About Rick Spilman

Rick Spilman is a writer of tales about ships and the sea. His novels, Hell Around The Horn and The Shantyman, are set in the final days of the great age of sail. Rick is the founder and host of the Old Salt Blog, a virtual port of call for all those who love the sea. He is also a founding partner in Old Salt Press. Professionally, he has worked as a naval architect (ship designer) for several major shipping lines. An avid sailor, Rick has sailed as volunteer crew on the replica square-riggers “HMS ROSE” and “HMS BOUNTY,” as well as sailing on modern and period vessels along the New England coast, the west coast of Florida, the Caribbean, the Great Lakes and the southwest coast of Ireland.

Canadian Premiere – Trapped in Typhoon Alley, the Mystery of MV Derbyshire

April 12, 2019 by Rick Spilman

Discovery Channel (Canada)'s new documentary series, "Disasters at Sea," premieres on April 16th at 10 PM ET. The first episode, "Trapped in Typhoon Alley," looks at the mysterious sinking of the Capesize Ore/Bulk/Oiler MV Derbyshire, with the loss of 42 aboard, in Typhoon Orchid in 1980. To this day, the Derbyshire remains the largest British flagged ship ever to … [Read more...]

Review: Disasters at Sea — Deadly Neglect, the Loss of the Marine Electric

February 13, 2019 by Rick Spilman

Thirty-six years ago this week, the SS Marine Electric sank off the coast of Virginia with the loss of 34 officers and crew. There were only three survivors. The tragedy resulted in major reforms in ship inspections and operations and ultimately saved many lives. Last month, a new documentary series premiered on the Smithsonian Channel, Disasters at Sea. The second episode … [Read more...]

Movie Review – Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” Immersive Tour de Force, Incongruous Muddle, or Both?

July 24, 2017 by Rick Spilman

Christopher Nolan's movie, Dunkirk, opened Friday to rave reviews. The New York Times calls it "a tour de force ...both sweeping and intimate." The Guardian calls it "utterly immersive" and predicts that the movie "will doubtless become the definitive cinematic depiction of this remarkable chapter of history." I saw the film last night and while I generally agree with … [Read more...]

Cyber Security at Sea – Microsoft XP on Carriers, Hacking Tridents & Spoofing GPS

June 29, 2017 by Rick Spilman

When reporters were recently being given tours of the Royal Navy's new "supercarrier," HMS Queen Elizabeth, some were surprized to see a distinctive logo on several computer screens on the bridge and in control rooms. The logo was for Windows XP, the Microsoft computer operating system introduced in 2001. The ship itself was under construction for over eight years and the many … [Read more...]

In Books: Deadly Straits by R.E. McDermott

November 27, 2016 by Rick Spilman

http://youtu.be/yrXyuEQsmLQ by Rick Spilman - For the sake of full disclosure, I am not a huge fans of thrillers, particularly thrillers involving ships. The plots often strike me as implausible and the descriptions of the ships and ship operations often border on the laughable. (Too often, they leap across the border.) This is not the case however … [Read more...]