BEYOND THE HORIZON

July 2025

Beyond the Horizon

July 2025

ENVIRONMENT

            My home state of Iowa has one of the fastest growing cancer rates in the nation, and now some research scientists are creating waves of unhappy corporate leaders stating that the primary cause is overuse of pesticides. As mentioned before, Iowa is the leading polluter of the Mississippi River due to excessive agricultural chemicals.

            The CEO of the American Farm Bureau immediately criticized the data and he was firmly supported my Monsanto and other Ag Chem companies. Iowa’s Governor, Kim Reynolds, who owes her election to enormous donations from Farm Bureau and Ag Chem companies, has been mute in her statements; however, this highly unpopular public servant has declined to run again.

            Four Western Iowa counties are under a “Boil Water” warning that further states that tap water should not be used in bathing, cooking, or even washing your car! A multiyear drought has profoundly impacted the region. The small rural town’s water wells are sucking muck, literally. The bacteria and pollution is several times too dangerous for human usage. The region is looking to Des Moines for help, Des Moines is looking to Washington, DC, and the Bureaucrats of the District are looking for a nod from the White House that seems to simply ignore the problem. Sounds like Florida, right?

            Scientists announced that the Dead Zone in the Gulf of Mexico would be typical in size this summer or about 6,700 square miles at the mouth of the Mississippi River. This area is inhabitable for fish and plant growth because of farm chemicals that drain from the Canadian border to Louisiana and from Appalachia to the Rocky Mountains. The chemicals foster immense growth of algae which dies, sinks, and decomposes using mammoth amounts of oxygen creating hypoxia.

            Attempts to lessen this zone and its impact on the environment runs into the monied chemical companies which donate exorbitant amounts of money into the election coffers of political figures. Little can be rectified at the city, state, or national levels. Short-sighted greed isn’t even camouflaged. 

            The Department of Agriculture’s report this week noted that Iowa has applied more fertilizer on farmland than ever before. It also noted that Iowans have planted a record amount of corn. This is not good news for the environment or for the consumers. On the other hand, we are a Capitalist nation and making money anyway we know how is our God-given mission. 

NAUTICAL QUIZ

BLUE PETER: a) syphilis, b) Blue Flag with White Square, c) a cold day.

ANCHOR’S AWEIGH: a) anchor is raised and housed, b) the anchor is off the bottom, c) time to  go.

DEVIL TO PAY: a) in debt, b) selling your soul, c) seaming below the waterline. 

DOLPHIN: a) pilings set on seabed in a circular shape and bound by wires, b) a fish, c) the mainsheet. 

DUNNAGE: a) family name of some Iowa farmers, b) personal baggage, c) poor sailor.

 FOUNDER: a) to fill with water and sink, b) a fish, c) Henry Ford.

GROG: a) ½ gill of rum and water, b) the morning after, c) A hot 1990’s band

HEAVE: a) throwing up, b) a vessel’s up and down movement, c) tossing a football to 1^st base. 

KILLICK: a) bad haircut, b) timber above the keel, c) a badge showing promotion to Able Bodied Sailor. 

MATELOT: a) ordinary sailor, b) sailors ashore, c) sailor’s children

The answers can be found in your Funk and Wagnalls. 

ALLISIONS AND COLLISIONS

            The ship disaster of the month is China’s transport carrying 3,000 ev cars that caught fire and escalated rapidly to a total loss. MORNING MIDAS was hauling these electric or hybrid cars to Mexico when flames engulfed the ship forcing  crew abandonment. The sailors were all successfully rescued but authorities allowed the ship to sink. The cause of the huge conflagration was hotly disputed but Western consensus seems to be that the Lithium-ion batteries were the culprits. A single EV automobile on fire would need approximately 10,000 gallons of water to squelch it, according to fire expert Dr. Brian Mayer.

            This is not the first fire aboard ships carrying EV cars, and this incident is raising havoc among insurers and ship owners. MORNING MIDAS went down about 300 miles from Alaska and the crew was rescued by a Good Samaritan vessel and the U.S. Coast Guard. This accident only fueled the fire (pun intended) about China’s EV cars which are filling the market in South America and Europe. Some can be purchased for about $7,000 because China is less interested in profits than in keeping people employed. Just trailing India in population, China has a behemoth unemployment quandary and is willing to use government money to alleviate this. Neither the U.S. nor Europe can compete at this level which is why the Presidential tariffs have been used. The future of EV cars, China, and state -run companies versus capitalism are topics of conversation, and will be.

Morning Midas

            The world politic changes daily and gas increased $.25 per gallon over the last 24-hours due to the Israel/Iran fighting that may have caused the collision between two tankers off the Strait of Hormoz. ADALYNN and FRONT EAGLE smashed into each other in the middle of the night causing fire aboard one of the ships. FRONT EAGLE was carrying 2 million barrels of Iraqi oil. Electronic interference  repressed GPS and electronic gear on both ships. Iran blames Israel and threatens to close the strait through which 20% of the worlds oil travels (according to CNBC). 

            Meanwhile, President Trump stated that he would never allow Iran’s nuclear development to continue, and used an important word, “we” when referencing Israel and the U.S. Iran is very dependent on Russia for support and aid; however, the war in the Ukraine is costing Russia more than it can handle. Some experts suggest that any change is possible including a regime change in Iran to a U.S. supported attack on Teheran. 

            The derelict QUEEN OF SYDNEY, a Canadian ship of the SYDNEY-CLASS ferries, burned up at dock.

            JEAN RIBAULT, an American Ro-RO, crashed into a boarding ramp. No one was injured but the ship is out of service for repairs.

            KMP MUCHLISA, an Indonesian ship of 144’ and weighing in 211 tons, isa passenger RO-RO  that capsized and sank. 42 people were rescued but one was missing and one was killed. 

            JULIE, a tug in Paraguay, died by fire. No injuries was reported. 

            ARM CUAUHTEMOC, a tall-ship, was too tall for the Brooklyn Bridge and her masts caught the underside of the structure. The masts and yards collapsed killing 1 and injuring 17. It is a Spanish training ship. 

ARM CUAUHTEMOC

            The super yacht, BAYESIAN, has been raised as an element of the investigation in the death of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur Mike Lynch and his 18-year-old daughter when the ship sank while at anchor during a storm. The salvage company TMC used the world’s largest crane to lift the catamaran from the depths of 165 feet. They used 8 lifting straps around the hull and used a specialized diamond -wire cutting  remote-controlled tool to remove the mast. HEBO LIFT 1 and HEBO LIFT 2 were positioned on each side of the wreck.  The yacht itself weighs 550 tons and carried 18,000 liters of fuel. The wreck is at Porticello, Italy but will be moved to a specially built cradle in Sicily.  The mast will be recovered later. 

I

INLAND WATERWAYS

            Officials again closed the old Blackhawk Bridge between Lansing, IA and Wisconsin when sensors indicated that the foundation had shifted slightly. A controversial bridge is being constructed parallel to the existing one after locals diligently fought the Army Corps of Engineers who wanted to replace the span further downstream.

            DOT stated, ” (Lansing Bridge is) one of the most unique historic bridges in the country. The key detail is the fact that the suspended span of the bridge is only connected at the bottom with no connection (visual or structural) to the top chord of the suspended span, making it quite unique and giving it a distinctive appearance. This historic structure has served the area since 1931, with a brief closure from 1945 to 1957 when the crossing was damaged by ice jams.” What DOT did not say was that the bridge sits in the middle of a large turn in the Mississippi and has been constantly hammered by barges since it opened. Huge concrete dolphins were built as protection; but the longtime damage had already occurred. 

BLACKHAWK BRIDGE

            Getting up and down the Upper Mississippi has always been arduous because of the multitude of islands, swift current, and meandering channel. She was travelled by canoes until the advent of the steam paddle wheelers that were basically rafts with a superstructure. Boats could ride from St. Louis to Rock Island before the huge land mass and raging rapids ended all upbound ships. Once the rapids were tamed, boats could make it to St. Paul, MN before they faced St. Anthony Falls that was too great to pass. 

            The lock and dam system built in the 1930’s was adequate for the period; however, the amount of barge traffic and the time of passage has made all 25 Upper Mississippi Locks obsolete. Lock 25 at St. Louis is being rebuilt. The 600-foot chamber is being replaced by a 1,300-foot chamber that make it possible for an entire 15 barge tow to pass at a time. 

The American Society of Civil Engineers gave their quadrennial letter grades of our national infrastructure, and we did slightly better than fours years ago. Our seaports have an adequate rating of “B” but the Inland Waterways rated only a “C” but that is better than the previous grade of “D-“.

The Executive Director of the Port of Baltimore noted that it typically handles ships of the 14,000-15,000 TEU ) twenty equivalent units)  levels but they are beginning to see ships of the 23,000 TEU size.  Daisy Kahlifa, a noted journalist, cited the decade-long decrease in exports from about 13,000,000 TEU to about 12,000,000 TEUs, and she noted that our imports have gone from about 20 million TEUs to almost 30 million TEUs. Not only does this indicate a chronic outflow of U.S. dollars, it also shows the need for greater port facilities. 

The world’s largest cargo ship 24,000 TEU

WHAT THE SHIP

            Ever since the Navy fiddled around with the malfunctions LCS ship of the Liberty-class and Independence-class, the shape and size of ships is intriguing.

INDEPENDENCE CLASS TRIMARIN

CRUISE LINER

Liberty Ship (World War II)

Thaon di Revel Italian dual bow warship

USS IOWA (BB-61)

BOAT(?) NEWS

            Remember the old WWII movies about the flying boats or PBYs used in reconnaissance and rescue that took off and landed on water? The concept hasn’t died. NAVAL PROCEEDINGS had a brief section on seaplanes in development.       

            Regent Viceroy Sea Glider flies at 180 mph about 60-feet in altitude run by 12 electric motors and able to carry 12 passengers plus 2 crew. “TAXI!!”

REGENT VICEROY SEAGLIDER

            The Sea Cheetah hits speeds of 150 mph and can carry 20 passengers using hydrogen fuel-cell ducted fans.

SEA CHEETAH

Stolen from Latitudes and Attitudes