Photo Dias dos Reis
segunda-feira, fevereiro 27, 2006
sexta-feira, fevereiro 24, 2006
quinta-feira, fevereiro 23, 2006
quarta-feira, fevereiro 22, 2006
domingo, fevereiro 19, 2006
BLOCK ISLAND, RHODE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
PHOTO BENNETT
Located just 12 miles off the coastline of Rhode Island and Narragansett Bay, Block Island was settled by the Dutch in 1614. The shoals off the island were so dangerous to passing vessels that many early settlers made lucrative livings from scavenging shipwrecks that met their doom off the island.
After many shipwrecks and an increase in swarms of vacationers, the Block Island North Light was established in 1829 on the northern tip of the island. Its southern counterpart, The Southeast Lighthouse would follow in 1875 and be established 150 feet above sea level on 10 acres of land bordering Mohegan Bluffs.
The lighthouse's gothic architecture and strong presence was designed at the time to be a showpiece for the U.S. Lighthouse Bureau. It was such a popular vacation spot that even Ulysses S. Grant, who originally signed the appropriation to build the lighthouse, made the trip!
The Southeast Block Island Lighthouse from the offset was designated a 'primary seacoast aid to navigation'. This allowed the lighthouse to be established with the most powerful fresnel lens available at the time -- a first order fresnel lens -- to aid the passing ships in the Atlantic Ocean.
The Southeast Block Island Lighthouse from the offset was designated a 'primary seacoast aid to navigation'. This allowed the lighthouse to be established with the most powerful fresnel lens available at the time -- a first order fresnel lens -- to aid the passing ships in the Atlantic Ocean.
The lighthouse was severely damaged by The Hurricane of 1938.
In 1990, the Southeast Lighthouse was deactivated by the Coast Guard and soon after the relentless erosion of the cliffs severely threatened the historic structure's actual existence. The lighthouse that was originally established 300 feet from the bluff, now stood less than 60 feet from the edge of Mohegan Bluffs.
To assure this landmark's preservation, The Block Island Southeast Lighthouse Foundation raise $2 million in funds to pay for the lighthouse to be relocated back from the threatening cliffs.
In 1993, The International Chimney Corporation was awarded the contract by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to move the lighthouse for posterity. The International Chimney Corporation also were responsible for the relocation of the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.
The complex move entailed relocating the 3 million pounds plus lighthouse over 360 feet and was completed on August 24, 1993.
The complex move entailed relocating the 3 million pounds plus lighthouse over 360 feet and was completed on August 24, 1993.
In September of 1997, Block Island's Southeast Light was designated a National Historic Landmark.
There are current plans by the Block Island Southeast Lighthouse Foundation to completely restore the keeper's quarters and light tower at a cost of close to $2 million and turn it into a bed and breakfast by 2005.
quarta-feira, fevereiro 15, 2006
terça-feira, fevereiro 14, 2006
segunda-feira, fevereiro 13, 2006
sexta-feira, fevereiro 10, 2006
quinta-feira, fevereiro 09, 2006
quarta-feira, fevereiro 08, 2006
terça-feira, fevereiro 07, 2006
segunda-feira, fevereiro 06, 2006
sábado, fevereiro 04, 2006
OLD POINT LOMA LIGHTHOUSE
The Old Point Loma Lighthouse stood watch over the entrance to San Diego Bay for 36 years.
At dusk on November 15, 1855 the light keeper climbed the winding stairs and lit the light for the first time. What seemed to be a good location 422 feet above sea level, however, had a serious flaw.
Fog and low clouds often obscured the light. On March 23, 1891 the light was extinguished and the keeper moved to a new lighthouse location closer to the water at the tip of the Point.
Today the Old Point Loma Light House still stands watch over San Diego, sentinel to a vanished past. The National Park Service has refurbished the interior to its historic 1880’s appearance -- a reminder of a bygone era.
Ranger-led talks, displays and brochures are available to explain the lighthouses interesting past.
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Photo Andrew
National Park Service
Cabrillo National Monument
sexta-feira, fevereiro 03, 2006
quinta-feira, fevereiro 02, 2006
quarta-feira, fevereiro 01, 2006
terça-feira, janeiro 31, 2006
quarta-feira, janeiro 25, 2006
terça-feira, janeiro 24, 2006
PEMAQUID POINT LIGHTHOUSE
The light at Pemaquid was originally built during the presidency of John Quicy Adams, in 1827, at a cost of $2,800. Faulty construction was blamed for the quick deterioration of the tower, which was rebuilt with double walls in 1835. The tower is only 38 ft tall, but it's placement on a rock ledge gives the light a 79 ft. focal plane. Flashing a white light every 6 seconds, Pemaquid's fourth-order fresnel is visible for 14 miles.
Head south off US 1 from Damariscotta ... it's about 16 miles to the point. The pickett fence, which is a work of art, is worth the trip alone. The lightkeeper's house is now a museum, and there is an art gallery at the park, but the best part of this trip is climbing around on the point itself, enjoying the spectacular scenery and taking the inevitable photo of the light reflected in a tidal pool.
Over the years, many ships have been impaled on the rocks of Pemaquid's point. There is one especially poignant story of a man who sailed for the new world in 1635 on the Angel Gabriel, leaving his wife behind to follow him when he had established a new home. The Angel Gabriel was smashed to pieces during an August storm. Although the man survived, his wife was afraid to follow him on such a perilous journey, and he was unable to face the journey back to England, so they never saw each other again.
Pemaquid’'s rugged point is a wonderful spot for solitary reflection as the sun, the sea, and the lighthouse beacon perform their timeless cycles.
Head south off US 1 from Damariscotta ... it's about 16 miles to the point. The pickett fence, which is a work of art, is worth the trip alone. The lightkeeper's house is now a museum, and there is an art gallery at the park, but the best part of this trip is climbing around on the point itself, enjoying the spectacular scenery and taking the inevitable photo of the light reflected in a tidal pool.
Over the years, many ships have been impaled on the rocks of Pemaquid's point. There is one especially poignant story of a man who sailed for the new world in 1635 on the Angel Gabriel, leaving his wife behind to follow him when he had established a new home. The Angel Gabriel was smashed to pieces during an August storm. Although the man survived, his wife was afraid to follow him on such a perilous journey, and he was unable to face the journey back to England, so they never saw each other again.
Pemaquid’'s rugged point is a wonderful spot for solitary reflection as the sun, the sea, and the lighthouse beacon perform their timeless cycles.
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Photo Bill
domingo, janeiro 22, 2006
sábado, janeiro 21, 2006
quinta-feira, janeiro 19, 2006
quarta-feira, janeiro 18, 2006
segunda-feira, janeiro 16, 2006
domingo, janeiro 15, 2006
sábado, janeiro 14, 2006
FARO DE SUANCES O FARO DEL TORCO DE AFUERA
Dada la peligrosidad de la bocana del Puerto de Suances se decidió en 1861 incluir este Faro en el Primer Plan de Alumbrado, y dos años después entró en funcionamiento.
Los reyes Alfonso XII y Mª Cristina visitan el faro en varias ocasiones, previa orden al torrero "...de que pinte de color verde la barandilla del balconcillo de servicio que actualmente se halla de color encarnado, haciendo muy mal efecto a la vista por ser verde la cúpula de la torre y los montantes de la misma.."
En la noche de 17 de de noviembre de 1880, el farero recogió a siete náufragos del bergantín italiano "Franceschino", hundido al sufrir una vía de agua.
En cuanto a la evolución del faro, se pasa de la lámpara de aceite a la de mecha, se sustituye la linterna y el alcance pasa a ser de 16 millas.
El 5 de septiembre de 1929 se enciende la primera bombilla eléctrica y en el libro de consumo se recoge el precio del Kilovatio/hora: 0,50 ptas.
La última mejora vino a finales de la década de los ochenta en que se cambió la linterna por otra de 2,25 metros de diámetro y un sistema giratorio de paneles y lámparas de haz sellado para seguir manteniendo la misma característica.
Está situado en el mismo lugar donde estuvo la batería de San Martín, que defendía Suances de incursiones enemigas.
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Faros de Cantabria
sexta-feira, janeiro 13, 2006
quinta-feira, janeiro 12, 2006
terça-feira, janeiro 10, 2006
segunda-feira, janeiro 09, 2006
STAR OF INDIA
The Star of India is the world's oldest seafairing ship. Built in 1863 at Ramsey Shipyard in the Isle of Man, it was an experimental design utilizing iron instead of wood. Launched as Euterpe, a full-rigged ship named after the Greek goddess of music, the ship's initial voyages involved some rough sailing. Her first trip included a collision and mutiny.
She came face to face with a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal on her second journey. Her topmasts cut away, she barely made port. Following that, the first captain died on board and was buried at sea.
The waters finally quieted and it was smooth sailing during numerous uneventful voyages and several "change of owner" transactions. She served as a cargo ship to India, a passenger vessel hauling emigrants to New Zealand and a commercial salmon fishing and packing facility.
Her name was changed to Star of India in 1906 and after 60 years of solid performance in 1923, she was towed to the San Diego bay. Saved from the ax or torch by concerned historians, she sat in port for over 50 years until funding helped renovate the tired old lady which was once a star. In 1976, the fully restored Star of India put to sea for the first time in fifty years, under the command of Captain Carl Bowman. She sailed beautifully that day, to the applause of half a million fans, ashore and afloat. Since then, the Star of India has sailed on numerous special occasions.
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Photo Andrew
domingo, janeiro 08, 2006
sábado, janeiro 07, 2006
quinta-feira, janeiro 05, 2006
segunda-feira, dezembro 26, 2005
JOHN PAUL JONES, A FOUDER OF THE U.S. NAVY
John Paul was born at Arbigland, Kirkbean, Kirkcudbright, Scotland, 6 July 1747. Apprenticed to a merchant at age 13, he went to sea in the brig Friendship to learn the art of seamanship. At 21, he received his first command, the brig John.
After several successful years as a merchant skipper in the West Indies trade, John Paul emigrated to the British colonies in North America and there added "Jones" to his name.
At the outbreak of the American Revolution, Jones was in Virginia.
He cast his lot with the rebels, and on 7 December 1775, he was commissioned first lieutenant in the Continental Navy, serving aboard Esek Hopkins' flagship Alfred.
As First Lieutenant in Alfred, he was the first to hoist the Grand Union flag on a Continental warship. On 1 November 1777, he commanded the Ranger, sailing for France.
Sailing into Quiberon Bay, France, 14 February 1778, Jones and Admiral La Motte Piquet changed gun salutes — the first time that the Stars and Stripes, the flag of the new nation, was officially recognized by a foreign government.
Early in 1779, the French King gave Jones an ancient East Indiaman Duc de Duras, which Jones refitted, repaired, and renamed Bon Homme Richard as a compliment to his patron Benjamin Franklin. Commanding four other ships and two French privateers, he sailed 14 August 1779 to raid English shipping.
On 23 September 1779, his ship engaged the HMS Serapis in the North Sea off Famborough Head, England. Richard was blasted in the initial broadside the two ships exchanged, losing much of her firepower and many of her gunners. Captain Richard Pearson, commanding Serapis, called out to Jones, asking if he surrendered.
Jones' reply: "I have not yet begun to fight!"
It was a bloody battle with the two ship literally locked in combat.
Sharpshooting Marines and seamen in Richard's tops raked Serapis with gunfire, clearing the weather decks. Jones and his crew tenaciously fought on , even though their ship was sinking beneath them. Finally, Capt.
Pearson tore down his colors and Serapis surrendered.
Bon Homme Richard sunk the next day and Jones was forced to transfer to Serapis.
After the American Revolution, Jones served as a Rear Admiral in the service of Empress Catherine of Russia, but returned to Paris in 1790. He died in Paris at the age of 45 on 18 July 1792.
He was buried in St. Louis Cemetery, which belonged to the French royal family.
Four years later, France's revolutionary government sold the property and the cemetery was forgotten.
In 1845, Col. John H. Sherburne began a campaign to return Jones' remains to the United States.
He wrote Secretary of the Navy George Bancroft and requested the body be brought home aboard a ship of the Mediterrean Squadron.
Six years later, preliminary arrangements were made, but the plans fell through when several of Jones' Scottish relatives objected.
Had they not, another problem would have arisen. Jones was in an unmarked grave and no one knew exactly where that was.
American Ambassador Horace Porter began a systematic search for it in 1899.
The burial place and Jones' body was discovered in April 1905. President Theodore Roosevelt sent four cruisers to bring it back to the U.S., and these ships were escorted up the Chesapeake
Bay by seven battleships.
On 26 January 1913, the remains of John Paul Jones were laid to rest in the crypt of the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Md. Today, a Marine honor guard stands duty whenever the crypt is open to the public.
Public visiting hours are from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Mondays through Saturdays, and from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Sundays.
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Photo A. S. Conrad
Texto Official U.S. Navy Web Site
domingo, dezembro 25, 2005
terça-feira, dezembro 20, 2005
domingo, dezembro 18, 2005
sábado, dezembro 17, 2005
quarta-feira, dezembro 14, 2005
CP VALOUR ENCALHADO NA ILHA DO FAIAL, AÇORES
O navio porta-contentores ‘CP Valour’, com bandeira das Bermudas, está encalhado desde sexta-feira na Baía da Ribeira das Cabras, na costa norte da Ilha do Faial, arquipélago dos Açores, com 21 tripulantes a bordo.
Até agora, têm falhado todas as tentativas para desencalhar o navio com cerca de 180 metros de comprimento e 18 mil toneladas de peso, que se encontra imobilizado a cerca de meia milha náutica da costa.
As operações para tentar desencalhar o navio prosseguem esta terça-feira, com os rebocadores portugueses ‘São Miguel’ e ‘São Luís’ e o grego ‘Fotiy Krylov’, um dos maiores rebocadores oceânicos do mundo.Entretanto, o Governo Regional já iniciou os trabalhos de limpeza da área afectada por uma mancha de poluição, numa operação coordenada pela secretaria regional do Ambiente.
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Photo CP Ships
Texto Correio da Manha
terça-feira, dezembro 13, 2005
SAILING SHIP "J A D R A N"
When the first Yugoslavia was formed in 1918, there was a need for a sailing ship, but the intention hadn't been realised due to lack of funds. The initiative for obtaining a sailing ship for the Navy and raising the funds for it was once again encouraged by the naval propaganda organisation "The Adriatic guard" in June of 1926. The organisation succeeded in raising a million dinars, and the rest was provided by the Navy, by taking credit and from war compensation. The overall sum needed was 8.407.030 dinars or 622.743 DM.
The contract for building a sailing ship was signed on September 4th 1930 with the German shipbuilding company "H. C. Silken Zon" in Hamburg. They named it "Jadran", and it first plunged into the sea on June 25th 1931. Meanwhile there was a dispute with the shipbuilding company because of the devaluation of the German mark in the market and the payment of war compensation, so that the "Jadran" had not been completed until June 27th 1933, when it first set sail for its homeland. It sailed into Tivat, today's home port of the "Jadran", on July 16th 1933 at 10 a.m. where it was given a formal reception and greeted by a crowd of people.
As early as the next year the sailing ship "Jadran" started going on cruising. Prior to World War II there were seven journeys outside the Adriatic, and only five in post-war period, because the main sailing ship at the time was famous "Galeb". The place that was unjustifiably taken away from sailing ship "Jadran" was bestowed upon again in 1997, when it cruised to Greece.
The most interesting and the longest journey of the "Jadran" (11.262 NM) was to North America, New York and Boston. Upon the invitation of our emigrants, the sailing ship set sail from Dubrovnik on April 20th 1938, to sail into the NYC port on June 21st 1938 through Malta, Gibraltar, Madeira and the Bermudas. It remained in New York for 16 days and was visited by thousands of our emigrants, and the branch office of "The Adriatic guard" from New York gave them the war flag. It is interesting that the crew visited our famous scientist Nikola Tesla on the occasion and gave him the carving of the ship. After this the ship stayed for five days in Boston before it set sail for fatherland.
During World War II the sailing ship "Jadran" was used by the Italian Navy also as a sailing boat, but under the name of "Marco Polo". The agony of the ship started from the moment when Italy surrendered. Totally neglected, bared and plundered, it saw the end of war anchored in one of the Venice canals serving as a bridge. After it had been returned to Yugoslavia in 1946 and overhauled in the "Sava Kovacevic" Maintenance Bureau in Tivat, the experts from the Bureau finished reconstructing the ship to its original form by the middle of 1949. From then onwards, the ship "Jadran" has been maintained and overhauled on regular basis and that's why it belongs to one of the most beautiful types of "barkantine" sailing ships.
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Photo Alek Sandar
segunda-feira, dezembro 12, 2005
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