Fact Check: J.P. Morgan Did Not Sink the Titanic
A widely-shared meme has taken several facts about the Titanic out of context to make unsubstantiated claims that imply the ship’s sinking was a deliberate act. This is not true—experts widely agree the sinking of the Titanic was an accident. The meme was posted to Facebook on March 1 and has been shared more than 600 times (here). It consists of two images: one of the ship and a second of American financier John Pierpont (J.P.) Morgan. These sit alongside a wall of text that…
Flawed CRS Dredging and Jones Act Report Under Fire
Congressional Leaders Rebuke Fatally Flawed Congressional Research Service Reports on Dredging and U.S.-flag Shipping.The Chairman and Ranking Members of the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee (T&I) and the Chair and Ranking Members of T&I’s Subcommittee on Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation sent a letter to the Library of Congress refuting a recent Congressional Research Service (CRS) report on the American dredging industry as “filled with misleading…
Book Review: Privateers of the Revolution
Privateers of the Revolution: War on the New Jersey Coast 1775-1783 is the revelatory narrative of the 538 Pennsylvania and New Jersey privateers, privately owned ships of war some called pirates. Manned by over 18,000 men, these privateers influenced the fight for American independence. From the halls of Congress to the rough waterfronts of Delaware River and Bay to the remote privateering ports of the New Jersey coast and into the Atlantic, a stirring portrait emerges of seaborne raiders…
Marine Highway Initiative Update
The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee approved legislation to reduce global warming through greater transportation efficiencies and conservation initiatives. The major freight goods movement components of House Resolution (HR) 2701, the Transportation Energy Security and Climate Change Mitigation Act of 2007, will integrate the marine highway into our Nation’s overall intermodal transportation system. Title IV of the bill will establish a new program to promote short sea shipping to move cargo on the Great Lakes and along our sea coasts. Loan guarantees of up to $2b will help marine operators and shippers construct a new class of cargo vessels suitable for short sea shipping. The full text of HR 2701 will be available at Library of Congress webpage within the next 24 hours.
San Diego Marifest Salutes Vets
event, celebrating Memorial Day and National Maritime Day. Workshops, A Taste of the Waterfront and 4th Annual Maritime Heritage Dance. Again this year, the SS Lane Victory will visit San Diego for MariFest. A special tribute for Korean War Veterans will be held aboard the SS Lane Victory on Monday. Asian Cultural Exhibits are an added feature this year. World War II veterans for the Library of Congress. of America’s veterans. history, and maritime career exploration. California as a certified ROP course. on-the-job training. 1967) built in 1952. County. provide maritime career and vocational training to foster teens. strategic partners are St. Maritime Museum.
The Holland Project: Digital Mockups of Naval History
In 1932, after rusting in a public park for more than two decades, the U.S.S. Holland was cut up for scrap, a sad and ignoble end for the vessel hailed as the first modern submarine. Beyond sentiment, however, the Holland’s unseemly demise was a historical tragedy. With the ship destroyed and most of the plans used to build it scattered and lost, researchers long believed that the opportunity to study the innovative genius of the submarine and its inventor, John P. Holland, had disappeared forever. Seventy years later, however, thanks to the patient historical spadework of a devoted amateur historian and the magic of 3D digital design tools from IBM and Dassault Systemes, the Holland has come back to life in virtual reality.
