What the title means is something different than I had planned . . . So watch this series of screen shots . . . first at 0010 hrs today.
But then, look who picks it up, re-messages it, and it appears in their news feed!! NBC, NYDailyNews, USNews . . .!!
Tri-CityHerald comes from Washington state, and then there’s the SFChronicle . . .
. . . the ReadingEagle . . .
So when I got up this morning and read notes messaged to me and then a sampling of news from commercial outlets–as evidenced above–I’m in a tizzy.
I recognize the ship as a serious attempt at reproducing a vessel of 500 years ago and calling it Nao Santa Maria. So when I google Nao Santa Maria, I find they’ve been in town but their very own FB notice–I believe–says “first time in the US…” I’m done!!
This leads me to the vessel’s “serious” page, rather than their FB hype, and for the second time (I’ll get to that) I read this:
The “Nao Santa María” is one of the most famous ships of mankind. On October 12th of 1492, led by Christopher Columbus, it played the main role on one of the most important historic landmarks: the discovery of America, the encounter between two worlds that changed the future of universal history.
On August 3rd of 1492 it sailed off from the port of Palos de la Frontera (Huelva, Spain) together with the caravels “Pinta” and “Niña”, the so called three caravels from which this nao was the flagship. In all references written by Columbus about the Santa María in his famous diary of the expedition, he refers to it as “nao”, as did other chroniclers of the time:
“Cristopher Columbus loaded, apart from those two, a nao… and on the third, being the nao bigger than the rest, he wanted to travel himself, and hence it became the flagship”
It was acquired by the Spanish Crown to be part of Juan de la Cosa’s columbine expedition. Although De la Cosa was natural from the Spanish northern region of Cantabria and lived in the southern Puerto de Santa María, the general belief is that the vessel was built somewhere on the coast of Galicia, hence her previous name: La Gallega (The Galician) . . . .
It goes on. You can read it here. So, Nao Santa Maria (NSM) is one of the “most famous ships of mankind” by their own proclamation, and US history books would generally agree. How many ships’ names did you know in –say–fifth grade?
But I go on with my rant. On NSM’s “blog” section, and you’ll see here they say they begin their “tour along the US” here back in January 2019, and at that, they state they arrive in the US then from San juan PR . . . Is PR NOT in the US? !@#@!! And was their summer “tall ships parade” as far west as Green Bay WI not in the US? Moreover, did NSM’s participation in the 2019 event ever get shared nationwide identifying them as a pirate ship?
In the world of “fake news” and “spin” and otherwise biased reportage, this surely seems like a cautionary tale. This out-of-control story about NSM as a pirate ship reminds me of this old collecting feathers story.
I first encountered and posted about NSM in Ogdensburg NY here.
All “cut’n’paste” and sentiments are solely those of Will Van Dorp, who has previous made known my attitude toward pirates here.
If you think you’ll find a disabled pirate ship in the sixth boro tis morning, well, they’re nearly to Atlantic city by now, trying to outrun the travesty of reportage captured in google . . . or bury their loot?
10 comments
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October 29, 2019 at 10:09 am
ws!
To land based people, all ships look alike, and Columbus’ ship is a pirate ship, and Navy Surface Combatants are Battleships!
Every once in a while, the computer is wrong..
Thx!
October 29, 2019 at 10:12 am
tugster
I remember watching folks tour URGER. It’s a tugboat BUT kids would see the boat and say to their neighbors “I’m driving a pirate ship”! What is this about?
October 29, 2019 at 10:22 am
ws!
Those Little Rascals, You Really don’t have to have an eye patch, a parrot on your shoulder a wooden leg and hooks for hands to be a pirate..
October 29, 2019 at 11:29 am
Les Sonnenmark
Kids naturally think outside the box, because they haven’t been told there is a box. When he was about 3 years old, my son came aboard one of the MSRC’s Responder-class oil spill response vessels with me. He found a handwheel on one of those quick-acting watertight doors on the mess deck and was pretending to steering when the skipper walked by. He asked, “What are you doing?” My son replied, “This is the steering wheel”. The skipper said, “Oh…that’s where I put it.”
October 29, 2019 at 11:45 am
tugster
I get that about kids, Les. But for the news media nationwide to pick up this story so uncritically, that is astounding. Even if I accept the NYPD tweet was intended ironically (maybe), I can’t fathom how these national news outlets could run it without a hint of irony . . . as if Nao Santa Maria were intended as a replica pirate ship. . . It flummoxes me . . .
October 29, 2019 at 12:08 pm
ws!
Welcome to 2020! Newspapers used to have lots of fedora wearing, manual typewriter pounding, cigarette smoking, and boozed up reporters..
The computer just copies blogs, tweets, and newspapers..
Local TV news basically read the newspaper..
Today, It’s good to see Brian Nicholas taking newspapers from Pier 99 to Pratt industries in SI to be recycled…
What will happen when there are no more newspapers, We’ll be surrounded by Battle ships, Pirate ships, and Pirates!
October 29, 2019 at 1:08 pm
Lee Rust
Argh, matey…click bait!! Pirates are much more fun than the old-fashioned Admiral of the Ocean Sea, especially since Chris himself has been demoted to little more than a treasure-seeking mercenary plunderer and destroyer of indigenous peoples.
Journalism isn’t what it used to be. It takes people and time to check sources, and most news aggregating sites are either understaffed or uninterested in accuracy as long as a story generates taps, swipes or clicks.
October 29, 2019 at 1:24 pm
tugster
Thx for your input, Lee. There are now more instances of mainline media outlets picking up on that story than there were 6 hours ago
October 30, 2019 at 9:12 am
Lee Rust
It looks like bloggers are more concerned with accuracy than the mainstream news sites..
https://www.oldsaltblog.com/2019/10/replica-santa-maria-no-not-a-pirate-ship-runs-aground-in-ny-harbor/
October 30, 2019 at 11:06 am
tugster
Yes, i saw Rick’s post also. Since we command the big bucks, we take our responsibility for accuracy and truthfulness more than the mainstreamers . . . LOL