March 02, 2006
This Friday and Saturday on History Television
U215 & Alexander Macomb
The “Alexander Macomb” started life on February 18, 1942, as Hull number 0036 at the Bethlehem-Fairfield Shipyard in Baltimore, Maryland. Six weeks later she slipped down the ways. She completed her sea trials on June 2nd and was named after an American General and hero of the War of 1812. Her new Captain was Carl Froisland a mariner with decades of experience plying the Atlantic. She was steamed to New York and was loaded with her war time cargo of Sherman Tanks, P-38 aircraft and other parts and supplies for the Allied war effort and then sent to Boston to muster in convoy to Halifax and on to Murmansk. On her maiden voyage across the Atlantic she had 41 crew and 25 U.S. Navy gunners on board, a compliment of 66 souls on board, just hours out of Boston she was torpedoed and sunk by a German U-Boat, 10 of her crew were lost. Like nearly 600 of her sister convoy vessels she would end the war forgotten on the bottom of the cold Atlantic Ocean.
When the Liberty ships were first put into production, it was thought that if they made it to their destination they had paid their way, making it back would be a bonus. As it turned out, they became the workhorse of the American Merchant Marine. There was a time when you could find them in every sea of the world. They carried the cargo that made allied fighting men the best supplied in the history of warfare. In great convoys they fought their way to England, Russia, Africa, and the islands of the Pacific.
The first Liberty ship commissioned took 244 days to build. Henry J. Kaiser, whose shipyards built one-third of all America's ships in World War II, cut that to 72 days in May of 1942. By August of that year, construction time was down to 46 days. The Liberty ship was 442 feet long, and it could carry 10,000 tons of cargo at eleven knots--about 12 MPH. Almost three thousand Liberty ships were built during the war. Since she was the prime cargo carrier, she was also the ship that most of the wartime merchant seamen sailed on.
Ship losses were high in the first years of the war. In 1942, sinkings were equivalent to
39% of new ship construction. By 1945, the last year of the war, the rate had dropped to 4%. Even so, the toll was high. Almost six hundred ships of the American Merchant Marine were sunk during the war years, and nearly six thousand men of the merchant fleet died while serving aboard them.
Now join the “Sea Hunters” as they dive the remains of the “Alexander Macomb” search her extraordinary cargo of planes, tanks and military equipment and tell the story of Liberty Ships, “the boats that won the war”.
Posted by victoria at 07:50 AM
August 02, 2005
Switching Gears
Hear a detailed audio report from Jim Delgado, George's Bank is proving to be as challenging as ever.
Posted by victoria at 06:52 AM
August 01, 2005
No Working Frequency
John Rosborough tries to get in touch with the Ryan Atlantic II, just like AM band signals, these travel further at night.
Posted by victoria at 03:23 PM
July 31, 2005
Ryan Atlantic II
John Rosborough takes us on board the Ryan Atlantic II to meet with the the Sae Hunters as they prepare to dive the Alexander Macomb.
Posted by victoria at 04:43 PM
July 28, 2005
Tropical Storm Franklin
Yesterday as our team departed for Shelburne, from Halifax, the Voyager of the Seas (a huge cruise ship)was diverted north because of a tropical storm in the Atlantic, sending tropically-dressed vacation-goers to Halifax instead of Bermuda.
They were trying to get out of the path of Tropical Storm Franklin. Ths image shows the National Weather Service/National Hurricane Center advisory number 28 the probability that the center of Franklin will pass within 75 statute miles of a location during the 72 hours beginning at the time indicated in the caption.
The team slept on the boat last night and are waiting for word that it is safe to proceed.
Posted by victoria at 09:58 AM
July 27, 2005
Bad Weather but not a Bad Thing
Since we had a day free, and we're in home port, John Rosborough thought you might like to see what we look like at Sea Hunters/Shipwreck Central Headquarters in Halifax. You don't need to take my word on the weather.
Posted by victoria at 01:41 PM
A Day Late and a Dollar Short
I am not sure about the dollar but we are a day late. The one the you can count on in the North Atlantic is changing weather conditions; they can go from poor to worse in the blink of an eye. After a weather update from Percy, yesterday morning, they decided to hold off and the entire team left today.
Here is the Environment Canada Weather Forecast for George's Bank issued at 10am AST:
A trough of low pressure over northwestern waters will move to lie from the Gulf of St Lawrence through the Bay of Fundy tonight then will move to lie over southeastern waters Thursday afternoon.
Light to moderate southerlies well ahead of the trough increase to moderate to strong south to southwesterlies closer to it. Light to moderate westerlies in the vicinity of the trough will increase to moderate to strong northwesterlies in its wake. Winds diminish to light to moderate northerlies further behind to trough.
Mariners are advised that small craft warnings for winds of 20 knots or more are in effect for all coastal waters except Northumberland strait northwestern half..Gulf-Magdalen northwestern Half..Chaleur-Miscou..And Anticosti western half.
Winds southwest 15 to 20 knots diminishing to light Thursday Morning. Fog banks. Occasional showers developing Thursday morning.
Visibility poor in fog and fair in showers. Little temperature change.
Outlook for Friday...Moderate easterlies shifting to strong northerlies late in the day.
This time we have a larger ROV. Let's hope the winds die down and the fog burns off for The Sea Hunters. Good Luck!
Posted by victoria at 01:16 PM
