The Francis Scott Key Bridge Collapse & Baltimore’s Cruise Ship Operations
Like many others, I was dumbstruck when Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed on March 26, 2024 after being hit by the container ship MV Dali. Six men lost their lives in the accident, and three are still missing. I lived in the Washington, DC area for almost a decade and made several trips up…
Vanished Without a Trace: The Disappearance of the Antonia Graza
For as long as people have sailed the high seas, ships have sunk and gone to the bottom. But some have disappeared without a trace. This happens despite continual improvements in shipbuilding and marine engineering. There are no distress calls, wreckage, or survivors ever found. The USS Cyclops is arguably one of the most famous…
Strange Things Happen at Sea: Five Coincidences You Might Not Believe
Hello everyone! Apologies for the lack of posts lately. There’s been a lot going on lately, including me transitioning into a new job at work. Then there’s that dreaded writer’s block too. So unfortunately, I’ve not been able to keep up with this blog as much as I would like. But recent events have inspired…
Book Review: The Last Voyage of the Andrea Doria by Greg King and Penny Wilson
About the Book A glamorously splendid ship sails to New York with thousands of people aboard. One of the most modern ocean liners ever built, her safety features are state-of-the-art and fill her passengers and crew with confidence. The ship is the pride of its home country. On the bridge is a master mariner with…
Ocean Liners and Cruise Ships: What’s the Difference?
What’s the difference between an ocean liner and a cruise ship? It’s a question I frequently hear, and one I recall getting a lot when I worked aboard the Queen Mary. They’re pretty much the same, right? No, not quite. While there are certainly a lot of similarities, they’re also very different. So what really…
The Captain’s Table: Overhauled and Refitted
Greetings everyone! Over a decade ago, I started a blog called The Captain’s Table to tell the stories about the ships and people involved in the Golden Age of ocean liners. I was working as a tour guide aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA at the time and it was a way to…
The Captain’s Table
Stories from the Golden Age of Ocean Liners to the Cruise Ships of Today
How it all started…
Over a decade ago, I started a blog called The Captain’s Table to tell the stories about the ships and people involved in the Golden Age of ocean liners. I was working as a tour guide aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA at the time and it was a way to help me both deepen my knowledge and explore a topic I’d been passionate about for a long time.
With this overhauled version of the blog, I’ll continue to explore the stories, ships, and people connected to the old ocean liners. But there’ll also be a new emphasis on cruise ships as well: they continue the traditions and history made famous by such ships as Queen Mary, United States, Mauretania, Caronia, and many others. I’ll be nerding out a lot, and I really hope that you enjoy this blog.
Zach Whitlow
Writer, Ship Geek, and Avid Cruiser