King's Strange Navy and Sea Tales, and Nautical Terms

Welcome to Strange Navy and Sea Tales, and Nautical terms compiled by
AZC(AW/NAC) Kimberly King, U.S. Navy - Retired

Below is a collection of strange things of the sea. And a listing of nautical terms.
Click on a link below to launch you to each eerie domain!

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LARGEST NAVY SHIP TO DISAPPEAR

    The largest ship to vanish without a trace in the history of the Navy was a collier known as the U.S.S. Cyclops.
    To this day, the ship has never been found!

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SKELETON CREW

    While cruising near the coastline off Punta Arenas, Chile, the British sailing ship Johnson sighted what appeared to be a boat with sails floating in the wind. When British signals elicited no response, the craft was approached. The crew noticed that the ship's masts and sails were covered with some kind of green moss, and that the vessel seemed abandoned by its crew.
    Upon boarding it, the skeleton of a man was discovered beneath the helm. The deck was decayed to such an extent, that it gave under the footsteps. Three more skeletons were found near a panel, ten were found in the crew's quarters, and six on the bridge.
    Upon the ravanged prow of the vessel, the words, Marlborough Glasgow, could still be discerned.
    The Marlborugh left Littleton, N.Z. in January 1890 with a cargo of wool and frozen mutton, and a crew of 23 men under Captain Hird. In April 1890 an unsuccessful search for the vessel was made. Nothing was ever found of them until 1913.

    Taken from the Wellington, New Zealand Evening Post
    November 13, 1913 and Agence Havas

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THE DERELICT

    The "Dundee Star", a scottish bark, ( a ship with 3 or more masts) was abandoned by its crew in a gale off Midway Island, and drifted completely around the world in 4 years and finally piled up in 1891 on Midway Island. This was the very spot from which she started her phantom voyage.

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OAR FISH; REAL SEA MONSTER FISH

    Click here to read a newspaper article about this huge fish which has made many people believe in "sea monsters".
    This very long, thin fish, with its strange looking head covered in protrusions and reaching lengths as long as 15 meters, could easily be taken for a sea monster.
    The first account of this "sea monster" was probably in 1771 when Danish naturalist Morton Brunnich noted a beast he found washed up on the beach in Norway. The oarfish, is so named because of its long oar-like pelvic fins. A few examples of these fish have appeared over the years were usually found dead at the surface or washed up on a beach. Little is known about them.

A STRANGE ANNAL OF THE SEA

    The sailing ship, "Eclipse", was struck by a meteor in the mid-pacific. The masts were carried away, and the vessel abandoned with the loss of 3 lives.

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FASCINATING JOHN PAUL JONES - FATHER OF THE U.S. NAVY

These are just some highlights of his interesting life...

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SHIP'S IN BOTTLES

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SHIP'S FIGURE HEADS

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THE LARGEST SAILING SHIP TO DISAPPEAR

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MAN WHO SURVIVED 3 SHIPWRECKS

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"BENITO OF THE BLOODY SWORD"

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"KEELHAULING"

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"SHOW A LEG"

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"KNOT"

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SEA MONSTERS

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NAVY SUBMARINES LOST SINCE WWII

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"HORSE LATITUDES"


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"DOG WATCH"

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"Bamboozle"

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"Long shot"

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"Slush Fund"

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"Squared away"

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"Three sheets to the wind"

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"Under the weather"

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"Wallop"

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"Devil to pay"

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Naval Superstitions

CLICK HERE to learn about Naval terms and expressions.





For comments or email contact:

flygal46@yahoo.com
Kimberly King
Chief Petty Officer
United States Navy - Retired

Updated: 12 Dec 2014


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