England Defeats Spanish Armada (29 July, 1588)
Off the coast of Gravelines, France, Spain’s so-called “Invincible Armada” is defeated by an English naval force under the command of Lord Charles Howard and Sir Francis . . .
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 . . .
Experimental Steam Ship, Pyroscaphe, travels the Saone (15 July 1783)
15 July 1783 The Marquis de Jouffroy d’Abbans demonstrated his experimental steamship, the Pyroscaphe, on the river Saone at Lyon. An early form of paddle steamer, the . . .
Cook Begins his third voyage (12 July 1776)
James Cook’s third and final voyage took the route from Plymouth via Tenerife and Cape Town to New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands, and along the North American coast to the Bering Strait.
At . . .
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 . . .
Construction on the Erie Canal begins 4 July 1817
On July 4, 1817, workers break ground on the Erie Canal at Rome, New York. The canal, completed in 1825, links the eastern seaboard with the Midwest and transforms New York . . .
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 . . .
Drake Claims California for England (1579)
During his circumnavigation of the world, English seaman Francis Drake anchors in a harbor just north of present-day San Francisco, California, and on 17 June, 1579, claims . . .
Bounty Mutiny Survivors Reach Timor (14 June,1789)
On April 28, Fletcher Christian, the master’s mate on the Bounty, led a successful mutiny against Captain Bligh and his supporters. The British naval vessel had been transporting . . .
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 . . .
Spanish galleon San José sinks in battle (8 June, 1708)
June 8, 1708 the count of Casa Alegre knew a squadron of English warships was lurking in the area, but he thought he could avoid it. As captain of the Spanish galleon San . . .
The Great Australian “Shanty Off!”
The Great Shanty Off! Calling all Sea-Shanty groups!
We are seeking expressions of interest from shanty groups (big or small) located on the Eastern Seaboard of Australia . . .
Battle of Boston Harbor (1 June 1813)
USS Chesapeake versus HMS Shannon happened on June 1st 1813 in Boston Harbor and is referred to as the Battle of Boston Harbor.
At Boston, Captain James Lawrence took command . . .
Battle of Dover, 29 May 1652
The naval Battle of Dover (also known as the Battle of Goodwin Sands), fought on 29 May 1652 was the first engagement of the First Anglo-Dutch War between the navies of . . .
Captain Kidd Dies (23 May 1701)
On May 23, 1701 the infamous English Pirate, Captain Kidd, dies.
Kidd’s early career is obscure. It is believed he went to sea as a youth. After 1689 he was sailing as . . .
Lewis and Clark Depart 14 May 1804
One year after the United States doubled its territory with the Louisiana Purchase, the Lewis and Clark expedition leaves St. Louis, Missouri, on a mission to explore the . . .
Ed Trickett Dies on May 10, 2022
Ed was a well-loved musician in the folk music community. He appeared on over 40 recordings, most of them with Folk Legacy Records, now part of the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. His discography includes . . .
Captain Blood Steals Crown Jewels (9 May 1671)
In London, Thomas Blood, an Irish adventurer better known as “Captain Blood,” is captured attempting to steal the Crown Jewels from the Tower of London.
Blood, a Parliamentarian . . .
King Charles II grants charter to Hudson’s Bay Company
May 2, 1670 – King Charles II of England grants a permanent . . .
Drake Assaults Cádiz (April 29, 1587)
Referred to as the “singeing of the beard” of King Philip II of Spain.
In 1585 the tension between the England and Spain erupted into the Anglo-Spanish War of . . .