Life for European commoners was tough early in the nineteenth century. The Holy Roman Empire had just collapsed and political entities jockeyed to fill the power void.

NUMA lost a cherished friend and contributor on January 17th when David Ellsworth Boyd passed at the age of 92. Ells, as he was known to his pals, was a legend in the diving community, having explored and written about dozens of shipwrecks over his busy lifetime.

The USS America is typical of passenger ships of the times that were converted into troop ships during WW II. They returned to their original role as passenger ships when the war ended.

The USS Enterprise was one of many U.S. Navy ships that officers and crew designated “Pride of the Fleet. Shortly after she was commissioned, the Yorktown Class American Carrier had just delivered a marine air squadron to Wake Island when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

If it takes a storm to pass a law for future safe passage, so be it. But it’s sad that lives must be lost in the process. A countdown to lives lost in a disaster at sea is the major issue here. What was the count, 160 or 190 lives lost and who were they?

Can you name the 1970s ABC television series that lasted nine seasons and is trying to make a comeback under a different format? Hint: It provided romantic nights for passengers who desired them and tropical destinations where love blooms as easily as the tropical flowers. If you guessed “Love Boat” you probably picked up the hint of “passengers” and “tropical destinations where love blooms” to solve the riddle which probably wasn’t difficult for avid fans.

The Ile de France was one of many ships, not including military ones, that became unsung heroes during WWII. Unfortunately many became victims of German U-boats or losers in battles at sea. But not this one, not the long-lasting SS Ile de France.

The battleship Maine, docked in Havana, Cuba, harbor February 1898, sank when an interior explosion sent it to the bottom. Spain was blamed but there was no sabotage. Yet it sparked a war.

In 1741, England was at war with Spain and whoever ruled the seas often won the battles.
The prizes for the winner were many, especially when England captured the gold and silver
laden Spanish galleons. This is where the Wager enters the picture: assigned to a secret
mission by the British Admiralty to hunt down and capture a galleon, loaded with treasure, that
was making many trips to Patagonia.

On February 6, 1910, the USS Nina left Norfolk, Virginia, harbor on a dark, windy night, destination: Boston, Massachusetts. Upon reaching the open ocean, eight-to-10-foot-high waves broke over her main deck, but there were no orders to turn back.