ship was built in 1864 to carry settlers to South Australia. The ship made 23 voyages between Great Britain and Austalia. An estimated 250,000 Australians can trace their ancestry to the ship City of Adelaide.

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Unfolding Oil Spill Disaster at Solomon Islands Marine Reserve

Posted on by March 3, 2019

Almost a month ago, the bulk carrier Solomon Trader was driven onto a reef on Rennell Island in the Solomon Islands by Cyclone Oma. Since then the 74,000 DWT ship has been leaking oil which threatens to destroy a world heritage-listed marine sanctuary.

Of the estimated 700 tonnes of fuel oil aboard, 75 tonnes has leaked onto the Rennell Island shoreline. Rennell Island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is the home to the largest raised coral atoll in the world contains many endemic species.

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Attracting Sharks, Death Metal or Chum?

Posted on by March 3, 2019

What does death metal music sound like to you? Apparently to sharks, death metal sounds like struggling fish. (Funny, that is kind of what it sounds like to me too.)

Recently a documentary crew for the Discovery Channel experimented with blasting death metal music underwater to attract sharks. They succeeded. Apparently, the low frequencies common in death metal music sound something like fish in distress to sharks, who come looking for dinner.  

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Public Auction in Hawaii Fails — No Successful Bids on Falls of Clyde

Posted on by March 1, 2019

Earlier this month we posted that the State of Hawaii Department of Transportation (HDOT) Harbors Division had filed a public notification that the historic windjammer, Falls of Clyde, was being offered for sale by auction. The auction ended yesterday with no successful bidders. In fact, there were no real bidders at all. 

The StarAdvertizer reports that the only bid that came in writing turned out to be a joke — a typed letter mailed through the U.S. Postal Service offering 25 cents signed by someone purporting to be Vladimir Putin, president of Russia. It came with a quarter taped to the letter but did not include the $1.5 million performance bond required by the state Harbors Division.

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Update: Raising the Norwegian Frigate Helge Ingstad

Posted on by February 28, 2019

The Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad, which collided with the tanker Sola TS  near Bergen, has now largely been raised from where it sank last November.  The ship has been moored to the two crane lifts Gulliver and Rambiz which were used to raise the ship. As much water as possible is being pumped from the frigate in preparation for lifting the ship onto a deck barge for transport to a shipyard.

TU Maritime reports: When the keel on Helge Ingstad is raised to 4.8 meters below the waterline, the barge Boabarge 33 can be positioned under the frigate. The barge will then be deballasted and lift the frigate over the last few meters over water.

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Paul Cuffee, African-American Captain, Merchant & Shipowner

Posted on by February 27, 2019

As Black History Month comes to a close, it is worthwhile to remember early African-American shipmasters. Who was the first? That is hard to say. Paul Cuffe is a good candidate. 

Paul Cuffe was born on Cuttyhunk Island, MA on January 17, 1759, the seventh of ten children of Kofi or Cuffee Slocum and Ruth Moses. His father, a freed black man, was a member of the Ashanti people of Ghana. His mother was a Native American of the Wampanoag Nation of Martha’s Vineyard. Cuffee Slocum was a skilled carpenter, farmer, and fisherman, who taught himself to read and write. In 1766, Cuffee Slocum was able to purchase a 116-acre farm in Westport, Massachusetts.

Paul Cuffe went to sea at 16 on whalers and merchant ships, where he learned navigation. During the American Revolution, his ship was captured by the British and Cuffee was imprisoned for three months in 1776 in New York. He returned home to Massachusetts and in 1779 built an open boat which he used to run the British blockade, bringing trade goods to Nantucket and ports on the Massachusetts coast.

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Update: Congress Restores Funding for Heavy Icebreaker — First in 40 Years

Posted on by February 26, 2019

Great news! Congress has restored $675 million in funding for new Coast Guard icebreakers that Homeland Security had diverted last year to build a border wall with Mexico. The funding is not coming a moment too soon. The US has only one operational heavy icebreaker, the USCGC Polar Star, which is over 40 years old and has persistent maintenance issues. (We recently posted about the heroic efforts of the officers and crew in keeping the USCG Polar Star in service.) 

The Coast Guard will receive $655 million to begin building an icebreaker to replace the Polar Star and $20 million more to begin buying materials for a second such vessel.

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Movie to Be Made About Robert Smalls’ Daring Hijacking of CSS Planter

Posted on by February 25, 2019

On May 13, 1862, Robert Smalls, a 23-year-old slave, who served as the pilot of the Confederate armed transport, CSS Planter, seized the steamer, sailed it out past the batteries and forts of Charleston harbor and turned it over to the Union naval blockade. Smalls would go on to become the first black captain of a U.S. Navy vessel, a South Carolina State Legislator, a Major General in the South Carolina Militia, a five-term U.S. Congressman and a U.S. Collector of Customs. 

Smalls’ daring hijacking of the CSS Planter, sailing directly beneath the guns of Fort Sumter, showed both considerable skill as a pilot, as well as nerves of steel. It is the sort of tale that often inspires the comment, “Someone should make a movie about that.”  With luck, now they will. Last month it was announced that Charles Burnett, director of the classic film “Killer of Sheep,” will develop a new film with Amazon called “Steal Away,” about the true story of Robert Smalls. 

The Wrap reports that this is Burnett’s first film project since receiving the Governors’ Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences last year. Two of his films, “Killer of Sheep” and “To Sleep With Anger,” have been added to the Library of Congress’ National Film Registry. Cotty Chubb and George Plamondon will produce the film, with Andy Froemke writing the script. Continue reading →