Between 2008 and 2010, piracy off the coast of Somalia reached an all-time peak. In 2008, there were 111 attacks on vessels in the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean areas. This has led to a dramatic rise in the maritime security industry. With the international naval patrols struggling to cover such vast ocean areas, private security companies have stepped in to fill the gap, providing armed guards for vessels. The question arose of how to
We recently started a series on the most famous ships in history and kicked off with the Santa Maria. Today, we’re carrying on the series by looking at the mysterious H.L. Hunley; the first successful war submarine. H.L. Hunley was built at the time of the American Civil War during the 1860s. This war between the southern and northern states broke out due to conflict and differences between the free and slave states. The southern
In the first part of our series on the evolution of the Royal Navy, we looked at the very early days, when our coasts were threatened by foes such as the Vikings. We left off in the 16th century, with Henry VIII beginning his work on the Navy. In this, the second part of our series, we shall take a look at how Henry developed the Royal Navy and came to be known as the
Throughout history, the world has seen the technological advancement in the building of ships; from the earliest and most basic wooden vessels to the giant iron cruise ships of today. We’ve been exploring and utilising rivers and seas since the time of the ancient Egyptians, so mankind has been creating and improving vessels for at least 5000 years. In this series, we will look at some of the most famous ships of history, beginning with
The RMS Titanic may be one of the most famous vessels in the world. The story of the ill-fated ship has been told and re-told, since it sank in April 1912, and was also made infamous by the 1997 box office, hit movie, ‘Titanic’. There are some facts about the Titanic that are common knowledge, such as the fact that there were not enough lifeboats fitted to save the lives of everyone on board, but
For anyone who has any interest in the British maritime industry, the most famous institution currently in place is definitely the Royal Navy. Of course, the Royal Navy is hardly a modern concept, as it’s been in existence for hundreds of years, so in this blog, the first in an ongoing series, we’re going to take a closer look at the evolution of this proudly British maritime body. As you might expect, it usually pays
Here at Offshore Supplies, we’re very used to seeing boats and ships being put to a variety of uses. As marine suppliers online, it’s our job to equip such craft for success as they head out to sea, and we’re pretty accustomed to providing supplies for plenty of multipurpose craft. For example, we know all about boats for sports purposes… …boats for leisure purposes… …boats for military purposes… …and even boats for commerce… …but this
In the second of our ongoing series concerning various different maritime matters such as flag language, we’re going to look at another form of sea-faring communication, but this time, it’s the turn of what’s probably the most famous system of all. We are, of course, talking about Morse code. If the semaphore is a visual form of communication, then conventional Morse code brings an auditory element to the table, allowing messages to be deciphered by
As boat chandlers, the team here at Offshore Supply regularly encounter a lot of idiosyncrasies that only take place on the deck of a ship or a boat. Unless you’re involved in some form of maritime work, it’s perhaps unlikely that you’ll ever have come across many of them before, and so with that in mind, we thought we’d introduce a new series of articles to bring you more information about some of these interesting
The world of boating encompasses a great many different types of boat classes, and throughout history, a lot of impressive feats have been attempted from the deck of a boat (even if that deck is a very small deck indeed). However, few boating records have lived on in public memory for quite so long as those of Donald Campbell; his is a truly enduring legacy. Campbell and Coniston Perhaps most famous for his untimely death