gCaptain mariners have been critical of Captain Paul Watson and his crew of non-professional mariners, stars of the reality TV show Whale Wars. Most of the comments posted to gCaptain’s forum have been sympathetic to Sea Shepherd’s mission, the rescue of whales being hunted in Antarctic waters, but critical of the lackadaisical attitude of the vessel’s crew to safety.

Regardless of your personal views, and I’ll keep mine silent, the fact remains that very few ships have taken similar risk and video taped the experience. This creates a unique opportunity for lessons learned. I have taken the liberty of writing 10: [Continue Reading →]

Related Posts:

Get your TIVO’s ready…. In a new, featured, television show The Discovery Channel looks to find out the very real story behind the story of the Maersk Alabama incident and subsequent lifeboat hijacking. They tell us: [Continue Reading →]

Related Posts:

Love it or hate it Season 2 of Animal Planet’s hit maritime reality tv show Whale Wars aired last night.

A novel could be written to describe gCaptain’s official thoughts on the mission of Sea Shepherd to halt Japanese fishing of whales in the Antarctic so we would rather hear your thoughts in the comments below. Here are some relevant links to get the conversation started: [Continue Reading →]

Related Posts:

Photo By manfred-hartmann

gCaptain forum member tokyo_buddha pointed us to a new reality show on Scottish TV titled “The Merchant Navy“. The program was created in partnership with the UK’s Merchant Navy Training Board, BP Shipping,  Maersk Lines and the cruise industry partners at Ocean Opportunities. We have featured a number of maritime reality television shows but, as the show Carrier did for the US Navy and America’s Port did for terminal operations,  this is the first to chronicle the daily lives of the mariners working aboard large ships.

Also on our radar [Continue Reading →]

Related Posts:

Treasure Map - by ToNToN CoPT

POLAR MIST FOUND WITH GOLD AND SILVER INSIDE: UPDATE HERE

Do Treasure Ships still sail the seven seas?

We have recently been fascinated by Discovery Channel’s show Treasure Quest as they follow the M/V Odyssey Explorer on her voyage to find lost treasure long ago sunk in the English Channel but certainly treasure ships have been long extinct, right? Maybe Not.

The Associated Press brings us this story of a ship, laden with over 16 million dollars in gold, lost off the coast of Buenos Aires. They tell us: [Continue Reading →]

Related Posts:

Here at gCaptain, we love a good television program that offers viewers an inside look into the realities of life in the maritme world.  We are hoping that National Geographics Monday premier of the 5 part series titled “Salvage: Code Red” won’t dissapoint.  Here is their description of the show:

In National Geographic Channel’s Salvage Code Red, salvors race against time to rescue stricken ships, their cargo and crew, and prevent environmental disaster. Divers venture with helmet cameras inside sunken vessels to capture gripping footage of abandoned behemoths. The five-part series takes viewers inside the bowels of a burning ship while intricate CGI illustrates the immense challenges, and some innovative solutions, in hauling and repairing a sinking vessel.

Now let’s take a look at the teaser: [Continue Reading →]

Related Posts:

An independent producer of reality television shows, has asked our help in posting a small job opening they have on the books. In an email to gCaptain, producer Fred Grinstein writes:

Tiger Aspect Productions is developing a series on maritime ships and vessels for a major US cable network, and we’re in search of diehard seamen who might host our new series.

The ideal candidate would be a credible “insider”, think Discovery’s “Future Weapons”, or History Channel’s “Tougher in Alaska”. It’s not necessarily a veteran historian we’re looking for, but rather a true passionate fanatic of ships and the maritime world that can help communicate this passion to our audience. We’re looking for someone the viewer can connect with as the “real-deal”, someone with real-world maritime experience – i.e. a former captain from a naval fleet, or freight cargo ship, or a tugboat operator. The ideal candidate is a male, aged early 30’s to 40’s, though we’re open to people who don’t necessarily fit this mold.
The show is in development, but the concept is to travel around the country/ world and get up close and personal with the past, present, and future of ships. From ice breakers in the Arctic to the biggest cruise liners sailing the Caribbean, from oil tankers cruising the Persian Gulf, to fishing vessels pulling pots out of the ocean.

Are you a “diehard seamen” with knowledge of a diverse selection of ocean going vessels? If so send a recent photo, a note about yourself and your passion for the marine industry to: Fred Grinstein or visit them in person at The Pacific Marine Expo, Booth # 446!

We know our readers are the most dedicated ship enthusiasts on the planet, hopefully we will see one of you on the TV one day soon!

Related Posts:

• Whale Wars Season 2 Premier
• An Ugly Reality – Whale Wars, Hunting The Whale Hunters
• Carrier – Reality TV From The High Seas
• 10 Lessons Learned From Sea Shepherd
• Somali Pirate Takedown – Maersk Alabama Story Hits Prime Time TV

Love them or hate them, the crew of the Sea Shepard are now television stars.

.

You can find gCaptain’s Sea Shepard articles from last year’s hunt HERE. The official television show website can be found HERE.

Related Posts:

• 10 Lessons Learned From Sea Shepherd
• Whale Wars Season 2 Premier
• “A Most Dangerous Precedent” Has Been Set With MS Steve Irwin
• Looking For Talent – Are You The Next Reality TV Star?
• Carrier – Reality TV From The High Seas

Coast Guard comes to the aid of the Ocean Challenger as the crab fleet listens to the news.

Video of USCG ( United States Coast Guard ) rescue of the crew of the Ocean Challenger which sank during the filming of the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch.

Related Posts:

• USCG Releases Top 11 Rescue Videos of 2009
• M/V Selendang Ayu Oil Spill and Sinking
• Coast Guard Continues Efforts in Houston – Video
• USCG Boat Rescue – Video
• Happy Birthday AMVER

Part 1 of a five part look at Container Ships from the television show Extreme Engineering on the Discovery Channel

For the next four parts click here: [Continue Reading →]

Related Posts:

• Incident Photo (and video) of The Week – Collision at Port of Constanta
• Haiti: Damage to Main Port Video
• 10 Lessons Learned From Sea Shepherd
• 2009 USCG Video of the Year Competition – What’s your favorite?
• USCG Releases Top 11 Rescue Videos of 2009