The U.S. Coast Guard, as a public service to holiday gift shoppers, announced Friday its recommended USCG Approved gifts for 12 nautical days of Christmas. "Nothing says 'I love you' to a mariner like the gift of a marine GPS navigation, a Coast Guard approved life jacket, boating safety course or 406 MHz electronic position indicating radio beacon," said Lt. Cmdr. Chris … [Read more...]
What is Seasickness? And 50 Ways Professional Mariners Tackle It!
What is the definition of misery? Answer: Seasickness One of the first questions I get asked when a landlubber finds out I work at sea is, "Do you get seasick?" In truth I have, just once. I was cooking lasagna in the galley of a 37 foot sailboat racing upwind in 20 foot swells when the kerosene lamp broke. Taken separately, the confined space, heavy … [Read more...]
3D Printing Aboard Ships? How One Technology Is Changing the Future.
Will 3D Printing Change The World As We Know It? by Brad Hart Imagine you're steaming across the Pacific Ocean on a container ship on a great circle course to the San Francisco sea buoy. The sea is confused and you've run the ship's slow speed diesel engine hard to meet your ETA. The vibration reverberating through the hull gently trembling you to sleep when, … [Read more...]
WATCH Ten Things I Have Learned About The Sea [VIDEO]
![WATCH Ten Things I Have Learned About The Sea [VIDEO]](https://gcaptain.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/skitch-207x125.png)
This video, shot by Lorenzo Fonda and titled "ten things I have learned about the sea", shows footage he shot while on the vessel "Portland Senator" en route from Lost Angeles to Shanghai, and is captioned with 10 things he learned about the sea while on the voyage. The video is beautifully done (be sure to get the HD on and go Full Screen) with cinematography reminiscent of … [Read more...]
Ship of The Week – Space Ships – NASA’s (former) Space Rocket Booster Recovery Ship M/V Liberty Star
Photo courtesy NASA Note: This week's interesting ships are reposted and updated from gCaptain's archives. When one thinks of a NASA ship, it's generally not the seagoing type that pops into ones head. However, NASA does in fact have two vessels made for the high seas - MV Liberty Star and the MV Freedom Star - that assist with a shuttle launch. Both vessels are tasked … [Read more...]
Visit the Liberty Ship S.S. JOHN W. BROWN
Still looking for something to do this Independence Day weekend? The S. S. JOHN W. BROWN is one of two still operational Liberty ships from World War II and was launched on 7 September 1942 from Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard at Sparrows Point, Maryland. She will be open for tours at Fells Point in Baltimore as part of Family Fun Week from 3 to 6 July. This is a great … [Read more...]
What Do You Do With a Drunken Sailor? There’s an App for That!
The Navy knows it has a drinking problem. Fleet Week means vomit in the streets and evenings that sailors best not remember. The official Pier Pressure app combines a game with a suite of educational tools. The tools, which address alcohol abuse and how to avoid it, are actually pretty useful. But the game half is damned awful. Alcohol abuse in the military is a real … [Read more...]