National Museum News

Malaysia's maritime authorities on Monday said cannon shells believed to be from World War Two have been found on a China-registered bulk carrier ship detained at the weekend for anchoring in its waters without permission.The discovery comes amid reports this month that scavengers have targeted two British World War Two wrecks off the coast of Malaysia - the HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse - which were sunk by Japanese torpedoes in 1941, just three days after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

While pundits have long proclaimed the U.S. maritime industry dying or dead, the recent delivery of Great Lakes laker Mark W. Barker suggests an innovative future instead.Jacksonville Shipyard was a well-known repair yard that was particularly well known for servicing the Jones Act tanker fleet and Gino Ferrari was its New York representative. Each Christmas season Gino hosted a reception at the Four Seasons restaurant for tanker Owners.Gino Ferrari was a close friend of the company and my father always received an invite.

A set of 10 hand-drawn, 16th century maps showing the progress of the Spanish Armada that attacked England in 1588, an event that shaped national identity, will remain in the country after a museum raised 600,000 pounds ($824,000) to buy them.The ink and watercolor maps, thought to be the earliest surviving images of the battles between the fleets of Queen Elizabeth I of England and of Philip II of Spain, had been at risk of export after a private sale last year.The government placed an export bar on the maps in July…

Plunging into the deep, dark abyss of the Pacific Ocean’s Mariana Trench, U.S. Navy Lt. Don Walsh and Swiss engineer Jacques Piccard heard a loud cracking sound in their vessel—the bathyscaphe Trieste, which the Office of Naval Research (ONR) purchased for scientific observations.Already 30,000 feet below sea level, Walsh and Piccard faced the ultimate decision—risk their lives to become the first people to travel to the deepest part of the ocean, the Challenger Deep, or return to safety.The crack had scarred one of Trieste’s outer plexiglass panels.

Great Lakes Towing Company (GLT), the largest U.S.-flag tugboat company engaged in towing on the Great Lakes,  christened the new Tug OHIO into service and dedicated the historic Tug OHIO as a part of  the National Museum of the Great Lakes.A press release from GLT said that the newly constructed Tug OHIO is the second Damen Stan Tug 1907 ICE design that Great Lakes Shipyard has delivered to The Great Lakes Towing Company. The tug is 64’x24’x11’, powered by two 1,000-hp MTU 8V4000 Tier III diesel engines, and generates over 30-tons of bollard pull. Its compact size and high maneuverability make it ideal for the narrow waterways and low bridges that characterize harbor towing on the Great Lakes…

New coffee’s sales will raise money for maritime charities. Hampshire, U.K. based Sailors’ Society has launched a new coffee in partnership with The National Museum of the Royal Navy that will help raise money for seafarers and their families in need. Sailors’ Society, which celebrates its 200th anniversary in March, said it launched BySea coffee as a way of diversifying its income. Now, profits from a new blend, HMS Victory – which shares its name with Nelson’s famous flagship – will go to the charity’s work supporting global seafaring communities…

The Great Lakes Naval Museum was officially renamed the National Museum of the American Sailor during a ceremony and sign unveiling at the museum July 4. The Navy's top enlisted Sailor, Master Chief Petty Officer of the Navy (AW/NAC) Mike Stevens, was joined by retired Rear Adm. Sam Cox, director of Naval History and Heritage Command, North Chicago Mayor Leon Rockingham, Capt. James Hawkins, commanding officer of Naval Station Great Lakes, Jennifer Searcy, Ph.D., director of the National Museum of the American Sailor, and representatives from the Great Lakes Naval Museum Foundation and National Museum of the American Sailor Foundation to unveil the new sign in front of the museum.

Cruise lines like Holland America, MSC Cruises, Costa Cruises, Star Clippers, Hapag-Lloyd Cruises and Aida Cruises have canceled all port stops to Tunisia for the rest of the year following the jihadist terrorist attack and massacre in the capital March 18th. Seventeen cruisers from Costa Cruises and MSC Cruises ships visiting Tunis for the day were killed in Wednesday's attack, which took place at the city's Bardo National Museum. More than 20 other cruisers were wounded. The Seattle-based Holland America has announced that two ships scheduled to visit the country over the next two-and-a-half months as part of Mediterranean sailings instead will head to ports on the Italian island of Sardinia. Costa has also canceled all remaining 39 port stops to the country.

Italy's Costa Cruises, a unit of Carnival Corp, said on Thursday it had cancelled stops in Tunisia after gunmen killed at least 17 tourists and two Tunisians at the national museum in the capital on Wednesday. A statement said the company had decided to "cancel all the forthcoming stops our ships are due to make in Tunisia". It did not say how long the suspension would last, but a spokeswoman for the company said it could remain in place for the rest of the year. Reporting by Isla Binnie

Dec. 7, 1941 is a day that America will never forget. Claiming more than 2,400 American lives, 21 ships sunk or damaged, and more than 300 aircraft lost, the attack on Pearl Harbor goes down as one of the worst attacks on American soil. The Japanese attack came in two waves. During the first wave, six Japanese carriers launched 181 planes carrying torpedo bombers, dive bombers, horizontal bombers and fighters. Only 30 minutes later 170 more aircraft launched their attack on the Harbor. The U.S. was able to repair all but three of the ships sunk or damaged. The three ships that were beyond repair were USS Arizona (BB-39), USS Oklahoma (BB-37), and USS Utah (AG-16). This year marks the 73rd anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

LCT 7074, the last known landing craft to survive the D-Day invasion in 1944, has been refloated as part of a project to lift and save the vessel which began in March 2014, almost exactly four years to the day after she had sunk. The vessel, which came out of service at the end of the WWII after numerous deployments to the Normandy beaches, was converted to a naval repair facility for a short while, and then became a floating nightclub berthed in Liverpool from around 1950. Unique Seaflex (Seaflex)…

The record-breaking manned submersible was brought to the Navy Yard to be with the Trieste, which is housed in the National Museum of the United States Navy. The Navy museum says that a large number of school children stop by to see Deepsea Challenger, a submarine designed by James Cameron, Academy Award-winning film director and diver, and Ron Allum, Deepsea Challenger pilot. The craft was built to explore the Marianas Trench's deepest point of "Challenger Deep". In March of 2012, Cameron, diving solo in Deepsea Challenger, replicated the U.S.

Adm. Bob Papp was present as City of New London, Conn., and the National Coast Guard Museum Association unveiled the plans and location of the museum. As the oldest U.S. maritime service, and the only U.S. military service without a national museum, the National Coast Guard Museum will afford the public an opportunity to learn about the rich and noteworthy achievements of the men and women who forged the service’s history of the past 223 years. Mr. James Coleman, Jr., chairman of the National Coast Guard Museum Association Board, unveiled the plans.

The National Maritime Historical Society will host its 2012 Annual Awards Dinner on Wednesday, 10 October 2012 at the New York Yacht Club in New York City. The NMHS Distinguished Service Award, for outstanding contributions in the maritime field, will be presented to Admiral Sir Jonathon Band GCB DL, Captain Brian A. McAllister, and Captain Don Walsh, USN (Ret.), PhD. The David A. O’Neil Sheet Anchor Award, recognizing the contributions of those who further the work of the Society, will be given to Thomas F. Daly.

Underwater metal detector is successfully used for the African Slave Wrecks Project. In October 1619 the naval warship Warwick sailed into the King’s Castle Harbour in Bermuda with an important cargo from England; the colony’s new governor, Captain Nathaniel Butler. After taking on provisions the Warwick was to travel onto the struggling colony at Jamestown, Virginia, but it never made the voyage. Before the ship could sail, Bermuda was hit by a fierce hurricane. Battered by strong winds the Warwick broke free from her anchors…

This month saw the 50th Marine Measurement Forum (MMF) take place at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on Tuesday 12th June where Sonardyne International Ltd’s Engineering Director, Simon Partridge, was invited to present. The MMF is a series of one-day, non-profit making events that provide opportunities for the informal exchange of ideas, knowledge, techniques and developments across an extensive range of marine scientific measurement activities. Attendees typically include scientists…

Robert J. Flynn Elected Chairman of the Board. ADM Thad Allen and Clay Maitland among an impressive slate of of 11 others. The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, announced today that in accordance with its bylaws, a new slate of officers has been elected to serve on the Board of Trustees, beginning January 1, 2012. Robert J. Flynn was elected Chairman of the Board at the organization’s annual meeting in the fall. Joining Mr. Flynn as officers are Al J. Bernard, vice chairman; William E.

PEORIA, IL -- (PR Newswire) -- April 29, 2011 -- Oceanic Research and Recovery Inc. (PINKSHEETS: ORRV), a marine salvage and exploration company, today announced that team members have discovered two shipwrecks in the Philippines. Preliminary investigations indicate that at least one of the ships located is believed to be a Manila Galleon that was outbound from Manila to Acapulco, Mexico. The second wreck is believed to be an inbound Manila galleon which would be carrying silver and gold to be traded for oriental goods…

Eleven miles off the coast of Arbroath in Scotland, the Bell Rock Lighthouse, standing on the Inchcape Reef, has withstood two centuries of vicious storms and powerful North Sea surges to safely guide ships away from the dangers beneath. The Feb. 1 marked the 200th anniversary of the lighting of the beacon and sponsored by Inchcape Shipping Services, the anniversary will be celebrated with a series of events in Edinburgh, Arbroath and beyond. HRH The Princess Royal, patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board…

By Chief Journalist Milinda D. The ex-USS Oriskany (CVA 34), the last Essex-class aircraft carrier in the fleet’s inactive ship inventory, served the Navy for more then 25 years, maintaining a powerful presence during the Korean War and the Vietnam conflict. Decommissioned September 1976, the ship is ready to do more sea time, only this time beneath the surface, serving as an artificial reef. “Artificial reefing benefits the economical environment of the respective state receiving the ship by relieving stress on the natural reef,” said Capt. Lawrence M. Jones Jr., program manager for the Inactive Ships Program Office, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA).

The Coast Guard Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to the education, welfare and morale of all Coast Guard members and their families, and a partner of the National Coast Guard Museum Association, announced the appointment of Jerry Ostermiller as the president of the National Coast Guard Museum. An accomplished museum administrator with over 25 years experience, Mr. Ostermiller will establish museum programming, develop internal infrastructure and lead capital campaign fund raising efforts for the construction of the country's newest national museum in New London, Connecticut. The United States Coast Guard is the only military service that does not currently have a national museum, which recounts the institution's history, service and missions. Mr.

The Smithsonian's National Museum of American History opened "On the Water: Stories from Maritime America," a new, permanent exhibition designed to engage the public in an exploration of America's maritime heritage. The 8,500 sq ft exhibition builds on the Smithsonian's National Watercraft Collection of rigged ship models, patent models, documents and images to bring the sights, sounds and stories from the oceans, inland rivers and coastal communities to the museum's millions of visitors.

William N. “Norb” Whitlock and Kenneth A. Wheeler received the prestigious National Rivers Hall of Fame Achievement Award at the Waterways Council, Inc. Annual Meeting in Houston on October 1. This award is the highest honor presented by the National Rivers Hall of Fame to those people who are making significant contributions to America’s waterways. The National Rivers Hall of Fame with members in 36 states is the national museum telling the stories of the people of America’s rivers. The Hall of Fame is a part of the National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium located on the banks of the Mississippi River in Dubuque, Iowa. William “Norb”…