A search for Gus Grissom's Mercury capsule Liberty Bell 7, which sank accidentally following a 1961 suborbital flight, was partially successful in May. The Discovery Channel sponsored the expedition that found the capsule in 15,600 feet of water 350 miles east of the Florida coast, but an attempt to recover the nine-foot capsule failed when a deep-towed sonar unit broke loose and sank. Liberty Bell 7 sank suddenly in July 1961 when the hatch unexpectedly blew off during recovery operations. Grissom barely escaped alive before it flooded and sank. A team of ocean engineers and salvage experts with Oceaneering International…

Like Bill Gates' mansion and Donald Trump's Tower, millionaire financier, Edward F. Hutton's yacht had to scream "success." To that end, in 1930, Hutton ordered the construction of an extravagant pleasure vessel as a wedding gift for his equally well-heeled wife, Marjorie Merriweather Post (of Post Grape Nuts fame). The 316-foot, four-masted barque initially slipped down the ways at the famous Krupp Germania Werft shipyard at Keil, Germany, on April 25, 1931, bearing the name Hussar. Krupp was instructed to install every cutting-edge convenience 1930's technology could offer. This included four auxiliary 800-hp diesel engines feeding power through an electric…

John Rousmaniere, author of "The Annapolis Book of Seamanship" and "Fastnet, Force 10," launched his East Coast book tour this week. His compelling new book looks at the ominous power of the sea through the eyes of those that have been there and suffered the wrath of its storms. July 9: Bristol, R.I., Herreshoff Marine Museum, 7 p.m. (401-253-5000) New Jersey July 11: Toms River, N.J., Ocean County Public Library, 6 p.m. (732-349-6200) July 12: Bay Head, N.J., Bay Head Bookshop, 3 p.m. (732-892-1235) July 12: Bay Head, N.J., Bay Head Yacht Club, 6 p.m. (members and guests) Maine July…

A group of citizens will protest sale of Governors Island to the highest bidder for fear of improper development.    Image Credit: Robert Cameron A flotilla of an estimated 1,000 vessels of all sizes will attempt to call attention to the sale of Governors Island in New York City to the highest bidder. Organized by the Governors Island Group and the Metropolitan Waterfront Alliance, Governors Island for the People! will converge at Governors Island on June 2, "celýbrating the National Monument and dramatizing the urgency of action needed to save the rest of the island." Twenty acres of the island…

An oversized display of sailing instruments is mounted on a section of mast at the headquarters of the Volvo Ocean Race in Southampton, England, which can be programmed to receive almost real-time updates from any one of the eight competing boats. Each of the boats, which were on layover in Cape Town at press time, following the end of the first leg, is equipped with B&G sailing instruments. Feedback to headquarters is refreshed every 10 minutes, providing the race operations personnel with access to round-the-clock information, like boat speed, wind force, direction and relative angle, and compass course. Each of…

Thaddeus Lowe was interested in "getting high," even in the early years of his youth. Born in 1832 Lowe had little formal education, but styled himself an "aeronaut," or balloon pilot. His theories on air currents and balloon travel led him to believe he could navigate a balloon to any geographical point by choosing the appropriate altitude where the wind would blow in the direction he desired to travel. After a number of successful ascents in a balloon of his own construction, he undertook a voyage from Cincinnati, Ohio, on April 20, 1861, to test his theories. As with most…