The rowdy sailor and his bottle of rum. Few stereotypes have stuck for so long, and this one is so deeply etched in our minds
Curiosities
How to Sink a Ghost-Ship: The Story of the SS Ourang Medan
The sea is a treacherous mistress – an alluring caress of winds and waves, below them only silent death. She has called out countless eager
In the Flames of Madness – the SS Morro Castle
In the dark hours before dawn on 9 September 1934, the residents of Asbury Park, a seaside town in New Jersey, woke up to a
Why Are Ocean Liner Hulls traditionally Black and Cruise Ship Hulls White?
We all know those photographs from the golden age of the ocean liner – giant black hulls with sharp, white superstructures towering above. Ever wondered
The Aral Sea and Its Fleets
Split between the most abandoned corners of Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan, lies a forlorn desert, one saltier than the ocean. Not a single path runs through
Career Perspective: Underwater Ship Repair
Many of us have an inexplicable fascination for the underwater part of a ship. We rarely get to see it, but we always know that
The Meyer Werft: Home of the World’s Largest Roofed Construction Dock
A small German town on the river Ems hides one of Europe’s largest and most advanced shipyards – the Meyer Werft. The shipyard, now in the
Ship Buoyancy and Stability: How Ships Float and Stay Upright
Have you ever looked at a giant ship and wondered how such a heavy object made of steel floats in water? I know I have.
Nuclear-Powered Icebreaker Yamal: The Shark of the Arctic
As the child of a nuclear engineer, my fascination with nuclear-powered ships does not come as a surprise. Add to it the fact that my
Isambard Kingdom Brunel and his Ships
The Industrial Revolution began in Britain in the 18th century and was a time of reason and enlightenment, of ingenuity and progress, of whistling steam-powered