China’s Zhongshan Gunboat – a splendid restoration I was in Singapore in 2014 and on my way from the airport to the hotel I saw a large banner-like announcement for an exhibition entitled “The Zhongshan Warship” and its treasures. I had not previously heard of this vessel but I was very keen to learn [...]
Jean Bart – Sea Devil Incarnate The French Navy’s record through the centuries never achieved the string of memorable victories won by Britain’s Royal Navy – though one French triumph, that of the Virginia Capes in 1781, was decisive in assuring American Independence. One French naval hero was however to achieve a status in [...]
The Intercontinental Junk Keying, 1846 In a 1912 book entitled “The Sea Trader – His Friends and Enemies” I came across the engraving illustrated here. I found it wholly fascinating as it refers to the Keying, “The first junk that ever rounded the Cape of Good Hope, as she appeared off Gravesend, 28th March 1848, [...]
The Panama Crisis of 1885 The Esmeralda and Chile’s fleeting moment of naval superiority The “Panama Crisis” of 1885 is forgotten today and indeed blew over quickly at the time. It did however serve to highlight the weakness of the United States’ “Old Navy” and supported the necessity of building modern ships and creating a “New [...]
Two USS Wasps Glory and Tragedy in the War of 1812 The name Wasp is one of the oldest and most illustrious names given to ships of the United States Navy. The earliest, a schooner purchased by the Continental Navy in late 1775, was one of the first ships in American government service and [...]
The disappearance of the Reina Regente, 1895 Disappearance without trace of ships at sea still occurs in our own time but was a more common happening before the days of radio allowed transmission of distress calls. Many such losses in the past were associated with poor maintenance and poor operational procedures of merchant ships. [...]
HMS Shah vs Huascar – Duel in the Pacific, 1877 An earlier blog told of what was possibly the most ferocious single ship action fought in the age of sail – the engagement between the frigates HMS Quebec and the French Surveillante. (Click here to read it if you missed it previously). I’m now [...]
