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Jan 16, 2025 | 
bairdmaritime.com | Neil Baird
Rescuers scour the waters of Myanmar's Yangon River for any sign of passengers who went missing after a ferry capsized in the area on July 10, 2024. At least five of the ferry's passengers perished in the tragedy while another three have gone missing. Thanks entirely to a massive increase in ferry fatalities in several African states, the number of known deaths arising from ferry accidents increased by 55 per cent from 2023 to 2024.
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Dec 7, 2024 | 
bairdmaritime.com | Neil Baird
Only a late nineteenth century captain in the Royal Navy could boast a name as peculiar as Popham’s. As this delightful and very well-researched book tells us, only such times could provide the practically endless adventures that Popham experienced. While officially a naval officer, the unscrupulous but very well politically-connected Popham had strong piratical tendencies. He certainly experienced large parts of the world for his time.
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Oct 21, 2024 | 
bairdmaritime.com | Neil Baird
This is an excellent book but one with a rather inappropriate title. The word “destroyers” would have been sufficient on its own. Other than that, though, the book’s content is very largely first rate presenting an impressive research effort combined with a brilliant collection of illustrations. It follows the development of torpedoes and the vessels used to carry and launch them for the 150 years from the 1870s to the 2020s. The author has carried out that task impressively comprehensively.
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Sep 12, 2024 | 
bairdmaritime.com | Mat McLachlan |Neil Baird
Your reviewer’s first reaction to this book was, “Oh no, not another dreary rehash of the Dardanelles debacle.” Reading it carefully, though, I was again reminded of the perils of judging a book by its cover.
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Sep 11, 2024 | 
bairdmaritime.com | Neil Baird
Screenshot of video footage showing the crew of a patrol boat rescuing some of the passengers of the ferry Skagit after it capsized off Tanzania's Chumbe Island, July 18, 2012. Authorities later said that 144 people were killed and another 149 have gone missing as a result of the tragedy. Seven and a half years ago, I wrote here of the shameless irresponsibility and negligence of the government-owned Washington State Ferries (WSF) in the United States.
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Aug 19, 2024 | 
bairdmaritime.com | Neil Baird
This large, extensively researched, and well-written book is both informative and a pleasure to read. Australia has become more submarine conscious of late given the Collins-class construction debacle and the almost inevitably worse mess of the impending AUKUS project. Those particular factors make the book especially important and timely. Australia has a lengthy, interesting, and not always successful submarine building and operating history.
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Aug 16, 2024 | 
bairdmaritime.com | Neil Baird
TT-Line Company's Ro-Pax ferry Spirit of Tasmania IV following its second sea trials, July 23, 2024Proving yet again that governments should never own ships, the government of Australia’s tiny, mendicant island state of Tasmania has done it again. The process of purchasing two replacement Ro-Pax ferries for the vital 240-nautical-mile Bass Strait service operated by the government’s TT-Line Company has inevitably degenerated into expensive chaos and catastrophe.
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Jul 12, 2024 | 
bairdmaritime.com | Neil Baird
The Naval Institute Press has published several such "retrospectives" over the years. They offer the reader an excellent overview of the experiences and resulting lessons learnt from important battles and campaigns in which the United States Navy has taken a leading part. Indeed, one of the co-editors, Thomas Cutler, produced a similarly excellent retrospective on The Battle of Leyte Gulf at 75, a Retrospective.
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May 8, 2024 | 
bairdmaritime.com | Neil Baird
China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) recently took delivery of a floating production storage and offloading unit (FPSO) built by subsidiary Qingdao CNOOC Offshore Engineering. Named Haikui No 1 (海葵一号; “Anemone No 1”), the FPSO has a prominent a cylindrical design that has been developed to withstand super typhoon conditions and to ensure a service life of 30 years.
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May 7, 2024 | 
bairdmaritime.com | Neil Baird
Nearly 900 people were on KiwiRail Interislander’s 29-year-old ferry Kaitaki when it lost power in a storm in January 2023 whilst entering Wellington Harbour en route from Picton on the South Island. Thankfully, nobody died and in the end, the passengers remained safely on the ship rather than evacuating into lifeboats, but if you needed a red flag for a future catastrophe, this was it – and a bright red one at that.
