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Ocean Scary, New York, NY (2025)

09/26/2025

Captain Raphael Semmes poses for a photo aboard his ship, the CSS Alabama during a port visit at Cape Town, South Africa in August of 1863. He is standing next to the sloop-of-war's 110-pounder rifled gun.

Under the command of Semmes, CSS Alabama would become the most successful warship in the Confederate Navy during the American Civil War. During a two-year campaign, Alabama conducted raids into the North Atlantic, South Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico, Indian Ocean, and even the Western Pacific. During this time, Alabama intercepted and boarded four-hundred and fifty foreign merchant ships, capturing sixty-five that belonged to the Union. This amounted to some two-thousand prisoners taken. Most amazingly, not a single loss of life was recorded among these captured ships or from Alabama.

Alabama engaged Union warships only twice, once off the Coast of Texas where she sank the gunboat USS Hatteras (two of her sailors were killed and the rest rescued by Alabama). The other was her final engagement where she was cornered by the Union sloop-of-war USS Kearsarge. Kearsarge defeated Alabama after a lopsided battle, sending the Confederate raider to the bottom. During this final battle, Alabama lost nineteen of her crew. The majority of the crew were rescued by Kearsarge while a small group was rescued by a British ship that had sailed out to watch the battle. Captain Semmes was among the group taken aboard the British ship.

09/26/2025

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09/26/2025

The ironclad USS Lafayette sitting idle during the American Civil War.

Originally the civilian ship Aleck Scott, she was a side wheel steamer built in St. Louis, Missouri. At the outbreak of the American Civil War, she was one of many warships purchased by the Union for conversion to military roles. Aleck Scott, after her purchase on 18 May 1862, was converted into a gunboat and ram.

The warship, renamed Lafayette, had her superstructure razed down to the deck. It was replaced with a new sloping ironclad casemate to more easily deflect gunfire. This armoured superstructure held eight new guns, including two 11" (280mm) Dahlgren guns, two 9" (230mm) Dahlgren guns, and four 100-pounder Parrot rifles. This firepower was further supported by a reinforced prow to ram enemy ships.

The only area that could not be covered by the armoured superstructure was the two paddlewheels on either side of the hull. To protect her only means of propulsion, Lafayette had large armoured covers erected over the paddles. These covers, in addition to her raised pilothouse and stacks, were the only breaks in an otherwise sleek superstructure, giving the ship a distinctive appearance.

Commission on 27 February 1863, Lafayette was immediately dispatched to join the Mississippi Squadron to take part in the campaign to retake Vicksburg.

The opening phase of this operation involved a dash past the forts guarding Vicksburg. Like many ships, Lafayette was lashed together with another warship and towed a coal barge behind them. This extra drag slowed her down and resulted in several hits. Though struck nine times and losing her barge, Lafayette survived and was quickly repaired and ready to continue fighting.

Lafayette would then fight in the Battle of Grand Gulf. Operating with other gunboats, she successfully silenced many of the forts, allowing transports to ferry soldiers through. While most of the Confederate forces held their defensive fortifications, the operating allowed landing forces to brake through the defensive perimeter. Union Armies were able to conducting landings and maneuver soldiers to cut off Vicksburg, leading to the eventual capture of the city.

Lafayette's next major operation took place in 1864 when she participated in the Red River Campaign. The campaign, designed to further cut up Confederate territory, ultimately ended in failure. Low water levels kept Lafayette from most of this operation, leaving her to safeguard Union troops downriver.

Lafayette would spend the remainder of the war patrolling the Mississippi River, keeping the vital waterway open for Union traffic. Once the war ended, Lafayette would be quickly decommissioned on 23 July 1865 and sold a year or so later.

09/26/2025

Rogue Waves Are Real and Have Smashed Ships Without Warning

Rogue waves are towering walls of water that rise unexpectedly in the open sea, often more than twice the height of surrounding waves, with some reaching up to 100 feet. Unlike tsunamis or tidal waves, they are not caused by earthquakes or tides, but by the convergence of wave systems, ocean currents, and wind patterns. These waves have been responsible for dozens of shipwrecks and maritime disasters, including suspected roles in the loss of the USS Cyclops in 1918 and the Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975. The first confirmed measurement of such a wave came in 1995 from the Draupner oil platform, where an 85-foot wave was recorded and finally proved their existence to science.

Modern ships and oil platforms are built to endure average maximum wave heights of around 50 feet, but rogue waves routinely exceed that, sometimes damaging or sinking massive vessels. They have shattered bridge windows of cruise ships like the Bremen and Caledonian Star and caused fatalities, such as the 2022 Viking Polaris incident. While once considered folklore, rogue waves are now understood to be more frequent than previously thought, with an estimated one in every 10,000 waves fitting the criteria. These waves can also occur in freshwater lakes, making their unpredictability a global concern for mariners.

09/26/2025

Museum Ship Monday!
SS Lane Victory

This week's episode of Museum Ship Monday takes a look at the SS Lane Victory, a museum ship located in Los Angeles, California.

Lane Victory belongs to the Victory class cargo ships. The Victory class were successors to the more famous Liberty ships that many are familiar with today.

Liberty ships were a prewar design, intended to provide an easily manufactured standardized merchant ship that could be utilized by the United States Navy in the event of war. While the Liberty ships fulfilled their design goals, initial experiences revealed several faults. These included a slow top speed (making them vulnerable to submarines), being overly stiff, and were slightly outdated so far as accommodations went.

Victory ships fulfilled the same role as the Liberty ships and followed the same pattern, but had the benefit of war experience being factored into the design. Though slightly larger than the Liberty design by about 1,000 long tons, the Victory class were notably faster thanks to the use of more modern steam turbines (though one ship was built with diesel propulsion and there were proposals for other propulsion types). Compared to the triple expansion engines aboard Liberty ships that generated 2,500shp, the Liberty ships could produce over 6,000shp. This enabled them to reach speeds of 16 knots (give or take a knot or so depending on load and sea conditions). The Victory class also featured a revised hull form that offered better seakeeping and an improved layout over the Liberty design.

Production of Victory class ships was slow to start with the first ships being laid down at the end of 1943. This resulted in just over five-hundred being completed by the time construction ended. While this meant that many were not able to actively participate in World War 2, the more advanced design allowed the Victory class to have extensive careers afterwards.

Such was the case for SS Lane Victory.

Built by the California Shipbuilding Corporation in Los Angeles, SS Lane Victory was ready for service in May of 1945. She conducted two voyages before Japan surrendered. She then arrived in the Atlantic and carried goods to Europe to help rebuild after the war. With her work completed, Lane Victory was placed into reserve in May of 1948.

However, her time in reserve was brief and in 1950 Lane Victory was reactivated to participate in the Korean War. Almost immediately after entering service, Lane Victory would take part in the Hungnam Evacuation. Lane Victory would support the United Nations forces ashore by landing 3,843 troops, 1,146 vehicles, and thousands of tons of cargo at Wonsan. She did so while Navy warships bombarded the area around Wonsan to provide covering fire. The now empty cargo holds aboard SS Lane Victory were then used to embark over 7,000 Korean civilians that were fleeing. Lane Victory carried these civilians to safety. This act would be the crowning achievement of Lane Victory's career. Afterwards, she resumed her normal duties before being placed in reserve once again in 1953.

With the Vietnam War underway, Lane Victory would be reactivated once more in 1966. Lane Victory would spend the next several years carrying cargo to and from Vietnam before being placed in reserve for the last time in 1970.

The silver lining to these reactivations was that Lane Victory underwent frequent periodic overhauls. This ensured that she remained in excellent condition, far better than her sisterships. When the United States Maritime Administration was looking for potential ships to set aside for preservation, Lane Victory was found to be a great candidate.

In 1988, Lane Victory was given to the Merchant Marine Veterans of World War II. She was towed to the Port of Los Angeles in 1989, where she was converted to serve as a museum ship. In addition, her dedicated group of volunteers steadily restored the ship to working condition, overcoming years of deterioration as she sat in the reserve fleet. The hardwork and dedication paid off as Lane Victory was able to go to sea under her own power in 1992.

Though she has been moved several times since then, SS Lane Victory still resides at the Port of Los Angeles, one of only three Victory ships to still survive, though. Visitors can tour the ship as well as the museums she supports.

Occasionally, Lane Victory would conduct cruises where lucky guests could experience her at sea. However, the years have taken their toll on her machinery and during the late 2010s, cruises were suspended. Like all museum ships, time and funding are needed for repairs and to keep her going.

You can follow and support Lane Victory by following her here:
Lane Victory Maritime Center

Photo taken from the Lane Victory Website.

MSM Episode 3

09/26/2025

The Ship That Can Carry 24346 Containers in a Single Voyage

The 399.93 meter long MSC Irina is one of the largest container ships ever constructed, capable of carrying up to 24,346 TEUs. Built in China by the Yangzi Xinfu Shipbuilding yard and delivered in March 2023, it sails under the flag of Liberia. Its beam stretches 61.33 meters, and its maximum draught reaches 17 meters. The ship has a gross tonnage of 236,184 and a deadweight of 240,739 tons. MSC Irina’s powerful WinGD 11X92DF dual-fuel engine allows it to cruise at a top speed of 24 knots. This engine also supports LNG, making the vessel more fuel-efficient and emission-conscious for its size.

09/26/2025

The former German submarine UB-148 pushing through heavy seas as she heads to the United States in 1919.

The Type UB III U-boat had been days away from commissioning when the Armistice was declared. UB-148 traveled to Britain to be surrendered, doing so on 26 Novemeber 1918. After the United States asked for several of the surrendered German submarines for test and evaluation purposes, UB-148 was selected as one of several subamrines to be handed over.

In March 1919, American sailors arrived in Britain to familiarize themselves with UB-148 and the other submarines before attempting to bring them back to the United States. On 3 April 1919, the four submarines (UB-148, UB-88, U-117, UC-97) and an accompanying submarine tender (USS Bushnell) departed Britain. The route took them to New York with stops at the Azores and Bermuda. The submarines arrived at New York on April 27th.

After some brief repairs, the submarines visited several cities on the East Coast as a part of victory celebrations and to sell bonds. Later in 1919, the submarines were then examined by technicians before undergoing comprehensive testing.

Once tests were finished, UB-148 was partially dismantled in 1921 and the hull expended as a target.

09/26/2025

The Reason Why Ships Are Often Painted Red on the Bottom

Early wooden ships faced a constant threat from barnacles and wood-boring worms, which damaged their hulls and slowed their speed. To protect against this, shipbuilders began coating the underwater portion of the hull with copper or copper oxide-based paint that acted as a biocide. This copper mixture naturally gave the hulls a red appearance, which not only preserved the vessel’s speed and structure but also set a standard for future ship design.

Modern ships no longer rely solely on copper-based coatings, as today’s anti-fouling paints come in many colors and use various biocides. However, red remains a popular choice out of maritime tradition. Additionally, red hulls help visually gauge how much cargo a ship carries, since more weight submerges the hull lower in the water. Vertical load-line markings near the bow provide exact cargo weight references, but red paint serves as a quick visual cue for dockworkers and sailors alike.

09/26/2025

The Union Navy Ironclad USS Onondaga in the James River in 1864.

The ironclad was heavily armed with two 15" (381mm) Dahlgren guns and two 150-pound (8") Parrott rifles. Each turret held one Dahlgren and one Parrott gun.

Onondaga spent the entirety of the Civil War operating in the James River. This allowed her to control river access to the Confederate capital city of Richmond, Virginia. She engaged Confederate ships only once though she regularly engaged gun batteries along the river.

After the war, Onondaga would be sold to France. Rearmed and refitted, the ironclad entered service as a coastal defense ship in the French Navy. Retaining the name Onondaga, she served until 1904.

09/26/2025

When Tanker Kirki Lost Its Entire Bow and Spilled 17,700 Tons of Oil Off Australia

On 21 July 1991, the Greek-registered oil tanker Kirki broke apart during rough weather off the coast of Western Australia. The forward bow section tore off completely due to structural weakness worsened by rusted ballast tank lids that had been deceptively covered with canvas and paint. The rupture released 17,700 tons of oil into the ocean, triggering a fire started by exposed electrical cables. All 37 crew were evacuated safely by helicopter. The tanker was later towed and offloaded at Cape Preston before being dismantled in Singapore.

The incident remains one of the worst oil spills in Australian waters. The ship was described as in very poor condition, with repeated equipment failures noted during salvage efforts. The dramatic image of the ship with its front missing, captured by photographer Neil Eliot, won a national journalism award and became iconic. The event also entered Australian pop culture through the satirical Clarke and Dawe sketch “The Front Fell Off,” highlighting the absurdity of the disaster and regulatory negligence.

09/26/2025

The Time 14 Cargo Ships Were Trapped in the Suez Canal for Eight Years

In 1967, during the Six-Day War between Egypt and Israel, 14 cargo ships from eight countries became trapped in the Great Bitter Lake section of the Suez Canal when Egypt blockaded the waterway using scuttled ships and mines. With both sides exchanging gunfire across the canal banks, the stranded vessels were effectively marooned for eight years. Cut off from their home ports, the multinational crews turned their isolation into an extraordinary chapter of maritime history, forming a community they called the Yellow Fleet. They created a floating society with shared responsibilities, organizing a post office, hospital, cinema, and even beer-fueled church services. They hosted sporting events, celebrated holidays with creativity, and endured months of heat with ingenuity, cooking food on metal drums and organizing water-based games to stay active.

By the time the Suez Canal reopened in 1975, much of the ships’ original cargo had spoiled or become obsolete, and only skeleton crews remained aboard many vessels. Yet the seafarers' resilience led to a unique cultural experiment, including their own Olympic-style games and even a floating Christmas tree and piano concert. After nearly a decade, the Great Bitter Lake Association was dissolved, and the ships finally sailed home, leaving behind a story so surreal that future archaeologists might wonder how thousands of beer bottles came to rest at the bottom of the lake. The tale of the Yellow Fleet remains one of the most unusual peacetime maritime events in modern history.

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