A very special ship is celebrating a big anniversary today. The Cutty Sark is one of the most famous tall ships in the world, a tea clipper that won the admiration of so many for her speed during one of the most exciting annals in maritime history. She […]
2 August 1918 – This isn’t an average Friday afternoon. Workers down their tools and diners abandon their lunch to rush to the waterfront and see what all the fuss is about. Motorists and cyclists stop along the Hutt Road. There is a commotion in the harbour – […]
A unique New Zealand story is hitting the big screen this weekend – Caroline Fitzgerald’s film ‘The Drowning Country’ tells the amazing story of how her great-grandmother revolutionised life jacket designs in the wake of the sinking of the Titanic. Orpheus Beaumont always had a close connection with […]
Today I’ve got a seafaring saga to share with you – the story of a four-masted Yankee schooner that was photographed while visiting New Zealand in the 1920’s. There are no pirates in this tale, but there is just about everything else. There are ghost ships, tempests and […]
A year ago today I was fortunate enough to attend a dinner commemorating the centenary of the sinking of the RMS Titanic. It wasn’t just any dinner, but a complete re-enactment of the last dinner that was served to the First Class Passengers on that fateful night. So […]
As a follow-up to my earlier post on the HMAS Encounter I thought I’d share another photograph from the same collection. Last time the identity of the ship was written on the back of the image by the photographer, but this time I know a lot less about […]
The only thing more riveting than trainspotting is ship-spotting. Whenever I’m looking through albums or collections of old photos I always look out for any snaps of steamers and see if I can recognize them. If not, then I cheat and look on the back to see if […]
It is far too long since my vintage shipping menu collection had some love, so today I thought I’d share a maritime story that includes calf brains, dragons and a famous blockbuster movie. In the late 1920’s two new Dutch owned passenger liners arrived in Australia. The T.S.S. […]
Today marks 150 years since the flagship of the Royal Navy’s Australian squadron sank off the entrance to the Manukau harbour. It was a beautiful sunny day but there was a hidden danger lurking beneath the waves. At about 1:30pm the Orpheus hit a submerged sand bar. Of […]
Tempests, waterspouts, thunderstorms and hurricanes have throughout the centuries struck fear into the hearts of many a brave sailor. The image of a tall ship battling against the relentless elements will be familiar to fans of maritime historical fiction such as works by Patrick O’Brian and C.S. Forester. […]
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