Admiralty & Maritime

So the Marie Celeste was in good shape and seaworthy, yet the crew had abandoned her in a hurry but there was no sign of a piracy raid, a mutiny or any kind of struggle nor was any severe weather reported. None of the crew or passengers were ever found, neither was the yawl. The mysterious ship was sailed to Gibraltar by the Chief Mate of the Dei Gratia, where an investigation was conducted by the Vice Admiralty Court.

The Jones Act, officially known as the Merchant Marine Act of 1920, was originally passed in order to provide protective legal rights for American Merchant Marines along with sailors and the ships' crews. Its author, Senator Wesley Jones of Washington State declared that American sailors were being neglected when it came to medical and financial assistance.

The Longshore and Harbor Workers Compensation Act, abbreviated as the LHWCA, was first passed in 1927 by the United States Congress in order to provide workers who were working in navigable waters within the United States in situations where they had no other means of compensation. The act was later amended in 1984 in order to provide all employees working in the longshores and harbors the same type of coverage.

The Constitution of the United States is a common law document. It describes a Republic designed to uphold the natural rights of the individual citizen and the law of the land. Common Law derives its origin from the first historical human rights declaration, the Magna Carta, signed by King John of England in 1215, which enshrines the fundamental freedoms of Life, Liberty and Property.

If you're after something a little different on your Cape Town holiday then why not take a trip to the nearby location of Simon's Town, which is as well famed for its ghosts as it is its ancient history. The Simon's Town Museum may house many artifacts of life in Simon's Town throughout the ages, but the building has more than enough history of its own.

Boating can be a lot of fun when navigating lakes, canals and even on open oceans. It is a great way of spending a weekend on a beach or on some waterway. A lot of people often underestimate the dangers of boats when compared to cars. This can lead to serious or even fatal boating accident injuries that are most often the result of negligence.