Disrupting Maritime Publishing, yet Still Blocked by Entrenched Power
Yep. Started @gCaptain 20 years ago confident we could close down incumbents that charged ship captains insane subscriptions for paper products. One, @LloydsList, was the longest running publication in print and I thought, we are young, we are California bases, we understand technology… there is absolutely no way they can continue printing that mediocre product with us competing. And we ran circles around them. They did have to shutdown their printing press. But guess what? They have rich London friends and seats in the UN @IMOHQ chamber we still are denied. And while we have blow the doors off there digital numbers since year one… they got several massive PE bailouts. We got blackballed from every marine finance firm. We still do. And Journal of Commerce which was even worse got bought out by S&P and now is part of a massive company. The worst of the bunch Fairplay was gutted for parts and became IHS, folded the data into its Maritime & Trade business, later became IHS Markit, and S&P Global bought the whole machine for $44 billion. The magazine died. The business thrived. It’s alright. Our valuation is still worth millions and we are doing great. Point is… there is a lot of momentum behind legacy business. We had the superior product and time and time again I had to take personal loans or forgo salaries to keep us afloat while the big players in London got bailouts. Huber’s comments here are spot on. Running a small business is no walk in the park. Just keeping it alive can be almost impossible. That’s why VC’s insist on massive growth. Small business is rewarding and profitable but you can’t just digitize and run circles around the boomers. They know more than you think.
Baltimore Bridge Removal Delayed 26 Months Despite Promise
This is your monthly reminder that the Baltimore Bridge @PeteButtigieg promised would be cleared ASAP still hasn’t been fully removed 26 months later. https://t.co/UGCeXhMYCT
Perceived Platform Bias: Throttled Twitter, Silent Facebook Engagement
I didn’t get any backlash on twitter… my account was completely throttled. And I my company has 100k more followers on facebook than x and we don’t get any likes or comments. Zuck still uses the woke Wikipedia blacklist to shadow ban...
Population Tripled, Yet WWII Shipbuilding Was Feasible
US Population 1941: 133 million 2026: 350 million During WW2 we built 8 battleships, 27 fleet carriers, 110 escort carriers, 400+ cruisers & destroyers, 500 escorts, 200 submarines, 5,500+ merchants DO NOT tell me we don’t have enough labor to build 3...
Early Dress Code Built Confidence for Future Success
Dad made us all wear jackets and ties to church every Sunday. Not just Christmas and Easter. Every Sunday. We were the only kids dressed up. We were always embarrassed but every man over fifty would, at one mass or another, smile...
Investors Prioritize Trendy Apps Over AI Defense Risks
Not sure why they’re shocked. Six years ago, when I was COO of an AI defense tech startup at MIT, I met with dozens of them and explained exactly this. They were warned. They were just too busy funding the next Instagram filter...
Journalist Defies Criticism, Silently Votes with Conviction
The Washington Post said I can’t be taken seriously as a journalist if I keep saying, “I voted so hard for this.” So, I won’t say it today. But I am thinking it very loudly….
Ryan Builds Real Vessels While Others Make Dinghies
While the majority of VC funded “shipbuilders” are busy manufacturing dinghies, BWA’s @rylanhamilton is building properly sized vessels. Be like Ryan.
Naval Choke Point Expertise Missing From Mainstream Podcasts
Wow. Even Dave Chappelle has woken up to the importance of naval choke points. Problem is, how many people around the world are getting their choke point news from a quality source like @gCaptain, and how many are getting it from...
Luzon Strait: America’s Next Critical Choke Point
I’m relistening to some of our new Under Secretary of the Navy @william_toti’s Unauthorized History of the Pacific War podcast Of course @mercoglianos guest appearances are my favorite but I just finished “Operation FORAGER, the American invasion of the Mariana...
Former SECNAV Blamed for LCS, Zumwalt Failures
Hold the phone. Why the F are we naming a destroyer after Obama’s Secretary of the Navy? Literally the worst @SECNAV this century. Possibly the worst ever. The man behind the epic failures LCS and Zumwalt which he tried to power on...
Silence From High-Level Sources May Signal Imminent Hormuz Crisis
To be clear: I have no information, on or off the record. But my gut says something may break soon around Hormuz. What has my attention isn’t what sources are saying. It’s which high-level sources have suddenly gone quiet. Sometimes silence is the...
Defiant Against Critics, Standing Firm for US Merchant Marine
Didn’t have getting blasted by the world’s most famous “stoic” on my bingo card. Or his 449K-view dunk on me getting under 1K likes. Or ratioing him on naval matters while Trump surges warships into the Persian Gulf to free my US Merchant...
True Stoicism Demands Real Battle, Not Influencer Talk
Ryan is correct. I'm just a retired ship captain. Nobody important outside a maritime niche. Yet this post smells like stolen valor. Let me explain… Stoicism without the battlefield, the sea & real pain is hollow. The Stoics talked constantly about battles,...
Don't Underestimate US Merchant Mariners' Unexpected Insight
I am a US Merchant Mariner. We are way smarter, and much dumber than you can possibly imagine. Don’t underestimate us.
Trillions Spent, Roads Still Terrible: A Costly Failure
Congress gave you $2 Trillion to fix our nation’s infrastructure 5+ years ago But the roads still suck. $2T is forty Iran wars if your math is righr.
Discover Better Roman Philosophy Sources Than Ryan Holiday
You do know there’s a better way to get Roman Philosophy than watching Ryan Holiday videos… right? https://t.co/E0ewkfIPWG
Calls to Ban Self‑Help Authors From Military Lectures
“Ryan Holiday has lectured at the Naval Academy over a half dozen times since 2019” @SECNAV can we just do a blanket ban on self help authors moving forward? Thanks for your consideration Hung. https://t.co/7AaNHSW41V
Self‑Help Gurus Might Be Secretly Conspiring to Mislead
What if all the “great” the self help authors are in a secret club together and you’re not invited? What if they all came together to “mastermind” how to fool you better? https://t.co/FeeabWrIeu
Posting Jesus Content Triggers Mass Unfollows—X’s Design Flaw
Each time I post about Jesus dozens of accounts unfollow me. That’s a feature of X, not a bug.
Persistent Argument Can Turn Ideas Into Policy
Here’s @RyanHoliday arguing against X, telling people to retreat into a shell & “argue less.” He briefly mentions arguing “to prove yourself right,” which I agree is a bad reason to log online. But the rest says the opposite. And he says...
Ex‑submarine Captain Blocks China’s Grab of Subic Bay
Major win for 🇺🇸 Bill is a former submarine captain turned banker and advisor. He was instrumental in preventing Subic Bay shipyard from falling into the hands of China. A patriot Razor smart Genuinely good guy. Oh yes… and he’s a devout Christian https://t.co/in7MAaR9cc
Pentagon Priorities Skewed: More Ships, Fewer Think Tanks
This is the think tank Hegseth shut down because America needs more ships and fewer Pentagon salons. James Baker may be beloved by liberal media, but he helped steer the Pentagon wrong for years. Cue the “how dare you criticize Baker who...
Bunker Fuel Term Stems From Ship Storage, Not Politics
This is fantastic @SteveHiltonx. It is absolutely insane that Gavin shut down refineries and made California dependent on Iraqi oil. BUT please do not fall into the liberal “Bunker fuel is nasty” talking point. Historically, sailors slept in bunks and kept their belongings...
Europe's Endless Meetings Stall Decisive Hormuz Action
Don’t worry Don. Europe is only 8,403 Zoom calls, 103 HR meltdowns, 3 multilateral summits, 33 think tank presentations, and 62 joint planning exercises away from bravely considering the possibility of thinking about sending a minesweeper to Hormuz. https://t.co/qMZgW6eAmU
America Unwilling to Risk Lives Over Hormuz
We can. But nobody in America cares enough about Hormuz to risk a single service member’s life.
Merchant Marine Marginalized Amid Political Appointments and Gender Policies
The motto of the US Merchant Marine is Acta Non Verba. Actions Not Words. We run the largest moving structures on Earth. Big, dirty ships that move oil, machinery, and coal. Biden personally pushed through the first female service academy cadets. Did he...
Big Battleship Cannons Finally Receive Long‑Overdue Spotlight
I’m just excited that big battleship cannons are finally getting the attention they deserve. https://t.co/uXMqt0Mwz1
Realistic Exercises Needed: Revive Louisiana Maneuvers 2026
Why aren’t we doing Louisiana Maneuvers 2026? The best way to test beach landings, river crossings and massive logistical moves is under realistic conditions.
Early Abandonment Cost WWII Navy Hundreds of Ships
“Don’t give up the ship” literally means “Don’t give up the ship”. This is one of my absolute favorite books from WW2 written by the Navy’s top salvage master. The number of warships lost because captains abandoned way too early in...
Trump’s Shipbuilding Gains Amid Exhausting Supporter Struggle
Take a deep breath. Really deep. Fill your lungs. Now exhale. Hold your breath until your lungs are reedy to explode. Then repeat. Now imagine that your lungs get 5% smaller each time you do this. Now imagine you are standing in a stadium...
Parenthood Turns Everyday Life Into Real‑Time Thriller
One thing I found recently is that I can’t watch suspense dramas anymore. Now that my kids are doing really challenging work… daily life feels like the ultimate cliffhanger. Will by son pass his instrument rating check flight? Will he join the...
Merchant Mariners Reject Navy's $240k Offer, Only Six Sign
I had to block one of my once-favorite naval officer accounts this week. The guy would not stop quote-tweeting harassing comments at me. Plenty of people think I’m too harsh on the Navy. Guess what? I’m tame compared to the anger...
102‑Year‑
The most decorated living US Merchant Mariner is probably Captain Hugh Stephens 102 years old His first trip was on a 100 ship convoy crossing the Atlantic in World War 2 As they approached the Straits of Gibraltar, the convoy broke up...
Entitlements and Debt Will Shrink Defense Spending Below 2.8%
“rising entitlement and debt service costs will soon drive the defense budget back under 2.8%” 😳
Prepared Homebirth Parenting Saves Money and Reduces Panic
My 4.0 daughter is absolutely smarter than both her parents. Homebirth. Hybrid-homeschool. Delayed vaccines. MAHA. Etc. For the worriers: you can hire a top OB nurse and a paramedic to stand by. A paranoid dad can do a lot more too: Emergency...
Half-Dosing Vitamins and OTCs: Safe Simplicity?
Quick question for MAHA… I take multivitamins, a few supplements and occasional OTC medicine like Tylenol… but always half the recommended dose. Is this a good strategy or too simplistic?
Merchant Mariners Face Real Danger in Hormuz, Deserve Respect
Prey survive by understanding predators better than predators understand themselves. That’s how you stay alive. Plenty of naval officers insist the Strait of Hormuz is safe. Yet none of the five U.S. Merchant Marine captains in the Persian Gulf are willing to...
Australia’s Defense Chief Lacks Military Experience, Sparks AUKUS Scrutiny
Making headlines down under. Link in comments. Five Eyes is an intelligence alliance, not a suicide pact. Why hasn’t @DNIGabbard ended it? Will @SECNAV Hung Cao investigate AUKUS for woke creep? https://t.co/ku35iKLK1Z
Houthi and Iranian Missile Strikes Yield Virtually No Hits
This is the popular take. I’m still waiting for proof. The Houthis fired thousands of drones and anti-ship missiles at commercial shipping in the Red Sea. They managed to sink exactly one ship. One. And that ship, the bulk carrier Tutor, floated for...
Cao Swiftly Undoes Phelan's Naval Reorg, Signaling Shift
Initial reports indicate Hung Cao is moving fast. Earlier in the Trump Administration, Phelan attempted to consolidate several naval departments, including rapid capabilities and intelligence, under the Secretary of the Navy. Which departments will be affected remains unclear, but multiple sources tell...
Presence Over Scripts: Leadership That Truly Engages
Ship captain who traveled with Pete Hegseth here. When we toured the nation’s next supercarrier together and sat down to lunch with the crew, every eye in the room tracked Pete. It wasn’t electric. It wasn’t rhetoric. It was reciprocity. Everyone from the...
Royal Navy Fails to Deploy Destroyer for Cyprus
“We could not get a single Royal Navy destroyer out the door to protect Cyprus.”
Fleet Receives First Message Within 60 Hours
First 60 hours and he already has a message out to the fleet. Not bad. https://t.co/EytjJFat7k
Questioning Finland's NATO Entry, Urging Exclusion of Hostile States
Why did we let Finland into NATO? Any nation who hates us more than Turkey should go fend for themselves.
President Demands Immediate Action on Shipbuilding Crisis
The shipbuilding crisis is absolutely 💯 urgent. What’s astonishing is how many people keep dropping the ball, slow-walking decisions, then acting shocked when the president gets angry. He is not OK with “maybe in two weeks.” I’ve never met POTUS, but multiple...
Dual IMO and USCG Rules Stifle U.S. Shipbuilding
When asked how we fix shipbuilding and the Merchant Marine, U.S. Maritime Administrator Steve Carmel points to the United Nations @IMOHQ as a primary problem. Most of the world follows one set of rules: UN IMO. U.S.-flagged ships suffer under a...
MAGA Prioritizes North America, Labels Canada NATO Freeloader
He’s not wrong. Problem is MAGA cares a lot more about protecting North America than protecting nations overseas. And the biggest NATO freeloader of all isn’t in Asia or Europe…. it’s Canada.
U.S. Reluctant to Reopen Strategic Hormuz Strait
As I’ve been saying. For better or worse, practically nobody in America is in a rush to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Definitely not the Commander in Chief.
Hung Cao Pushes for a Stronger U.S. Merchant Marine
Every other post on my today feed is about @HungCao_VA. I’m here for the excitement but note… he’s not just talking about rebuilding the Navy. He also wants a “powerful U.S. Merchant Marine” That matters a lot more than most people realize....