Happy Birthday Star of India — 155 Years Old and Still Sailing!

Posted on by November 18, 2018

Photo: Ted Walton/Maritime Museum of San Diego

This weekend, the Maritime Museum of San Diego is celebrating the 155th birthday of the Star of India by taking her for a sail. The museums other ships Californian, San Salvador, and America are sailing along with with the Star of India. 

It has been five years since the grand old iron ship, built in 1863 as the Euterpe, was last fully underway under sail. The Star of India is the oldest ship still sailing regularly and also the oldest iron-hulled merchant ship still floating. The ship circumnavigated the globe 21 times.

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Wreckage of Missing Argentine Submarine San Juan Located in Deep Atlantic

Posted on by November 17, 2018

One year after the submarine ARA San Juan disappeared on a routine mission, with 44 aboard, the wreckage of the missing submarine has been located in 2,600 feet of water in the Atlantic. The submarine was located by Ocean Infinity, a US company. 

Contact was lost with the submarine on November 15, 2017. The submarine had reported an electrical short following a leak in the vessel’s snorkel. Eight days later, the the Vienna-based Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty Organisation said that it had detected a possible explosion a few hours after the sub’s last contact.

Thanks to David Rye for contributing to this post.

Update: Ben Lecomte Still Swimming Across the Pacific — Over 1,200 Miles So Far

Posted on by November 15, 2018

We recently posted about Ross Edgley, who became the first person to swim around Great Britain. He is not, however, the only long-distance swimmer to have been on an epic voyage. Last June, we posted about Ben Lecomte who began an attempt to swim across the Pacific Ocean. The expedition was initially delayed by typhoons and had to turn back in July, taking a 20-day break before restarting. Swimming from Japan toward the United States, Lecomte has swum more than 1,200 nautical miles so far, and is roughly a third of the way across the mighty ocean.

Now, more than 150 days into the expedition, Lecomte has been swimming up to eight hours a day, weather permitting. After each day’s swim, Lecomte eats and sleeps aboard the support boat, a 20-meter sailboat, called Seeker. Lecomte is supported by a crew of eight and is performing a “staged swim” (resuming the swim in the exact location in which he left the water) using a GPS tracking device, enabling him to accurately track the number of miles he completes thus enabling him to reach a new world record in open water swimming.

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Autumn Winds Carry Ghost Ship Fleet to Japan Again

Posted on by November 15, 2018

For several years, autumn and winter winds have carried a ghost fleet of derelict boats to the coast of northern Japan. Many of the boats were empty, although some carried corpses. This year has set a new record — 89 derelict vessels so far this year, as compared to 59 in 2017.   In the previous five years, an average of 44 boats drifted ashore each year. This year 12 corpses have been found on five of the derelicts. In 2015, 25 bodies were found on the drifting boats.

The boats appear to originate from the Korean peninsula, carried across the Sea of Japan on seasonal winds.  Some of the boats are thought to have contained refugees seeking to escape from oppression in North Korea. In 2017, eleven North Korean survivors were found on drifting boats, along with fifteen dead. 

It is also considered likely that some of the vessels are fishing boats. North Korean fishermen are under intense state pressure to fulfill fishing quotas for the Kim Jong Un regime and are reported to soften sail without adequate fuel or supplies.

American Magic, AKA the Mule, Foiling Across Narraganset Bay

Posted on by November 13, 2018

Last November, we posted about a concept design for an America’s Cup racer, a 75′ foiling monohull, without a keel. The concept AC75 was presented as a 3D animation. About a year later, the New York Yacht Club’s half sized 38′ prototype, American Magic, AKA the Mule, has flown across Narragansett Bay. A short video:

Meet The MULE

Update: KNM Helge Ingstad Sinks Beneath the Fjord

Posted on by November 13, 2018

Overnight, the Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad slipped beneath the waters of Hjeltefjord near Bergen, Norway. Last Thursday, the frigate was intentionally grounded to prevent it from sinking after it collided with the tanker Sola TS. Despite efforts to stabilize the ship with steel cables bolted to rocks on shore, photos issued by the Norwegian Defense show the sunken warship with just her radar mast rising from the water. The frigate was returning from a NATO exercise when she collided with the tanker near a major oil terminal and still has all weapons on board.

KNM Helge Ingstad is one of five 5,290 tonne Fridtjof Nansen-class frigates built in Spain for the Royal Norwegian Navy. Built in Spain, the Helge Ingstad was commissioned in 2009.

The Sinking Dry Dock and the Smoking Aircraft Carrier with a Bad Heart

Posted on by November 12, 2018

Photo: Flickr/Christopher Michel

This is an odd story, set in the icy Siberian waters near Murmansk, Russia.  Apparently, Russia’s largest floating drydock sank from underneath Russia’s only aircraft carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov, doing some damage to the carrier above the waterline as the dock sank. The carrier was undocking when a reported power failure caused the dock to flood and ultimately sink. Reportedly, one person died and four were injured.

The Sinking Floating Dry Dock

Here is where it gets odd.  One account in the Drive blog suggests that Russia’s dry dock accident could have far larger repercussions than a damaged carrier. The drydock, designated PD-50, is the largest Russian floating dock and according to Drive the only Russian dry dock that we know of that could handle the country’s lone aircraft carrier.

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Branson Duck Boat Captain Charged with Sailor’s Manslaughter

Posted on by November 10, 2018

On July 19th, 2018, a duck boat capsized and sank in high winds during a storm on Table Rock Lake, near Branson, MO. Seventeen passengers and crew lost their lives. Now, a federal grand jury has charged the captain of the duck boat, Kenneth Scott McKee, with 17 counts of seaman’s manslaughter in the deaths.  

The Seaman’s Manslaughter Statute makes it a crime if anyone dies on a ship or boat in US jurisdiction due to the misconduct or negligence of the officers, crew, or anyone else involved with the vessel.  Conviction under the statute includes a fine and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years.

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Norwegian Frigate Helge Ingstad — “We Have Everything Under Control”

Posted on by November 10, 2018

How is it possible that the Norwegian frigate Helge Ingstad collided with the Aframax tanker Sola TS in a fjord near a major oil terminal? The frigate is much smaller, significantly faster and far more maneuverable than the 113,00 DWT tanker laden with a full cargo of crude oil. Why did the naval officers on the frigate fail to avoid a collision?

It is too early to say. “This was a very serious accident and [the authorities] need the time to investigate,” said John Erik Hagen, regional director of the Norwegian Coastal Administration’s western region.

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Tanker Collides with Norwegian Frigate — Frigate Loses

Posted on by November 9, 2018

The Norwegian navy frigate, KNM Helge Ingstad, was returning from NATO exercises when it was in a collision with a Maltese flag, Aframax tanker, Sola TS, in the Hjeltefjord near Bergen, Norway. The tanker was not seriously damaged while the frigate suffered major flooding and was intentionally grounded to avoid the possibility of sinking. Eight people on the KNM Helge Instad suffered minor injuries, although only two were taken to a hospital. All 137 crew of the frigate were evacuated. There were no reports of injuries among the 23 of the tanker’s crew.

The BBC reports that the collision took place at 4AM local time on Thursday, as the frigate was sailing the inner fjords for training, according to Norwegian officials. The tanker had departed Equinor’s Sture oil terminal with a cargo of North Sea crude. 

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Maxi-Tri Banque Populaire IX Capsizes Again, Second Capsize This Year

Posted on by November 8, 2018

French sailor Armel Le Cléac’h capsized in the Atlantic, 340 miles northeast of the Azores, while sailing the maxi-tri Banque Populaire IX in the Route du Rhum — Destination Guadeloupe single-handed race. The boat appears to have capsized after the structural failure of its port float. Le Cléac’h is reported to be safe. 

This is the second capsize of the 32-meter maxi trimaran within the last year. Banque Populaire IX capsized off Morocco last April. Le Cléac’h, along with crew member, Pierre Emmanuel Hérissé, and a cameraman were rescued uninjured.

Banque Populaire IX  is a foiling Ultime class trimaran 32-meters long (105ft), with a 23-meter beam (75ft), and a 38-meter mast (125ft).

Update: Sailor Pleads Guilty to Wife’s Death at Sea

Posted on by November 8, 2018

Lewis Bennett & Isabella Hellman

On May 14, 2017, Lewis Bennett was sailing with his wife, Isabella Hellman, from Cuba to Florida on their 37′ catamaran, Surf into Summer.  Sometime during the night, Hellman disappeared and the boat sank. Bennett was subsequently charged with second-degree murder in the death of his wife. Now, Bennett has pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter. The Sun Sentinel reports:

In the plea agreement finalized Monday, Bennett portrayed his wife’s death as an accident that he did not witness – though he admitted it was foreseeable and caused by his negligence.

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Falls of Clyde Heading Toward Scotland in 2019?

Posted on by November 6, 2018

Save-the-Falls of Clyde International has made a dramatic announcement on their Facebook page suggesting that transport has been arranged to carry the four-masted, full-rigged, iron ship from Hawaii back to the Clyde River in Scotland, where it was built in 1878.  

“After many months of negotiation, a deal has finally agreed between this group and Sevenstar Yacht Transfer, to collect the ‘Falls of Clyde’. She will be loaded onboard their flo/flo ship, ‘Yacht Express ‘ during the week 3rd February 2019. She will visit San Diego, Costa Rico, Florida, and New York during her way home to Scotland, arriving April 2019.”

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Costly Carrier Without Working Elevators & Destroyer Without Ammo

Posted on by November 5, 2018

As a naval architect in commercial shipping for several decades, I will admit to that I really do not understand the way the US Navy designs and builds ships. In the world of commercial shipping, the process is to design the ship and to specify the equipment before placing an order or starting construction. The Navy seems to prefer to sign contracts and begin construction before the designs are completed. It seems to be the most inefficient and costly way to build ships.

The two most obvious examples are the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and the destroyer USS Zumwalt. The aircraft carrier was delivered without working elevators to bring bombs and ammunition to planes on the flight deck. The destroyer was delivered without the Navy purchasing ammunition for its main guns. So, on the most expensive aircraft carrier ever built, its planes cannot be loaded with bombs, while on the most expensive destroyer ever built, it cannot use its primary weapon system because the high-tech shells simply cost too much to fire. 

It is almost as if a pacifist with a twisted sense of humor was behind the procurement of both classes of ships.  Continue reading →

Ross Edgley, First Person to Swim Around Great Britain

Posted on by November 4, 2018

Adventurer Ross Edgley, 33, has become the first person to swim the 1,780-miles around Great Britain. Setting out from Kent on June 1st, Edgley swam up to 12 hours per day, sleeping at night on his support boat. He did not set foot on land for 155 days. 

Back on dry land, Edgley, 33, told the BBC that despite needing to learn to walk again after so long in the water he is still “not quite bored of swimming” and looking for his next challenge. 

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Mr. Trash Wheel on the West Coast

Posted on by October 31, 2018

Earlier this year, we posted about Baltimore’s “Mr. Trash Wheel,” a water-wheel and solar powered conveyor system which lifts drifting trash from the water of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Mr. Trash Wheel has been so successful that three other similar trash wheels have been installed around Baltimore harbor.  

Now, a similar water wheel will be installed on the West Coast at Newport Beach, California.  The Orange County Register reports that, on Thursday, Oct. 25, Newport Beach Mayor Duffy Duffield went to Santa Cruz and received a $1.7 million grant from the California Ocean Protection Council to fund the Newport Bay Water Wheel Project. Funding would pay for permits, construction, and installation of the wheel, which should be in place by 2020.

“We are very grateful that the Ocean Protection Council provided us with such a generous grant and are excited to bring our water wheel project to fruition,” Duffield said.

A Less Than Excellent Docking by the Cruise/Ferry Excellent in Barcelona

Posted on by November 1, 2018

When the cruise/ferry Excellent docked in Barcelona, her arrival was less than, shall we say, excellent. Yesterday, at around 8AM, local time, the 663′ long ship was caught in high winds. While waiting for additional tugs, the ship was blown down on to the dock, striking and toppling a container gantry crane. The gantry crane fell on stacks of containers, causing a fire. Some of the burning containers were reported to contain hazardous materials. Barcelona firefighters were able to extinguish the blaze by around 11AM. No injuries were reported on the ship, the dock or among the firefighters. 

The cruise/ferry Excellent has a capacity for 2253 passengers and 760 vehicles and is owned by the Italian firm Grandi Navi Veloci. Thanks to Phil Leon for contributing to this post.

Ferry crashes into crane and causes fire

Study — Oceans Warming Faster Than Previously Thought

Posted on by October 31, 2018

A new study published in the journal Nature suggests that over the last quarter-century, the oceans have been retaining 60% more heat than scientists had previously thought.  If so, the Earth could be set to warm even faster than predicted. 

The Washington Post reports that the higher-than-expected amount of heat in the oceans means more heat is being retained within Earth’s climate system each year, rather than escaping into space. In essence, more heat in the oceans signals that global warming is more advanced than scientists thought.

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Join Us For “Hell Around the Horn” at NMHS Seminar Series, Nov 3rd

Posted on by October 29, 2018

If you are in the neighborhood, consider joining us when I give a presentation about my novel, Hell Around the Horn, at the National Maritime Historical Society Seminar Series this Saturday at the Hendrick Hudson Free Library, 185 Kings Ferry Road, Montrose, NY. Welcome and refreshments begin at 10:30 AM, with the presentation at 11:00 AM.

From the National Maritime Historical Society website: 

The November NMHS Seminar Series features Hell Around the Horn with author and “Old Salt Blog” founder and host Rick Spilman. This nautical thriller is set in the last days of the great age of sail. In 1905, a young ship’s captain and his family set sail on the windjammer, Lady Rebecca, from Cardiff, Wales with a cargo of coal bound for Chile, by way of Cape Horn. Before they reach the Southern Ocean, the cargo catches fire, the mate threatens mutiny and one of the crew may be going mad, yet the greatest challenge will prove to be surviving the vicious westerly winds and mountainous seas of the worst Cape Horn winter in memory.

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New Memorial to NY Tug Crew Abducted by UFO in 1977

Posted on by October 28, 2018

Photograph by Joe Reginella

A new bronze statue, pedestal, and plaque have been erected at New York’s Battery Park, memorializing the six crew of the harbor tug Maria 120 who mysteriously vanished during the New York City blackout of 1977. Some believe that the sailors were abducted by a UFO. The statue is of a tug crewman gazing up at what can be presumed to be an alien spacecraft as an extraterrestrial figure lays at his feet

Do you recall this bit of forgotten history? Probably not, as it never happened. Nevertheless, the plaque and monument are quite real, as is the website, NYC UFO Tugboat Abduction, subtitled, “Learn the Truth about New York’s UFO Cover-Up.” There is also a Youtube video and an on-line gift shop. Of course, it is all a spoof, the most recent latest public art piece from Staten Island-based sculptor Joe Reginella.

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