Sailing – Carrack replica NAO VICTORIA at Malta once again – September 2023
After an absence of 3 years, the 1992 built carrack replica NAO VICTORIA was seen again in the Maltese Islands, this time berthed at Mgarr Marina, Gozo since filming is taking place in the north of Malta. She was last here back to August 2020, moored at Kalkara Marina and she was used at Cirkewwa […]
Maltese Fortifications – Fort Saint Elmo at Valletta Part 1
One of the Fortifications full of never ending history around the Maltese Islands is FORT SAINT ELMO (in Maltese as FORTI SANT’ IERMU) , situated at Valletta. Building it started in 1552 and it stands on the seaward shore of the Sciberras Peninsula that divides Marsamxett Harbour from Grand Harbour, and commands the entrances to both harbours along with Fort […]
Military Nostalgia – Dark Class Gunboats at Malta
A total of 27 Dark Class Fast Attack Craft were ordered for the Royal Navy between December 1951 and January 1952 , but only 18 were completed, the remainder being cancelled in 1955. Fitted with 2 shaft Napier Deltic 16 cylinder diesels, the Dark Class were the first diesel engined fast patrol boats, the earlier […]
Broken Up – Tall Ship EARL OF PEMBROKE – 2nd December 2022
The 1945 Swedish built wooden 3 masted barque ship EARL OF PEMBROKE was towed/pushed to Kampen, Netherlands to be broken up on Friday 2nd December 2022 at Hoeben RDM Schepen. She was built in Pukavik, Sweden as ORION and used to haul timber in the Baltic Sea until 1974 when she was laid up in Thisted, Denmark She was moved to […]
Maltese Islands – Mgarr Ix-Xini at Gozo
MGARR IX-XINI, is a very picturesque bay set within a creek and a steep sided natural valley. It is close to Għajnsielem, Xewkija and Sannat on the island of Gozo. During the Order of Saint John it was apparently an occasional hiding place for the Knights galleys and was also used by the invading Turks to load captive Gozitans onto their ships […]
Navy Ships – Aviation Training Ship RFA ARGUS A 135
RFA ARGUS A 135 is a ship of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary operated by the Ministry of Defence (MOD) under the Blue Ensign. Formerly the Italian built container ship CONTENDER BEZANT ( 28 November 1980 launched by Cantieri Navali Breda S.A, Marghera Yard, Venice as Yard Nr: 293 named CONTENDER BEZANT for Contender 2 Ltd (Sea Containers Ltd, Managers) Hamilton, Bermuda. The […]
Preserved Ships – Black Pearl (1909) – Malta
Once you are passing by Ta Xbiex Yacht Marina you can’t miss a Black Wooden Schooner sitting on her hard in the corner – BLACK PEARL. She was built in Pukavik, Sweden in 1909 and is one of the last surviving wooden trading schooners. The BLACK PEARL , originally named the BLACK OPAL , has […]
German U-boat ‘real star’ of new Second World War drama. The Maltese built U Boat Replica/movie prop U 571 was loaded aboard the 2015 built NLD flag and owned general cargo ship EEMSLIFT HENDRIKA at Valletta,Malta on Saturday 21st October, 2017 Sky Germany is behind the £25m eight-part drama series and filming gets under way this […]
