ships Archives - reddit

Switch to the light mode that's kinder on your eyes at day time.

Switch to the dark mode that's kinder on your eyes at night time.

1 Comment

TIL Radio and TV broadcast stations in the US can choose their own callsign, but must begin with “K” for West of the Mississippi River, and “W” for East of it. A relic from when US had call letters for ships operating in the Pacific vs Atlantic coasts, but the reasoning for those letters is unknown.

by whatilearned June 24, 2022, 7:13 pm

6 Points
Upvote Downvote
2 Comments

TIL while the UK’s blockade of Africa was largely successful in stopping the Atlantic Slave Trade, the United States was a long-term hold-out and refused permission for the British to search their ships for slaves. Because of this, many slavers flew fake American flags to continue the trade.

by whatilearned June 24, 2022, 2:46 pm

7 Points
Upvote Downvote
2 Comments

TIL Ghost ships, ships found abandoned with no sign of the crew, still occur even with modern methods of rescue, safety and communication. The last recorded ship to be found with no sign of life was in January 2021

by whatilearned June 24, 2022, 2:45 am

7 Points
Upvote Downvote
2 Comments

TIL that Icebreaker ships don’t really crack ice with a sharp bow, rather they break it by first riding the bow up on top of the ice, and then crushing it to pieces underneath the ship’s immense weight

by whatilearned June 21, 2022, 2:06 pm

8 Points
Upvote Downvote
TIL: Aggstein Castle, in Austria, was once used as a base for robber barons/pirates to steal cargo from ships, traveling the Danube River

by whatilearned June 19, 2022, 10:55 pm

8 Points
Upvote Downvote
1 Comment

TIL that the first piece of legislation passed by the 1st U.S. Congress was the Tariff of 1789, which levied a 50¢ per ton duty on goods imported by foreign ships. President Washington signed the act and the money was used to pay off the Revolutionary War debt.

by whatilearned June 2, 2022, 6:10 pm

12 Points
Upvote Downvote
1 Comment

TIL that all ships of the Royal Australian Navy are marked with a large red kangaroo. This tradition came about after Australian warships were frequently confused with British vessels

by whatilearned June 1, 2022, 10:40 pm

12 Points
Upvote Downvote
1 Comment

TIL: Native North American earthworms disappeared more than 10,000 years ago, when glaciers from a Pleistocene ice age wiped them out. New earthworms began entering North America as early as the 1600s, with the first European settlers. They crossed over in root balls or the dry ballast of ships.

by whatilearned May 30, 2022, 11:06 pm

12 Points
Upvote Downvote
TIL that dozens of “ghost ships” wash up on the Japanese coast every year, believed to be North Korean fishing vessels lost at sea

by whatilearned May 30, 2022, 5:31 pm

12 Points
Upvote Downvote
TIL The whale tail on cruise ships is designed to direct diesel exhaust over the stern and away from the passengers.

by whatilearned May 27, 2022, 2:05 pm

12 Points
Upvote Downvote
TIL: About the naval term – broom at the masthead. It meant that a vessel had made a clean sweep of enemy vessels. Ships literally hung a broom from the mast of a ship. Commonly used in WW2, it dates back to the 17th century.

by whatilearned May 21, 2022, 3:24 am

12 Points
Upvote Downvote
TIL The Béarn, France’s only aircraft carrier during WW2, never launched her aircraft in combat. Instead Béarn transported supplies and spent most of the war in Martinique. On the ship’s only voyage to Europe Béarn collided with the USAT J. W. McAndrew killing dozens.

by whatilearned May 15, 2022, 4:45 pm

12 Points
Upvote Downvote

Congratulations. You've reached the end of the internet.