Several pieces of news have recently broken relating to the Costa Concordia disaster.  Here is a brief summary of the latest news, to help you readers understand the current status of the Costa Concordia. Divers Discover 5 More Bodies Last week salvage divers discovered 5 more bodies among the cruise ship’s wreckage, bringing the confirmed death [...]

On Monday James Cameron, famed Canadian director of the two highest grossing films in history (Avatar and Titanic), made the first privately-funded and second-ever manned dive to the deepest part of the Marianas Trench in the Pacific Ocean.  The dive was the result of a years-long project privately funded by Cameron himself to construct a vessel capable not [...]

For the past few months I have been lucky enough to view the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation (HRPE) Collection at The Mariners’ Museum Library.  This collection includes over fifteen thousand photographs donated in 1946 by Brigadier General John R. Kilpatrick, former commanding officer of the Hampton Roads Port of Embarkation. Previous to World War II, [...]

The Costa Concordia disaster is not the first time a large cruise liner has come to rest on its side.  To some who are well-versed in maritime news and shipwrecks, the images of the cruise ship Costa Concordia lying on her side off the Italian coast might look familiar.  In 1942, a top-of-the-line cruise ship, the Normandie, [...]

With the bodies of the dead still trapped inside the hull, looters have lost no time in making off with Costa Concordia’s ship’s bell. Evading 24-hour surveillance by the Italian Coast Guard and complicated laser systems measuring tiny shifts in the ship’s position, thieves removed the bell probably 2 weeks ago.  The news was reported [...]

Lately many of my blog posts have been about maritime news, particularly the Costa Concordia disaster.  While these stories are very important, I am pleased to be able to share with you readers some exciting news.  The Mariners’ Museum Library has been granted the great honor of displaying some of our rare maps and charts at [...]

While I am a bit too young to remember the romantic antics of Captain Stubing and the rest of the crew of the Pacific Princess, for many people a couple generations older than me, the classic ABC romantic sitcom “The Love Boat” provided hours of television entertainment.  These people might be saddened to know that [...]