Steve's Marine Service Blog

The White House is developing a plan to protect American interests against an electromagnetic pulse caused by solar flares that has the potential to wipe out power around the world.

It may sound far-fetched, but it's happened before. Back in 1859 the Earth was walloped with a huge amount of solar activity known as the Carrington event. The solar activity was so high that the northern lights were spotted as far south as Cuba and Honolulu, and telegraph operators reported seeing sparks leap from their devices.

In our much more high-tech world, the impact today would be far greater, with the potential to wipe out and shut down power grids, cell phone technology, GPS devices, and even the Internet. A National Academy of Sciences report from 2008 suggested the cost of such an event could be $2.6 trillion.

According to the Associated Press, Searchers have located what is believed to be wreckage of El Faro

The AP reports that on November 1, 2015 8:30 AM,  Investigators will use a deep ocean vehicle to help confirm whether wreckage that searchers found in 15,000 feet of water east of the Bahamas is the cargo ship El Faro that vanished during Hurricane Joaquin.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board said in a statement from Washington that a remotely operated vehicle will be sent deep below the ocean surface in an operation that could begin as early as Sunday. The El Faro went missing Oct. 1 with 33 crewmembers on heaving seas.

Authorities also said late Saturday that they want to survey the wreckage and locate a voyage data recorder — or the ship's "black box" — that could yield clues as to what happened.

An NTSB statement said a specially equipped Navy vessel located wreckage Saturday afternoon in the area of the ship's last known position. It said the wreckage is "consistent with a 790-foot cargo ship, which from sonar images appears to be in an upright position and in one piece."

The 790-foot El Faro was reported missing east of the Bahamas, according to the Coast Guard.

Saturday's announcement by the NTSB, which is investigating the disappearance, came after a ship it contracted for the search from the Navy, the USNS Apache, had spent days combing those waters.

"To confirm the finding, specialists on Apache will use CURV 21, a deep ocean remotely operated vehicle to survey and confirm the identity of the wreckage. This survey could begin as early as November 1," said the statement emailed by Peter Knudson from the NTSB's public affairs office in Washington.

The El Faro's captain had called in before the vessel disappeared saying the ship had lost its engine power during its voyage from Jacksonville, Florida, to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The captain, Michael Davidson, said the ship was listing, and taking on water.

NOW THAT'S A TURKEY SHOOT!

By now we have all heard the story of the wayward government spy blimp with the sensitive equipment aboard it that somehow floated away last week. But what we haven’t heard much about is the not so sophisticated method used to take it down.

Seems some Pa. State Police got some target practice. Here’s a quick short from the AP story

MUNCY, Pa. (AP) — State police used shotguns Thursday to deflate a wayward military surveillance blimp that broke loose in Maryland and floated for hours before coming down into trees in the Pennsylvania countryside.

Curious residents trickled into a staging area as the military began gathering up some 6,000 feet of tether, the blimp's huge hull and a smaller tail piece, a process expected to take at least through Friday.

The white behemoth still had helium in its nose when it went down in a steep ravine on Wednesday afternoon, and the easiest way to drain the gas was to shoot it, U.S. Army Captain Matthew Villa said. State police troopers peppered the blimp with about 100 shots.

The slow-moving, unmanned Army surveillance blimp broke loose from its mooring at Aberdeen Proving Ground and then floated over Pennsylvania, causing thousands of electrical outages as its dangling tether took out power lines.

The 240-foot helium-filled blimp, which had two fighter jets on its tail, came down near Muncy, a small town about 80 miles north of Harrisburg, the state capital. No injuries were reported.

Very sensitive electronics onboard have been removed, Villa said. The military is considering using helicopters to ferry the wreckage from the site, he said.

Mysterious UFO dubbed 'WTF' scheduled to slam into Earth next month

Researchers have discovered some space junk hurtling toward Earth, and they aren't exactly sure what it is.

The appropriately titled WT1190F is expected to hit Earth Nov. 13 -- or "WTF" for short. It's likely a piece of debris left by man from a previous space mission, maybe even one of the Apollo missions. But since scientists don't know technically what it is, that means it's a UFO.

Important reminder: A UFO is any unidentified flying object, not just one of suspected alien or supernatural origins.

"WT1190F" isn't expected to inflict any significant damage to Earth, since much of it will probably burn up in the atmosphere. The remaining portion that does make it to Earth is expected to land in the Indian ocean near Sri Lanka, meaning we may never know exactly what the mysterious debris is.

The discovery is helping scientists track objects as they come toward Earth, which could potentially be more important if a larger projectile should fly into the planet and have a considerably larger impact

This past weeks storm really seemed to catch many by surprise. It went from a small item on a newscast to a major event.

Here's the AP story, I'm still shaking my head. A True Perfect Storm

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hurricane Patricia zoomed from tropical storm to record-beater in 30 hours flat like a jet-fueled sports car.

Why? The Pacific storm had just the right ingredients.

Plenty of warm water provided the energy for what meteorologists call explosive intensification. The air was much moister than usual, adding yet more fuel. And at the same time, upper-level crosswinds — called shear — that restrain a hurricane from strengthening were missing for much of Thursday, meteorologists said.

"I was really astounded," said MIT meteorology professor Kerry Emanuel. "It was over the juiciest part of the eastern Pacific."

El Nino's fingerprints are all over this, meteorologists agreed. And while it fits perfectly into climate scientists' theories of what a warming world will be like, they say global warming can't quite be blamed — yet.

At 10 p.m. EDT Wednesday, Patricia was a tropical storm off Mexico with 65 mph winds that forecasters expected to intensify rapidly. In fact, one forecast gave it a 97 percent chance of getting stronger fast.

But it strengthened so quickly that many were surprised, said Robert Rogers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Hurricane Research Division.

By 4 a.m. EDT Friday Patricia's winds were a record for hurricanes: 200 mph.

"Incredible. You don't see many like this," said former hurricane hunter meteorologist Jeff Masters, meteorology director of the private Weather Underground. "In fact in the Western Hemisphere, we've never seen anything like this."

In the Eastern Hemisphere, satellite estimates measured Typhoon Nancy at 215 mph in 1961 and Typhoon Violet at 205 mph also in 1961, but satellite measurements aren't as precise, Masters said. (Hurricanes, typhoons and cyclones are all the same thing with different names.)

Super Typhoon Haiyan that devastated the Philippines in 2013 was measured at 195 mph via satellite. However, most storms don't have accurate measurements because most don't get planes flown into them unless they are a threat, Emanuel said.

He's part of an experiment with the U.S. Navy, dropping measuring devices from planes into Patricia for the past three days.

Worldwide, this is the ninth Category 5 storm this year, which is tied for the second most on record, Masters said. Normal years are around five to six. A Category 5 storm has winds of 157 mph or higher.

The eastern and northern Pacific regions have had more tropical storms than usual this season; the Atlantic has had less.

That's a classic signature of the weather pattern called El Nino — with warmer waters to feed storms and favorable winds in the Pacific and unfavorable winds in the Atlantic, Masters and others said.

Patricia is being fueled by near-record warm 87-degree Pacific waters at the surface that ran warm unusually deep.

Climate science theory says that as the world warms, the most extreme storms will get even stronger and wetter. Patricia's record strength is "consistent with what we say" but there are too few examples to make a scientifically accurate connection, Emanuel said.

Patricia and Haiyan from 2013 may be "warning signs that, hey this could be the future," Masters said.

WHY WE LOVE LOVE FALL BOATING

Picturesque landscapes

We can all appreciate green trees, white sand and a bright blue sky… but there’s something really special about cruising amongst the rich orange, red and yellow trees fall is known for, too! In most places, there will be a noticeable difference in the look of your surroundings in the coming months, so that’s something to look out for. Some boaters will even take their fall excursions a step further and plan a destination trip specifically to see these beautiful autumnal changes! If you choose to do this, just be sure to check your destination’s color change “peak time,” since somewhere like Georgia may see fall leaves come in later than, say, Maine. In colder climates, this is a great time to go out and enjoy the changing landscape before winter rolls around.

More comfortable cruising

Whether you live up north or down south, you’re probably ready to say “goodbye” to at least one part of summer: high temperatures! The start of fall means the start of a gradual cool-down trend that we can all enjoy… at least for a little while! Those farther to the north can use the next month or two as a pleasant bridge into cooler, less boat friendly days; meanwhile, those who live in warmer climates can enjoy the cooler (but still bearable) temperatures to come. There’s nothing like crisp autumn air to make us excited to be outside!

Quality time

Between kids’ school days and your own work commitments, you probably have more time to boat during summer than in fall—but during the fall season, you may find that your love of boating and family time grows even more. The activities that were so easy to do in summer—weekend cleanings, spur the moment getaways, simple time spent with family—suddenly become all the more special.

Speaking of quality time… less time on the boat doesn’t have to be a negative! Use your added downtime to catch up on your favorite travel or boating magazines, brush up on key skills or get some cleaning in.

Better deals

The boating off season comes with one big bonus—better deals! During the fall months, be sure to visit boat shows and expos and take a look at what seasonal sales may be going on. You may be surprised to find that your dream boat is a bit more in reach than you previously thought!

While we traditionally think of warm fires and pumpkin picking when it comes to fall, we as boaters know there’s so much more to the season! What are your favorite parts of fall? Be sure to let us know in the comments as we prepare to make the seasonal switch!

FOUNDATIONS LAID FOR BLOCK ISLAND WIND FARM

 The seascape is changing near Block Island.

The Block Island Wind Farm is beginning to take shape three miles off the southeast coast of the island. Two of the five steel foundation components have been installed and affixed to the seabed. Foundations for the five turbine, 30-megawatt wind farm, will be sitting in about 90-feet of water. The crane being used to install the wind turbine foundations is the largest crane on the east coast with its 210-foot boom. The Block Island Wind Farm is expected to be operational by the fall of 2016.