The History of the Mayflower We all know the name of the ship that carried the citizens of Plymouth Colony to Massachusetts in 1620, but the history is less known. The Mayflower was a Dutch fluyt cargo ship designed to hold a large amount of cargo. She was roughly 100 ft long and could carry…
Wash Woods is a ghost town built from the wrecks of ships from the Atlantic Graveyard.
Known as the Queen of Sinking Ships, Violet Constance Jessop would survive not one but three historical sinkings of the White Star Liner Company.
A History of the Texas Navy The Texian Navy, or the First Texas Navy, was the naval branch of the Texian forces during the Texas Revolution. It was created to protect and defend the coastline of Texas and offer protection for the shipping and trade that was desperately needed for the growing republic. The Texas…
As we celebrate our 246th anniversary of our independence, let’s not forget about the French armada that helped us overthrow the British.
May people have seen the figureheads on ships but may not know what a figurehead actually is and why they adorn the bows of many ancient ships.
Captain Cook Captain James Cook was an explorer in the 1700s. During 1779, he had stopped at the Sandwich Islands, now the Hawaiian Islands. While the details of what happened during a skirmish with the native Hawaiians are highly debated, the result was the death of Captain Cook and several of his men. The poem…
When I entered the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in 1976, I was 6’ 3” and weighed less than 170 pounds – eating was a passion. When I went to sea eighteen months later, I quickly learned to make friends with the cook and the entire steward’s department, because eating was still my favorite pastime. My…
After four stories about my life at sea as a midshipman from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, a bit of background about that fine school might be in order. The purpose of the school was (and still is) to provide the country a highly trained group of officers who could lead the American merchant fleet…
People who take to the sea During my second and third years at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy (1974-75), I spent twelve months at sea on various U.S. flag merchant ships. I’ve written three stories about the Captain of the second of those ships – the SS Export Adventurer. As important as he was to…
