On September 19, 1942, Liberty Ship SS Stephen Hopkins, a.k.a. “Ugly Duckling,” set out from Cape Town Harbor, Africa. The 441-foot long freighter was bound for Dutch Guiana (Surinam) at the northeast end of South America. Once in harbor, the vessel was tasked with loading…
Posts tagged as “Robert Bachand”
Captain David Reed Morehouse of the barque Dei Gratia was on deck when he first spotted the Mary Celeste; she was just at the horizon. Sailing out of New York with a load of petroleum, the Dei Gratia was bound for Gibraltar. On arrival at…
Traditionally, men were appointed lighthouse keepers. Along all of our Nation’s waterways, women were only assigned to the position following the death of their keeper husband or that of another male relative in the same position. However, if the widow remarried, on the order of…
Raising its head just above the water’s surface, the harbor seal reveals its cute smiling face, a small snout and puppy-like eyes. Resubmerging, the seal swims off gracefully, flipping its pair of hind flippers from side to side while using its fore-flippers (front) to set…
Donning scuba gear, you don’t have to descend very far below the surface of Long Island Sound to discover some of its prettiest marine animals. In less than 20 feet, you can encounter large flower-like clusters of pink-hearted hydroids, swaying slowly back and forth in…
On Sunday, June 2, 1918, a band playing “Where Do We Go from Here” marched along Atlantic City’s boardwalk, to the cheers of spectators. Then, as the band neared South Tennessee Avenue, the music came to an abrupt stop. The crowd’s attention had turned toward…
Under the golden haze of dawn, the Green Mountain Boys and other militiamen advanced very carefully toward the British-held Fort Ticonderoga, (NY). With just one enemy sentry on duty, the men under the command of Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold easily captured all 48 of…
Whether at the full light of day or under a sunset’s golden sky, gazing out at a tidal creek meandering through a salt marsh’s river of grass can be captivating. As the waters recede toward low tide, wide patches of mud flats are uncovered. They…
Approximately 40 miles north of the George Washington Bridge, the Hudson River narrows and zigzags sharply to the west and then back to the east. Projecting from the western side, Gees Point (=West Point), rises high above the river on a rocky cliff. A marsh…
Standing mid-Long Island Sound, about five miles from coastal Connecticut and New York, Stratford Shoal Light has warned sailors of the dangerous shallows extending out north and south of the beacon for nearly one and a half centuries.Sailing the Sound in 1614, Dutch explorer Adrian…