While many out there seldom notice the tiny speck of steel at the base of docking supertankers, some of us connoisseurs harbor a benign obsession
Maritime History
Beautiful Ocean Liners Sunk by Submarines (Part 2)
With their career often spanning over decades, ocean liners gather stories much like people do. Add to this their exotic journeys and the simmering political
Manila Galleons and the First Global Economy
The 15th century found the world in unprecedented upheaval. As the ancient Silk Roads crumbled down with the collapse of the Mongol Empire, the Ottomans
Cruise Ships of the Soviet Union
Ah, the Soviet Union – dazzling Mayday parades, heroic cosmonauts, indestructible cars, and luxury cruise vacations… Wait, what? Yes, luxury cruises. Despite a well-deserved Spartan
Chinese Junks: Emperors of the East
The Age of Sail – those three glorious centuries of European domination of the oceans – are considered by many on my side of the
Willem Ruys – From Ocean Liner to Cruise Ship
Having a Dutch uncle has its privileges, and I am not only referring to the generous portion of premium Gouda and wry humor on my
Monitor Novgorod – the Tsar’s Pancake-Warship
The late 19th century was an age of vigorous experimentation, with enough talent and money spent on extravagant naval innovations to make our modern shipbuilders
Christmas on the Titanic – What Would It Have Been Like?
As many other admirers of the legendary RMS Titanic, I have my spells of daydreaming – what if she hadn’t sunk on her maiden voyage?
The Northeast Passage: A Silk Road That Never Was
There is a reason why the Arctic passage to China is less known than the Silk Road: it never came into existence. But not for
Why Is the Malacca Strait So Important?
If you live in Europe, the Middle East, or Africa, most of the things you own have once been on a ship, passing through the