Free Republic

By Kate Wiltrout The Virginian-Pilot September 18, 2008 By Kate Wiltrout The Virginian-Pilot Carl Brashear was a man with unwavering determination to serve as a Navy diver - and to return to the water even after losing a leg. Thursday in San Diego, the Navy's top officials gathered to honor Brashear at the christening and launch of a supply ship bearing his name. Also in the crowd was Senior Chief Petty Officer John Allen, a diver from Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base. Several years ago, he spent just a few minutes with Brashear, but it made a big impression. Brashear...

Ship sponsored in part by Carter Center to challenge Israeli blockade of Gaza Port http://www.imra.org.il/story.php3?id=39984 "Free Gaza" initiative to try and enter Gaza by sea and open port Date: 19 / 07 / 2008 Time: 14:58 www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=30657 Bethlehem - Ma'an - A small shipping vessel will set sail for Gaza from Cyprus on 5 August expecting to be illegally detained as it enters Gazan waters. The waters off the Gaza Strip are patrolled by Israeli naval vessels, and Israel enforces a "Fishing Limit" that is 6 nautical miles (11.1 km) from the Gaza shore. These restrictions on access and borders...

We Swedes wish to honor: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Cole_bombing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Darrell_S._Cole True Swedes - like I - love America. Yes, we are Europeans and you are Americans. Often, we insult each other, by employing various methods. Yet, you are our sisters'N'brothers and nothing will ever change tHAT. I would give my life up for America. The US is a nation which believes in true freedom. This idea will conquer the world.

Shipwreck Yields World's Oldest Salad Dressing Jennifer Viegas, Discovery News June 20, 2008 -- Olive oil infused with fragrant herbs has been identified in an ancient Greek ceramic transport jar known as an amphora, along with another container of what could be the world's oldest retsina-type wine, according to a recent Journal of Archaeological Science paper. It is the first time DNA has been extracted from shipwrecked artifacts -- the two large jars were recovered from a 2,400-year-old wrecked vessel off the Greek island of Chios. If the second jar indeed contained a retsina-like wine, which is preserved and flavored...

PARIS (AP) - French customs officers are inspecting a North Korean ship at an Indian Ocean island off the coast of Africa as part of U.N. sanctions prompted by the communist nation's nuclear test, but they found nothing illegal so far, officials said Thursday. It was the first time a country was known to have stopped a North Korean vessel under U.N. Security Council Resolution 1718 authorizing searches as part of the sanctions imposed on Pyongyang for its nuclear test. Since the resolution was passed Oct. 14, at least four other North Korean vessels have been stopped, but the countries...

A ship bound for Syria from North Korea and detained in Cyprus on an Interpol alert for suspected arms smuggling was carrying an air defense system, Cypriot authorities said. The shipment was billed as weather-observation equipment on the freight manifest of the Panamanian-flagged Grigorio 1. The ship was carrying 18 truck-mounted mobile radar systems and three command vehicles. "The radars on the 18 trucks appear to be part of an air defense system," a police spokeswoman said.

Ship Carrying Dozen North Korean Missiles Intercepted in Arabian Sea W A S H I N G T O N, Dec. 10 — A ship carrying a dozen Scud-type missiles from North Korea was intercepted in the Arabian Sea on Tuesday, U.S. officials said. They said the missiles were believed to be headed for Yemen. The ship was stopped and boarded about 600 miles east of the Horn of Africa, the officials said. U.S. intelligence had been tracking the vessel closely, said U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. The ship contained about a dozen short- to medium-range...

U.S. intelligence has detected the departure from a North Korean port of a North Korean ship suspected of carrying military equipment banned under a U.N. sanctions resolution against Pyongyang's Oct. 9 nuclear test, CBS News reported Thursday. The United States is tracking the ship, CBS said, noting that it remains uncertain exactly what the ship is carrying and where it is headed.

MOGADISHU (AFP) — Somali regional authorities on Wednesday despatched forces to attempt to rescue a Panama-flagged cargo freighter that was hijacked by pirates over the weekend, officials said. The Dutch-owned MV Amiya Scan along with its nine-strong Russian and Filipino crew was hijacked in the Gulf of Aden on Sunday, the latest in a string of attacks off the coast of the lawless African nation. "They are holding the ship in the coastal area of Ras Binnah and (the) decision is to rescue it by force. Our forces are already on the way," said Bile Mohamed, an advisor to Puntland...

Sea Stallion steps back in historyRichard Collins on a remarkable Danish replica ship. AT three o’clock next Thursday afternoon Dubliners will be treated to an extraordinary spectacle. The Viking ship Sea Stallion, which has been on display at the National Museum in Collins Barracks, will be lifted 50 metres into the air by a giant crane. Then the huge vessel will be swung out over the three-storey museum building and deposited in the nearby Croppy’s Acre. In the middle of the night it will be moved to the River Liffey, prior to its long sea journey back to Denmark. The...

oday Aeros announced the beginning of the final assembly of the Aeros 40D Sky Dragon airship, manufacturing s/n 21. With the Aeroscraft ML866 program rapidly moving forward, the technology demonstrator Aeros 40D will play a significant role in the overall process. The program will utilize the Aeros 40D Lighter-than-Air vehicle as a flying test bed to accelerate and mitigate risks in the Aeroscraft program. Different flight experiments will be conducted to demonstrate and flight-qualify the key enabling technologies and systems such as the buoyancy managements system, low speed control system, flight management system and variety of flight critical subsystems. The...

Surveillance cameras on the Norwegian Dawn cruise ship show a Camden County woman was alone on her balcony when she fell overboard Sunday, the cruise line said last night. The Norwegian Cruise Line said in a statement that hallway cameras and cameras on the sides of the ship "confirmed that Mindy Jordan was in her stateroom alone at the time of the incident." The family of Jordan, 46, of Pine Hill, said Tuesday that it suspected foul play. The family could not be reached last night after the cruise ship's statement was released. The company did not characterize the incident,...

Zimbabwe arms ship heads home By Christopher Munnion in Johannesburg Last Updated: 2:38am BST 25/04/2008 A Chinese ship laden with weapons for Zimbabwe is heading home after being refused permission to dock in four African nations. Beijing said that the An Yue Jiang had been unable to fulfil its contract to deliver 77 tons of arms, including bullets, mortar bombs, grenades and assault rifles. Dock workers in South Africa refused to unload the ship, fearing that the weapons would be used by the Mugabe regime against opponents. The ship then spent a week stranded off the coast as Mozambique, Namibia...

Somalis storm hijacked UAE ship Forces from Somalia's Puntland region have stormed a UAE-flagged cargo ship hijacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden, local officials say. The men from the semi-autonomous region defeated the pirates after "brief fighting", the mayor of the region's Bosasso port told Reuters news agency. Seven pirates were arrested in the incident a day after the Al-Khaleej was hijacked, local officials said. Pirates also seized a Spanish fishing boat in the area at the weekend. At least three people were wounded in the incident, although the ship's crew were unhurt, local reports said. The ship...

A new U.S. Navy ship to be christened Saturday was built partly using steel from the 9/11 ruins of the World Trade Center. The company says on its Web site that the bow-stem of the ship, the seventh to be named "New York," includes 7.5 tons of steel from the World Trade Center.

Israel Navy bids for advanced ship By YAAKOV KATZ Looking to upgrade its sea-based capabilities, the Israel Navy has submitted a Request for Proposal (RFP) to the United States Navy for a new missile ship currently under development by Lockheed Martin Corp. The Defense Ministry said that the navy expects to receive a reply by April. Designed for speed, maneuverability and amphibious operations, the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) was built by Lockheed Martin, according to US Naval specifications as a "Brown Water" ship. It is intended to operate in shallow waters along coasts and in depths that face threats from...

The world's first commercial cargo ship partially powered by a giant kite is setting sail from Germany to Venezuela. The designers of the MS Beluga Skysails say the computer-controlled kite, measuring 160sq m (1,722sq ft), could cut fuel consumption by as much as 20%. They also hope the state-of-the-art kite will help reduce carbon dioxide emissions, as it tugs the ship. Fuel burnt by ships accounts for 4% of global CO2 emissions - twice as much as the aviation industry produces. See how the kite ship works The MS Beluga SkySails' maiden transatlantic voyage is from the northern port of...

Kite-powered ship sets sail for greener future Ben Martin and Tony Paterson in Berlin Last Updated: 12:01am GMT 20/01/2008 A cargo ship pulled by a giant, parachute-shaped kite will leave Germany on Tuesday on a voyage that could herald a new "green" age of commercial sailing on the high seas. The owners of the MS Beluga, a 462ft cargo vessel, will try to prove that modern steel ships can harness wind power and reduce their reliance on diesel engines. During the journey from Bremen to Venezuela, the crew will deploy a SkySail, a 160 square metre kite which will fly...

Companies are manufacturing kites the size of football fields that can be deployed with a flexible cable from the bows of huge vessels. Rising nearly 1,000 feet above sea level, they catch winds that are up to 50 percent stronger than at the surface and help pull the behemoths along. The kites are a throwback to a simpler era when ships relied solely on wind. But these days they also address the very new-age worry of climate change. Proponents say kites, which let captains throttle back their ship's diesel engines, will help slash fuel consumption by as much as 50...

Cdn frigate leaves Halifax harbour for six-month deployment in Persian Gulf HALIFAX - A Canadian warship steamed out of Halifax harbour on Thursday to resume patrols in the Persian Gulf and gain intelligence on potential terrorist activity in the volatile region. Hundreds of weeping family members lined the military dock as HMCS Charlottetown made its way out to sea to begin a six-month mission involving surveillance, boarding suspicious vessels and ensuring the safety of a waterway that's key to the international trade of oil. Commander Patrick St-Denis said the ongoing naval presence is vital in the area despite criticisms that...

Japanese ship hijacked in Africa Pirates have hijacked a Japanese ship off the East African coast - the latest in a series of similar incidents near the war-torn country of Somalia. The vessel, thought to be a tanker with a crew of Burmese, Philippine and South Korean sailors, was seized in the Gulf of Aden early on Sunday. Officials say they are trying to find out what the pirates' demands are. The area is notorious for piracy - of 16 reported hijackings worldwide this year, 11 were off the Somali coast. Lawless waters The International Maritime Bureau (IMB) said they...

FINAL VOTE RESULTS FOR ROLL CALL 982 H R 976 2/3 YEA-AND-NAY 18-Oct-2007 1:17 PM QUESTION: Passage, Objections of the President Notwithstanding BILL TITLE: Children’s Health Insurance Program Reauthorization Act ----------------Yeas Nays PRES NV Democratic 229 2 2 Republican 44 154 2 Independent --------------TOTALS 273 156 4 ---- YEAS 273 --- Abercrombie Ackerman Allen Altmire Andrews Arcuri Baca Baird Baldwin Barrow Bean Becerra Berkley Berman Berry Bishop (GA) Bishop (NY) Blumenauer Bono Boren Boswell Boucher Boyd (FL) Boyda (KS) Brady (PA) Braley (IA) Brown, Corrine Buchanan Butterfield Capito Capps Capuano Cardoza Carnahan Carney Castle Castor Chandler Clarke Clay Cleaver Clyburn...

N Korean ship 'linked to Israel's strike on Syria' By Tim Butcher in Jerusalem Last Updated: 4:52pm BST 17/09/2007 A suspicious North Korean freighter that re-flagged itself as South Korean before off-loading an unknown cargo at the Syrian port of Tartous is at the centre of efforts today to investigate Israel's recent airstrike on Syria. Israel has not given any details on the operation in Syria An Israeli on-line data analyst, Ronen Solomon, found an internet trace for the 1,700-tonne cargo ship, Al Hamed, which showed the vessel started to off-load what Syrian officials categorised as "cement" on Sept 3....

The Army is now offering a $20,000 "QS" – or “Quick Shipper” -- bonus to new and prior service recruits joining, selecting any job and shipping out for training within 30 days. "The Q.S. letters means "quick shipper," said Columbus Recruiting Battalion spokesperson Tom Foley in a news release. "And $20,000 means, well, it means a lot of seed money for new soldiers answering the Army's call to duty. The Army is growing in size

QE2 sold as $100m floating Dubai hotel By David Millward, Transport Correspondent  Last Updated: 3:54pm BST 18/06/2007      Profile: The world's most famous cruise liner Have you travelled on the QE2? Was it worth the money? Where is she now? QE2 webcamAfter nearly four decades as the world’s most celebrated ocean-going liner, the QE2 is to become a floating hotel off the coast of Dubai. The QE2 on a previous visit to Dubai in 1997. The liner will become a luxury floating hotel   The veteran of 25 world cruises and more than 800 transatlantic crossings will undertake its...

Bridge collapses after being hit by boat in S China Last Updated(Beijing Time):2007-06-15 13:59 A bridge in Foshan, south China's Guangdong Province, collapsed after being hit by a sand-laden boat, sources with the Foshan traffic police said Friday. The accident occurred around 5:10 a.m Friday when a sand-laden boat was sailing through under the bridge, which connects the Jiujiang Township in Nanhai district of Foshan to the neighboring Heshan City. The boat hit a pier of the bridge, and at least 150 meters of the bridge structure collapsed. Ten crew were on the boat, and two were injured, an official...

Viking graves to be re-openedA worker welded together the aluminium casket in which the Vikings' remains were re-buried in 1948. The Viking graves that contained the famous ships Oseberg and Gokstad will be re-opened in September, in an effort to gain new knowledge from the remains of the two women and one man buried in them.Grave robbers plundered the Viking mounds centuries ago. This photo was taken in 1904. These leather shoes were found in the Oseberg ship and probably belonged to the older of the two women buried with the ship. The burial mound containing the famed Oseberg ship...

Spain traps US ships in row over treasureBy Mike Elkin in Madrid Last Updated: 1:38am BST 07/06/2007 A Spanish court has issued a warrant for the capture and search of two American exploration ships suspected of removing sunken treasure from Spanish waters. The ships, belonging to Odyssey Marine Exploration, which is based in Florida, are docked in Gibraltar and cannot leave because Spain controls the waters surrounding the British enclave. A Spanish Culture Ministry spokeswoman said investigations by the Civil Guard, the Defence Ministry and Spanish prosecutors produced sufficient evidence to suspect that the vessels were operating illegally in the...

WASHINGTON, May 14 (Xinhua) -- A cruise ship ran aground off the coast of the U.S. state of Alaska early Monday, and over 200 passengers and crew members are being evacuated, U.S. TV networks reported. The accident took place off Alaska's eastern peninsula near Juneau, CNN quoted Coast Guard officials as saying. The Coast Guard has sent a cutter and a helicopter to the scene, and has asked all boats nearby to help evacuate the 281 passengers and crew, Fox News reported. Dozens of people have been rescued from the 110-meter-long Empress of the North, the report said. The ship,...

Chinese Vessel Suspected of “Hit-and-Run” Attempt MAY 14, 2007 07:45 Sharp criticism is arising over allegations that the crew on the Chinese container ship Jinsheng neglected the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS), after they kept sailing away after colliding with the Korean freighter Golden Rose, leaving 16 lives in need of rescue behind them. “They have irresponsibly broken agreements formed between states by disregarding the seamen crying out for help. The Korean government has to take diplomatic measures to punish this misdeed of the Chinese,” said the families of the missing sailors. Arousing Criticism- Pundits...

A YACHT has been found drifting off the north Queensland coast with computers running and even food on a table ready to eat - but no crew. Police said the men, aged 56, 63 and 69, were believed to have left Airlie Beach on Sunday for Western Australia.

Greek authorities have announced plans to sue the owners of a Greek cruise ship that sank near the island of Santorini, fearing a serious blow to the booming local tourist economy from oil pollution. "We feel it is our obligation to take legal action," said the island's Governor, Chrysanthos Roussos. "We need to ensure that the ship's owners take responsibility for the clean-up operation." The Greek-flagged Sea Diamond hit a charted reef near the tiny island port on Thursday (local time) and sank at dawn on Friday in the bay of Athinio, descending to a depth of between 90 and...

The Texas Clipper will not see the ocean floor just yet, but Texas Parks & Wildlife Department officials will celebrate the ship’s history today at the South Padre Island Convention Centre. The 473-foot vessel was scheduled to be sunk 17 miles south of the Brazos Santiago Pass today, but has been rescheduled for late April or early May said Dale Shively, TPWD’s artificial reef program coordinator. During a cleanup on the ship, a tar-like substance called polychlorinated biphenyls was discovered between the steel walls and ceilings. PCB is used as a fire retardant or insulation resistant to heat and...

NEW ORLEANS, March 10, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) (PRIMEZONE) -- Speaking to a crowd of more than 5,000, U.S. Sen. David Vitter of La., described the Northrop Grumman-built (NYSE:NOC) amphibious transport dock ship New Orleans (LPD 18) as a ship that "embodies a new culture of technological growth and economic progress not only for the Navy and Marines, but also for the city of New Orleans and Louisiana. This ship represents new processes, design work and engineering that will clearly serve the Navy, Marines and our country very well." The ship was commissioned into the U.S. Navy's Pacific Fleet here today...

Polish navy saves sailors of sinking Norwegian ship Sun 25 Feb 2007 5:21 AM ET GDYNIA, Poland, Feb 25 (Reuters) - A Polish navy helicopter on Sunday rescued eight of an 11-man crew from a Norwegian container ship sinking in the Baltic off the Polish coast. "Our helicopter has removed eight crew members from the Norwegian registered container ship Ocean Caroline going down some 62 miles (100 km) north-west of (the Polish port of) Gdynia," navy spokesman Bogdan Zajda told Reuters. "The captain and two assistants have decided to remain on board for the time being to secure the ship...

Irish river find may be first discovery of Viking ship by Andrew Bushe Fri Jan 26, 5:29 PM ETAFP/Scanpix/File Photo: A replica of a Viking ship sails off Oslo in 2006. An ancient boat discovered... " DUBLIN (AFP) - An ancient boat discovered in a riverbed north of Dublin may be the first Viking longship found in the country, Environment and Heritage Minister Dick Roche said. The wreck in the River Boyne, close to the northeastern port of Drogheda, was described by Roche as potentially an "enormously exciting discovery". The vessel, nine metres (30 feet) wide by 16 metres long,...

A ship from the 8th century discovered off Dor Beach in the Mediterranean is thought to be the only vessel from that era ever found in the region. "We do not have any other historical or archaeological evidence of the economic activity and commerce of this period at Dor," said Ya'acov Kahanov from the Leon Recanati Institute for Maritime Studies and the Department Of Maritime Civilizations at the University of Haifa. "The shipwreck will serve as a source of information about the social and economic activities in this area." The wreck [image] was found almost a decade ago but only...

LONDON, England (Reuters) -- A tug boat on Friday began towing ashore a stricken cargo ship which narrowly missed smashing into two gas platforms overnight in stormy weather off Britain's eastern coast, the Coastguard said. The vessel, the Vindo, carrying 4,200 tonnes of fertilizer, broke down on Thursday afternoon and began drifting towards several gas fields in the southern North Sea. Royal Air Force helicopters were scrambled to airlift 30 workers off one gas platform and production at three platforms was shut down as a precaution. In six meter waves and howling winds, the ship missed one platform by just...

JAKARTA, Indonesia - An ship carrying around 850 passengers sank in a storm off Central Java, an Indonesian commander said Saturday, adding that he feared many people had died. Navy Commander Col. Yan Simamora said the "Senopati" went down at around midnight Friday while en route from Sumarang on Central Java to the port of Kumai on Central Kalimantan province. Rescue workers had found only nine survivors. "So far, the rescue team, using helicopters and ships has been searching for other passengers, but limited visability and bad weather is hampering the rescue," he told El-shinta radio. "Because of the high...

Bob Gainey's daughter swept off ship December 10, 2006 HALIFAX, Nova Scotia (AP) -- The daughter of hockey Hall of Famer Bob Gainey was swept off a Nova Scotia ship during an Atlantic storm, and the U.S. Coast Guard is searching for her. Laura Gainey, a 25-year-old crew member, was washed off the back of the Caribbean-bound vessel by a large wave Friday night. Her disappearance was confirmed Sunday by the Montreal Canadiens. Bob Gainey is the team's general manager. A Coast Guard vessel searched through the night, and aircraft resumed searching at first light Sunday, Coast Guard spokeswoman Faith...

France searches N Korean vesselNorth Korean ships can be searched in territorial waters French officials in the Indian Ocean have inspected a North Korean ship under the terms of UN Security Council sanctions adopted against Pyongyang. The ship was examined on the island of Mayotte, but there were no reports it was carrying any illegal cargo. It is believed to be the first time a North Korean vessel has been inspected under Security Council Resolution 1718. The resolution imposed sanctions on North Korea after it carried out a nuclear test in October. The measures are aimed at preventing North Korea...

Persian Gulf Shipwreck Continues to Remain a Mystery By Maryam Tabeshian (Credits to Hasan Zohouri, CHN Persian service) Persian (Iranian) archeologists are determined to take the remains of the recently discovered Partho-Sassanid shipwreck and its cargo out of the waters of the Persian Gulf; however, there are many challenges and obstacles along the way. View Movie Tehran, 9 November 2006 (CHN) -- ?Death Trap!? This is what archeologists call the area 70 meters below the waters of the Persian Gulf where nearly two months ago the remains of a merchant ship belonging to either of the two superpowers of Ancient...

The lead ship of the CVN-21 class, designated CVN-78, is intended to eventually replace the USS Enterprise. Most of the recently retired aircraft carriers bore the names of famous warships [Constellation, Ranger] or battles [Saratoga, Lexington]. Some older aircraft carrier names have been applied to amphibious assault ships: Kearsarge, Bonhomme Richard, Essex, Wasp. In 2006 the Congress directed that CVN-78, a nuclear powered aircraft carrier of the Navy, shall be named the USS Gerald Ford.

Sightings - A pontoon vessel passes through Ilwaco, Wash., but those involved with the strange boat aren't talking It looked like Spiderman's own ride, a 99-foot mystery craft resembling a monstrous metallic spider riding on two pontoons. It emerged from a fog bank to dock at the Port of Ilwaco, Wash., then left the next day with the crew refusing to talk. Even as answers on who built the boat are now surfacing, the vessel remains an enigma. Pictures of the craft shoot across cyberspace while chat sites ponder just what the boat could be used for. But the inventor...

US tracking 'suspicious ship' from N Korea Oct. 20, 2006 WASHINGTON — The United States is tracking a suspicious vessel that left a North Korean port, a US official said yesterday, adding it was uncertain what it was carrying. . The CBS news network reported that US intelligence suspects that the vessel is carrying military equipment banned under an embargo imposed by the United Nations Security Council in response to North Korea's nuclear test on Oct 9. The resolution calls on North Korea to return to negotiations over its nuclear programme and imposes a range of financial, trade and military...

Viking ship found in Larvik Archaeologists found the remains of a ship from the Viking Age on Tuesday, in a burial mound on a farm outside the coastal city of Larvik.Knut Paasche, shown here with the famous Oseberg Viking ship, is among the archaeologists who found another Viking ship near Larvik on Tuesday. PHOTO: JAN TOMAS ESPEDAL The discovery was made during archaeological examinations of the Nordheim Farm, which is near the Hedrum Church in Larvik. The examinations were ordered in connection with the pending expansion of the cemetery around Hedrum Church, which is located a few hours' drive south...

GEORGETOWN - A shipwreck that could be the remains of a lost Confederate blockade runner, or possibly a vessel that predates the Civil War, was found Thursday near the entrance to Winyah Bay, researchers said. Divers from the Maritime Research Division of the S.C. Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology dove in about 13 feet of water and discovered a vessel that is about 90 feet long, with a wooden hull and a possible copper coating. The wreck could be the Sir Robert Peel, a blockade runner that was used by Confederate soldiers to get supplies to Georgetown during the Civil...

This is story that would have made the front pages in ordinary times;but,happening as it did - on the 5th anniversary of 9/11 weekend - it went unremarked. Owing to the circumstances, Hugo Chavez might have been rather unhappy-and this might account for some of his snarky remarks this week !

WASHINGTON, Sept. 13, 2006 -- A 17-year-old Los Angeles boy likes the sentiment of the old song about tying a yellow ribbon ‘round the old oak tree to remember someone who’s away from home. But Matthew Cook is taking the idea a step -- make that a mile -- further. Seventeen-year-old Matthew Cook (center) stopped at the Pentagon with his parents, David and Sharon Cook, while visiting Washington to collect signatures on a section of yellow ribbon. Cook has arranged to ship the ribbon -- which then will stretch a mile long -- to Iraq this fall as a...

SHEARWATERS: Captain said hail of creatures hit his boat for up to 30 minutes. More than 1,600 sea bird carcasses have washed onto Unalaska shores over the last two days in a mysterious die-off that scientists are scrambling to understand. Some say they may have died of hunger. Others say they're smashing into boats. Maybe it's both, some scientists said. Several hundred black, gull-like shearwaters died after flying into a crabbing boat that steamed through the early morning darkness in Unalaska Bay on Wednesday morning, said Forrest Bowers, a fisheries biologist for the state Department of Fish and Game in...