Arguably the Best Modern Oral Narrative of Shipwreck Survival — and Two Good Books Worth Your Consideration.
Sorry to be absent these past several weeks. Covid and family healthcare have kept me busy. Thanks for your patience.
Dispatches from a Hot Zone: The Quest for Life, Love and Identity in an Age of Plague, Capgras and Bonnet Syndromes
Suzanne climbed to the third floor with the sure-footedness of an ibex in the Alps, a testament to two years
World Fleet Ships in the Dry Cargo Category, Which Includes the Beirut “Bomb” Ship Rhosus, Generally are at Far More Risk Than Other Ship Types, Study Shows
Worldwide, a high percentage of dry cargo ships — the same sort of vessel that carried a cargo of ammonium nitrate
To Pass the Time During Virus Lockdown, Here are Two Books Free Online: The Wreck of the SS Marine Electric. And the Wreck of the SS El Faro
Need a good maritime read during virus lockdown? Here are two free online books — one on the Marine Electric; the other on the SS El Faro to pass the time.
Ready or Not, Here She Comes: The USNS Comfort, Near the End of Her Useful Life as a Hospital Ship, Sails Once More into the Breach on President Trump’s Orders
Ready or Not, Here She Comes. President Trump Orders the USNS Comfort to Manhattan
Stocks Rise for Foreign Flag Cruise Ships Anticipating Bail-Out Funding Proposed by President Trump As the American Merchant Marine Declines Past Point of Pentagon Strategic Needs
In a bittersweet irony for the American merchant marine, stocks of foreign-flag cruise vessels shot up yesterday in anticipation of
Underestimating Joe Biden Now — and Then
Opponents have underestimated Joe Biden since day one. He thrives off those errors.
Texas Tugboat Update: Bouchard Faces Possible Criminal Penalties for Defying Coast Guard Orders; Has Until Friday to Comply with Civil Orders
Bouchard Transportation, facing financial distress, continued to defy Coast Guard orders to secure an unsafe barge located off the Texas
The Long, Slow Tide of El Faro Reform May Make This the Most Significant Era for Safety Improvement Since the Titanic
No one saw tons of change coming from the initial report on the 2015 tragedy. But the tide keeps rising and rising — to a point where it may now have provided the most significant maritime safety reforms in more than 100 years.
In Remembrance: The Marine Electric Sank 38 Years Ago This Month, Changing Maritime Safety Forever. Here’s How It Happened
The Wreck of the Marine Electric, in February 1983, triggered a series of US Coast Guard reforms that changed maritime safety forever.
The Smithsonian Documentary Gets Some of ‘El Faro’ Right, But Misses the Real Outcome — and Fabricates a Vital Scene
Comes now the Smithsonian Channel with its latest installment of famous ship wrecks, and to its credit, presents some first
(Work in Progress) “A Man-Eater Named Osama: Tanzania’s Desperate Quest to End the Worst Lion-Human Conflict of the 21st Century” (Chapter Three)
The lion attacks begin in earnest and the rangers strike back — with unfortunate results.
Work in Progress: A Man-Eater Named Osama: Tanzania’s Desperate Quest to End the Worst Lion-Human Conflict of the 21st Century
A divergence from maritime books, here’s a piece on my other interest: Africa conservation and human-animal conflict. This grew from
Project Lighthouse: New Study of US Jones Act Ships Finds Some with “High-Risk Probability for Severe Accidents and Casualties” that “Require Immediate Action to Control the Potential Hazard…”
A new maritime risk ratings study by this column of “Jones Act” ships designated as “militarily useful” shows that half the ships are far riskier than similar vessels in the world fleet – and two are rated as so risky that the agency advises such ships generally “require immediate action to control the potential hazard.”
Denied Coast Guard List of 53 “High Risk” Ships, Project Lighthouse (El Faro), Launches Its Own “Ship of Interest List” for Public Use
Denied a key list of 53 ships tagged as “high risk” by Coast Guard inspectors, Project Lighthouse (El Faro) is
News Summary: Recent Posts, Podcasts, Articles and Books
Here’s a summary of recent posts and a few also pulled from the “evergreen” file. If you’ve not read about
Four Years After the Loss of the SS El Faro, the Coast Guard has Forced a Reckoning Over America’s Rust Bucket Merchant Marine and Sent Shivers Through the Military “Unready Reserve”
Nearly four years after the loss of the SS El Faro and her crew of 33 on October 1, 2015,
How a World Class Coast Guard Rescuer Sank a DUKW — And Still Pulled Off an Extraordinary Rescue
Bernie Webber, the famous Coast Guardsman who led the rescue of the SS Pendleton crew, and whose story was told
“Project Lighthouse:” Passenger, Duck Boat, Ferry and Dive Ship Coast Guard Safety Records Now — Searchable Online. Plus “Ships of Interest List” for Merchant Marine Ships
The loss of the SS El Faro — translated from Spanish as The Lighthouse — prompted the US Coast Guard
Body Counts in Dive Boat and Duck Boat Tragedies Could Resolve Long Simmering Issues Between Coast Guard and NTSB Over Tougher Safety Standards for Small Passenger Vessels Used by Millions of People
The recent death tolls in dive boat and duck boat accidents may result in the NTSB and Coast Guard finally agreeing on tougher standards.
For 15 Years, the National Transportation Safety Board Has Warned the US Coast Guard That Preventive Maintenance Reforms Were Urgently Needed to Avoid Catastrophes Such as the Dive Ship “Conception”
For more than 15 years, the National Transportation Safety Board regularly has warned the US Coast Guard that it should urgently strengthen fire safety crew training and require preventive vessel maintenance programs to avoid small passenger ship fires such as the one that killed more than 30 people last week on the dive ship “Conception,” an in-depth look at NTSB records reveals.
Massachusetts Maritime Speech Sept 9 Re Marine Electric Heroes
Gene Kelly and I will be speaking in September on the importance of the SS Marine Electric reforms. https://www.chathammarconi.org/
A Master Maritime Reporter Expands the Offering: “The Last Untamed Frontier”
Ian Urbina, former New York Times reporter, wrote the series and book, The Outlaw Ocean. He is at one and
Joe Biden, Knife Fighter
Before Obama, before Bork, a young Joe Biden carved his initials into the Senate floor with an astonishing upset and
In Remembrance: The SS Marine Electric sank 38 years ago this month
“Until the Sea Shall Free Them” tells the story of Bob Cusick and the wreck of the SS Marine Electric,
Joe Biden: Present at the Creation
When he invited me to his walk-up law office, Joe Biden was a freshly minted 29-year-old New Castle County Councilman
Tote Avoids Serious Civil Charges and Fines in Actions Brought by the Coast Guard for the Company’s Role in the Loss of the SS El Faro and 33 Men and Women
More than three years after a Coast Guard Marine Board of Investigation recommended six civil actions be brought against Tote
Text of the US Coast Guard Civil Actions Regarding the SS El Faro and Tote, Inc.
Preliminary Assessment Letter( Non-pollution) Activity # 5752773 The U.S. Coast Guard charges seven counts for violation of Title 46 U.S. Code
Forty Years Ago Today, the SS Poet Sailed From Philadelphia and Disappeared. Here’s Why and There’s No October Surprise and Bermuda Triangle Involved.
Forty years ago today, the SS Poet, loaded with a cargo of corn and bound for Egypt, sailed out of
Dry Cargo Vessel World Fleet Safety Status? Nearly 80 Percent “Require Increased Risk Managment Strategies” Says IMRRA Risk Ratings
International Maritime Risk Rating Agency (IMRRA), found that of 143 Dry cargo vessels it screened in August, more than 112