Category: Current Events
No Room for Complacency: Cruise Ships & Modern Piracy
Setting sail on a world cruise is an exciting adventure. Especially when it’s aboard a brand-new ship like the Queen Anne. The Cunard Line has a long history of world cruises, with legendary ships like RMS Carinthia, RMS Caronia, RMS Queen Elizabeth 2, and others having previously sailed the globe. As Cunard noted in a…
Captain Kate McCue Joins Four Seasons Yachts
Captain Kate is going back to sea. Not that we ever thought her seafaring days were over! She even said as much. The famous cruise ship captain, who left Celebrity Cruises last month, announced on social media earlier today that she’d joined the new Four Seasons Yachts luxury brand. Captain Kate will command their first…
A Break with Tradition: Captain Inger Klein Thorhauge
Inger Klein Thorhauge (née Olsen) made history in December 2010 when the Cunard Line promoted her to captain of MV Queen Victoria. It was a historic appointment. She was the first woman to command a Cunard ship in the company’s long history. And at 43, she was also one of its youngest captains too. Peter…
Can “America’s Flagship” Still Be Saved? One Group Thinks So
Ever since the SS United States left Philadelphia on February 19 for Mobile, Alabama, social media has been abuzz with images of the grand ship. The crew of Vinik No. 6 — the tugboat towing “America’s Flagship” — has posted some phenomenal pictures, as have spectators from land, sea, and air. One Facebook comment said…
The SS United States Leaves Philadelphia After Nearly 30 Years
After nearly 30 years, the SS United States has left Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. On February 19, 2025, “America’s Flagship” left her longtime berth aided by tugboats. She was maneuvered into the Delaware River and started the first leg of her last voyage. Over the next two weeks, the ship will be towed down to Mobile, Alabama…
Breaking Barriers: Captain Belinda Bennett
Belinda Bennett made history in January 2016 when Windstar Cruises promoted her to captain of MSY Wind Star. It was well earned. She’d begun her maritime career as a deck cadet at age 17 and worked on a variety of ships before joining Windstar Cruises as a second officer in 2005. Not only was Captain…
In Memory of Bug Naked (2016-2024)
On December 27, 2024, Celebrity Cruises’ Captain Kate McCue announced that her famous feline companion Bug Naked had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away the previous day. My heart broke instantly.
Contingent Contract: The Pending Sale of the SS United States
Florida’s Okaloosa County approved a contingent contract to purchase the SS United States on October 1, 2024. The famed ship would be “converted into the world’s largest artificial reef,” which is a really fancy way of saying that the ship will be taken out and sunk (yes, I know there’s more to it than that…
A Royal Night Out: The Queen Mary’s 90th Anniversary Party
Last Thursday, September 26, I had the great pleasure of attending some special events aboard the Queen Mary for the 90th anniversary of her launching…namely, the unveiling of a replica of Her Majesty Queen Mary’s personal standard in Main Hall. I learned about the event when my wife and I stayed aboard in August, and…
SS United States: The World’s Largest Artificial Reef?
I honestly didn’t think I’d have to write a follow-up post quite so soon. Last week, I wrote about the SS United States and her current, desperate situation. The SS United States Conservancy was ordered by a federal judge in June to move the ship from her longtime pier in Philadelphia. This followed after a…