Free Republic

Fox Station exclusive report on board "A Whale" that just arrived in the Gulf, the ship is capable of skimming 500k barrels of oil a day...(Video)

NEW DELHI: A Pakistan-bound cargo vessel carrying a "huge quantity" of explosives and other weapons has been detained by the authorities at a harbour in eastern India, police said on Saturday. The vessel was heading for the Pakistani port city of Karachi and was detained Friday on an intelligence tip-off at Diamond Harbour, 50 kilometres (30 miles) south of Kolkata, capital of the West Bengal state, police said. "The Indian Coast Guard and navy personnel have found a huge quantity of explosives, rocket launchers, anti-aircraft guns and some bombs in two large containers," West Bengal police director general Bhupinder Singh...

OAKLAND, Calif. – Hundreds of protesters condemning Israel's recent raid on an international flotilla bound for Gaza are picketing at the Port of Oakland, where an Israeli ship is due to arrive. The demonstrators gathered Sunday to prevent the incoming ship from being unloaded. The dock's day shift of longshoremen agreed to not cross the picket line. Meanwhile Sunday, Israel said it will immediately allow all goods into Gaza except weapons and items deemed to have a military use under its decision to ease its three-year-old blockade of the Palestinian territory. Israeli officials had decided last week to ease the...

UNITED NATIONS - North Korea's U.N. envoy said on Tuesday that any U.N. Security Council action over the sinking of a South Korean naval ship that was hostile to Pyongyang would have a military "follow-up." Seoul, which has accused North Korea of torpedoing the corvette Cheonan on March 26, killing 46 sailors, brought the dispute to the Security Council this month, asking the 15-nation body to take action to deter "further provocation."

PASCAGOULA, Miss. -- The workmanship quality of the San Diego was praised by the shipbuilder and a former Secretary of the Navy on the eve of the ship's christening at 10 a.m. today at the Northrop Grumman Shipbuilding's Pascagoula shipyard.

  The Iranian Red Crescent is planning to send two ships to Gaza this week it was announced on Monday. AFP quotes Red Crescent director for international affairs Abdolrauf Adibzadeh  as saying: "One ship will carry donations made by the people and the other will carry relief workers. The ships will be sent to Gaza by end of this week."  

Israeli forces have seized another aid-laden ship bound for Gaza. They have boarded the Irish-owned Rachel Corrie, some 55 kilometres out in the Mediterranean, a spokeswoman for the campaign group supporting the ship said. The 1,200 tonne ship with 11 passengers on board was hoping to arrive in Gaza bearing aid supplies this afternoon, but Israel vowed to prevent the ship from docking. It is unclear whether there was any violence.

HOUSTON—A federal grand jury in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas returned an indictment today charging Barry Walter Bujol, Jr., with attempting to provide material support to a designated terrorist organization and aggravated identity theft, U.S. Attorney José Angel Moreno and FBI Houston Special Agent in Charge Richard C. Powers announced today. “Protecting the American public from the threat of terrorism, both international and home-grown, is the highest priority of the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas,” said U.S. Attorney Moreno. “Proactive investigative efforts and cooperation between the...

The world has condemned Israel for attacking some, “poor, innocent aid relief workers”, while refusing to look for the real story behind this. Hamas, the terror group supported by even some of our allies in the Middle East, was shipping cargo to Palestinians, in violation of the embargo imposed by Israel. The main stream media would have you believe that a bunch of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) boarded the ship and relentlessly killed some innocent civilians. What they forgot to show you was the video below. It clearly shows IDF soldiers boarding the ship while being beaten with chairs and...

  With huge chains and honking cranes, that's how. Example: This Republic of Korea Navy's corvette—half of it, actually—floating over the sea's surface. And before you cry "PHOTOSHOP!", check out the scene from a distance.It's the Cheonan, a South Korean Pohang-class corvette that broke in two on March 26. According to an international investigation, the cause was a torpedo fired from a North Korean Yeono class miniature submarine, killing 46 crew members. A few weeks later, on April 15, the South Korean Navy recovered the stern part from the bottom of the sea using a giant floating crane. On April 24,...

Almost two months after a South Korean warship sunk mysteriously in the Yellow Sea, officials in Seoul announced an international investigation concluded a North Korean homing torpedo was to blame. The Obama administration stood firmly behind the South Koreans on Thursday, calling the attack "unacceptable." White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said North Korea's actions will only further isolate them from the international community. "We strongly condemn this act of aggression against the Republic of Korea and send our condolences to those families of the 46 sailors that lost their lives," Gibbs said. Yet the administration was cautious not provoke...

Russian sailors from the large anti-submarine ship "Marshal Shaposhnikov" on Thursday freed a Russian tanker hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, a high-ranking official from the maritime coalition forces has reported. The "Moscow University" with 23 Russian crewmembers and 86,000 tons of oil was hijacked by Somali pirates on Wednesday. The official said the crew was unharmed and the pirates had been detained, adding that the Russian Navy crew from the "Marshal Shaposhnikov" was currently on board the tanker. Other sources (in Russian) below:http://www.rian.ru/defense_safety/20100506/231151892.htmlhttp://palm.newsru.com/world/06may2010/free.html 10 pirates have been detained, some of them wounded. One pirate was killed...

South Korea Confirms That A Direct Heavy Torpedo Sank The Cheonan, But Still Won't Accuse North Korea Gus Lubin May. 1, 2010, 8:57 AM South Korea's own CSI team has figured out the exact cause of the Cheonan shipwreck, except for one key detail. Here's what they know so far, according to Chosun Ilbo: A team of scientists believes that the Navy corvette Cheonan sank after being hit by a heavy 206 kg torpedo that ran at a speed of 65 km/h.... exploded underwater 2.3 m from the ship with power equivalent to 206 kg of TNT... a series of...

South Korea Now Knows A Torpedo Sank The Cheonan, But Country Still Looking For An Excuse Not To Go To War Gus Lubin Apr. 26, 2010, 8:42 AM The Cheonan sank on March 26. A South Korean investigation found that the Cheonan warship was brought down by a "non-contact underwater explosion" caused by a mine or torpedo. The ship wreckage shows no evidence of an internal explosion, metal fatigue, or the ship striking a reef, according to Chosun Ilbo. But South Korean top brass is avoiding any mention of the rogue state next door. President Lee Myung-bak has promised to...

JOHNSTOWN, Pa. (AP) -- The Navy is naming its next amphibious ship after the late western Pennsylvania congressman John Murtha. Navy Secretary Ray Mabus made the announcement Friday at the Johnstown-Cambria County Airport. Murtha's family and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were in attendance.

The chief of the Russian General Staff said Thursday that Russia would only buy a fully-equipped Mistral-class amphibious assault ship from France. Russia is negotiating the purchase of a Mistral-class ship from France, worth 400-500 million euros (around $540-$675 million). Russia could also use French technology later to build another three such vessels in Russia in partnership with the French naval shipbuilder DCNS. "Russia's leadership and Defense Ministry have a clear position on the issue. Should a final decision be made on Mistral, we will purchase this ship only if it is fully equipped - with all control and navigation...

ATHENS, Greece - A 26-foot wave crashed into a cruise ship carrying nearly 2,000 people off the coast of France, smashing windshields and killing two people, Greek and Cypriot said Wednesday. A Greek coast guard statement says another six people suffered light injuries on board the Cypriot-owned Louis Majesty. In a statement, the cruise line said its Maltese ship was hit by "abnormal waves."

VANCOUVER -- Health officials confirmed Friday a crew member has a case of leprosy aboard a cruise ship anchored in the city's harbour that houses police and Canadian Forces personnel providing security for the 2010 Winter Olympics. Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease, is curable and is not considered highly contagious, said provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall. He said the young crew member worked in the engine room and did not have contact with police or military. The crew member, who is not a Canadian citizen, was diagnosed Thursday and has received treatment, he said. "I think he's gone...

Those splendid brainboxes at DARPA - the Pentagon's in-house bazaar of the bizarre - have outdone themselves this time. They now plan an entirely uncrewed, automated ghost frigate able to cruise the oceans of the world for months or years on end without human input. The new project is called Anti-submarine warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), and is intended to produce "an X-ship founded on the assumption that no person steps aboard at any point in its operating cycle". The uncrewed frigate would have enough range and endurance for "global, months long deployments with no underway human maintenance", being...

The commanding officer and top enlisted sailor serving on the Norfolk-based destroyer James E. Williams were relieved of command today after numerous cases of fraternization among the crew and allegations of sexual assault. Cmdr. Paul Marquis, skipper of the Williams, was assigned to administrative duty by Capt. Robert C. Barwis, the commander of Destroyer Squadron 26, according to a Navy spokesman. Master Chief Timothy Youell, who served as the command master chief on the Williams, also has been reassigned to an administrative job. The actions come in the wake of nine fraternization cases between senior and junior enlisted personnel on...