Finding the unexpected in the everyday.
February 16, 1893 A Thursday morning launch of a pilot boat named the J. Henry Edmunds was held in the city of Brooklyn (now one of the five boroughs of New York City). This type of vessel operates in the vicinity of a port and is used to transport maritime pilots to ships in the... Continue Reading →
February 13, 1913 The Miah Maull Shoal Light off the coast of southern New Jersey was completed. This lighthouse is specifically located on the north side of the ship channel in Delaware Bay and southwest of the mouth of the Maurice River. The Miah Maull Shoal Light became the last offshore lighthouse to be built in... Continue Reading →
February 7, 2010 Velas Sudamerica 2010, a multi-month tour of tall ships (large, traditionally rigged sailing vessels) traveling along the coastline of Latin America, officially began with the departure of that flotilla from Rio de Janeiro. This tour was organized by the navies of Argentina and Chile to commemorate the bicentennial of when those countries... Continue Reading →
January 25, 1890 The original Deer Island Light at the north entrance of Boston Harbor first went into service. The principal keeper for this lighthouse at the time of its debut was John Farley, with Michael J. Curran serving as the assistant keeper. This structure -- known as a sparkplug lighthouse due to its shape... Continue Reading →
January 24, 1911 Charles “Charlie” Barr, a sailing skipper whose accomplishments included service as a three-time winning captain of the America’s Cup, died in Southampton, England. He was 46. “Capt. Barr had appeared to be in perfect health,” reported the New York Times in his obituary. “He was having breakfast with his family when suddenly... Continue Reading →
January 18, 2015 In the Australian state of Queensland, a ferry wharf on the northern side of the Brisbane River was inaugurated. This wharf is specifically located near the intersection of Park Road and Coronation Drive in Milton, an inner suburb of Queensland’s capital city of Brisbane. Graham Quirk, who was lord mayor of Brisbane... Continue Reading →
January 5, 1892 A notable milestone for Undine, a sternwheel-driven steamboat operating on rivers in Oregon, took place when she played a pivotal role in rescuing people who had been on board a vessel that sank in the Willamette River. (A major tributary of the Columbia River, the Willamette River is located entirely within the... Continue Reading →
January 4, 1914 The F5, one of the first submarines to be acquired and operated by the Brazilian Navy, was launched at the Fiat-San Giorgio Shipyard in northwest Italy. This vessel was part of the Foca (known more simply as F) class, the Brazilian Navy’s original group of submarines. The F5, which had been built... Continue Reading →
December 26, 1860 A lighthouse built on one of the islands of Race Rocks, which are located just off the southern point of Vancouver Island, was first illuminated. At the time of that lighthouse’s debut, Vancouver Island was a British Crown colony. This colony was merged with the Crown colony of mainland British Columbia in... Continue Reading →
December 20, 1879 A notable “first” for Japanese lighthouses took place with the installation of a fog horn – a device using highly audible signs to warn vessels of navigational hazards such as rocky coastlines in foggy weather – at Shiriyazaki Lighthouse in the Tōhoku region. This lighthouse is located on Cape Shiriyazaki, the northernmost... Continue Reading →
Transportation History 