tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6419455695036324352024-03-27T16:53:32.278-07:00The Misunderstood MarinerDon't know port from starboard? The Misunderstood Mariner helps make the world of ships and the people who run them understandable and interesting. Along the way, we'll talk about how important the maritime industry is to the modern world, especially economically. Welcome aboard!Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.comBlogger206125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-90413029024406437112012-09-12T00:01:00.000-07:002012-09-12T00:01:01.585-07:00My 9/11 Story (Re-post)<h3 class="post-title entry-title" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: initial; background-image: url(http://www2.blogblog.com/rounders3/icon_arrow.gif); background-origin: initial; background-position: 10px 0.5em; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-left-style: dotted; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-right-style: dotted; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; display: block; font: normal normal bold 135%/normal 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 2px; padding-left: 29px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 2px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: small;">This post originally ran as a Monday Morning Mariner post on September 12, 2011.</span></i></span></h3><div class="post-header" style="color: #333333; line-height: 18px;"><div class="post-header-line-1"></div></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-809597704564813146" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-left-style: dotted; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-right-style: dotted; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 29px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 10px;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgux3NZImkhS0gz2wcgZxZyUiM_FL2V7pc9ZLIMfHZzusZfFOmDNkdmQVBLQYURpkk-pdHYCFj-kMEfF9qJaBF54e8rOXxwCLach8MmIevPzHuimL0XjvLdl4Chr1f8cmGaau2wsXKNvU8q/s1600/cruise+west+spirit+of+alaska.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="color: #445566; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgux3NZImkhS0gz2wcgZxZyUiM_FL2V7pc9ZLIMfHZzusZfFOmDNkdmQVBLQYURpkk-pdHYCFj-kMEfF9qJaBF54e8rOXxwCLach8MmIevPzHuimL0XjvLdl4Chr1f8cmGaau2wsXKNvU8q/s320/cruise+west+spirit+of+alaska.jpg" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; border-left-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-right-style: solid; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-top-style: solid; border-top-width: 1px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 4px; padding-left: 4px; padding-right: 4px; padding-top: 4px;" width="295" /></span></a></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On September 11, 2001, I was captain of the small cruise ship <i>Spirit of Alaska</i> cruising through southeast Alaska. Normally, I was the chief mate aboard this ship, but the captain was on a scheduled time off, visiting his brother in Manhattan. This was our last Alaska cruise of the season; we were on Day 5 of a meandering 10 day passage from Juneau to Seattle, which included stops in Glacier Bay and, just the day before, Sitka. The 11th was a "captain's choice" day, a day to look for wildlife and maybe get a last glimpse of a glacier.<br />
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Very early on the morning watch, the Chief Mate called me to say he was hearing some unusual chatter on the VHF radio. The local commercial fishermen were chatting about reports that airliners had been flown into the Capitol Building in Washington DC, the Pentagon, and other landmarks. We weren't sure what to make of this; I instructed the Chief Mate and the deckhands on watch to keep this to themselves until we had some hard information. We then headed into Red Bluff Bay, an inlet on the east coast of Baranof Island, to look for bears and check out a spectacular waterfall before breakfast.<br />
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Breakfast was served and we slowly made our way out of Red Bluff Bay. A few hundred yards outside the entrance the cell phone lit up, telling me we'd missed nine messages. It was a little after 8:00 A.M. Alaska time. It was at that moment I knew that the fishermen's chatter had a nugget of truth in it.<br />
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I called the company Port Captain in Seattle. The company and the country were in chaos. The two attacks on the World Trade Center and the one on the Pentagon were known at that point, but there were rumors of other planes unaccounted for, including one out of Anchorage. The death toll was thought to be as high as 15,000 people. All aircraft were grounded and the borders were closed. All the company's ships were put on a higher security footing. And it was up to me to tell the passengers and crew.<br />
<br />
I called a general meeting in the dining room, which was in the last stages of breakfast service. The deckhands woke the off-watch crew: I only wanted to have to say this once. Before I started to speak, one woman ran out of the dining room toward her cabin, she just couldn't wait. I remember thinking she was going to remember that trip to the bathroom for the rest of her life.<br />
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Then I told them.<br />
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Many were in disbelief. Three asked me if I was joking. "Is this like the pink flamingos?" one man asked, referring to the "wildlife sighting" the day before of pink plastic lawn flamingos that someone had put in a tree outside of Sitka. I assured him it wasn't.<br />
<br />
I then moved on to the new security arrangements, told them the vessel's satellite phone would be available if anyone needed to use it, and that the trip would continue as planned, at least for now.<br />
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Many ran right up to the sun deck and turned on their cell phones. Crew members were in tears. I was hammered with a hundred questions, none of which I knew the answer to. Then the lookout spotted whales.<br />
<br />
Soon we were drifting in the tide rips off Yasha Island, with twenty-some humpback whales all around us. The passengers lined the rails, cameras clicking and video cameras whirring, but there was only one topic of conversation. The same phrases kept coming up: "Pearl Harbor" and "this changes everything." At lunch I had a deputation from some of the passengers: why wasn't the vessel's flag at half mast? I told them that a country at war doesn't lower its flag, but the truth is I just hadn't thought of it. The next morning the <i>Spirit of Alaska</i>'s ensign was a half mast.<br />
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That night we anchored in Thomas Bay near Petersburg. One of the passengers had asked me to lead a prayer at dinner, but I declined. I listened to the radio station out of Petersburg while on anchor watch, but could only get a broadcast of the local school board meeting. Life went on. Late that night I got a call to come to the lounge. A passenger -- at 30-ish one of the younger ones -- was inconsolable, drunkenly weeping. I talked him into bed, thinking how much better the older folks were handling this.<br />
<br />
The next morning at breakfast the assistant chef said "I can't wait to see a newspaper!" But all newspapers come into southeast Alaska by plane, and all the planes were still grounded.<br />
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When we docked at Petersburg, I got another surprise: me, the second mate, and the hotel manager had all been selected by the computer for random drug testing. It was in the clinic's waiting room that I first saw images of the attacks. I watched for a few minutes, then my turn came. I left my government-mandated urine sample with the technician and returned to the ship.<br />
<br />
The head of our local office in Petersburg has recorded on videotape some of the network coverage of the attacks, which we played on the lounge TV for awhile. By mid-afternoon, one of the passengers asked, "Can we turn this off?" There were no objections.<br />
<br />
The next day we called at Ketchikan, and it was a mess. People who were supposed to have flown out by then were roaming the docks looking for a berth on a southbound cruise ship. "Where are you going?" one guy asked me.<br />
<br />
"Seattle," I said. "Assuming we can get across the border." I told him I had no extra room, however. There were several large cruise ships in port, and those "will get at least as far as Vancouver," I told him.<br />
At least he was in civilization. Hunting and fishing parties all over Alaska were stranded because the planes they relied on to get them in and out were grounded.<br />
<br />
When we left Ketchikan I had no idea if I would be able to cross back into US waters or not. Forty-eight hours later we did cross back into US waters and eventually docked in downtown Seattle. It wasn't over for me, however. The regular captain was stilled trapped in Manhattan, so I was not to be relieved as scheduled. We had received a photo of the captain and his brother with one of the World Trade Center towers burning in the background. It was chilling: the other tower hadn't been struck yet at the time the picture was taken.<br />
<br />
At Seattle's Pier 69, I told the engineer to keep the engines running. As soon as the passengers and their luggage were off the boat, I wanted to leave for the dock where we'd prepare for our positioning trip to Portland. It occurred to me these passengers were disembarking into another world, different from the one they lived in when they'd boarded the <i>Spirit of Alaska</i> in Juneau ten days before. It had been a tough few days for me, the toughest of my career, but for the first time in a long time, I didn't envy the people going ashore.<br />
<br />
<i>Following the September 11 attacks, more than 300,000 people were evacuated from lower Manhattan by US merchant mariners. To honor the efforts of these mariners, the Maritime administration released this video for the tenth anniversary of the attacks.</i></span></div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-809597704564813146" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(238, 238, 204); border-bottom-style: dotted; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-left-style: dotted; border-left-width: 1px; border-right-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-right-style: dotted; border-right-width: 1px; border-top-color: rgb(187, 187, 187); border-top-style: dotted; border-top-width: 0px; color: #333333; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; padding-bottom: 1px; padding-left: 29px; padding-right: 14px; padding-top: 10px;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/yc66PsnXPoA?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div></div>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com39tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-48100280517096848032012-08-11T00:01:00.000-07:002012-08-11T00:01:00.953-07:00Engineering 101: Steam Engines<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/VWn8gQ9Ykpk?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>
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<i>Note: the model in the above video is actually of the </i>CSS Virginia<i>, formerly the Union ship </i>Merrimac<i>.</i><br />
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The earliest ships were powered by human muscle or wind, but early in the nineteenth century the Industrial Revolution brought steam power to the world's waterways. Steam has been superseded only within the last century by other types of power. There are still ships at work today that are powered by steam, from small replica paddlewheel riverboats to large cargo ships.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAUxSa2iNxDpaRfCqmar2Bk6pTZDKAJhEBmCI3ChFjdnhzDfxnbvaTxqSpY2T8yDcpW-FhqrELmgKswQsfPTtGltQT9FshhHl0lrN6p6HsX1DDU6iIrDSu8UGNLlCdt1_p5RzmgI4j2ws/s1600/eng7b1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="102" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAUxSa2iNxDpaRfCqmar2Bk6pTZDKAJhEBmCI3ChFjdnhzDfxnbvaTxqSpY2T8yDcpW-FhqrELmgKswQsfPTtGltQT9FshhHl0lrN6p6HsX1DDU6iIrDSu8UGNLlCdt1_p5RzmgI4j2ws/s320/eng7b1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paddlewheeler steam engine. Image from <a href="http://twaintimes.net/boat/sbpage3a.html">Twaintimes</a>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Steam engine systems, or "plants," have many advantages over other types of propulsion. They have relatively low vibration and noise, low weight, can be fit into small engine room spaces, and, despite their sometimes complicated looking appearance, are simple to operate and repair. On the other hand, steam engines tend to burn fuel at a higher rate than other engines. It was this drawback that forced the British Navy to set up coaling stations all over the world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The need to maintain and protect these coaling stations was one of the reasons the Britain needed its empire in the first place, for better or worse.</div>
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In a basic steam engine, water is heated by burning coal or something else to create steam in a <i>boiler</i>. Sometimes the "something else" is nuclear energy. In modern steam engines the steam is heated up even more, or <i>superheated</i>, to give it even more energy.</div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWUWS9AoELjKxo6mbM9JiFtHOmwktOab2VcPoNuLZywsUWddS-h2W3Dl0hyphenhyphenb3wmQvL9j8RYTYlDwUTDz6BnL7AGIQExrq3XQvb-kxzc0S2iQWCB2IwGnQqKo8OsSUZxDDehbdMDBZiA5S/s1600/turbine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="145" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDWUWS9AoELjKxo6mbM9JiFtHOmwktOab2VcPoNuLZywsUWddS-h2W3Dl0hyphenhyphenb3wmQvL9j8RYTYlDwUTDz6BnL7AGIQExrq3XQvb-kxzc0S2iQWCB2IwGnQqKo8OsSUZxDDehbdMDBZiA5S/s200/turbine.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A "Parsons"-type steam turbine. <br />
Image from <a href="http://www.leander-project.homecall.co.uk/turbines.html">The Leander Project</a>.</td></tr>
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<div>
The steam is then directed through nozzles to concentrate it, and is then applied to a <i>turbine</i>, a disc or wheel with blades or paddles mounted on its edge. There are usually two turbines, one for both forward propulsion and astern.<br />
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The exact arrangement of pistons, arms, and gears varies after that, but eventually the steam's energy is used to turn the propeller shafts and thus the propellers themselves. Because modern steam turbines work best at speeds between 4000 and 7000 revolutions per minute, <i>reduction gear</i> must be used to reduced the speed of the shaft and propeller to more practical speeds</div>
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The steam is then cooled. Inevitably, some steam escapes the system during all this, so it is replaced with fresh liquid.<br />
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Steam engines require more planning and attention than diesel engines. The high temperatures involved (approaching 400 degrees Fahrenheit) and constant presence of water can dangerously stress materials of not handled correctly. It can take four hours or more between the time the order is given to get underway and the time the boiler is up to the needed temperature. The engine itself must be warmed up as well. Similar attention to detail must be observed when cooling down an engine.</div>
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<b>Related Posts</b></div>
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<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/03/henry-shreve-and-washington.html">Henry Shreve and the <i>Washington</i></a></div>
<div>
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/03/shipboard-noise.html">Shipboard Noise</a></div>
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<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/03/mysteries-of-monitor-and-merrimack.html">Mysteries of the <i>Monitor </i>and <i>Merrimack</i></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Related Articles</b></div>
</div>
<div>
Steamlaunch <i>Artemis</i>, <a href="http://www.pcez.com/~artemis/SLAprimer.htm">Steamboat Primer</a></div>
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Atlantic Wreck Divers, <a href="http://atlanticwreckdivers.net/Engines/triplex.htm">Triple Expansion Marine Engines</a></div>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-60026495078795715412012-08-04T00:01:00.000-07:002012-08-04T00:01:00.214-07:00Mariner's In Review: The Skeptic's Guide To The Universe<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YGvyxxUNjKKLsJPZaOXupW2_YJ-CyYJ2oEutJUPA8hvy9xYlY4wUeoRS_kg6gnQ4anovaaF0omyHD46xLhAO0u0rvwsxI-SHnOvHEDStz7O9XGPcdDgG6tN62i_qdTic1RSfU0VSfGoq/s1600/Skepticsguideweb.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YGvyxxUNjKKLsJPZaOXupW2_YJ-CyYJ2oEutJUPA8hvy9xYlY4wUeoRS_kg6gnQ4anovaaF0omyHD46xLhAO0u0rvwsxI-SHnOvHEDStz7O9XGPcdDgG6tN62i_qdTic1RSfU0VSfGoq/s400/Skepticsguideweb.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">One of my favorite podcasts is <i>The Skeptic's Guide to the Universe</i> (SGU). The podcast is produced by members of the New England Skeptical Society and hosted by Society president Steven Novella, a neurologist. Each week the show's panel of "rogues" addresses controversial claims, pseudoscience, and the paranormal, often focusing on the latest scientific discoveries or advances, fraud or just plain nonsense from the world of medicine. The SGU was one of the inspirations for this blog.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This year the SGU took on a couple of nautical issues, with varying success. An excellent report on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the <i>Titanic </i>talked about some myths surrounding the lost liner:</span><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Although the <i>Titanic</i> struck an iceberg on April 14th, 1912, she did not actually sink until the 15th.</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The ship only had enough life boats for the current passengers; it had only a third of the number required for her total capacity</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Most of the deaths were from hypothermia, not drowning</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Much of the video we see of <i>Titanic</i> may actually be of her sister ship <i>Olympic,</i> which was launched the previous year</span></li>
<li><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The ship's owner, White Star Lines, didn't promote the idea that the vessel was "unsinkable," this was something that came up more after the sinking.</span></li>
</ul>
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This last item turns out to be a myth about a myth. The SGU, to its credit, published an email from a listener the following week pointing out that, despite the claim that the "unsinkable" claim was untrue (as reported at, among other places, the myth-busting website Snopes.com), White Star had claimed in some promotional material that "as far as it is possible to do, these two wonderful vessels [<i>Titanic</i> and <i>Olympic</i>] are designed to be unsinkable."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On the other hand, another podcast on the anniversary of the <i>Exxon Valdez</i> sinking led with one "rogue" commenting that "one drunk sea captain drives the boat into the shoals..." Another panelist interrupted, pointing out that this was a myth, but then saying "the captain was drunk but not at the helm." Captain Joseph Hazelwood was found not guilty of being under the influence at trial. Also, investigative journalist Greg Pallast, quoted in the very Wikipedia article the SGU uses as its source for its report, says <span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">"Forget the drunken skipper fable."</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">To be fair, such slip-ups are rare on the SGU. It's a worthwhile, entertaining podcast for anyone interested in honing their critical thinking skills.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Posts</b></span><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2009/04/welcome-aboard.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Welcome Aboard!</span></a><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/04/understanding-titanic.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Understanding <i>Titanic</i></span></a><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/06/misunderstood-mariners-joseph-hazelwood.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Misunderstood Mariners: Joseph Hazelwood</span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Articles</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Skeptic's Guide To The Universe, <a href="http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=352">Show #352 Show Notes</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The Skeptic's Guide To The Universe, <a href="http://www.theskepticsguide.org/archive/podcastinfo.aspx?mid=1&pid=349">Show #349 Show Notes</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Anchorage Daily News, <a href="http://www.adn.com/evos/stories/EV63.html">Hazelwood Cleared On Three Counts</a></span><br />
Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-26312149446441396632012-07-25T00:01:00.000-07:002012-07-25T00:01:00.974-07:00Andrea Doria<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMr0ZvBhNl6FcnwUcgvU2rpGmY9xfevcuzpIEF5XyW2xEE9PzngbDFQVg7JWvhMgF7np3LRaRQNRXgE0xzy9_di8aYyZzAqVdZzJSnsZWIAQGeaeFU3J0VzxXN5JZVAieIT1ojsgomObfi/s1600/Andrea_Doria_USCG_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMr0ZvBhNl6FcnwUcgvU2rpGmY9xfevcuzpIEF5XyW2xEE9PzngbDFQVg7JWvhMgF7np3LRaRQNRXgE0xzy9_di8aYyZzAqVdZzJSnsZWIAQGeaeFU3J0VzxXN5JZVAieIT1ojsgomObfi/s320/Andrea_Doria_USCG_1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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On July 25, 1956 the ocean liners <i>Andrea Doria</i> and <i>Stockholm</i>
collided near Nantucket. Fifty-two passengers and crew members on the two
vessels died and hundreds were injured. Eleven hours after the collision, the
<i>Andrea Doria</i> sank to the bottom, where she remains today.</div>
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<br /></div>
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More than forty years after the <i>Titanic</i> sinking, the lessons
learned in that earlier disaster were incorporated both into the design of the
<i>Andrea Doria</i>, and in the response of her crew when the collision occurred. The
collision made half the lifeboats on the <i>Andrea Dorea</i> unusable or inaccessible,
but more than 1600 passengers and crew members were rescued and survived.
Watertight compartments were properly secured, unlike in the <i>Titanic </i>incident,
giving rescuers time to get most people to safety. Of the 52 dead, most had
died in the initial collision.</div>
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There was no formal finding of fault. The two shipping
companies that owned the <i>Andrea Doria</i> and <i>Stockholm </i>reached out of court
settlements with each other and survivors, so no legal determination was ever
made. An initial inquiry placed most of the blame on the officers of the <i>Andrea
Doria</i> for improperly maneuvering their vessel in the minutes before the
collision. Later investigations point to the Third Officer of the <i>Stockholm</i> and
his misuse of a new technology called <i>radar</i>.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Fixation</b></div>
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In the study of human error, <i>fixation</i> is the tendency to
focus on one or two inputs when things get stressful. Fixation has been a
factor in industrial accidents like the one at Three-Mile Island nuclear plant,
in aircraft crashes, and in maritime accidents. In the <i>Andrea Doria</i> incident,
many believe the <i>Stockholm</i>’s Third Officer was so focused on his radar that he
not only ignored other sources of information, he didn’t even notice the radar
was set at a different scale then he believed it to be: the <i>Andrea Doria</i> was
only five miles away; he thought she was twelve.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Following the collision, radar set designed was improved to
make such mistakes less likely, and radar training requirements for bridge
officers put into place.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Related Posts</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/04/understanding-titanic.html">Understanding Titanic</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/11/solas.html">SOLAS</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/01/captains-code.html">The Captain's Code</a></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Related Articles</div>
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WNET: <a href="http://web.archive.org/web/20100329114614/http://www.pbs.org/wnet/secrets/previous_seasons/case_andreadoria/index.html">Secrets of the Dead: The Sinking of the <i>Andrea Doria</i></a></div>
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CBS New York: <a href="http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2012/06/19/nj-couples-garage-houses-historical-relics-of-sunken-italian-luxury-ship/">New Jersey Couple's Garage Houses Historical Relics of Sunken Italian Luxury Ship</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sutton Technical Books: <a href="http://www.stb07.com/technical-safety/human-reliability.html">Human Reliability Analysis</a></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-52380522346162130962012-07-21T00:01:00.000-07:002013-10-16T09:33:35.889-07:00Capt. Cook & The Transit of Venus<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EzQR3EjaiG60O-k2knMfznRieBttk59XYTxfvqeEt9krrV4fQPPG3hn1Adaw15LGRhI72tuIZfzaMDu4NkvF5VS_Eg4OvfALHZd2H0uF2ZhhIw5vuUwMPUTDD6cVApdbPT6V2kw6gUQ1/s1600/1882_transit_of_venus.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EzQR3EjaiG60O-k2knMfznRieBttk59XYTxfvqeEt9krrV4fQPPG3hn1Adaw15LGRhI72tuIZfzaMDu4NkvF5VS_Eg4OvfALHZd2H0uF2ZhhIw5vuUwMPUTDD6cVApdbPT6V2kw6gUQ1/s320/1882_transit_of_venus.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo of the 1882 transit, which revealed a precise distance for Venus's orbit.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Last month’s transit of Venus across the face of the sun was
largely an astronomical curiosity, but a similar transit in 1769 held great
potential for expanding our knowledge of the universe. By comparing
observations made from several points throughout the world, scientists hoped to
measure the true size of the orbit of Venus, and thus the orbits of the other
planets, and thus the size of the Solar System. Playing a key role was a
captain named James Cook.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaz78xbVr34f9niJWOZgb8ajfS_Xzu26q8yAj0wmg9jtY391chbeCpPm1BqeYgQt9sr2OxBwss2ULRyM0WtPrC4jVHUyK7PPWFs0kibH4HduBo_-zTfx5-dumsOdBcAUpdkCFvtmd-r4O/s1600/258px-James_Cook_Statue_in_Greenwich_-_Oct_2006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfaz78xbVr34f9niJWOZgb8ajfS_Xzu26q8yAj0wmg9jtY391chbeCpPm1BqeYgQt9sr2OxBwss2ULRyM0WtPrC4jVHUyK7PPWFs0kibH4HduBo_-zTfx5-dumsOdBcAUpdkCFvtmd-r4O/s200/258px-James_Cook_Statue_in_Greenwich_-_Oct_2006.jpg" width="85" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Statue of Cook<br />
in Greenwich</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">In 1716, Edmond Halley (he of comet fame) published a paper
explaining how a transit of Venus could be used to make the necessary
calculations. Halley was more than the scientific father of the 1769
expedition, though. He also commanded an expedition in 1689 to measure compass
variations. Halley was so bad a commander that the Royal Navy refused to allow
a scientist to command one of its ships ever again. Thus Cook, a gifted
mathematician and cartographer as well as a naval officer, was selected to lead
the expedition.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">A civilian collier, the <i>Earl of Pembroke</i>, was selected as
the vessel for the expedition. Its shallow bottom and sturdy construction made
it ideal for the voyage in ways a traditional warship would not be. The ship
was overhauled, armed, and commissioned <i>Endeavour</i>. In August 1768 the expedition
set out for Tahiti, where Cook and two scientists on board would make
independent observations. It arrived the following April, and Cook made good
use of the weeks leading up to the June 3 transit to build an observatory.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The results were disappointing,. The three sets of
measurements taken at Tahiti did not match up within the margin of error, due
to an optical phenomenon called the “black drop effect.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Combined with measurements from more
than a dozen other sites around the world, scientists were able to refine the
estimates for the size of Venus’s orbit, but not with the degree of precision
they had hoped for.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Cook’s voyage of exploration was not over yet. After the
transit, he opened sealed orders instructing him to find and claim Terra
Australis Incognita, a large southern continent of supposed great riches. He
never found it and, indeed, did not believe it existed in the first place. The<i>
Endeavour</i> did visit New Zealand and Australia and Cook was able to determine
that the latter was a separate continent (it was previously believed to be part
of New Guinea).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Posts</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/02/great-achievements-in-celestial.html">Great Achievements In Celestial Navigation</a></span></div>
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<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/04/that-romantic-age-of-sail.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">That Romantic Age of Sail</span></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Articles</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Juneau Empire</i>: <a href="http://juneauempire.com/state/2012-06-06/university-team-puts-twist-1769-venus-transit#.T9DoNBxKAks">University Team Puts Twist on 1769 Venus Transit</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">NASA: <a href="http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2004/28may_cook/">James Cook And The Transit of Venus</a></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Radio Boston: <a href="http://radioboston.wbur.org/2012/06/04/venus-transit">How The Transit of Venus Changed Life On Earth</a></span></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-26657473222032355352012-06-16T00:01:00.000-07:002012-06-16T00:01:01.081-07:00Misunderstood Mariners: Joseph Hazelwood (Re-post)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLq1rtoPzF_liFAOE8dwIJoR_7bdjK-oPKfZRKoyNIoCOKgsdwYMIzZmEwpf6kvD0TbAUraRtME-uyHwgMGciQw1qMOL9RwfkpmbfZ8etzZdH2LOtbVDZrHCUYQZojN0LmWJC-YtmAjdD2/s1600/GreenPeace_RickColby2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLq1rtoPzF_liFAOE8dwIJoR_7bdjK-oPKfZRKoyNIoCOKgsdwYMIzZmEwpf6kvD0TbAUraRtME-uyHwgMGciQw1qMOL9RwfkpmbfZ8etzZdH2LOtbVDZrHCUYQZojN0LmWJC-YtmAjdD2/s400/GreenPeace_RickColby2.jpg" width="256" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When the twentieth anniversary of the <i>Exxon Valdez</i> oil spill came around [in 2009], a lot of the mythology surrounding the incident came around again, too. Everybody knows, for instance, that Capt. Joseph Hazelwood, captain of the tanker, was drunk at the time of the incident. Except, this was never proved. In his trial following the incident in Prince William Sound, Hazelwood was acquitted of being under the influence of alcohol at the time of the oil spill. In fact, he was acquitted of all felony charges, though he was convicted of a misdemeanor charge (negligent discharge of oil) and his master’s license was suspended under Coast Guard administrative rules.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Also untrue is the story that Hazelwood left the bridge under the supervision of an unlicensed mate. Third Mate Gregory Cousins was a licensed mate, what he lacked was the endorsement required by oil tanker watch officers to operate in Prince William Sound. Cousins was cleared of any charges related to the incident.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The <i>Exxon Valdez </i>may be the most famous oil spill, but it’s not even close to being the largest. Ten years before the incident in Alaska, the <i>Atlantic Empress</i> collided with the <i>Aegean Captain</i> off Trinidad and Tobago in the eastern Caribbean. The resulting spill dumped 287,000 metric tons (about 84 million gallons) into the sea, compared with the Exxon Valdez’s 37,000 metric tons (about 10.8 million gallons). The <i>Exxon Valdez</i> doesn’t even make the top ten in terms of size of spill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On the other hand, none of the oil from the<i> Atlantic Empress</i>/<i>Aegean Captain</i> incident came ashore. The crude from the <i>Exxon Valdez</i>’s tanks is still being dug out of the beaches in Prince William Sound. The resulting damage to shore life, fisheries, tourism, and recreation has been an economic disaster for the Prince William Sound region, even leading to the bankruptcy of the Chugach native corporation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The legal wrangling following the case is still in the courts. Less than a year ago the US Supreme Court threw out a $2.5 billion punitive damage award against Exxon. It had been whittled down from an initial $5 billion figure, in addition to nearly $300 million in actual damages, awarded in 1994.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As for Hazelwood, he paid a fine, did community service, and spent two decades as the butt of drunken captain jokes. Last month [March 2009] he apologized to the people of Alaska for the incident.</span></div>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-83814289535613587232012-06-09T00:01:00.000-07:002012-06-09T00:01:01.166-07:00Misunderstood Mariners: William Bligh (Re-post)<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggg_X8jMbkhd6Y5196mMw3yUWIrCG90heyHNkJxl_lGgqOfz1jBOkbDy40SwHbECnLkRtigrJMgcuyCYgBVhtR8UciENKpfXnceokRSIjjIP1B6EnZhB-i0wk_YfR_vvlFhQvGdWTQAKo8/s1600/WilliamBligh.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggg_X8jMbkhd6Y5196mMw3yUWIrCG90heyHNkJxl_lGgqOfz1jBOkbDy40SwHbECnLkRtigrJMgcuyCYgBVhtR8UciENKpfXnceokRSIjjIP1B6EnZhB-i0wk_YfR_vvlFhQvGdWTQAKo8/s400/WilliamBligh.jpeg" width="334" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">William Bligh. 1814 portrait by Alexander Huey.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span class="Apple-style-span"><span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">April 28 [2009] marked the 220th anniversary of the famous mutiny on the HMS </span><i>Bounty</i><span class="Apple-style-span">. William Bligh, commander of that ill-fated expedition, has become synonymous with the image of a cruel captain, an image reinforced by popular fiction, especially movies.</span><span class="Apple-style-span"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span"><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">
<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Bligh was an officer under Capt. James Cook on that explorer’s third and final voyage, and served aboard vessels engaged in some of the most important naval battles of the Napoleonic Wars. Before taking command of the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Bounty</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">, he left the navy for a brief period to work in the merchant service. The </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Bounty</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">’s log showed him to be, if anything, more sparing of cruel punishment than a lot of his fellow captain’s of the day. He also took from Cook a concern for the health of his crew, including making sure the food onboard exceeded the standards of the day and that the crew got daily exercise.</span></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Bligh was also an early reformer of watch standing systems to combat crew fatigue, splitting his crew into three instead of two watches. It was this third watch that required an extra officer to be in charge of it, which led to Bligh recruiting Fletcher Christian for the 1789 voyage during which the mutiny occurred.</span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span"><br /></span></span></span></o:p></div>
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<o:p><span class="Apple-style-span"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span">Bligh gets little credit for his forward thinking, although even popular accounts of the mutiny acknowledge Bligh’s skill in bringing a small boatload of loyalists 3600 nautical miles to safety with only one casualty. It’s probably inevitable that today Bligh is considered the bad guy in the mutiny, what with Christian being portrayed on film by heroic leading men Erroll Flynn, Clark Gable, and Marlon Brando. The fact is, the 1984 film </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">The Bounty</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">, with Mel Gibson as Christian and Anthony Hopkins as Bligh, is probably the most accurate, with many scenes lifted right from the </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span">Bounty</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span">’s log.</span></span></span></o:p></div>
</span>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-1725318855633576132012-06-06T00:01:00.000-07:002012-06-06T17:48:47.888-07:00Merchant Mariners at D-Day<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAYSoLbX0KwjAgSVvUO41BRvGZWJUja_85mb1fqP5rtzwtyha9zY7GFCwBRMfSFVsHi49nnoXp0RXi5ALwvJ91bjpFtAZ_USAZxgz8hj3Zhb9ui84gmlIRTyyCGGk22bLAj0GFHpHzhaV/s1600/500px-Jeremiah_O'Brien_(Liberty_ship,_San_Francisco).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLAYSoLbX0KwjAgSVvUO41BRvGZWJUja_85mb1fqP5rtzwtyha9zY7GFCwBRMfSFVsHi49nnoXp0RXi5ALwvJ91bjpFtAZ_USAZxgz8hj3Zhb9ui84gmlIRTyyCGGk22bLAj0GFHpHzhaV/s400/500px-Jeremiah_O'Brien_(Liberty_ship,_San_Francisco).JPG" width="332" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Liberty ship <i>Jeremiah O'Brien</i> is the only surviving merchant ship from the D-Day armada.Photo by Mike Hofmann</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Every man in this Allied command is quick to express his
admiration for the loyalty, courage and fortitude of the officers and men of
the Merchant Marine. When final victory is ours, there is no organization that
will share its credit more deservedly than the Merchant Marine.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-- Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower</span></blockquote>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">From the hot deserts of Africa to the icy waters north of
Russia, American merchant mariners saw some of the most hazardous duty of World
War II. When the long-awaited Allied invasion called D-Day finally came on June
6, 1944, merchant mariners were there, too.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Ships Without Ports.</b> Some merchant ships began their
preparations weeks before the actual invasion. Pulled off their regular runs,
these ships cruised the waters around Britain waiting for a pre-arranged
rendezvous to pick up cargo and men before heading to the French coast. These
“ships without ports” were intentionally kept away from land to avoid enemy
planes and ships spotting any concentration of vessels. Many of these vessels
continued to shuttle between Britain and the European mainland up until the end
of the war. In the first week alone, merchant hulls carried a large portion of
the 326,000 troops and hundreds of thousands of tons of equipment and supplies
necessary for the invasion.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Operation Mulberry.</b> The night before the Normandy invasion,
a force of civilian-crewed US Army tugs lead a fleet of concrete-hulled ships
from the Isle of Wight and out into the English Channel. On the night of June 5, 1944, about the time that Allied paratroopers
were landing behind German lines in Normandy and several hours after the
largest invasion force in history had set out across the English Channel, a
fleet of civilian-operated U.S. Army tugs pulled away from the Isle of Wight
off the south coast of England. As they approached the French coast, the ships
were intentionally sunk; creating breakwaters for huge artificial harbors that
would serve as disembarkation points until a natural harbor could be liberated
from the Germans. More than 1,800 merchant mariners manned the tugs and
“blockships”.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>High Merchant Marine Casualties.</b> One in 26 American merchant
mariners in World War II was killed in the line of duty, a ratio higher than
any other branch of the military. Fourteen of those mariners died near
Normandy, and are buried there alongside their comrades from the other
services. But because they were not in the armed services, and despite
Eisenhower’s praise, none were recognized as “veterans” for more than 40 years.
In 1988, President Ronald Reagan signed the WWII Merchant Marine Service Act,
providing merchant marine veterans with veterans’ benefits.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Posts</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/02/misunderstood-mariners-roosevelts.html">Misunderstood Mariners: The Roosevelts</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/01/liberty-ships-re-post.html">Liberty Ships</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/03/merchant-marine-cadet-corps.html">The Merchant Marine Cadet Corps</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Related Articles</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <i>Valley Patriot</i>: <a href="http://www.tommyduggan.com/VP060705boddy.html">Charles & Edward Boddy</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
USMM.org: <a href="http://www.usmm.org/concrete.html">D-Day 1944 And Why They Owe Me A Trip On The <i>Queen Mary</i></a><br />
USCG National Maritime Center: <a href="http://www.uscg.mil/nmc/wwiimm.asp">World War II Requests, Veterans Qualification Process</a></div>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-91448247055096319332012-05-26T00:01:00.000-07:002012-06-06T17:54:26.339-07:00Sinking The Bismarck<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNea3wpKPmtFP6SOqEJMqYpa8d0uLl0VA6QFeIcaXeNQcPOdgPGawLz89T99gX2u_CtGSkCZw4pN-gYUnWbJEeYufTyfLAwSxGbFfUp8Q-1vUf0DZHleqIO3aBLWTposjJXVzZWyjRWDn/s1600/Bundesarchiv_Bild_193-04-1-26,_Schlachtschiff_Bismarck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="251" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHNea3wpKPmtFP6SOqEJMqYpa8d0uLl0VA6QFeIcaXeNQcPOdgPGawLz89T99gX2u_CtGSkCZw4pN-gYUnWbJEeYufTyfLAwSxGbFfUp8Q-1vUf0DZHleqIO3aBLWTposjJXVzZWyjRWDn/s400/Bundesarchiv_Bild_193-04-1-26,_Schlachtschiff_Bismarck.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Courtesy German Federal Archive</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When the battleship <i>Bismarck</i> was launched in August 1940 she
was – along with her sister ship <i>Tirpitz</i> – the largest battleship ever built by
Germany, and one of the largest anywhere. Her short (eight month) career was
cut short in an unnamed battle after an all-out effort by the Royal Navy to
find and “Sink the <i>Bismarck</i>!”</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The 41,000-ton, 823-ft long <i>Bismarck </i>was indeed formidable,
with eight 15-inch guns, dozens of smaller weapons, and armor more than a foot
thick in some places. In sea trials, she had reached speeds of 30 knots. Her
crew of more than 2,000 was commanded by Otto Ernst Lindemann, one of a
relatively few officers who had been serving continuously in the German navy
since World War I.</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Bismarck</i> and the heavy cruiser <i>Prinz Eugen</i> were assigned to attack
Allied merchant shipping in the North Atlantic. After being spotted by a
Swedish vessel while en route to her new assignment, <i>Bismarck</i> and <i>Prinz Eugen</i>
were intercepted by British ships in what would come to be known as the Battle
of Denmark Strait. <i>Bismarck</i> was damaged in this battle, but forced the British
battleship <i>Prince of Wales</i> to retreat with heavy damage, and sank the HMS <i>Hood</i>,
a battlecruiser called the “pride of the Royal Navy.”</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The sinking of the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Hood</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"> was
a blow not only to the fighting power, but the pride of the British Navy, and
an all-out search and pursuit of the German battleship began by more than three
dozen British warships. Lindemann made for occupied France and the protection
of german aircraft and U-boats while engaging in a running artillery duel with
his pursuers. The British eventually lost track of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Bismarck</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, but on May 26,
1941 she was spotted by a (supposedly still neutral) American pilot, and
intercepted by a nearby British force. Damaged heavily in attacks by torpedo
bombers that day, the Bismarck sank the next day. The British claimed the coup
de grace was delivered by an attack by the heavy cruiser </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Dorsetshire</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">, while
many of the 114 survivors of the Bismarck’s crew claim the ship was scuttled to
avoid capture.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Posts</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2009/12/revenge-of-battleships.html">Revenge of the Battleships</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br /></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Articles</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">MilitaryFactory.com: <a href="http://www.militaryfactory.com/ships/detail.asp?ship_id=KMS-Bismarck">KMS <i>Bismarck</i></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">KBismarck.org: <a href="http://www.kbismarck.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=99"><i>Bismarck</i> Myths</a></span>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-34001208259819991822012-04-14T00:01:00.001-07:002012-04-14T00:01:01.738-07:00Understanding Titanic<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxSNsZRv6JB5o2OFVRyeViLkrgfsttEpdtp8ghNImQvqpOCfIkd1M1zxwotgqlr4Q3lRDGFfK1pWz_A3kL6FucpWsaIj9ojwzzEg1elTZTV2qFtnOLQL421hxw0uJ_oMSnmIfVL6h6td8/s1600/Sto%CC%88wer_Titanic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxSNsZRv6JB5o2OFVRyeViLkrgfsttEpdtp8ghNImQvqpOCfIkd1M1zxwotgqlr4Q3lRDGFfK1pWz_A3kL6FucpWsaIj9ojwzzEg1elTZTV2qFtnOLQL421hxw0uJ_oMSnmIfVL6h6td8/s400/Sto%CC%88wer_Titanic.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
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It’s human nature to try to make sense of a tragedy, and the
sinking of the RMS <i>Titanic</i> 100 years ago this weekend certainly qualifies. Eight hundred
fifteen passengers and 668 crew died in the icy waters of the north Atlantic on
that “Night to Remember,” and since then many have tried to make sense of the
events of that night. But it’s possible to read too much into the <i>Titanic</i>
disaster and lose the real lessons of the liner’s loss.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Conspiracy Theories.</b> One way to find meaning in a big, public disaster is to make
the event seem more significant than it is. Almost from the time the first SOS
signals were received, conspiracy theories have sprung up in an attempt to
explain <i>Titanic</i>’s sinking. In one theory, the ship was sunk intentionally in an
attempt by the Jesuits to kill wealthy opponents of a centralized world banking
system. In another, it was a massive insurance fraud perpetuated by <i>Titanic</i>’s
owners. In yet another, <i>Titanic</i>’s sinking was the secret, opening salvo of
World War I.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Along the way, many
of the usual conspiracy suspects have been blamed: communists, Jews, war
profiteers, even the Irish. Conspiracy theories add a level of significance
that helps us deal with great events. How could<i> Titanic</i> have been just another
shipwreck? The ship was too big, her passengers too glamorous, the voyage
itself too celebrated. It’s the same impulse that makes some unable to accept
that President Kennedy was killed by a lone, confused gunman, or that Princess
Diana died in an ordinary car accident like the kind that occur in every city
of the world every day.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>Special Explanations</b>. Even people who don’t accept a full-blown conspiracy theory
explanation for <i>Titanic</i>’s demise look for <i>that one thing</i> to explain the
sinking. This year alone, the media reported claims that her captain was drunk
at the time of the collision and that a “supermoon” tidal event caused more ice
to be in the ship’s path than would normally be expected. Other explanations
range from a fire in the boiler room to a mummy’s curse.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<b>An Ordinary Shipwreck</b>. The fact is there was nothing special about the <i>Titanic</i>
sinking. The conclusions reached by official inquiries immediately after the
disaster sound similar those reached by any maritime incident inquiry in modern
times: failure to proceed at safe speed, inadequate or improperly-used safety
equipment, proceeding despite weather and other warnings. But <i>Titanic</i> was
famous even before it sailed, and that fame – soon to become notoriety – called
attention to those conclusions that led to reforms of equipment requirements,
manning, and watch keeping, many of which are still in force today. If a lonely
fishing boat or a beat up old tramp steamer had suffered that same fate that
night, there would have been no headlines, no inquiries with far-reaching consequences.
<i>Titanic</i>’s legacy is not that she’s famous because she’s special; it’s that she's special because she’s famous.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Related Posts</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/11/solas.html">SOLAS</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/02/britannic-olympic.html"><i>Britannic</i> & <i>Olympic</i></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/03/misunderstood-mariners-edward-j-smith.html">Misunderstood Mariners: Edward J. Smith</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
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<b>Related Articles</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
BBC News: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17515305">Five <i>Titanic</i> Myths Spread By Film</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Live Science: <a href="http://www.livescience.com/18862-supermoon-titanic-disaster.html">Did A "Supermoon" Sink The <i>Titanic</i>?</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
gCaptain:<a href="http://gcaptain.com/reflects-titanic-tragedy-traces/?44320"> IMO Reflects On <i>Titanic</i> Tragedy, Traces Roots of Safety Of Life At Sea</a></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-7070019401604020632012-04-11T00:01:00.000-07:002012-04-11T00:01:00.732-07:00Ghost Ships<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR8CyUfugrmi5V1pJ_7PiNeQT4QCXPXFTdvihRf5kZi5egXvWTZBWrMcuJrIbn-C8x6Fz3isLy4SpSQg5jLHLydH7Ofcxruy6hgVv482-WRuNrotKf6uFznEMMxPN1w5IBcfXJTfIXz66/s1600/300px-120404-G-IA651-038-FFV_Ryou-un_Maru.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkR8CyUfugrmi5V1pJ_7PiNeQT4QCXPXFTdvihRf5kZi5egXvWTZBWrMcuJrIbn-C8x6Fz3isLy4SpSQg5jLHLydH7Ofcxruy6hgVv482-WRuNrotKf6uFznEMMxPN1w5IBcfXJTfIXz66/s400/300px-120404-G-IA651-038-FFV_Ryou-un_Maru.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">US Coast Guard photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
When the <i>Ryō Un Maru </i>was sunk off the coast of Alaska last
week, many news reports referred to her as a “ghost ship.” The 150-ton squid-fishing
vessel was bound for the scrap yard when the March 2011 earthquake hit Japan,
resulting in a tsunami that swept the <i>Ryō Un Maru</i> and millions of tons of other
ships and debris into the Pacific. But was <i>Ryō Un Maru</i> really a “ghost ship,”
or is that just a colorful term the media glommed on to?</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Ghost ship</i> has three different but related meanings:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<ul>
<li>A vessel that is haunted or is itself ghostly. The most
famous example of this is the legendary <i>Flying Dutchman</i>.</li>
<li>A vessel drifting but with no crew. The most famous example of
this is the <i>Mary Celeste</i>, an American brigantine found under sail off Portugal
in December 1872 with all her crew and passengers and one life boat missing, but
otherwise completely intact. More recently, the <i>Tai Ching 21</i>, a Taiwanese
fishing vessel with a crew of 29, was found floating off Kiribati in November
2008. There had been a fire, and several lifeboats and rafts were missing, but
there was no sign of the crew.</li>
<li>A vessel decommissioned but not yet scrapped. The most
notorious example of this may be the French aircraft carrier <i>Georges
Clemenceau</i>, decommissioned in 1997 but not dismantled until 2010 due to
environmental concerns.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <i>Ryō Un Maru</i> probably falls into this last category. She
might also be referred to as a <i>derelict</i>, which the <i>Dictionary of Maritime and Transportation Terms</i> defines as “an abandoned vessel at sea.” <i>Ryō Un Maru</i> might also be
referred to as <i>flotsam</i>, the floating wreckage of a ship or its cargo
(distinguished from <i>jetsam</i>, which is intentionally abandoned or discharged
equipment or cargo). </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The <i>Ryō Un Maru</i>’s origins and history are known, but this is
not always true for “ghost ships.” In 2006, the <i>Jian Seng</i>, a tanker of unknown
origin, drifted into Australia’s Gulf of Carpentaria. Except for a cargo hold
full of rice, the vessel had been stripped of anything valuable, Some broken
towing lines indicated the <i>Jian Seng</i> may have been under tow at the time she
was lost, but no one ever stepped forward to claim her. The Australian
government sank her later that year.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Related Posts</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/10/happy-halloween.html">Happy Halloween!</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/02/tsunami-debris.html">Tsunami Debris</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Related Articles</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
NOAA Office of Response and Restoration: <a href="http://usresponserestoration.wordpress.com/2012/04/05/abandoned-vessels-drifting-across-pacific-ocean-since-1617/">Abandoned Vessels: Drifting Across the Pacific Ocean Since 1617</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
gCaptain: <a href="http://gcaptain.com/tsunami-ghost-ship-uscg-sinks/?43942">"Tsunami Ghost Ship" No More -- USCG Sinks Derelict Vessel</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>Alaska Dispatch</i>: <a href="http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/alaskas-ghostly-maritime-past">Alaska's Ghostly Maritime Past.</a></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com4Seattle, WA, USA47.6062095 -122.332070847.520564 -122.4899993 47.691855 -122.1741423tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-13802588471117155422012-04-07T00:01:00.000-07:002012-04-07T00:01:00.860-07:00Passover & Easter<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuhrWz4oBeNASzwxZLWsKYcp4lVg4VEXOEg4K2TH_796lq2nCCXYvfAs2aZWE10JJ0YWqntVnMMxB7p5DWsfeclqHt7dTMqjdBivRvcjB6JZWrnKSGCcr-9oW7N3QECHzPEzLeGJJbaC4/s1600/wsci_04_img0477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIuhrWz4oBeNASzwxZLWsKYcp4lVg4VEXOEg4K2TH_796lq2nCCXYvfAs2aZWE10JJ0YWqntVnMMxB7p5DWsfeclqHt7dTMqjdBivRvcjB6JZWrnKSGCcr-9oW7N3QECHzPEzLeGJJbaC4/s400/wsci_04_img0477.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Protect me, my Lord, my boat is so small; your sea is so big.<br />-- Breton Fisherman's Prayer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Heathen that I am, I almost missed that it's Passover and Easter this weekend. Nautical superstition says that to begin a sea voyage on a Friday is bad luck, as Christ was said to have been crucified on a Friday. On the other hand, Sunday is a good day to ship out, reflecting the "good news" of Christ's resurrection. In today's maritime community, the beginning of spring marks the beginning of boating or yachting season and, in my part of the world at least, the first cruise ships heading to Alaska in the wake of the commercial cod fleet. Fair winds and following seas to all, and here's a collection of prayers holy and profane from many faiths to send you on your way.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in
great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For
he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof.
They mount up to the heaven, they go down again to the depths: their soul is
melted because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken
man, and are at their wits' end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble,
and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so
that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they be quiet; so
he bringeth them unto their desired haven.<br /><div style="text-align: right;">
-- Psalms, 107:23-30, <i>The Bible</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
It is He who enables you to travel on land and sea until,
when you are in ships and they sail with them by a good wind and they rejoice
therein, there comes a storm wind and the waves come upon them from everywhere
and they assume that they are surrounded, supplicating Allah , sincere to Him
in religion, "If You should save us from this, we will surely be among the
thankful."<br /><div style="text-align: right;">
-- Verse (10:22) of chapter (10) <i>sūrat yūnus (</i>Jonah), <i>The Koran</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<o:p> </o:p>"Gods, who delight in preserving bold ships and turning
from them the perils of windy seas, make smooth and placid these waters, and
attend with good council my vows, let not my words be drowned out by roaring
waves as I pray:<br />"O Neptune, grand and rare is the pledge we make to
You, and in what we commend into the depths of the sea. Young Maecius it is
whose body we commit to the sea, far from the sight of land, that he, the
better part of our souls, traverses the sea’s length and depth (to the Western
Lands).<br />"Bring forth the benign stars, the Spartan brothers,
Castor and Pollux, to sit upon the horns of the yard arm. Let your light
illuminate sea and sky. Drive off your sister Helen’s stormy star, I pray, and
expel it from all the heavens.<br />"And you azure Nereids of the seas, whose good fortune
it was to attain mastery of the oceans – may it be allowed to name you stars of
the seas – rise up from your glassy caverns near the foaming waves that
encircle Doris, and tranquilly swim circles around the shores of Baiae where
the hot springs abound. Seek after the lofty ship on which a noble descendant
of Ausonians, Celer, mighty at arms, is glad to embark. Not long will you need
to look, for she lately came across the sea, leading a convoy laden with
Egyptian wheat and bound for Dicarcheis. First was she to salute Capreae and
from her starboard side offer a libation of Mareotic wine to Tyrrhenian
Minerva. Near to her, on either side, circle gracefully around her. Divide your
labors, some to tighten fast the rigging from masts to deck, while others high
above spread forth canvass sails to the westerly Zephyrs. Still others replace
some benches, others send into the water the rudder by whose curved blade
steers the ship. Another plumbs the depths with leaden weights while others to
fasten the skiff that follows astern, and to dive down and drag the hooked
anchor from the depths, and one to control the tides and make the sea flow
eastward. Let none of the sea green sisterhood be without her task.<br />"Then let Proteus of manifold shape and triformed
Triton swim before, and Glaucus whose loins vanished by sudden enchantment, and
who, so oft as he glides up to his native shores, wistfully beats his fish tail
on Anthedon’s strand.<br />"And may the father whose Aeolian prison constrains the
winds, whom the various blasts obey, and every air that stirs on the world’s
seas, and storms and cloudy tempests, keep the North wind and South and East in
closer custody behind his wall of mountain, but may Zephyr alone have the
freedom of the sky, alone drive vessels onward and skim unceasingly over the
crests of billows, until he brings without a storm your glad sails safe to the
Paraetonian haven."<br /><div style="text-align: right;">
-- Roman poet Publius Papinius Statius (1st Century AD), <i>Silvae</i> 3.2.1-49</div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
O, MIGHTY NEPTUNE! Hear an honest British Tar -- thou knowest I trouble not thy Godship every day, I therefore pray thee to grant my prayer, for I love not long palavering and that there, d'ye see.<br />-- Sailor's Prayer</blockquote>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-49167053329755154022012-04-04T00:01:00.000-07:002012-04-04T00:01:00.454-07:00That Romantic Age Of Sail<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2-dhLUvvG8FfMy3T_HwQX6BLff9tn_XOLGZoVSHJVyFt7W8duqHlFYYfGXSGW14VAmVj6x_ySK1T_71kBgkzgNyF0HDYGvNeSHRTwZDc3EsJZC4q_qHrTzCoXrV03_CjPP9QXJEP5P6E/s1600/flog2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX2-dhLUvvG8FfMy3T_HwQX6BLff9tn_XOLGZoVSHJVyFt7W8duqHlFYYfGXSGW14VAmVj6x_ySK1T_71kBgkzgNyF0HDYGvNeSHRTwZDc3EsJZC4q_qHrTzCoXrV03_CjPP9QXJEP5P6E/s400/flog2.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', Verdana, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><em>Punishment on board ship</em>, from the<em> Journal of a Cruise on the USS</em><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">Cyane</span>, 1842-43, by William H. Myers, Gunner</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Yet a sailor’s life is at best, but a mixture of a little
good with much evil, and a little pleasure with much pain. The beautiful is
linked with the revolting, the sublime with the commonplace, and the solemn
with the ludicrous.<br /><div style="text-align: right;">
-- Richard Henry Dana, <i>Two Years Before The Mast</i></div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get
himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of
being drowned.<br /><div style="text-align: right;">
-- James Boswell, <i>Life of Johnson</i></div>
</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In movies, on television, and in novels, shipboard life in
the Age of Sail is often portrayed as very romantic. Swashbuckling action, hard
drinking and shanty singing, tropical islands with exotic women; these are the
images often brought to mind by popular media. The truth is, life on board
sailing ships could be very harsh but, as some have pointed out, this was a
time when life ashore could be very harsh as well.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Impressment.</b> Writer Rupert Taylor notes in understated fashion that
“[because] of the possibility of drowning, dying of disease, or being shot
through with a cannonball, England’s Royal Navy often found itself short
staffed.” The answer was the press gang, in which men from the Navy would
search taverns and other gathering places ashore in what amounted to an
on-the-spot draft. Sometimes a Navy vessel would stop a merchant vessel at sea
and impress men from that vessel into Navy service. The impressment of American
seamen by British ships was one of the causes of the War of 1812.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Cramped Quarters.</b> Once on board, sailors lived in very cramped quarters. There
was no privacy, even for officers. Although many berthed in the forecastle,
others just slept where they could. Richard Henry Dana describes his first
night as a merchant seaman on the <i>Pilgrim</i> in <i>Two Years Before The Mast</i>:</div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The steerage in which I lived was filled with coils of
rigging, spare sails, old junk and ship stores, which had not been stowed away.
Moreover, there had been no berths built for us to sleep in, and we were not
allowed to drive nails to hang our clothes upon. The sea, too, had risen, the
vessel was rolling heavily, and everything was pitched about in grand
confusion. There was a complete “hurrah’s nest,” as the sailors say,
“everything on top and nothing at hand.” A large hawser had been coiled away
upon my chest; my hats, boots, mattress and blankets had all fetched away and
gone over to leeward, and were jammed and broken under the boxes and coils of
rigging. To crown all, we were allowed no light to find anything with, and I
was just beginning to feel strong symptoms of sea-sickness, and that
listlessness and inactivity which accompany it.</blockquote>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Bad Food. </b>On long voyages only a few days supply of fresh food could
be carried, the rest of the time the crew ate salted beef, pork, or horse meat,
and “sea biscuits,” or hardtack. It was not uncommon for unscrupulous vendors
ashore to sell ships supplies that were already spoilt or infested with pests, and
reduced rations and malnutrition were common. As common was theft of food.
Stores were kept locked, and a crew member caught stealing food could be
punished severely, including having his hand cut off.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Discipline.</b> Discipline could be harsh as well. The most common form of
punishment was flogging, consisting of several dozen lashes with the end of a
rope or a “cat o’ nine tails,” a form of whip. More severe offenses were
punished by keelhauling, in which the offender was pulled across the underside
of the ship by rope, often dying in the process. The most severe crimes, mutiny
and murder, were punished by hanging.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>A Contrary View.</b> Naval historian Andrew Lambert says that, while maybe not
exactly romantic, shipboard life in the Age of Sail was not the “concentration
camp” that some have made it out to be. Lambert was part of a recreation of one
of Captain James Cook’s voyages. According to him, food on board was superior
to what was available to many on shore at the times. “For them such regular,
hot, protein-rich meals, together with a nearly limitless supply of beer, would
have been a luxury,” Lambert says. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Lambert also notes that discipline, while harsh, was
consistent with society-wide norms of the time: “If anything, naval punishment
was less severe, for sailors were a scarce and valuable resource that no
captain would waste; also, flogging meant that the punishment was quickly
completed, and the man could return to duty.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Related Posts</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2009/12/union-label.html">The Union Label</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/11/avast-ahoy.html">Avast! Ahoy!</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b>Related Articles</b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Military History at Suite 101: <a href="http://rupert-taylor.suite101.com/harsh-life-aboard-navy-sailing-ships-a285783">Harsh Life Aboard Navy Sailing Ships</a>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Authorama: Richard Henry Dana,<i> <a href="http://www.authorama.com/two-years-before-the-mast-4.html">Two Years Before The Mast</a></i>.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
BBC History: <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/empire_seapower/life_at_sea_01.shtml">Life At Sea In The Royal Navy of the 18th Century</a>.</div>
<!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-86008514164289469392012-03-31T00:02:00.001-07:002012-03-31T00:02:00.152-07:00Life Jackets<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SfkCkZ3Aw1M4fXPJCnA7ofoUXkBPrUK-YbQvVnuxrV4dZ9pHYf_YkIE3BXyxu9q5SwpNLsRU3kQ0zj6-P0uL6kKqH6gYFUjoUc03o9jGRGpBV7c_kpff3lb4UjIu1tK4D0nnRRlUd3WA/s1600/60461_1614316681687_1349417834_1713868_5964847_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3SfkCkZ3Aw1M4fXPJCnA7ofoUXkBPrUK-YbQvVnuxrV4dZ9pHYf_YkIE3BXyxu9q5SwpNLsRU3kQ0zj6-P0uL6kKqH6gYFUjoUc03o9jGRGpBV7c_kpff3lb4UjIu1tK4D0nnRRlUd3WA/s400/60461_1614316681687_1349417834_1713868_5964847_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">The crew are wearing Type V PFDs, also called "work vests." The coxswain<br />
(driver) is wearing a Type III "float coat."</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Some people just don't like life jackets. One morning I was helping passengers board an inflatable launch; in a few minutes they would all be on a sunny, isolated Mexican beach. But one guy just couldn't go along with our safety requirement to wear a PFD (personal flotation device) while in the boat.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">"I've crossed the North Atlantic three times on a 40-foot boat without wearing a life jacket," he barked. "I don't see why I should have to wear one now."</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We all waited while he grudgingly donned his life jacket, then we headed for the beach. All I had said was "I'm not allowed to get underway until everyone is wearing a life jacket." What I wanted to say was "You'd think you'd have learned by now."</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">But many people only learn the hard way. Earlier this month, Sheldon Olsen and his two-year-old son Jace disappeared while canoeing on Lake Limerick, Washington. The older Olsen's body was eventually found, but the toddler is still missing. Also found: the canoe, with two life jackets in it.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73Wxb5vTbR_KZ_uZADqJxC87STNb-C581xqUdwxopw9x1M7eZ3v1Jqdn4RMZuQWaqNS8OwVMNYag6d5pdn8gPLjILutEsklmXMrqdqUP9RsgFl8x99cmON1tKoZ_C5_SKhUEEkRaDf1JS/s1600/149651_452798671948_553346948_5968633_6470048_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi73Wxb5vTbR_KZ_uZADqJxC87STNb-C581xqUdwxopw9x1M7eZ3v1Jqdn4RMZuQWaqNS8OwVMNYag6d5pdn8gPLjILutEsklmXMrqdqUP9RsgFl8x99cmON1tKoZ_C5_SKhUEEkRaDf1JS/s200/149651_452798671948_553346948_5968633_6470048_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: left;">Type I PFDs, also called "offshore life<br />
jackets.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Aversion to life jackets is not limited to recreational boaters. Seeing a preview of the TV show <i>Deadliest Catch</i> once, I commented to a fellow crew member, and former commercial fisherman, that maybe the job wouldn't be so "deadly" if the crew working on deck were wearing life jackets. He replied that, in the cold Alaska waters where the <i>Deadliest Catch</i> boats work, you're going to die from hypothermia before you're going to drown. He was wrong, though. A crew member wearing a Type I PFD, the kind that keeps the wearer's head above water even when he or she is unconscious, will hold off hypothermia several times longer than someone without a PFD.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Keith Colburn, captain of one of the <i>Deadliest Catch</i> boats, insists that much of the footage show does not accurately portray conditions on the vessels most of time. As he told Chris Landry of the website Soundings</div><blockquote class="tr_bq">The most dramatic action, of course, usually makes it on the show. The “Deadliest Catch” often portrays the fishermen as “working in unsafe conditions, working unsafely and on the edge of capsizing at any given moment,” says Colburn. That’s simply not accurate, he maintains.<br />
“The mariners who work in the Bering Sea are prudent and professional and constantly working to minimize risk and maximize safety,” says Colburn, who has participated in the show for four years.</blockquote><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Colburn was selected to be the spokesman for the US Coast Guard's "Boat Responsibly" program in 2009, in part because he requires his crew to wear PFDs when on deck, even in calm water.</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Related Posts</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/09/deadliest-blog-post-re-post.html">The Deadliest Blog Post</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><b>Related Articles</b></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">US Coast Guard: <a href="http://www.uscg.mil/hq/cg5/cg5214/pfdselection.asp">PFD Selection, Use, Wear & Care</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">KIRO-TV: <a href="http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/body-missing-man-canoe-trip-found-lake/nLcRj/">Body Of Missing Man From Canoe Found In Lake</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Soundings: <a href="http://www.soundingsonline.com/features/in-depth/246652-deadliest-skipper-is-on-a-safety-mission">"Deadliest" Skipper On A Safety Mission</a></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-64080124018527197902012-03-28T00:01:00.003-07:002012-03-28T15:27:25.275-07:00Misunderstood Mariners: Edward J. Smith (Re-post)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixB4-SmtH59qXVeY5NCQnmzhXnO8gglgfSL5WDKBVt9XDy72XK33lPJzoOUR3cIZRNqLF_lNdwtRx3svFZQI78-7ncFSm7yywfN-Alr8wuxS2UblZ5tb3eMLvQrs5f725_DD7eC7xxFg84/s1600/467px-EJ_Smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixB4-SmtH59qXVeY5NCQnmzhXnO8gglgfSL5WDKBVt9XDy72XK33lPJzoOUR3cIZRNqLF_lNdwtRx3svFZQI78-7ncFSm7yywfN-Alr8wuxS2UblZ5tb3eMLvQrs5f725_DD7eC7xxFg84/s400/467px-EJ_Smith.jpg" width="311" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><br />
With the death of Millvina Dean on May 31, 2009 the last survivor of the <i>Titanic </i>disaster has passed on. A whole industry has grown up around the story of the <i>Titanic</i> and its captain, Edward J. Smith, an industry fueled by speculation, conspiracy theory, and outright falsehood.<br />
<br />
Smith was born in England in 1850, and left school at age 13 to go to sea. He joined the the White Star Line, the line that would one day build the <i>Titanic</i>, in 1880 as Fourth Officer and seven years later was given his first command. He commanded larger and more prestigious ships as the years went on, along the way earning decorations, a rank of Commander in the Royal Navy reserve, and a reputation as the best and safest passenger liner captain in the world. The only major blemish on Smith’s career prior to <i>Titanic </i>was a September 1911 collision between the White Star Liner <i>Olympic</i>, which he commanded, and the British cruiser HMS <i>Hawke</i>.<br />
<br />
Smith took command of the<i> Titanic</i> in 1912 and no sooner had the ship sailed on April 10 when quick action on his part helped avert a collision with the SS <i>City of New York</i>, which broke free of its mooring lines due to the surge caused by the <i>Titanic</i>’s passing. He was not so fortunate four days later: he was one of the roughly 1500 people who died when <i>Titanic </i>sank after striking an iceberg.<br />
<br />
The popular image today is that of Smith going down with his ship, standing stoically on the bridge as the waters rose over his head, an image portrayed in the 1997 James Cameron film. One legend has him diving into the water with an infant in his arms, which he places on a lifeboat before swimming off to either die or look for more survivors. The last person know to have seen Smith alive was junior radio officer who says he saw the captain dive into the water from the bridge wing a few minutes before <i>Titanic</i>’s final plunge.<br />
<br />
In terms of loss of life, <i>Titanic</i> was not the worst passenger ship disaster in history. More than 7,700 refugees, crew, and military personnel were killed on the German liner <i>Wilhelm Gustloff</i> when she was torpedoed by a Russian submarine in January 1945. Eighteen other liner disasters have higher casualty figures than <i>Titanic</i>’s. But the attention given this sinking was unequalled, and led to major reforms in maritime safety and eventually to the International Convention for the Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) that we operate under today.<br />
<br />
<b>Related Posts</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/02/britannic-olympic.html"><i>Britannic</i> & <i>Olympic</i></a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/08/helm-commands.html">Helm Commands</a><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Related Articles</b><br />
<br />
thisisannouncments.co.uk: <a href="http://www.lastingtribute.co.uk/tribute/smith/3088437">Smith, Edward John Obituar</a>y<br />
<br />
<i>The Daily Telegraph</i>: <a href="http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/world/titanics-captain-edward-smith-in-bed-drunk-when-ship-struck-iceberg/story-e6frev00-1226295580466"><i>Titanic</i>'s Captain Edward Smith In Bed When Drunk When Shop Struck Iceberg.</a><br />
<br />
<i>Economic Times </i>(India): <a href="http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2009-06-06/news/27662522_1_millvina-fateful-journey-rose-calvert"><i>Titanic</i> Has No Survivors Left. </a>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-61904322057329957992012-03-24T00:01:00.002-07:002012-03-24T00:01:01.979-07:00Armed Merchant Vessels<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4yBLbsJaOBdvk5OzD5xCXzQW4n5oPSVLgUPQOlWD-J64QiODIK_0w3IPEZsyS3_Y21efJyFTJJ0e83nWhbwTTAktWuMEM-lRu7PFVzq_zQI8niUIPlbBLOACWbmqlFkawexODeI0bJ8U/s1600/657px-Armed_guard_escort_on_a_merchant_ship.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="363" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ4yBLbsJaOBdvk5OzD5xCXzQW4n5oPSVLgUPQOlWD-J64QiODIK_0w3IPEZsyS3_Y21efJyFTJJ0e83nWhbwTTAktWuMEM-lRu7PFVzq_zQI8niUIPlbBLOACWbmqlFkawexODeI0bJ8U/s400/657px-Armed_guard_escort_on_a_merchant_ship.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Armed guards on a merchant ship. Photo by Hanuma Bhakta</td></tr>
</tbody></table><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As shipping companies and maritime nations struggle to fight the ongoing threat of piracy, debate continues as to the best method for doing that. One of the most common suggestions is to arm the crews of vessels transiting dangerous waters, or hire private security forces to stand guard on vessels in these waters. The issue is far from settled, with opinions even among mariners divided, and the laws of various countries in conflict.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>History of Armed Merchant Vessels.</b> Arming privately owned vessels is not a new idea. Many merchant ships back to ancient times armed themselves against the threat of pirates or naval vessels of a hostile power. In Elizabethan England, ship captains were sent out with the express purpose of raiding enemy vessels; the Queen's privateers were the King of Spain's pirates.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This process became more formalized later with the concept of letters of marque and reprisal. These documents were charters authorizing merchant captains to arm themselves and attack enemy shipping or other targets on behalf of the issuing country. Even with such letters, the line between pirate and privateer was sometime still blurry: Capt. William Kidd was executed for piracy in 1701, despite insisting that he was acting under British authority.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The US Constitution specifically authorizes Congress to issue letters of marque and reprisal; it was considered a necessary expedient for a new nation with little or no naval power of its own.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The use of letters of marque and reprisal fell off following the Napoleonic Wars (the War of 1812 in the United States), as the world's great powers built larger navies and needed less help from merchant vessels. Increasing labor unrest and the reputation of merchant sailors as rowdy, drunken criminals also made governments wary of putting weapons into civilian hands. By the time of World War I, a special act of Congress was required to authorize merchant ships to sail armed. In both world wars, arming merchant vessels sailing into war zones was common practice.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>The Modern Debate</b>. Whether the modern piracy epidemic rises to the level of danger of the two world wars is behind the debate about arming merchant vessels today. Although some US mariners -- specifically those employed by the civilian Military Sealift Command -- have received small arms training for years, others balk at being armed, especially in light of ever-increasing regulatory, liability, and training requirements. Increasingly, the trend is to use private security forces, but the cost of these can run to tens of thousands of dollars a day.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Another issue is conflicting laws regarding armed persons on ships. The International Maritime Organization (IMO), the world organization charged with standardization of maritime regulations, is against arming merchant vessels. Some large organizations of shipping companies were against armed vessels at first, but have softened their stance. Following the 2009 <i>Maersk Alabama</i> incident, the US Coast Guard began issuing guidance to US vessels for when and where to carry armed guards but other countries, notably South Africa, have detained both ships and crew caught carrying weapons for use against pirates. The International Chamber of Commerce notes that armed guards are not a complete defense against piracy, but should only be part of a larger plan: "If armed Private Maritime Security Contractors are to be used they must be as an additional layer of protection and not as an alternative to [best management practices]."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Posts</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2009/11/alternative-look-at-somali-pirates.html">An "Alternative" Look At Somali Pirates</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2009/06/mariners-in-review-pirate-queen.html">Mariners in Review:<i> The Pirate Queen</i></a></span><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/10/piracy-update.html"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Piracy Update</span></a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Articles</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">captainkidd.org: <a href="http://www.captainkidd.org/History.html">Ultimate Captain William Kidd: History</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">International Chamber of Commerce Commercial Crime Service Piracy Reporting Centre: <a href="http://www.icc-ccs.org/piracy-reporting-centre/advice-to-masters">Advice To Masters</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>Mid Day</i> (Mumbai): <a href="http://www.mid-day.com/news/2012/mar/180312-mumbai-news-Merchant-ships-get-guns.htm">Merchant Ships Get Guns</a></span>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-20660923731528583332012-03-21T00:01:00.001-07:002012-03-21T00:01:00.577-07:00Misunderstood Mariners: John F. Kennedy<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ7tGzM9Dieev2HW-GJTVBSi1OFinAoyjCCMVxzfZr6hY7EKRxwJyyZ4_RXh0OgRA9TcF0nbgC8XHiJyLdEajJ-BlCovhDhZHekwbWNBcr7fxUvXL3upvjvZFAdF4Va0gN-5fqsrVMYLx/s1600/PT-109_crew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaJ7tGzM9Dieev2HW-GJTVBSi1OFinAoyjCCMVxzfZr6hY7EKRxwJyyZ4_RXh0OgRA9TcF0nbgC8XHiJyLdEajJ-BlCovhDhZHekwbWNBcr7fxUvXL3upvjvZFAdF4Va0gN-5fqsrVMYLx/s400/PT-109_crew.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The <i>PT-109</i> crew, Kennedy at far right. US National Archives photo.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">When John F. Kennedy was elected President of the United States in 1960, he became the first Navy veteran to reach the country’s highest office. Many soldiers had been elected president, including George Washington and Kennedy’s predecessor Dwight Eisenhower, but Kennedy was the first sailor and, with the exception of Ronald Reagan, every president for the next 32 years would be a Navy veteran.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kennedy was already in the Navy when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. Back problems had kept him out of the Army, but his father’s influence got him a commission and a desk job in the Navy. With the coming of the war, Kennedy trained for service aboard patrol torpedo (PT) boats, and went on to serve in Panama, then the South Pacific.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">The events of August 2, 1943 have become part of the Kennedy legend, and helped catapult him into international fame and, eventually, the White House. While on night patrol in the Solomon Islands, Kennedy’s PT boat, the <i>PT-109</i>, was cut in half after being rammed by a Japanese destroyer. Kennedy rallied his men and led them to a nearby island, towing his wounded second-in-command’s life jacket with his teeth. Except for the two crewmen lost in the collision, all were rescued a few days later.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Kennedy’s heroism in dealing with the loss of his boat was celebrated, but many questioned his judgment in getting the <i>PT-109</i> into trouble in the first place. The boat’s radio was unmanned while many crewmembers rested, thus Kennedy was unaware of the larger situation that night. Kennedy’s handling of the <i>PT-109</i> may have caused it to stall, resulting in the collision. Kennedy, while a popular commander, may have been a sloppy ship captain.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Whatever the truth, the <i>PT-109</i> legend was a centerpiece of Kennedy’s political campaigns after the war. His actions after the <i>PT-109</i> collision had earned him the lifelong loyalty of his crew: many appeared on a float in Kennedy’s inaugural parade next to a replica of the boat.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">As President, Kennedy believed in a strong Navy. The now-famous SEAL teams were started during his administration. The Navy was key in his handling of the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis. He said in a 1963 speech on board the aircraft carrier <i>Kitty Hawk</i> that</span></div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Events of October 1962 indicated, as they had all through history, that control of the sea means security. Control of the seas can mean peace. Control of the seas can mean victory. The United States must control the seas if it is to protect your security...."</span></blockquote><br />
<div style="line-height: 18px;"><div><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">This is the second in a series of posts about presidents and near-presidents who had a nautical background, in honor of the US election this year.</span></i></div><div style="color: #333333;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></i></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Posts</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/02/misunderstood-mariners-roosevelts.html">Misunderstood Mariners: The Roosevelts</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Articles</b></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Department of the Navy: <a href="http://www.history.navy.mil/faqs/faq60-2.htm">Naval History & Heritage Command: Lieutenant John F. Kennedy, USN.</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Historynet.com: <a href="http://www.historynet.com/pt-109-disaster.htm">John F. Kennedy's PT-109 Disaster</a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Muesum: <a href="http://www.historynet.com/pt-109-disaster.htm">Remarks at the US Naval Academy, August 1 1963</a></span></div></div>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-73041178831444275082012-03-17T00:01:00.004-07:002012-03-17T00:01:02.280-07:00St. Brendan<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQ-IHvWm0r3CTlkhquqLpAKeck-lQotguI4cSToI_YEzlMqxv0kJ45LF7AE5HNisXpj9_VO7e9eO_NEyjwvQeFYPYicFjDmxDoZLept_vCioWKMkiVUbuZIkgKnME12AD0H7aTxpSZwY1/s1600/Saint_brendan_german_manuscript.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXQ-IHvWm0r3CTlkhquqLpAKeck-lQotguI4cSToI_YEzlMqxv0kJ45LF7AE5HNisXpj9_VO7e9eO_NEyjwvQeFYPYicFjDmxDoZLept_vCioWKMkiVUbuZIkgKnME12AD0H7aTxpSZwY1/s400/Saint_brendan_german_manuscript.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><blockquote class="tr_bq">And then Saint Brandon bade the shipmen to wind up the sail and forth they sailed in God's name, so that on the morrow they were out of sight of any land. And forty days and forty nights after they sailed plat east, and then they saw an island far from them, and they sailed thitherward as fast as they could, and they saw a great rock of stone appear above all the water, and three days they sailed about it ere they could get into the place, but at the last by the purveyance of God they found a little haven and there went aland every each one. And then suddenly came a fair hound, and fell down at the feet of Saint Brandon and made him good cheer in his manner, and then he bade his brethren be of good cheer, for our Lord hath sent to us his messenger to lead us into some good place. And the hound brought them into a fair hall where they found the tables spread, ready set full of good meat and drink. And then Saint Brandon said graces, and then he and his brethren sat down and ate and drank of such as they found, and there were beds ready for them, wherein they took their rest after their long labour.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">-- <i>The Golden Legend: the Life of Saint Brandon</i></div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">It is a source of Irish legend and pride: that 1000 years before Columbus a band of Irish monks led by an abbot named Brendan set out on a voyage of spiritual discovery that would instead lead to the first European contact with the Americas. To some the voyages of Brendan are a religious allegory, to others a stylized account of an actual group of brave and lucky voyagers, led by an extraordinary man.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The man who would become know as Saint Brendan the Navigator was born in AD 484 in southwest Ireland. After a short career building monastic cells, Brendan heard the story of Saint Barrid and his visit to the Island of Paradise. Accounts vary from there, but the basic story is that Brendan set out on a seven-year-long voyage, accompanied by fourteen monks (or sixty pilgrims), having many adventures. Among the most remarkable incidents is his coming ashore and celebrating Easter Mass on an island that turned out to be the sea monster Jasconius. Brendan also</div><div class="MsoNormal"></div><ul><li>discovers an Island Of Sheep where the voyagers stop for Holy Week</li>
<li>finds a “Paradise of Birds,” where the birds sing psalms</li>
<li>passed a silver pillar wrapped in a net</li>
<li>had rocks hurled at him by a mountain</li>
</ul><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">Finally, Brendan and his companions arrived at “The Promised Land of the Saints,” a beautiful island divided by a great river.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The earliest known written version of the legend dates from the 1100s. Soon “Saint Brendan’s Isle” began appearing on nautical charts, first near the coast of Ireland, then moving westward and southward as time passed. By the 1700s, the island of “San Borodon” was reported to lie off the coast of Africa, in or near the Canary Islands.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuon8RhSfFQ9HyfElJv2lM1nE8E1tS7c6mNwreLV5XjqKWBb5_mjYC5x3KLsvxranzQxN4dvIY7CM0XxZcFI9QPhNy7unEsVt0jlewqe_YE_13bPhJ5lg_0vtazYpszukQF6MawxB8UhtK/s1600/Stbrendanscurrach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuon8RhSfFQ9HyfElJv2lM1nE8E1tS7c6mNwreLV5XjqKWBb5_mjYC5x3KLsvxranzQxN4dvIY7CM0XxZcFI9QPhNy7unEsVt0jlewqe_YE_13bPhJ5lg_0vtazYpszukQF6MawxB8UhtK/s200/Stbrendanscurrach.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Model of St. Brendan's carrach<br />
Photo by Michealol</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="MsoNormal">By this time, scholars were beginning to think Brendan’s voyages were more allegory than fact. The similarities to other Irish tales of the time, called <i>immrams</i>, and elements in common with other, clearly fictional tales, like those of Sinbad and Jason, led to the conclusion that whatever truth may lay at the core of Brendan’s story was covered by centuries of religious and folktale embellishment.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In 1976, British explorer Tim Severin set out to prove that -- whatever the truth of the tale -- it could have been done. Severin built a 36-foot <i>carrach</i>, the type of boat used by Irish mariners of the time, made from wood and leather. From mid-1976 to mid-1977, Severin sailed his craft from Ireland to Newfoundland, stopping along the way in the Hebrides and Iceland. Along the way he found many places with parallels to places in Brendan’s story, including the Island of Sheep and “Paradise of Birds in the Faroe Islands. Others have identified the "silver pillar" as an iceberg, and the mountains hurling rocks as the volcanoes of iceland.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Related Posts</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/10/misunderstood-mariners-amerigo-vespucci.html">Misunderstood Mariners: Amerigo Vespucci</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2010/11/misunderstood-mariners-samuel-eliot.html">Misunderstood Mariners: Samuel Eliot Morison</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Related Articles</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Catholic Encyclopedia</b>: <a href="http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02758c.htm">St. Brendan</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">turasireland: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8ALiU02KC0&feature=related">In the Footsteps of St. Brendan the Navigator</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Irish Culture in Legends: <a href="http://www.irishcultureandcustoms.com/ASaints/BrendanNav.html">St. Brendan, The Navigator</a></div><!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-69622565030936901412012-03-14T00:01:00.004-07:002012-03-14T00:01:00.637-07:00The Merchant Marine Cadet Corps<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQv7kmiy9jRrGyghodYuTH7Cu2zWLJbGEx3zaDFGOcHZeMR3w4l66xhWQ5o3avOzI0v3NANWhA5YibGW_Gj2JlTRmsFvjn6OrJHXZ37RoIyTQ7AImW794g7Dnm3qGXjmzgRFBeUvuC8bxU/s1600/shipsofficer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQv7kmiy9jRrGyghodYuTH7Cu2zWLJbGEx3zaDFGOcHZeMR3w4l66xhWQ5o3avOzI0v3NANWhA5YibGW_Gj2JlTRmsFvjn6OrJHXZ37RoIyTQ7AImW794g7Dnm3qGXjmzgRFBeUvuC8bxU/s400/shipsofficer.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In the first century of US history, every merchant mariner in the United States came “up the hawespipe,” working his way up the chain of command from the lowest ranks on the ship. By the end of the nineteenth century, as the Age of Sail faded into the Age of Steam, demand for trained officers increased, leading Congress to step in. Starting in 1874, the Navy was authorized to lend ships to ports that wanted to train young men in “navigation, seamanship.” Schools in New York, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts were set up to take advantage of the new law, followed by institutions on every coast. Many of these schools remain merchant marine academies today.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Soon the schools were working with shipping companies to fill the demand for<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>trained officers. Under the 1891 Postal Aid Law, ships accepting government mail contracts were obligated to take on a cadet for each 1000 tons of a ship’s weight. The program was a mixed success: many cadets got little real training, being treated a free menial labor instead. On the other hand, many cadets used the program as a free ride to Europe or elsewhere and abandoned their ship once it reached a suitably exotic port.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">When the US entered World War I, the Shipping Board set up a six-week program to train officers for the “Emergency Fleet,” the concrete-hulled ships built due to a shortage of steel. The program was so successful that soon its graduates were manning other ships, and by the time the program was phased out in 1921 it had produced nearly 11,00 officers.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The success of the World War I program, the failure of the Postal Aid Law, the disastrous fire on the <i>Morro Castle</i>, and the looming need for more mariners as Europe girded for war yet again, convinced the Roosevelt Administration that a direct federal hand was needed in providing America’s merchant vessels with officers. On March 15, 1938, the United States established the Merchant Marine Cadet Corps.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The first 99 cadets in the program trained on government-subsidized but privately-owned vessels in various ports. The Coast Guard took over running the program briefly after Pearl Harbor, then the War Shipping Adminstration. The war effort made apparent for a more centralized school with a permanent home, and in September 1943 the United States Merchant Marine Academy was established in King’s Point, New York. Schools were also established in San Mateo, California and Pass Christian, Mississippi, but both of those schools were closed with a few years.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Related Posts</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/09/morro-castle.html">Morro Castle</a></i></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/02/misunderstood-mariners-roosevelts.html">Misunderstood Mariners: The Roosevelts</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Related Articles</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">USMM.org: <a href="http://www.usmm.org/cadetcorps.html">History of the US Merchant Marine Cadet Corps</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Concrete Ships.org: <a href="http://www.concreteships.org/ships/ww1/">The World War I Emergency Fleet</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Popular Science</i> (on Google Books): <a href="http://books.google.com/books?id=0ikDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA25&dq=Popular+Science+1933+plane+%22Popular+Science%22&hl=en&ei=jD9eTdivIsKWtweO2r3sCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5&ved=0CDoQ6AEwBDgy#v=onepage&q=Popular%20Science%201933%20plane%20%22Popular%20Science%22&f=true">New School to Train Ships Officers</a></div><!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-84515081233995733842012-03-12T00:01:00.001-07:002012-03-12T00:01:02.416-07:00Monday Morning Mariner: Sailboats, The Jones Act, Gas Prices, & The Great Blizzard of 1888<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfp9S8Ah5gyqA30UMrWH5QUwTCf-2NecvmrmzytddlPw7xKWM94jE0zzulR6tswaC-3jxEguR_at4LJA_uccN4jtULmHmeqm5NrsEkxFEYQnX2Se2lKVF2ScOdyevHQI7lVZ6Kj1SGvRb/s1600/SFO3DD9_3904.jpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfp9S8Ah5gyqA30UMrWH5QUwTCf-2NecvmrmzytddlPw7xKWM94jE0zzulR6tswaC-3jxEguR_at4LJA_uccN4jtULmHmeqm5NrsEkxFEYQnX2Se2lKVF2ScOdyevHQI7lVZ6Kj1SGvRb/s400/SFO3DD9_3904.jpg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.americascup.com/">Giles Martin-Raget/Americas Cup</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On this date in 1888, a huge blizzard struck the northeast United States and adjacent areas of Canada. Snow piled up several feet in just three days, and winds blew 40 to 50 miles per hour with gusts up to 80 miles per hour. Four hundred people died, a quarter of whom were seamen on the more than 200 ships that were wrecked or driven aground. "A ship in port is safe, but that's not what ships are built for," goes the old saying attributed to Admiral Grace Hopper, but that's not always true.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Shipping out can be a dangerous occupation although, frankly, I feel safer on most ships than I do driving on most Interstate freeways. The insurance industry doesn't agree with me. When I recently went looking for private disability insurance, I found that many companies wouldn't even consider me because I was Class 1A or not eligible at all. So, I'm happy to have the Jones Act in place, even if I'm only covered when "in service of a vessel."</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">But, once again, the Jones Act is under attack. Last year the Congress approved, and President Obama signed, the America's Cup Act of 2011. When the world's premier yacht race series scheduled some of its events in Newport, Rhode Island and San Diego and San Francisco, California, the normally logjammed federal government found a way to get together on something. The Act allows yachts, support vessels, and other vessels to operate without Jones Act restrictions during the event, which runs through 2013.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">On another front, gas prices threaten to become an issue in the 2012 presidential election and with rising prices come calls to rescind the Jones Act. Republican Newt Gingrich has made "$2.50 gas" a talking point of his campaign; last week following the Super Tuesday voting, Gingrich supporters could be seen waving signs decorated with that figure over a gas pump. It's unclear how rescinding the Jones Act would help lower gasoline prices, which are not based on supply but by investor reactions to political events in the Middle East, specifically the current saber rattling between Iran and the US and Israel. Once again, the Jones Act is being used as a political straw man.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Posts</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/11/monday-morning-mariner-president-barack.html">Monday Morning Mariner: President Barack Obama</a></span><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/11/republicans-on-maritime-issues.html">The Republicans On Maritime Issues</a><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2010/11/monday-morning-mariner-jones-act-update.html">Monday Morning Mariner: Jones Act Update</a><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Articles</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Madden Maritime: <a href="http://maddenmaritime.wordpress.com/2012/02/02/americas-cup-act-of-2011-h-r-3321-updated-turns-out-it-is-all-american/">America's Cup Act of 2011 (H.R. 3321) UPDATED -- Turns Out It IS All-American</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>US News & World Report</i>: <a href="http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/on-energy/2012/03/07/rescinding-jones-act-first-step-to-lowering-gas-prices">Rescinding Jones Act First Step To Lowering Gas Prices</a>.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>MarineLog</i>: <a href="http://www.marinelog.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1966:2012feb00271&catid=1:latest-news&Itemid=107">With Pain At The Pump, AMP Moves To Head Off Jones Act Waivers</a>.</span><br />
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<blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;"><b>Ships Are Safe in the Harbour</b><br />
</span><span style="color: black;">(Author Unknown)</span> </span></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: black;"> </span><span style="color: black;">All I live for is now<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">All I stand for is where and how<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">All I wish for are magic moments<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">As I sail through change<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">My resolve remains the same<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">What I chose are magic moments<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">Because ships are safe in the harbour<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">But that is not what ships are made for<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">The mind could stretch much further<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">But it seems that is not what our minds are trained for<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">We call for random order<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">You can't control Mother nature's daughter<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">Ships are safe in the harbour<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">But that is not what ships are built for<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">The witch hunter roams<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">The scary thing is that he's not alone<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">He's trying to down my magic moments<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">As we sail through change<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">Ride the wind of a silent rage<br />
</span><span style="color: black;">And sing laments of magic moments</span></span></blockquote><!--EndFragment--><br />
<!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-555508607209323722012-03-10T00:01:00.042-08:002012-03-10T00:01:00.253-08:00Mysteries of the Monitor and Merrimack<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRgjuZohKM2S9D4SeOJIZinzbOJTQ5R7Y-b7uMiX5Tlj0DhjKUTWmd1GvDVvrA36HhsAQs8Z_mN7zjDzjR-g1WypJx6G2hYD-XR245yys1R4soW1ailp4Xo9PdLp5Lm6YwN2OQFpE1EMN/s1600/800px-The_Monitor_and_Merrimac.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTRgjuZohKM2S9D4SeOJIZinzbOJTQ5R7Y-b7uMiX5Tlj0DhjKUTWmd1GvDVvrA36HhsAQs8Z_mN7zjDzjR-g1WypJx6G2hYD-XR245yys1R4soW1ailp4Xo9PdLp5Lm6YwN2OQFpE1EMN/s400/800px-The_Monitor_and_Merrimac.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><blockquote class="tr_bq"><b>March 8, 1862.</b> The iron clad steamer <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Merrimac</i> had come down from Norfolk, sunk the sloop of war <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Cumberland</i>, fired a number of shots at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Congress.</i> She surrendered and at night was set on fire. Both vessels were lying at Newport News. We stacked our arms and slept in the open air. About midnight the magazine on the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Congress</i> blew up with a terrific noise.<br />
<b>March 9.</b> A lovely day today. (Sunday) This forenoon witnessed the naval battle between the rebel steamer <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Merrimac</i> and the U. S. iron clad steamer <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Monitor</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Minnesota</i>. After 4 hours fighting the rebels retreated.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">-- Eugene Goodwin, 99<sup>th</sup> New York Infantry Regiment</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The Civil War Battle of Hampton Roads, fought 150 years ago this week, is often considered the beginning of the end for the wooden warship. The USS <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Monitor</i>, with a crew of 59, fought the CSS <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Virginia</i> (formerly the Union vessel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Merrimac</i>) with a crew of more than 300, in a battle that, while indecisive, proved the tremendous advantage an ironclad warship had over wooden vessels. Other aspects of this historic battle, however, are not<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>so clear.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The Ship Without A Captain.</b> Lieutenant Catesby ap Roger Jones was executive officer of the <i>Virginia</i>. He had overseen the repair and refitting of the former <i>Merrimac</i>, but other Confederate officers senior to him wanted the captain’s post on board. To avoid an uncomfortable situation, the Confederate command just never got around to appointing a captain. Thus, <i>Virginia</i> entered the battle with Jones as acting captain only.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>The Fog of War</b>. <i>Monitor</i>’s orders were to defend the crippled Union warship <i>Minnesota</i>, which had been damaged by <i>Virginia</i> on March 8. On the morning of the 9<sup>th</sup>, Jones took <i>Virginia</i> back toward <i>Minnesota</i>, hoping to finish the job. At first he didn’t realize that <i>Monitor</i> was a warship, thinking her a barge carrying a boiler of some kind. As soon as he realized what he was dealing with, however, he ordered <i>Virginia</i>’s guns to fire, and the battle was on</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">For several hours, and at close range, the two ships fired on each other. Neither had been sent into battle with the proper ammunition for penetrating a metal hull, however. Finally, <i>Virginia</i> fired a shot that blinded the captain of the <i>Monitor</i>, who was the only person who could see to direct the movement of the vessel. <i>Monitor</i> withdrew so the ship’s second-in-command could move into the observer position, but by the time she returned, <i>Virginia</i> has withdrawn as well, Jones thinking he had won the day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Who Won The Battle?</b> Both sides claimed victory, but at the time the Battle of Hampton Roads was not about the ironclads, but about the Union blockade of the South. <i>Virginia</i> had been ordered to inflict as much damage on the Union fleet as possible in hopes of lifting the blockade. The South may have won the battle in terms of number of ships destroyed and casualties inflicted, but ultimately the blockade held.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilp3tvJNZBCD6u5y9VCAx86b_aOi2Icw5mC0t7YPSH2FXbp2R4xBsKWnMyNFDnwGioCGraZNI8jBXdDpNbFUZfpXUDzFVc-LJQuHHzUXgPe9aLnQGTm9Ka8s1_R9BVpBL2Y8lp8HdcFwvs/s1600/images.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilp3tvJNZBCD6u5y9VCAx86b_aOi2Icw5mC0t7YPSH2FXbp2R4xBsKWnMyNFDnwGioCGraZNI8jBXdDpNbFUZfpXUDzFVc-LJQuHHzUXgPe9aLnQGTm9Ka8s1_R9BVpBL2Y8lp8HdcFwvs/s200/images.jpeg" width="149" /></a></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGoEECMNPUfyWY_E9m2UBgSDALFuYjglmyEi8FW_062H7nJOHFYgcNsCE49EaGsfc71-4_ny43_Vj1mawSBfEcaAii6rcEy-GbJEC3BdXxrFA8Ed6Fuj7I-uU_hYcNEMXEClaa5GdtyuO/s1600/images-1.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVGoEECMNPUfyWY_E9m2UBgSDALFuYjglmyEi8FW_062H7nJOHFYgcNsCE49EaGsfc71-4_ny43_Vj1mawSBfEcaAii6rcEy-GbJEC3BdXxrFA8Ed6Fuj7I-uU_hYcNEMXEClaa5GdtyuO/s200/images-1.jpeg" width="133" /></a><br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><b>Faces of the Dead.</b> Neither ship survived the year. <i>Virginia</i> was destroyed by her own crew in May to avoid her being captured by Union troops. <i>Monitor</i> sank in rough weather off Cape Hatteras in December, with a loss of 16 of her crew. There she remained until her re-discovery in 1973.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In 2002, <i>Monitor</i>’s turret was recovered, along with the skeletal remains of two of her crew. Unable to identify them by other means, scientists reconstructed the faces of the men based on their skeletal structure in the hopes that someone would recognize them from a family resemblance or an old photo. Failing that, the remains will be interred as “unknowns” at Arlington National Cemetery.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Related Posts</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/08/blockade.html">Blockade</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Related Articles</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">Eugene Goodwin Civil War Diary: <a href="http://www.ioweb.com/civilwar/goodwin_diary/">Battle of <i>Monitor</i> and <i>Merrimac</i> 3/8/62</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">The Capital and The Bay: Narratives of Washington and the Chesapeake Bay Region ca. 1600 - 1925: <a href="http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/lhbcb:@field(DOCID+@lit(lhbcb08753div52))">The Battle of Hampton Roads</a>.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><i>Navy Times</i>: <a href="http://www.navytimes.com/news/2012/03/ap-civil-war-monitor-sailors-scientists-reconstruct-faces-030312/">Scientists Reconstruct Faces of <i>Monitor </i>Sailors</a>.</div><!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-80951808553260256182012-03-07T00:01:00.003-08:002012-03-07T00:01:01.334-08:00Shipboard Noise<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LfYOTVpIq-6JkJNnoZdteBh32hsAucQkAq9oLy0OoIgeDIZkwjnUnq-nYBhyphenhyphenZqfb8s0dlTfrGvc0fD0xHwTgYr8cfyW_E6_MZAnlvFOng69w_nc1iz0BFFwUFmbZZFXPE6fOeTfx4Y3H/s1600/zucker01.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8LfYOTVpIq-6JkJNnoZdteBh32hsAucQkAq9oLy0OoIgeDIZkwjnUnq-nYBhyphenhyphenZqfb8s0dlTfrGvc0fD0xHwTgYr8cfyW_E6_MZAnlvFOng69w_nc1iz0BFFwUFmbZZFXPE6fOeTfx4Y3H/s400/zucker01.JPG" width="370" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael Zucker, et al., Classification of Ship Radiated Noise from<br />
Recordings Made in the Hudson River</td></tr>
</tbody></table><blockquote class="tr_bq"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I lived half my life in eight by five room, </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">just cruisin' to the sound of the big diesel boom</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">-- Jimmy Buffet, "Landfall"</span></span></blockquote><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">My boss was angrier than I'd ever heard him. "The noise level on our vessels is within Coast Guard standards," he told me. My second mate had been walking around with a decibel meter, measuring the noise level in various parts of the ship. But the main office wanted that stopped. We were in compliance with the law: stop trying to prove we weren't.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Among the many health, safety, and environmental regulations that modern ships are subject to are those controlling how much noise a ship can make, both in its interior, and how much it can expose the outside world to.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Sources.</b> Most of the noise a ship generates is mechanical. The two most common sources are propeller cavitation, in which the turning of the propeller creates bubbles that than burst, and crankshaft vibration, produced by the internal workings of engines. On a large, modern, steel ship these noises are carried through the ship's structure, and their vibrations often cause other objects to vibrate, creating further noise. Other noise may be created by pumps, electrical equipment, and even waves slapping against the hull.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Problems. </b>The most immediate concerns about noise come from its effect on human beings. On a ship, too much noise makes it difficult to get proper rest, leading to reduced alertness and more chance of an injury or watchkeeping error. Exposure to high noise levels may lead to hearing loss, also a safety concern in the short run, but a medical expense and quality-of-life issue later.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Beyond the human effects, noise and the vibrations causing it also increases wear and tear on equipment and structures. Equipment constantly subject to vibrations wears out quicker, fails sooner, and needs to be replaced more often. Propeller cavitation decreases the efficiency of the propellers, and thus increases fuel costs</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Noise also affects the marine environment. A recent study of North Atlantic Right Whales found that the whales' ability to communicate was reduced by 85-percent when a ship passes near them. The low frequency sounds emitted by propeller cavitation in particular interfere with communication needed for feeding, mating, and social behaviors like gathering into a pod.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Sonar. </b>For a decade, experts have debated how much sonar from Navy ships affects the behavior of whales and other marine life. On one side are claims that sonar, at the very least, leads to increased beaching behavior in some species of whale. Others dismiss the claims as unproven or at least that the effects are not as widespread as claimed. The issue reached the US Supreme Court in 2008, but the court did not look at the science so much as the authority of the president to ignore environmental regulations. More recently, whale watching captains in Puget Sound reported audible sonar pings from a Navy ship several miles away.</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Posts</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2010/11/marine-mammal-protection-act.html">Marine Mammal Protection Act</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/08/monday-morning-mariner-if-you-really.html">Monday Morning Mariner: If You Really Miss Going To Sea</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><b>Related Articles</b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">DieselShip.com: <a href="http://dieselship.com/library/article-categories/techhnical-articles/marine-propulsion-machinery/2118-vibration.html?showall=&start=4">IMO Noise Limits</a></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>MarineLog</i>: <a href="http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/sb/ml0311/index.php?startid=27">Give Your Ship The Silent Treatment</a></span><br />
KING5-TV: <a href="http://www.king5.com/home/Navy-sonar-whales-141375893.html">People Report Hearing Navy Sonar Tests Near Everett</a>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-18695414486343776382012-03-03T00:01:00.002-08:002012-03-03T00:01:01.838-08:00Henry Shreve and the Washington<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <o:OfficeDocumentSettings> <o:AllowPNG/> </o:OfficeDocumentSettings> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:TrackMoves>false</w:TrackMoves> <w:TrackFormatting/> <w:PunctuationKerning/> <w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridHorizontalSpacing> <w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing>18 pt</w:DrawingGridVerticalSpacing> <w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayHorizontalDrawingGridEvery> <w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery>0</w:DisplayVerticalDrawingGridEvery> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables/> <w:DontGrowAutofit/> <w:DontAutofitConstrainedTables/> <w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/> </w:Compatibility> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="276"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--> <!--[if gte mso 10]> <style>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSg0lWxyoFfAa36-9MFTyXZabe0sZLEqh8FTxs3fqzTINENxJqjrxjH_1-ygVNu-mJhmjBBEKpcDuRFKAkbJxzDJpLYnb7w6VDhnk79hdbB112Twd3QSUGh7CuDMyPj-yH5waLmMCwmea/s1600/steamboat3tn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpSg0lWxyoFfAa36-9MFTyXZabe0sZLEqh8FTxs3fqzTINENxJqjrxjH_1-ygVNu-mJhmjBBEKpcDuRFKAkbJxzDJpLYnb7w6VDhnk79hdbB112Twd3QSUGh7CuDMyPj-yH5waLmMCwmea/s400/steamboat3tn.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The steamboat <i>Washington</i>. Photo courtesy US Army Corps of Engineers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">Acting upon a single wheel placed in the stern, without a beam or fly wheel, it propels the vessel at the rate of 10 mph with the current and the captain assured us that he could make seven miles against it.<br />
<div style="text-align: right;">-- <i>Cincinnati Gazette</i>, September 23 1816, on the arrival of the <i>Washington</i>.</div></blockquote><div class="MsoNormal">On March 2, 1817, shipbuilder and Captain Henry M. Shreve set out on a voyage that would make history. In command of the paddlewheel steamboat <i>Washington</i>, Shreve left New Orleans for Louisville. Forty-one days later (the upriver passage took 25 days, tying the existing record) he returned, marking the first time a steam-powered vessel completed a round trip on the Mississippi River.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">At the time of the <i>Washington</i>’s voyage, steamboats had been running on the Mississippi for only six years. In 1811, the <i>New Orleans</i> left Pittsburgh for her namesake city under the command of Nicolas Roosevelt, inventor of the vertical paddlewheel and great grand-uncle of President Theodore Roosevelt. Although she was caught in the New Madrid Earthquake while en route, she eventually reached New Orleans and made regular runs between there and Natchez until running aground in 1814.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Meanwhile, Shreve had built the <i>Enterprise</i>, also in Pittsburgh. On her first voyage, in December 1814, the ship successfully ran a British blockade and delivered supplies to General Andrew Jackson’s army near New Orleans.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Shreve’s battles didn’t end with Jackson’s victory: for years he was engaged in a lawsuit filed by the heirs of steamboat pioneer Robert Fulton and others, who claimed a monopoly on Mississippi steamboat trade. The monopoly was eventually broken, in part because many of Shreve’s technical innovations (like high-pressure boilers) made steamboat travel on the Mississippi practical in the first place.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">The <i>Washington</i> incorporated many of those innovations, including a look that is associated with paddlewheelers to this day: flat bottoms, two decks (the upper for passengers, the lower for the boiler), two tall stacks behind the pilothouse. In later boats, Shreve would build separate boilers for each side paddlewheel and vertical pistons into his designs. Shreve also coined the term stateroom for passenger cabins on a ship; the cabins on the Washington were named after US states.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">Thanks in part to Shreve's inventions and his breaking of the Fulton monopoly, steamboat trade on the Western Rivers (the Mississippi and its tributaries) exploded. Ten years after Shreve's first round trip, more than a hundred boats were engaged in active trade on the rivers. By the time of his death in 1851, there was a steamboat arriving at New Orleans every day.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Related Posts</b></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2010/05/misunderstood-mariners-mark-twain.html">Misunderstood Mariners: Mark Twain</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/09/cities-beneath-sea-or-not-new-orleans.html">Cities Beneath The Sea (Or Not): New Orleans</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/02/misunderstood-mariners-roosevelts.html">Misunderstood Mariners: The Roosevelts</a></div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b>Related Articles</b></div><div class="MsoNormal">ShowMe.net: <a href="http://showme.net/~fkeller/quake/lib/roosevelt.htm">New Madrid 1811-12, First Steamboat, Quakes, Comet</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture: <a href="http://encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=1764">Henry Miller Shreve (1785-1851)</a></div><div class="MsoNormal">US Army Corps of Engineers: <a href="http://www.mvn.usace.army.mil/PAO/history/MISSRNAV/steamboat.asp">Mississippi River Navigation: Steamboat Navigation</a></div><!--EndFragment-->Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-89560225366498988142012-02-29T00:01:00.034-08:002012-02-29T00:01:01.506-08:00Britannic & Olympic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/C3pu1jPGsQo?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />
This week marks the 98<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the launch of the HMHS <i>Britannic</i>, sister ship to the <i>Titanic</i>. The third and largest of the <i>Olympic</i>-class liners built for White Star Line, she too suffered and early and disastrous end. He sister ship <i>Olympic</i> had a longer, but no less distinguished career.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Britannic</i></b>. <i>Britannic</i>, like <i>Titanic</i> and <i>Olympic</i>, was originally intended for trans-Atlantic passenger service. After <i>Titanic</i>’s sinking, design changes were made to Britannic that would end with her being the largest passenger liner built to that date. </div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DNCMyOHXHbYY85YTYpUwBmvaO24cjFO9vhKMMk9ZaNy08B2JFb6d-RAfaIGaGGlSgvBxdhBAEa8rH4vAKRx0B5BJF3abWy7FvbP5cMvuM2Vjwa-d8mdn2mh0xOkqp-7rgNjKwCgprgx5/s1600/HMHS_Britannic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="94" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2DNCMyOHXHbYY85YTYpUwBmvaO24cjFO9vhKMMk9ZaNy08B2JFb6d-RAfaIGaGGlSgvBxdhBAEa8rH4vAKRx0B5BJF3abWy7FvbP5cMvuM2Vjwa-d8mdn2mh0xOkqp-7rgNjKwCgprgx5/s200/HMHS_Britannic.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">HMHS <i>Britannic</i>. Allan Green photo<br />
<a href="http://www.slv.vic.gov.au/">State Library of Victoria</a>. More photos<br />
at <a href="http://MaritimeQuest.com/">MaritimeQuest.com</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The outbreak of World War I delayed her launch. But in November 1915, she was called into service as a hospital ship. <i>Britannic</i> made several runs between the Middle East and the United Kingdom, transporting sick and wounded troops.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">It was to be a short-lived career, though. In November 1916, <i>Britannic</i> hit a mine off the coast of Greece and sank, with the loss of 30 lives.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal"><b><i>Olympic</i></b>. Built and launched before the <i>Titanic</i>, <i>Olympic</i> got off to a less-than-auspicious start. In September 1911, only two months after launching, <i>Olympic</i> collided with the British warship <i>Hawke</i>, an incident laid at the feet of <i>Olympic</i>’s captain, Edward Smith, who would later perish with <i>Titanic</i>. <i>Titanic</i>’s sinking in 1912 caused White Star Lines to bring <i>Olympic</i> in for refits and upgrades based on lessons learned from her sister ship’s loss.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">During World War I, <i>Olympic</i> served as a troop ship under charter to the Canadian government. Over the course of the war, she would carry more than 200,000 Canadian and US soldiers to Britain. She also had the distinction of being the only merchant ship in the war known to have sunk a German U-boat, after she rammed the <i>U-103</i> in May 1918.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">After the war, <i>Olympic</i> was converted back to passenger service. Among her attractions was her near-identical layout and appearance to <i>Titanic</i>; even in the 1920s and ‘30s there were <i>Titanic</i> buffs eager for a taste of that ill-fated passage.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In 1934, <i>Olympic</i> was engaged in a second collision, this time with a US Coast Guard lightship off Nantucket. Seven of the lightship’s crew of 11 died as a result of the collision.</div><div class="MsoNormal"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal">In 1935, the ship was taken out of service due to increased competition from larger, more modern ships. She was eventually demolished although parts of her are still at sea: the wood paneling from one her restaurants now graces a restaurant onboard the Celebrity Cruises ship, <i>Millenium</i>.<br />
<br />
Related Posts<br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2009/06/misunderstood-mariners-edward-j-smith.html">Misunderstood Mariners: Edward J. Smith</a><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/11/solas.html">SOLAS</a><br />
<br />
<b>Related Articles</b><br />
PBS.org: <a href="http://www.pbs.org/lostliners/britannic.html">Lost Liners: <i>Britannic</i></a><br />
Mark Chirnside's Reception Room: <a href="http://www.markchirnside.co.uk/MARK_CHIRNSIDE_INTERVIEW_JANUARY_2005.htm">Interview for </a><a href="http://www.markchirnside.co.uk/MARK_CHIRNSIDE_INTERVIEW_JANUARY_2005.htm"><i>Der Navigator</i></a><br />
Chris' Cunard Page:<a href="http://www.chriscunard.com/olympic.php"> Olympic</a></div>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-641945569503632435.post-87916346587818764832012-02-25T00:01:00.001-08:002012-02-25T00:01:02.246-08:00Deck Hardware<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwfET5YWGa8oASadQ62ymb5GnwxofJR48pN3QQUHN8tyOc7PMVg-TYEWher6DcNBwICD7GN1aekt-sttWa9-elmi4SVigC2aiCSVb3eVlmFmRjwq3RwkisflT0Mo0eCVD3jIIK0KHzGMV/s1600/IMG_0117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwfET5YWGa8oASadQ62ymb5GnwxofJR48pN3QQUHN8tyOc7PMVg-TYEWher6DcNBwICD7GN1aekt-sttWa9-elmi4SVigC2aiCSVb3eVlmFmRjwq3RwkisflT0Mo0eCVD3jIIK0KHzGMV/s400/IMG_0117.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panama Canal line handlers work with deck fittings on the R/Y <i>Alucia.</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGE5lF9mOE6fIeEI8Zl76JfnXIi1_hF3clPqi-1hewb96jMftwrZR9Grw5_m-gkGiqlHyopyLSeEns5tKc_kkuAltabtywnrdiWzG4inG0ljXmYEQ09LOSRTJe1Pft588PrvMFOrVKSAx/s1600/deck+hardware.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeGE5lF9mOE6fIeEI8Zl76JfnXIi1_hF3clPqi-1hewb96jMftwrZR9Grw5_m-gkGiqlHyopyLSeEns5tKc_kkuAltabtywnrdiWzG4inG0ljXmYEQ09LOSRTJe1Pft588PrvMFOrVKSAx/s200/deck+hardware.jpg" width="156" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A cleat (top), open chocks,<br />
and bitts. From <i>The American<br />
Merchant Seaman's Manual</i>.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I was new to the maritime industry, working as a bartender on a small cruise ship. We were in port that morning, most of the passengers off on tours ashore, most of the crew rushing through their morning duties in hopes of grabbing a few precious minutes off the boat. I stood on deck with a cup of coffee a few minutes before I had to report for work, just taking in the scenery and enjoying some peace and quiet. Suddenly, a passenger popped her head out of the door of her stateroom behind me. "Excuse me," she said. "I have a question. What do you call that?" She was pointing at two metal cylinders, each about knee-high and eight inched in diameter, sticking up from the deck on a common base. "I dunno, " I said. "A trip hazard?"<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESa-XLx46sz5kcnUyyUKgiTzNfpWsEOVKUdpMRZwVb7CtiFPbtGiSY7rBC7y4NI18yGTpww3XBh3h1XDHvNBTA_kgtcca-GU2MB_e0Sb18CKD_IIOfuebHBT2RVmFrJJQ6E6IVafn9gTm/s1600/h-bitt_tour.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESa-XLx46sz5kcnUyyUKgiTzNfpWsEOVKUdpMRZwVb7CtiFPbtGiSY7rBC7y4NI18yGTpww3XBh3h1XDHvNBTA_kgtcca-GU2MB_e0Sb18CKD_IIOfuebHBT2RVmFrJJQ6E6IVafn9gTm/s200/h-bitt_tour.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working with an H-bitt on <i>Belle of <br />
Lexington</i></td></tr>
</tbody></table>The cylinders were called <i>bitts</i>, and they were part of the ship's <i>deck hardware</i>, or <i>deck fittings</i>. Deck hardware is used to secure or change the direction of a ship's mooring or other lines. Bitts may have more specific names, such as an <i>H-bitt</i> which is used to during towing operations. To secure a mooring line to a bitt, the line handler would turn the line once around each of the two bitts, then make figure-eight turns around both bitts to secure the line. The number of turns required varies: the <i>American Merchant Seaman's Manual</i> recommends at least three for synthetic line, at least one for natural fiber line.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLV9HkMV061w16YzVVWzDMp0kpdml22nZcSlcYUw_OZIn0PoZUXU_YoCTaFeQHAXlNFPbsg9ssAEymDy_rXc8YlWfIw1NT-7r7ZGv2f7kmPgkf_ytA4L_ndUUWNk-mR2Ki2HBmEtFLqo7H/s1600/20101229170000_gguh.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="155" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLV9HkMV061w16YzVVWzDMp0kpdml22nZcSlcYUw_OZIn0PoZUXU_YoCTaFeQHAXlNFPbsg9ssAEymDy_rXc8YlWfIw1NT-7r7ZGv2f7kmPgkf_ytA4L_ndUUWNk-mR2Ki2HBmEtFLqo7H/s200/20101229170000_gguh.gif" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Panama Canal chock</td></tr>
</tbody></table>A <i>cleat</i> is a t-shaped fitting that can be very small (a form of cleat is used in some homes to tie-off the cord controlling venetian blinds) to two or three feet long. Cleats are common on vessels ranging from small sailing boats to large commercial ships. To tie a line to a cleat, make at least three figure eights with the loops below the horns of the cleat and the cross-over point above. Sometimes, the line is "locked down" by passing the end of it under the last loop.<br />
<br />
<i>Open chocks</i> (with or without rollers) and <i>Panama Canal chocks</i> are used to change the direction of a line, making it easier to use a more conveniently-placed bitt, cleat or capstan (part of a powered winch). Similar to chocks are <i>staples</i>, closed loops most often seen on a ship's bulwarks. A staple is also sometimes called a <i>bull nose</i>, <i>donut</i>, or <i>D-ring</i>.<br />
<br />
Confusion on Deck. Even to experienced mariners, deck hardware terminology can be inconsistent. One frequent misuse is replacing bitt with bollard, which more properly refers a similar object on land, or a pier or wharf. This confusion may stem from the use of the phrase bollard pull to refer to the pulling force a given tug or other vessel is able to exert.<br />
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGQmCGOSxEMcQNG_L4sdiQbRnl-v6Vsy-ftAS9zIA2jVLCMhPSUT5u8a67c9ezroNysYMGzFC-YixA9yddw-6T3TyQKcaPPdy18rM2jy7L0nDWq9_LdiBud_gsKvDcXjxWVT1rL54pyjq/s1600/450px-Recycle-barge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoGQmCGOSxEMcQNG_L4sdiQbRnl-v6Vsy-ftAS9zIA2jVLCMhPSUT5u8a67c9ezroNysYMGzFC-YixA9yddw-6T3TyQKcaPPdy18rM2jy7L0nDWq9_LdiBud_gsKvDcXjxWVT1rL54pyjq/s320/450px-Recycle-barge.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bollard</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There are even regional differences. According to an article in the May 2011 <i>Professional Mariner</i>, crews on and East and West coasts of the US sometimes use different terms to define the same piece of equipment. That's one of the reason that representatives from the towing industry and the various maritime academies recently met in an attempt to standardize the nomenclature.<br />
<br />
Good luck. Mariners are notoriously resistant to change. And even individual ships own may have their own terms for various fixtures. One ship I worked on, which had small, single bitts at various places along its rub rail, called them "R2 units," after the little robots from the <i>Star Wars</i> movies. Imagine my surprise the first time I was told to tie a tender's line "off on that R2 unit."<br />
<br />
<b>Related Posts</b><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2009/11/tug-boats-part-3-tug-boat-tidbits.html">Tug Boats, Part 3: Tug Boat Tidbits</a><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2010/01/docks.html">Docks</a><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2011/11/avast-ahoy.html">Avast! Ahoy!</a><br />
<a href="http://misunderstoodmariner.blogspot.com/2012/01/heave-ho-to-misused-nautical-terms.html">"Heave! Ho!" To Misused Nautical Terms</a><br />
<br />
<b>Related Articles</b><br />
Forshipbuilding.com: <a href="http://forshipbuilding.com/equipment/forecastle-deck-of-ship/">Equipment on the forecastle deck of a ship.</a><br />
<i>Travel & Leisure</i>: <a href="http://factnotes.com/TravelandLeisure/164/does-your-boat-have-bitts-or-bollards.html">Does Your Boat Have Bitts or Bollards?</a><br />
<i>Professional Mariner</i>: <a href="http://professionalmariner.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=420C4D38DC9C4E3A903315CDDC65AD72&nm=Archives&type=Publishing&mod=Publications%3A%3AArticle&mid=8F3A7027421841978F18BE895F87F791&tier=4&id=5879F05F321347F898AA50061B062541">Side bitt or shoulder bitt? Mariners invited to standardize towing terms.</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Rob Earlehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02096505274373094238noreply@blogger.com2