First Container Ship Steams from Newark (1956)
The idea of transporting trucks on ships was put into practice before World War II. In 1926 regular connection of the luxury passenger train from London to Paris, Golden . . .
Cargo ship suddenly sinks in Lake Superior (1975)
On November 10, 1975, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sinks in Lake Superior, killing all 29 crew members on board. It was the worst single accident in Lake Superior’s history.
The . . .
Hundreds drown in Eastland disaster (24 July 1915)
On July 24, 1915, the steamer Eastland overturns in the Chicago River, drowning between 800 and 850 of its passengers who were heading to a picnic. The disaster was caused . . .
The Mary Celeste is spotted at sea (5 Dec 1872)
The Mary Celeste, a ship whose crew mysteriously disappeared, is spotted at sea.
The Dei Gratia, a small British brig under Captain David Morehouse, spots the Mary Celeste, . . .
Henry Hudson Set Adrift by mutineers (1611)
After spending a winter trapped by ice in present-day Hudson Bay, the starving crew of the Discovery mutinies against its captain, English navigator Henry Hudson, and . . .
De Soto reaches the Mississippi
On May 8, 1541, south of present-day Memphis, Tennessee, Spanish conquistador Hernando de Soto reaches the Mississippi River, one of the first European explorers to ever . . .
Zong Slave Ship Trial
Zong slave ship trial June 22, 1783
London: Hearing arguments in the case of the Zong, a slave ship, the Chief Justice of the King’s Bench in London states that a massacre of enslaved African “was the same as if Horses had been thrown over board” on June 22, 1783. The crew of the Zong had thrown at least 142 captive Africans into the sea, but the question before the court was not who had committed this atrocity but rather whether the lost “cargo” was covered by insurance. The trial laid bare the horror and inhumanity of the Atlantic slave trade and galvanized the nascent movement to abolish it.
British vessel burned off Rhode Island (9 June,1772)
In an incident that some regard as the first naval engagement of the American Revolution, colonists board the Gaspee, a British vessel that ran aground off the coast of . . .
SS Great Britain returns to Bristol Harbour after 127 years (1970)
In 1970, after Great Britain had been abandoned for 33 years, Sir Jack Arnold Hayward, OBE (1923–2015) paid for the vessel to be raised and repaired enough to be towed . . .
War of 1812 Ends with the Treaty of Ghent
On this date, December 24, 1814, the War of 1812 ends.
The Treaty of Peace and Amity between His Britannic Majesty and the United States of America is signed by British and . . .
H.L. Hunley sinks during tests (15 Oct 1863)
On October 15, 1863, the H.L. Hunley, the world’s first successful combat submarine, sinks during a test run, killing its inventor and seven crew members.
Horace . . .
Bounty Mutiny Survivors Reach Timor (1789)
English Captain William Bligh and 18 others, cast adrift from the HMS Bounty seven weeks before, reach Timor in the East Indies after traveling nearly 4,000 miles in a small, open boat.
On . . .
Mary Rose Sinks
Mary Rose Sinks (1545)
Several theories are thought to explain how and why Henry VIII’s flag ship sunk at the Battle of Solent.
Recovered in 1982 and is now on display in Portsmouth, UK.
Mary Rose was one of the largest ships in the English navy through more than three decades of intermittent war, and she was one of the earliest examples of a purpose-built sailing warship. She was armed with new types of heavy guns that could fire through the recently invented gun-ports. She was substantially rebuilt in 1536 and was also one of the earliest ships that could fire a broadside, although the line of battle tactics had not yet been developed. Several theories have sought to explain the demise of the Mary Rose, based on historical records, knowledge of 16th-century shipbuilding, and modern experiments. The precise cause of her sinking is subject to conflicting testimonies and a lack of conclusive evidence.
Ferdinand Magellan was killed in the Philippines (1521)
After traveling three-quarters of the way around the globe, Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan is killed during a tribal skirmish on Mactan Island in the Philippines. . . .
Continental Congress Creates a Continental Navy (1775)
On Friday, December 22, 1775, the Continental Congress creates a Continental Navy, naming Esek Hopkins, Esq., as commander in chief of the fleet.
Congress also named four . . .
United States Congress authorizes privateers to attack British vessels (1776)
Because it lacked sufficient funds to build a strong navy, the Continental Congress gives privateers permission to attack any and all British ships on April 3, 1776.
In a . . .
John Paul Jones Sails to Raid British Ships (1777)
On November 2, 1777, the USS Ranger, with a crew of 140 men under the command of John Paul Jones, leaves Portsmouth, New Hampshire, for the naval port at Brest, France, where it will stop before heading . . .
Herman Melville sails for the South Seas (1841)
On January 3, 1841, Herman Melville ships out on the whaler Acushnet to the South Seas.
Melville was born in New York City in 1819. A childhood bout of scarlet fever permanently . . .
Join a New Shanty Crew in Germany!
Here is an opportunity to join in a new shanty group with Folksinger Gunnar Wiegand!
Looking for singers for Shanty Crew
Hello everyone,
I live near Hameln . . .
Magellan’s expedition circumnavigates globe
September 6, 1522 – One of Ferdinand Magellan’s five ships—the Victoria—arrives at Sanlúcar . . .