World's Largest Cruise Ship

http://www.oasisoftheseas.com/index.php

http://news.aol.com/article/oasis-of-the-seas-worlds-largest-cruise/744602

Sultana's Annual Downrigging Weekend

The harbor and wharfs of Chestertown will be filled to capacity on the weekend of October 28- November 1, 2009 as ships from across the mid-Atlantic make their way up the Chester River to participate in the schooner Sultana’s ninth annual Downrigging Weekend. Established in 2001, Downrigging Weekend marks the close of the schooner Sultana’s sailing season and the beginning of Downrigging for many of the region’s tall ships and traditional sailing vessels. The weekend will afford the public opportunities to view, board and sail on the assembled fleet and to join in celebrating the maritime heritage of the region. A fleet of “Tall Ships” and historic vessels are scheduled to participate in Downrigging Weekend 2009, including the KALMAR NYCKEL, PRIDE OF BALTIMORE II, schooner VIRGINIA, , A.J. MEERWALD, LADY MARYLAND, and more!

Click on Post Title for website

USS New York

USS New York ( LPD-21 ) stops at Norfolk on the way to New York City for Commissioning Ceremonies.

http://www.ussny.org/
http://www.ussnewyork.com/
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,565141,00.html


Special features of USS NEW YORK:
Bow stem includes seven and a half tons of steel recovered from the World Trade Center's twin towers
Construction with World Trade Center steel was encouraged by Governor George Pataki of New York and Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York City
Name given by then Secretary of the Navy Gordon England
Keel was laid on August 2004
1,200 Louisiana workers stayed to keep building the ship after Hurricane Katrina hit the shipyard in August 2005
Ship was christened at Northrop Grumman's Avondale shipyard on March 1, 2008
Motto: "Strength forged through sacrifice. Never forget."

Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race - Results

The results are in ! Although the Pride of Baltimore II crossed the finish line first, a handicap advantage awarded Lady Maryland with the 1st Place honors. http://www.schoonerrace.org/results09.htm

http://www.livingclassrooms.org/Facilities/LadyMD.html

Aboard the Schooner Virginia

* added Sunday October 18. My photos of this event are being posted on my Flickr Photostream

Thursday, October 15, 2009
The Great Chesapeake Bay Race is ON !

Aboard the Schooner Virginia
Photographer Steve Earley and reporter Aaron Applegate join the crew of the 122-foot schooner Virginia for The Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race, a 120-mile contest from Baltimore to Hampton Roads. Read their blog for continuous updates. Find a map here.

http://hamptonroads.com/blogs/aboard-schooner-virginia

http://www.schoonervirginia.org/

http://www.schoonerrace.org/

Pirates Beware !

080730-N-0000X-001 MARINETTE, Wis. (July 30, 2008) The first U.S. Navy Littoral Combat Ship, Freedom (LCS 1), the inaugural ship in an entirely new class of U.S. Navy surface warships , is seen underway during day two of Builders Trials. The ship is designed for littoral, or close-to-shore, operations and to provide access and dominance in coastal-water areas. (Photo provided courtesy Lockheed Martin /Released)

USS Freedom To Deploy Early

The Navy announced today the decision to deploy the USS Freedom (LCS 1) in early 2010 to the Southern Command and Pacific Command areas ahead of her originally scheduled 2012 maiden deployment. According to Navy leaders, Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) are needed now to close urgent warfighting gaps.

"Deploying LCS now is a big step forward in getting this ship where it needs to be – operating in the increasingly important littoral regions," said Adm. Gary Roughead, chief of naval operations. "We must deliver this critical capability to the warfighter now."

The USS Freedom will have an immediate impact on fleet readiness and global reach as an asset with unique combat capabilities and the ability to meet littoral tasking not previously seen in the modern cruiser or destroyer fleet.

USS Freedom (LCS-1), the lead ship of the Freedom class of Littoral combat ships (LCS), is the third vessel of the United States Navy to be so named. She was officially accepted by the Supervisor of Shipbuilding Gulf Coast on behalf of the US Navy from the Lockheed Martin/Marinette Marine/Gibbs and Cox team in Marinette, WI on 18 September 2008.
She is designed for a variety of missions in shallow waters, capable against submarines and ships, as well as minesweeping and humanitarian relief. The ship is a semi-planing monohull design capable of over 45 knots (83 km/h; 52 mph).
Commissioned in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on 8 November 2008, USS Freedom is home-ported in San Diego, California.

On the Web: http://www.defenselink.mil/releases/release.aspx?releaseid=13046

Media contact: +1 (703) 697-5131/697-5132

http://www.freedom.navy.mil/default.aspx
http://www.navy.mil/view_gallery.asp?category_id=122
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Freedom_(LCS-1)

http://www.military.com/news/article/navy-news/navy-accepts-future-uss-independence.html?ESRC=navy.nl

Mullen Praises 'Powerful Legacy' During Ship Commissioning

At A Glance
Class: BURKE Flight IIa As Built.
Displacement: 8373 Tons (Full)
Dimensions: 509' 5" (oa) x 66' 11" x 20' (Max)
Armament: 1x5"/62 RF, Evolved Sea Sparrow Missile, 90 VLS Cells, 2 SH-60B helicopters, 8 Harpoon Missiles, 6 x 12.75" TT
Machinery: 100,000 SHP; 4 GE LM-2500 Gas Turbines, 2 screws
Speed: 30+ Knots, Range 4400 NM@ 20 Knots
Crew: 370

http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=56190

http://www.meyer.navy.mil/default.aspx

http://www.ussmeyer.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne_E._Meyer

2009 Schooner Days in Portsmouth VA Events

Click on the header for a schedule of the many activities for Saturday and Sunday.

Website: http://www.schoonerdays.com/

More info in my other blog: http://oldetownephotos.blogspot.com/

Schooner Days is a celebration of the world’s largest gathering of schooners along the waterfront of Olde Towne Portsmouth, Virginia. It's held in conjunction with the 20th Annual Great Chesapeake Bay Schooner Race from Baltimore to Portsmouth.

This two-day celebration offers numerous maritime-relatedactivities, many are free to the general public. Music is scheduled along the waterfront along with military re-enactors and pirates.

The Portsmouth waterfront from North Landing to beyond the High Street Landing they'll be over 50 schooners from around the world. You'll be able to go onboard a few vessels to see what living and working aboard a schooner is about.

Schooner Days promotes Portsmouth’s rich maritime history and brings awareness for the need to preserve and improve the natural resources of the Chesapeake Bay.