News of Ships, Sailors, and the Sea
August, 2008
www.benersonlittle.com

Marine Life

Oysters Succumb to Overdeveloped Sex Organs. According to a scientific report cited by the BBC, "young French oysters have fallen prey to a killer virus because they have used up too much energy developing their sex organs." In essence, the oysters mature too quickly while feeding on overabundant plankton. (Sources: BBC, AFP)

The Seductive Hum of the Toadfish. According to researchers, vocalizations among animals may have originated in early fish species. Two sorts of vocalization in fish have been identified so far: in one, the male attempts to attract the female, and in the other, a fish makes a threatening noise in order to protect nesting terrority. The toadfish, for example, hums to attract females, and grunts to warn other toadfish to back away from its nest. (Source: AP)

Maternal Whistles. Researchers writing in the Journal of Marine Mammal Science report that, after giving birth, bottlenose dolphin mothers vocalize ten times more often than usual. Each mother's whistle is distinct, and researchers speculate that the increase in whistling is intended to imprint the mother's call upon her calf, in order that it may distinguish her from other dolphins. (Source: BBC)

Whale Status. In its latest report on cetaceans, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) reveals that humpback whales are on the road to recovery, while other species such as the river dolphin are in decline due to human activity. The southern right whale is also listed as on the road to recovery. The IUCN's 2008 "Red List" for cetaceans is available at http://cms.iucn.org/. (Sources: BBC, IUCN)

Live Fish From Record Depth. Using a pressurized capture device, French researchers aboard the Pourquoi Pas? brought a zoarcid (a fish) and a shrimp species alive to the surface from hydrothermal vents at a depth of 2300 meters on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. The previous record was 1400 meters. However, as soon as the capture vessel is de-pressurized, the fish decompress and die. The voyage is sponsored by Ifremer, the French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea. (Source: BBC)

Jellyfish. According to an article in the New York Times, jellyfish are becoming more abundant worldwide, often moving into waters in which they have been seldom seen before. Scientists attribute the rise in jellyfish population to a reduction in predators, a rise in sea temperature, global warming, and oxygen-depleting pollution in coastal shallows. (Source: NY Times)

Reconnaissance Dives. Scientists at the University of Swansea in Great Britain theorize that leatherback sea turtles--who are built for deep diving but spend most of their time in shallow water--make their occasional deep dives in order to scout for prey, jellyfish specifically. The turtles are also known for loitering on the surface in one general area for hours, days, or weeks, and some researchers now believe that the turtles locate their prey at depth, then wait on the surface until the jellyfish ascend to shallow water, at which point the leatherbacks feed. The turtles often loiter on the surface before making deep dives, and researchers theorize that this is perhaps in order to "boost oxygen efficiency." (Source: AFP)

Drowned Sea Turtles. Recently fifty-nine or more Olive Ridley sea turtles have been found dead on beaches near Acapulco, Mexico. All are believed to have drowned in fishing nets. (Source: AP)

Shark Prank. Two teenagers discovered a dead shark in Lake Guntersville in northern Alabama in late July. The shark, an Atlantic sharpnose, had a lure in its mouth, and although some locals were inclined to believe the shark swam from the Gulf of Mexico all the way to northern Alabama, it was without doubt placed dead in the lake by a fisherman with a sense of humor. Local fishermen often fish on the Gulf Coast during the summer, where sharks are often taken by hook and line both from boats and from the shore. The discovery was the lead story on the front page of the Huntsville Times on July 29. Huntsville is home to the Marshall Space Flight Center and the Redstone Arsenal. (Sources: Huntsville Times, author's)

Vet Shoves Arm in Shark Throat. Australian veterinarian David Blyde shoved his hand through a length of plastic pipe in a gray nurse shark's throat in order to remove a grappling hook the shark had swallowed. Nurse sharks are not usually a threat to humans, although they have been known to bite if provoked. (Source: AP, author's)

Great White on Nantucket Island. A six and a half foot female Great White was found dead on a beach in Nantucket island in late July. Last month police arrested a man for falsely reporting that he had seen two Great Whites off Martha's Vinyard. (Source: AP. For details on the arrest, see last month's newsletter.)

Puffin Population Declines. According to the National Trust, England's largest puffin colony has declined in number by a third in five years. Researchers had expected to see a small increase. So far, they have no obvious explanation for the decline. (Source: BBC)

State of the Sea.

Icebergs and the Sea Bed. A study by the British Antarctic Survey compares the "sea scour" of icebergs as they rub across the sea floor in shallow waters to the effect of forest fires on land. Scientists are unsure of the ecological effect of such "scouring," which can occur as deep as 1600 feet. (Source: BBC)

Sea Survival and Water Safety

Alligator Attack. Eleven year old Devin Funck of Slidell, Louisiana (near New Orleans) lost his arm to an alligator nearly eleven feet long, and received several other injuries as well. The alligator attacked the boy while he was swimming in pond in a local subdivision, and later was killed and the arm was recovered. Surgeons attempted but failed to re-attach the limb. According to the boy, he poked the alligator in the eye and then the reptile released him. Shark and alligator attacks are not the only carnivorous wild animal threats to man. Mountain lions and bears remain known for attacking man. In Russia last month a pack of as many as thirty Kamchatka bears killed and ate two miners, and intimidated geologists and other miners into avoiding the region. (Sources: AP, Newhouse News)

Storms

Storm Prediction Revised. The NOAA has revised its 2008 Atlantic hurricane season prediction, projecting an 85 percent probability of an above-normal storm season with a "better than average chance" of 14 to 18 named storms, 7 to 10 hurricanes, and 3 to 6 Category 3 or higher storms. So far, five named storms have occurred, two of them hurricanes. Hurrican Dolly struck the Texas-Mexico coast on July 24, dumping much rain but otherwise doing comparitively little damage. Soon after, Tropical Storm Edouard struck the Texas coast with near-hurricane force winds. (Sources: AP, NOAA)

Shipwrecks and Accidents at Sea

African Immigrants Drowned. As many as fifty African immigrants are believed to have drowned 50 miles from Tenerife in mid-July when their cayuco, or large wooden fishing canoe, capsized as passengers panicked during an attempted rescue by Spanish authorities. On July 30, 180 African immigrants in a single canoe were intercepted near Tenerife, and a few days before, 149 landed at the island of El Hierro in the Canaries. Immigrants from the west coast of Africa have recently been taking to sea in very large fishing canoes which are not adequately seaworthy on the open sea. In the Mediterranean, the Italian navy and coast guard recently rescued approximately 250 African immigrants south of Lampedusa island. The UN refugee agency (UNFCR) had appealed to Italy, Malta, and Libya to come to the aid of the stranded immigrants, and Italy accepted the humanitarian request. The immigrants are believed to be from Eritrea, Somalia, and Ethiopia. Observers estimate that more than 51,000 African illegal immigrants came ashore in Italy, Greece, Malta, and Spain in 2007, fleeing harsh conditions in the their native countries. (Sources: guardian.co.uk; BBC)

Egyptian Ferry Verdict. On July 27 the owner of an Egyptian ferry, the Al-Salam Boccaccio, that sank in the Red Sea two years ago and resulted in the death of more than one thousand passengers, was aquitted by an Egyptian court. Survivors and the families of victims were outraged. The ferry did not meet minimum safety standards and sank after a fire broke out. It is widely believed that the Mubarek government influenced the verdict. The vessel's owner was a member of the Egyptian upper house. The verdict is being appealed. (Sources: AP, Shiptalk, micportal.com)

Australian Ghost Ship Verdict. A Queensland, Australia coroner has ruled that that three-man crew of the Kaz II, which was found adrift with her crew mlissing, was lost in a freak accident. According to the coroner, one member was lost while attempting to free fishing equipment fouled astern, another while trying to rescue him, and the skipper after being knocked overboard by the vessel's boom. The mystery vessel has been compared to the Mary Celeste. (Source: BBC)

Mississippi River Re-Opened. The US Coast Guard re-opened the Mississippi River to ship and boat traffic after a collision between a tanker and a tow boat towing a barge. The collision resulted in an oil spill, and closed a sixty-five mile stretch of the river. According to witnesses, the tanker sent repeated VHF warnings to the tug, to which there was no reply. The collision delayed river traffic for days. (Sources: AP, micportal.com)

Ancient Mariners

Phoenician Journey. A replica Phoenician ship set to sail on August 10 with a crew of twenty, most of them British, to re-create the circumnavigation of Africa reported by Heroditus, roughly 600 BC. The Phoenicia has a single mast and sail, and will have to navigate the notorious Somali pirate waters during her voyage which begins from a Syrian port, and hopefully ends there as well after its long journey. (Source: BBC)

Diving

Diving Instructor Charged. A Scuba Schools International (SSI) instructor giving SCUBA diving classes at the University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa) has been charged with negligent homicide after a student died during free ascent training. At the time of the student's death, the instructor was reportedly at the opposite end of the pool giving a private lesson to a student not in the class, while assistants managed the class students. A civil lawsuit has also been filed. Free ascent training is necessary for adequate dive training, but is also dangerous and students undergoing such training need close monitoring. During Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training, for example, each student undergoing free and bouyant ascent training is accompanied by an experienced instructor who acts as a safety diver and who will halt any ascent in which the student appears to have stopped exhaling. (Exhaling is necessary to prevent over-expansion of the lungs as the diver makes a free ascent, that is, as he or she ascends without breathing from his or her air supply.) (Sources: Huntsville Times, cdnn.info, author's)

Dive Training Editorial. The editorial "Unsafe at any Depth" on the SCUBA Diving News section of Cyber-Diver.com comments on the dangers of inadequate dive training, particularly at the level of the novice recreational diver. Read it at: http://www.cdnn.info/news/editorial/o050620.html. In the search for profit, some dive shops and dive certification organizations may be short-changing students by certifying them without adequate training, and in the process endanger the students' lives and the lives of other divers as well. (Sources: cdnn.info, author's)

Technology

Kite Propulsion. The German Beluga SkySails, the first container ship to be partially propelled by a kite, called on the port of Yokohama, Japan in late July. The propulsion kite is 41 meters by 4 meters, and, depending on the wind, can reduce fuel consumption by 10 to 35 percent annual average, and under some conditions temporarily by as much as 50 percent. The kite is connected to the bow of the ship. (Sources: micportal.com, Japan Today)

British Autonomous Submarine. British scientists are set to explore volcanic vents in the Cayman Trough in the Caribbean with the Autosub6000, a new "autonomously controlled, robot submarine" which requires no surface control. The sub will be launched from the research vessel James Cook. The remote submersible Isis will also be used during the expedition. (Source: BBC)

Jason-2 Sends Back First Data. The Jason-2 satellite, launched last month, has sent back its first charts of world sea levels. The satellite is traveling in tandem with Jason-1, leading it by 55 seconds, and it's imaging is accurate to within four centimeters. The project is a joint NASA, CNES (the French space agency), NOAA, and Eumetsat (the European meteorological satellite organization) project. (Source: BBC)

Modern Piracy

Europe to Deploy Anti-Piracy Force. France, Spain, and other European nations intend to deploy an international force to patrol Somali waters for pirates and protect humanitarian food shipments. Spain has stated the need for a naval force to protect its fishing fleet as well, and Spain and Estonia have indicated their support for possible military action in Somalia. Kenya is calling for a solution to the unrest and lawlessness in Somalia, stating that it threatens Kenyan security and stability. (Sources: ONI, Lloyd's, BBC)

Canadian Warships on Patrol. Canada has announced the deployment of the destroyer HMCS Iroquois, the frigate HMCS Calgary, and the oiler HMCS Protecteur to Somali waters as part of Task Force 150, an international flotilla of warships patrolling much of the western Indian Ocean. Additionally, Canada is deploying the HMCS Ville de Quebec to escort aid shipments to Somalia through September. The shipments were in danger of being withdrawn due to a looming lack of naval protection, and Canada has admirably stepped in to fill the void. (Sources: ONI, Lloyd's, AFP, Victoria Times Colonist, author's)

Somali Pirates Capture Japanese Ship. The Stella Maris, a large Japanese-owned, Panama-flagged bulk carrier, was captured on July 20 by Somali pirates 87 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden. The ship is crewed by twenty Filipino mariners and, in some reports, also by one other mariner whose nationality was not named by news services. Officials from the breakaway region of Puntland have sent elders to negociate for the crew and vessel's release. Somalia continutes as a region of continuing unrest, exacerbated by violence, drought, poverty, and disease. (Sources: NY Times, Lloyd's, ONI, IRIN, AFP)

US Navy Halts Pirate Attack. Somali pirates broke off their attack on the merchant ship Gem of Kilakari in the Gulf of Aden when the USS Peleliu (LHA 5), an amphibious assault ship, dispatched three helicopters. The attack occurred on August 8 as the merchant vessel was headed to the Suez Canal. (Source: AP)

Somali Pirates Release Two. Two Germans, "Jurgen K" and "Sabine M", kidnapped from their yacht by Somali pirates, were released in early August after five weeks of captivity. Reportedly a $1 million ransom was paid. The couple were on their way to Thailand when captured. Both had been beaten and given little to eat by their captors. (Source: BBC)

Update on Nigerian Pirate Attack. In the July edition of this newsletter, an attack on a Cameroon boat, which resulted in the death of at least five, was reported as a pirate attack. Although local military sources still maintain that the boat was attacked by "sea pirates," some local media report that the vessel was attacked by "suspected militants." (Source: ONI)

Nigerian Pirate Attacks. As reported in the July edition, Nigerian pirates attacked and robbed the Spar Gemini, a bulk carrier, on July 15. The following day, Nigerian pirates boarded and robbed another bulk carrier and attacked a "naval houseboat" guarding Shell Petroleum oil installation facilities. The Nigerian military arrested several suspects in the attack on the houseboat, all believed to be involved in local oil theft and "militancy." In late July, eight foreign oil workers captured on an oil tanker were released by their captors. (Sources: ONI, AP)

Nigerian "Blood Oil." In July, Nigerian authorities arrested the Filipino crew of an oil barge loaded with smuggled oil, and paraded them publicly. The captured Filipino crewmen deny they are guilty, and claim to have been the victims of pirates. Oil smuggling is a significant problem in Nigeria, and most observers note that government complicity is necessary in most cases. Oil is often pirated from ships, and is also stolen directly from pipelines. Barges then ferry the oil to waiting tankers, where it is traded variously for cash, cocaine, and arms. (Source: BBC)

Pirates Murder Tourist. Pirates armed with machetes boarded a yacht on Lake Izabal in Guatamala on August 10, murdered Daniel Perry Dryden, and seriously injured his wife. Lake Izabal is part of the former route of Spanish goods carried to "bodegas" or warehouses by the sea, and from thence by the "Honduras ship" to Spain. The region and the "Honduras ships" were often attacked by English, French, and Dutch pirates in the 17th century. (Sources: AP, author's)

Brazilian Piracy. Lloyd's List, a publication of the venerable maritime insurance firm Lloyd's of London, ponders whether Brazil will become the next pirate haven and heaven--another Somalia, in other words. (Source: Lloyd's)

Drug Smuggling and Interdiction

Drug Smuggling Sub Captured. In July the Mexican Navy seized a homemade drug smuggling submarine after US authorities forwarded intelligence to Mexican authorities. Six or more tons of cocaine were found aboard, as were a compass and GPS. This is the first such submarine captured in Mexican waters. Most drug smuggling submarines are not true submarines in the sense of diving beneath the surface. Rather, they are semi-submersibles made of fiberglass, and only submerge until their upper deck is at surface level. Their upper works are often painted in sea camouflage colors, and their lengths vary roughly from 30 to 80 feet. Between 2005 and 2007 Colombian authorities captured or seized nine drug subs; another was captured in early 2008. At least two of the subs are believed to have been made for use by the FARC's cocaine smuggling industry. One Colombian drug sub was apparently a true submarine being built of steel in Bogota, would have been approximately 100 feet long when complete, and would have been capable of ferrying up to 200 tons of cocaine. Given that Russian documents were found with the sub, some authorities believe that Russian organized crime may have been involved. Two more true submarines--or more correctly, mini-subs--were seized by Colombian authorities in 1997. Drug subs are no longer confined to the New World. In 2006, Spanish authorities seized an abandoned fiberglass drug submarine of the northwest coast of Spain. (Sources: BBC, AP,et al)

Drug Boats and Crews Captured. On July 11 the frigate USS De Wert (FFG 45) and the Colombian warship Buenaventura, along with a US Coast Guard detachment and a US Navy helicopter detachment, intercepted and captured two "go fast" drug smuggling boats in the Eastern Pacific. Two tons of cocaine were recovered, and eleven drug smugglers were arrested. (Source: military.com)

Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism

USS Cole Terrorist Killed. Abu Khabab al-Masri, believed to have trained the suicide bombers who attacked the USS Cole, was killed in a missile attack in Pakistan on July 28. Al-Qaida has confirmed al-Masri's death, along with three other top Al-Qaida leaders, and report that some of their children were killed as well. Pakistani officials confirm six dead in the strike. Al-Masri, whose real name was Midhat Mursi al Sayid Umar, was also accused of training other terrorists and of running a terrorist training camp where he experimented with chemical and biological weapons. US officials have not acknowledged the strike, but there is no doubt that the US was responsible. The suicide bombing of the USS Cole killed seventeen US sailors. (Source: AP)

Geo-Political

Arctic Disputes Mapped. Scientists at Durham University in Britain have published a map of the Arctic that illustrates areas of disputed national ownership over which political or even military conflict might erupt. The map is available as a pdf file at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/06_08_08_arcticboundaries.pdf. (Source: BBC)

Russian Navy Conducts Test Flights. Russian Il-38 and Tu-142 bombers recently made flights near the North Pole as part of a Northern Fleet exercise. Russia is flexing its military might in the region, almost certainly in regard to its claim to parts of the Arctic and the oil and minerals in the sea bed below. (Source: AP)

Modern Navies and Naval Warfare

Iran Announces New Missile. The government of Iran announced in early August that it had tested a new missile with a 186 mile range, capable of shutting down the Strait of Hormuz to shipping. The threat comes amidst threats of international sanctions against Iran's nuclear program, and amidst Irans continuing saber rattling in response. Some might rightly regard Iran's blustering as a sign of weakness, or of fear of international military action. Some military analysts suggest that the "missile" might be a torpedo, based on its limited range. To date, analysis of the missile by intelligence services is unavailable. (Sources: AP, author's)

USS George Washington at Yokosuka. The aircraft carrier George Washington's arrival at its new home port in Yokosuka, Japan, has been delayed due to a fire aboard the ship in May. Much of the Japanese public is highly sensitive to the deployment or port visits of nuclear-powered ships, given the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by atomic weapons during the Second World War. (Sources: AP, author's)

USS George Washington CO, XO Relieved. The commanding officer and executive officer of the aircraft carrier George Washington (CVN 73) were relieved of duty in July following an investigation into a May 22 fire that resulted in $70 million in damage to the ship. The fire was caused by a crew member's unauthorized smoking in an area in which flammables and combustables were improperly stowed. (Source: Military.com)

USS Pearl Harbor CO Relieved. The Commanding officer of the USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52), an amphibious landing ship, has been relieved of command after the ship grounded off the coast of Kuwait on July 21. The ship extracted itself from the grounding without help from other vessels. (Sources: Military.com, AP)

Submarine Radiation Leak. An inspection of the USS Houston, a Los Angeles class fast attack submarine, at Pearl Harbor revealed that it may have leaked "neglible" radiation into Pacific during its last deployment, including into the Japanese port of Sasebo. Japanese government monitoring of radiation levels in local waters showed no increase in radioactivity. (Source: AP)

DDG 1000 Program Cancelled. The US Department of Defense has cancelled the Navy's DDG 1000 Zumwalt program after only two ships. Originally conceived as a stealth destroyer with substantial firepower in support of Marine landings, the destroyer was criticized as being too expensive, lacking anti-air capability, and "sacrifices capacity for increased capability in an area where Navy already has, and is projected to have sufficient capacity and capability." Some members of the US House and Senate are asking the Department of Defense to reconsider the decision. (Sources: NY Times, AP, MarineLog.com)

LCS 1 Begins Trials. The Freedom, the first of the US Navy's littoral combat ships (LCS), has begun its builder's trials on Lake Michigan. The vessel is a semiplaning monohull design built by Lockheed Martin, while her sister ship Independence, still in the yard, is an aluminum trimaran built by General Dynamics. The LCS program has been plagued by extensive cost overruns and poor management on the part of both Navy and private sector, and has been cited as an example of how not to design and build a warship. (Source: Marine Log, author's)

Single Agency for Maritime Security. India is establishing a single agency to manage all maritime security issues, including naval, coast guard, ports, and fishing. (Source: Lloyd's)

Naval Special Warfare

New Special Operations Assault Rifle. US Special Operations Forces, including US Navy SEALs, have received initial shipments of the new SCAR, or SOF Combat Assault Rifle. The weapon is versatile: an operator is able to vary caliber (5.56 and 7.62) and barrel length according to mission. Both the M16 assault rifle and its short-barreled variant, the M4 (the primary US assault rifle), have been criticized for their light caliber and their propensity to jam under certain environmental conditions. Criticisms of the M16 go as far back as Vietnam, and critics include numerous combat veterans. The new SCAR assault rifles are designated Mark 16 (5.56, or Light) and Mark 17 (7.62, or Heavy), and are manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal in Belgium. (Source: Military.com, author's)

Ephemera

The King's Gold. The fourth installment of Arturo Perez-Reverte's Alatriste series of novels about an early 17th century Spanish soldier and swordsman will be released in English on August 14. The King's Gold centers on smuggled wealth from the New World, and for the first time in the series takes to sea.

Copyright Benerson Little 2008

Send comments and corrections to readermail@benersonlittle.com