Until I finish the Pirate Hunting manuscript, I'll try to post occasional sea news here, latest at the top, and send out the compiled text as a newsletter at the end of the month. If this works out, I may continue to handle the newsletters this way.

Prins Willem Destroyed. The replica seventeenth century VOC East Indiaman Prins Willem was largely destroyed by a fire that started late one night near the end of July. Firefighters were unable to control the fire due to its intense heat and smoke. A Dutch news report, with impressive video of the ship's loss to fire, can be seen here.

Dolphin Killing Documentary. The Cove, a documentary about the annual slaughter of dolphins in a Japanese coastal community, opens July 31 in a limited release. The filmmakers used clandestine filming equipment for much of their footage, given local laws that might have imprisoned them, not to mention that Japanese security was tight in order to avoid the bad publicity that would attend footage of the dolphin slaughter. (Source: nytimes)

Fisheries Might Be Saved. A team of researchers indicates that threatened fisheries might be saved: five large marine environments have shown signs of improvement after restrictions were imposed on them. Measures include "catch quotas, no-take zones, and selective fishing gear." (Source: BBC)

Fishing Boat Seized. North Korea has seized a South Korean fishing vessel after it strayed into North Korean waters. Such incidents are relatively common, and are usually resolved after a few weeks. (Source: BBC)

Update: some observers are expressing concern that the current tensions between the two Koreas may hamper the release of the fishermen and their vessel.

New Navy Patrol Aircraft. The US Navy and Boeing have unveiled the first of the new P-8A Poseidon patrol aircraft, designed to replace the P-3 Orion as an anti-submarine, intelligence, and reconnaissance platform. The aircraft is a naval version of the Boeing 737-800 passenger aircraft. Flight tests will begin later this year. (Source: AP)

Marijuana Seized. Three US teenagers were arrested in San Diego after the US Coast Guard boarded their vessel and found half a ton of marijuana. The teenagers were returning from Mexican waters, and claimed to have been on a fishing trip. (Source: CPB.gov)

Fin Whale Caught by Cruise Ship. A seventy foot fin whale died after being caught by the bow of the cruise ship Sapphire Princess. The whale was not discovered until the ship docked in Vancouver. A decade ago another cruise ship arrived in Vancouver with a whale similarly caught on its bow. (Source: BBC)

Dolphin Exhausts Swimmer. Moko, a well-known dolphin who frequents Mahia Beach in New Zealand, played with a swimmer and did not want to stop playing even after the swimmer was cold and exhausted. The woman called for help and lifeguards came to her aid. The unidentified woman did not blame the dolphin. Moko made the news last year by coming to the aid to two lost pygmy sperm whales, guiding them past a sandbar and back out to sea. (Source: BBC)

Microlayer of the Sea. Scientists are examining the top one hundredth of an inch of the sea surface, and are discovering that it is teaming with microbes and is a "distinct ecosystem." Note: the article suggests that the occasionally "oily surface" of the sea inspired the phrase "pouring oil on troubled waters." In fact, oil has been deliberately used to quiet rough seas around vessels in distress of weather, and the phrase most likely derives from this practice. (Sources: ny times, author's)

Haitian Migrants Lost at Sea. A boat carrying approximately two hundred Haitian migrants capsized near the Turks and Caicos. As of July 28 the US Coast Guard had rescued one hundred thirteen, but many migrants are missing and feared lost. (Source: BBC)

Crab Pot Stimulus Grant. The Associated Press reports that a $700,000 stimulus grant will go toward hiring fishermen to recover lost crab pots off the Oregon coast. The pots and associated lines are a threat to various marine life, particularly to whales, pinnipeds, and sea turtles, and a potentially hazardous nuisance to boats. The recovery of lost pots will help fishermen get back some of their lost gear as well as make Oregon waters safer.

Indian Nuclear Submarine. India has launched the INS Arihant, a nuclear-powered submarine. India is only the sixth nation to launch a nuclear submarine, the others being the US, Great Britain, France, Russian, and China. The boat was built in India with Russian assistance, and is believed to be a response to India's aging diesel boat fleet as well as to China's potential threat. (Source: BBC)

Update, 28 July: A Pakistani foreign office spokesman has stated that the submarine is a "threat to regional peace and security." (Source: BBC)

Roman Shipwrecks. Italian archaeologists report the discovery of "five pristine ancient Roman shipwrecks off the small Italian island of Ventotene." The vessels date from the first century BC to the fifth century AD, and were carrying wine, fish sauce, and ingots. (Source: Reuters. My thanks to Sara Leibold and Mary Crouch for bringing this to my attention.)

Code Named Imminent Fury. The US Navy is reportedly developing a secret turboprop close air support aircraft for support of Navy SEALs and other special operations forces in the field. Said to be outfitted with "top end electro-optical and infrared sensors, laser and GPS-guided bombs, rockets, twin .50 cal. machine guns, encrypted radios...and even the capability to tie in UAV surveillance feeds," the aircraft should be highly suitable to certain low-intensity conflicts and counter-insurgency operations. Not since Vietnam has the US used a turboprop aircraft for ground support. (Sources: Military.com, author's. Forwarded by Shaun Chittick.)

Swimming Suits Banned. The World Swimming Federation has announced a ban on non-textile (polyurethane and neoprene, that is) performance-enhancing swimsuits, beginnning in 2010, after calls from a number of national swimming federations to ban them. Since the introduction of the fifty percent polyurethane LZR suit in February 2008, 135 world records have been broken. A new one hundred percent polyurethane suit is said to increase swimmer speed even more. (Source: BBC)

North Korean Yachts. Le Figaro reports that Italian authorities have seized two luxury yachts intended for North Korea dictator Kim Il Sung. North Korea cannot feed its population, yet props up its military, pursues a nuclear weapons program, and apparently maintains a luxury lifestyle for its elite. (Sources: Le Figaro, author's)

WWI Naval Veteran Dies. Henry Allingham, who was one of the last living veterans of WWI and who was recently named the world's oldest man, has died at the age of 113. A member of the British Royal Naval Air Service during WWI, he served at the Battle of Jutland. The Queen of England led his tribute. (Source: BBC)

Update: On July 25, Harry Patch, Great Britain's last surviving WWI veteran, died. Only one US veteran is still living, Frank Buckles, 108, an ambulance driver for France during the war. France and Germany have no known WWI veterans still living. (Source: AP)

Smuggling by Sea. With the tightening of the US-Mexico border, many migrant and drug smugglers are taking to the sea from Mexico to the US, in craft ranging from surfboards to small boats called pangas to various larger vessels. Similarly, gun runners smuggling arms from the US to Mexico are taking to the sea, typically in high speed craft. In spite of high technology--radar, aerial surveillance, night vision devices--the sea remains a difficult place to secure. (Sources: nytimes, author's)

Did Whales Develop as a Defense Against Land Predators? The recent observations of mouse deer leaping into water and submerging for several minutes in order to escape from predators suggest to some scientists that whales may have originally begun to develop from land mammals for a similar reason, to escape from predators. According to the BBC, this also "lends support to the idea that whales evolved from water-loving creatures that looked like small deer." Two species in Asia have been recently observed in this behavior, and another species is known. Read a thorough article on the subject here.

Turtle Shell Evolution. A team of Japanese scientists has described the development of the turtle shell as an evolutionary novelty, in that the body wall folded in on itself, forcing the ribs outward where they eventually developed into a shell. Read the BBC article here.

Attack of the Jumbo Squid. Recently several divers have been attacked off San Diego by Humboldt squid, a large aggressive squid usually found off Mexico and Central America, and often taken by regional fishermen. The squid are strong, grow up to five feet long, weigh up to one hundred pounds, and have a large sharp beak that can cause significant wounds. Some scientists suspect the squid may have established a colony off the coast. The squid, which remain well below the surface, are not considered a threat to swimmers. (Sources: BBC, San Diego Union-Tribune)

Anti-Poaching Snipers. According to the BBC, two "snipers" have been tasked with taking out those responsible for the recent deaths of fairy penguins. Mutilated bodies of these penguins, who average only sixteen inches in height, have been found on a preserve in Australia. Foxes and dogs are suspected.