Robert L. Allen, who definitively told the story of 50 Black sailors who were convicted of conspiracy to commit mutiny for refusing to continue to load munitions onto cargo ships after explosions had blown apart two ships at a California … Continue reading
Tag Archives: California
With the advent of climate change red tide outbreaks have grown more frequent. A red tide occurs when certain types of algae grow out of control. The name “red tide” comes from the fact that overgrowth of algae can cause … Continue reading
We have followed the outbreak of orca attacks off the Iberian peninsula over the last several years. Here is an only slightly less threatening story of a mischievous female sea otter which has been harassing surfers and stealing surfboards in … Continue reading
Two new ferries, powered by hydrogen fuel cells, have or will soon enter service. In Norway, the MF Hydra, the first liquid hydrogen fuel cell powered ferry entered regular service at the end of March. MF Hydra sails on the … Continue reading
Two years ago, we posted about Saildrone‘s new 72’ long Surveyor, which was described as the world’s most advanced uncrewed surface vehicle (USV), equipped for high-resolution mapping of the ocean seafloor. Now, the Saildrone Surveyor has discovered a 3,300-foot-tall sea … Continue reading
In early October, a crack in a pipeline off the coast of Huntington Beach, California spilled some 3,000 barrels (126,000 gallons) of crude oil into the Pacific Ocean. On Saturday, the US Coast Guard announced that it had determined that … Continue reading
We have posted about the ongoing port congestion that has resulted in as many as 70 ships being anchored off the Southern Californian coast waiting for berths. While no one knows for certain what caused the pipeline rupture that leaked … Continue reading
Recently, two kayakers off California inadvertently got between a lunge feeding humpback whale and its lunch. Videos of the encounter show the whale surfacing between the yellow kayak, almost appearing to swallow the kayakers and their boat. Fortunately, neither the … Continue reading
One Marine died and two were critically injured on Thursday off the coast of California when an amphibious assault vehicle (AAV) from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit took on water and sank rapidly. Seven Marines and one Navy sailor are … Continue reading
Recently, an outbreak of red tide off Newport Beach, California discolored the Pacific waters during daylight and then, once the sun had set, put on an amazing show of bioluminescence which turned the ocean waves a vivid neon blue. Not … Continue reading
Yogi Berra is alleged to have said, “It’s like déjà vu all over again.” News of another cruise ship in limbo over the coronavirus feels that way. On February 5th, we posted about the Diamond Princess, a cruise ship that … Continue reading
If our post yesterday about the North Pacific Blob sounded like something from 1950s sci-fi, then our post today – Invasion of the Penis Fish – must sound like 1960s porn. In fact, thousands of worms looking considerably like penises … Continue reading
The Pacific and Atlantic coasts have seen the return of large marine creatures that have been absent for decades. On the East Coast, New York City has seen the return of humpback whales which had been missing from local waters … Continue reading
Over the weekend, winter storm Kori sent record high waves smashing into the California coast. The National Weather Service said a new wave record was set as the Monterey Bay buoy recorded 34-foot waves. At Seacliff State Beach in Aptos, … Continue reading
On Monday, a 70-80 foot long blue whale entangled in crab or fish nets and lines was spotted off the coast of Dana Point in southern California. A marine mammal rescue team attempted cut the nets and lines to free the … Continue reading
You never know what you will find in a landfill. Paleontologist Melissa Macias was looking for fossils in the Bowerman Landfill in Irvine, California, when she spotted teeth and bones as a construction crew moved soil to create a new waste disposal … Continue reading
The two posts today present a jarring juxtaposition. On the West Coast of the United States, dolphins steal the show at a surfing competition while in Japan fishermen are beginning the yearly slaughter of dolphins at Taiji Cove. The beauty … Continue reading
Two recent items on sharks in the news — a photobombing shark off the coast of California and Australian sharks posting warnings on Twitter. Off Manhattan Beach, California, June Emerson took a photograph of her son and a friend playing in … Continue reading
Two groups on opposite coasts of the United States are frantically working to save the 1895 built, SS Olympia, Admiral Dewey’s flagship in the Battle of Manila Bay and the last, just barely, surviving war ship from the Spanish-American War. The Mare … Continue reading
The Howell Automobile Torpedo of 1889 was the first self-propelled torpedo in United States Navy service. Only fifty were built and until recently, only one was known to have survived. Then in late April, Navy dolphins located a lost Howell … Continue reading