Benerson Little

South Korean Warship Sinks. On March 26, the South Korean warship Cheonan sank after a reported explosion. Forty-six of the crew remain missing and are feared dead. The cause of the sinking of the ship, which sank in two pieces, is so far unknown. Officials are downplaying a possible North Korean connection, and to date claim there is no evidence for a North Korean attack, although there have been naval altercations in the past. Barring direct attack, the ship may have run aground (least likely), hit a mine, or had an internal explosion from either a weapon or magazine, or possibly related to engineering. (Sources: BBC, nytimes, author's)

Update, April 3, 2010: A navy diver has died while searching the wreck, which is in two widely separated parts. Further, a fishing vessel assisting in the search was struck by another vessel. It and eight of its nine member crew are missing; the body of one crew member has been recovered. The South Korean navy has arrested the Taiyo 1, a Cambodian-registered freighter, as the suspect vessel. A mine remains the likely cause of the loss of the South Korean warship, but after inspection of the wreck, there is renewed speculation that the ship was struck by a torpedo. (Source: BBC)

Update, April 7, 2010: Eight of the nine crew members of the fishing vessel were safely recovered. One member died, and his body was recovered. Crew members of the South Korean warship report an "external explosion," making it likely that the cause of the sinking was a mine or torpedo. (Source: BBC)

Spermaceti Packs. Last month, scientists suggested that "sperm whales may team up and hunt collaboratively." Based on tracking data, the whales appear to be herding squid. Other scientists are not quite so convinced. The BBC article is available here.

Plastiki Sets Sail. The environmental awareness vessel Plastiki has finally set sail. Built of 10,000 recycled plastic bottles filled with carbon dioxide and "powered by solar, wind, and sea turbines," the vessel will cross the Pacific to bring awareness to the problem of plastic pollution. Critics, however, point out that the use of plastic should be restricted, rather than recycled, and that if the vessel is destroyed at sea it will add to plastic pollution. Also, see topic below. (Source: BBC)

Deep Sea Greens. "Eat your vegetables," my mother always said, and my grandmother, "Eat your greens." Scientists report that "deep sea fish like to eat their greens, gobbling up plants that have sunk thousands of metres to the ocean floor." You can read the article here.

Tuna Ban Rejected. March 18, 2010: the UN rejected an outright ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna fishing. Conservationists fear not enough will be done to protect the species. Japan is the world's largest consumer of bluefin; France, Spain, and Italy have large fleets devoted to bluefin, as do many of the world's poorer nations. Japan, Canada, and many small nations did not support the ban, fearing it would seriously damage their fishing fleets. Update, March 28, 2010: speculation is rife that the ban was shot down due to "mid-level bureaucracy" and Japanese backroom offers to trade aid to developing countries for a nay vote on the ban. (Sources: AP, BBC)

Vessels Freed From Ice. Earlier this month, ice off Stockholm trapped dozens of vessels, including ferries, one of them carrying almost a thousand passengers. Icebreakers from Sweden and Finland were dispatched to free the vessels, some of which had been trapped for several days. (Source: BBC)

LCS Exceeds 45 Knots. The USS Independence (LCS 2), a prototype Littoral Combat Ship, recently exceeded 45 knots (52 mph) in sea trials, and sustained speeds of 44 knots for more than four hours. A competitor prototype, the USS Freedom, has proved similar speeds. These warships are intended for a variety of missions, including special operations support.

Octopus Runs...With Coconut Shells. Fascinating, hilarious (and to some people, a bit disturbing) footage of octopuses and coconut shells: "Octopus Snatches Coconut Shell and Runs."

Giant Oarfish Footage. Footage of the giant oarfish in its natural environment has been captured for the first time. The oarfish, which can reach fifty feet long, is probably responsible for many of the purported sightings of "sea monsters." (See for example Richard Ellis's Monsters of the Sea.) The footage, shot at depth in the Gulf of Mexico, was released this past February. (Sources: BBC et al.)

Bluefin Tuna Ban. Both the US and the EU have agreed to a ban on international trade in bluefin tuna until the stocks recover. An international vote will take place near the end of March. Japan has protested, and has stated that it will continue to do so. Japan is the number one market for bluefin tuna, primarily in the form of sushi and sashimi. Stocks are two-thirds depleted in the Mediterranean and eighty percent in the Atlantic, due to a combination of demand and factory trawlers. (Sources: ny times, BBC, and The Independent)

US Navy CO Relieved. The commanding officer of the guided missile cruiser USS Cowpens has been relieved of duty "after an investigation substantiated crew allegations that she was abusive and used her position for personal gain," according to a Military.com article.

Rogue Waves. Up to three rogue waves as much as 26 feet high struck the cruise ship Louis Majesty near Marseilles on March 3 while the vessel was en route from Barcelona to Genoa. Two passengers were killed and fourteen were injured when the waves shattered windows in a dining area. The ship was carrying over 1300 passengers and almost 600 crew. The vessel put about and headed back to Barcelona. (Sources: BBC, LeFigaro)

Chilean Coast Tsunami. Good article on the devastating effects of the Chilean earthquake and subsequent tsunamis that his the coast. While most US media attention was turned to watching the ultimately inconsequential tsunami that sped across the Pacific toward the Hawaiian islands, the Chilean coast had already been devastated. "The Sea, Lifeblood of Chilean Towns, Turns Deadly."

The Plastiki Prepares for Sea. The BBC reports (March 3, 2010) that the Plastiki, a boat made largely from recycled materials, awaits fair weather before it begins its journey from San Francisco to Sydney. The voyage is intended to bring attention to environmental damage done by discarded plastics, and specifically to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch of floating plastic, roughly twice the size of Texas. A similar, but smaller, patch has recently been identified in the Atlantic. "Boat Made of Trash Prepares to Set Sail."