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Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs

Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs

Rich Napolitano 160 Episodes Jul 21, 2026

A maritime history podcast about shipwrecks, maritime disasters, and seafaring legends. Hear tragic stories of loss, as well as heroic tales of triumph. Host Rich Napolitano explores maritime history like you've never heard, including occasional guests such as authors, historians, mariners, divers, and archaeologists.

Episodes

The Hunting of the Bismarck
The Hunting of the Bismarck Jul 21, 2026 2722 In May 1941, the German battleship Bismarck, one of the most powerful warships ever built, sank the British battlecruiser HMS Hood in a matter of minutes at the Battle of the Denmark Strait. What followed was one of the largest hunts in naval history. After three days of desperate pursuit across the North Atlantic, a crippling torpedo strike from a lone Swordfish biplane, and a final, brutal showd
Introducing the Jordan Harbinger Show
Introducing the Jordan Harbinger Show Jul 21, 2026 122 Gain insights from some incredible guests on The Jordan Harbinger Show. I have become a regular listener again and hope you check it out too!
The Sinking and Discovery of the USCGC Tampa
The Sinking and Discovery of the USCGC Tampa Jul 14, 2026 2204 The Sinking and Discovery of the USCGC Tampa On September 26, 1918, the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Tampa vanished into the Bristol Channel after a German U-boat torpedo struck her hull, killing all 131 sailors and personnel aboard in what remains the largest single loss of American life in combat during World War I. For over a century, the ship's final resting place stayed a mystery until April 2026
Don't Give Up The Ship: The Battle of Lake Erie
Don't Give Up The Ship: The Battle of Lake Erie Jul 7, 2026 2505 In the summer of 1813, American and British forces raced to build fleets on the shores of Lake Erie, each side betting that naval control would decide the fate of the western frontier. On September 10th, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry sailed his squadron out to meet the British fleet under Robert Barclay. Early in the battle, Perry's flagship Lawrence was battered into a wreck, forcing him to row t
The Stargazer of Nantucket w/Julie Gerstenblatt
The Stargazer of Nantucket w/Julie Gerstenblatt Jun 23, 2026 2251 In this episode, Rich speaks with author Julie Gerstenblatt, author of Daughters of Nantucket, which won the New England Society Book Award for Fiction, to discuss her new historical novel, The Stargazer of Nantucket. Set in 1851, the novel follows Winifred Starbuck, an eighteen-year-old who stows away on her parents' final merchant voyage from Nantucket Island to San Francisco and across the Pac
Based on a True Story: The Terror & Franklin Expedition
Based on a True Story: The Terror & Franklin Expedition Jun 18, 2026 7682 The Terror and the Franklin Expedition Rich recently appeared as a guest on Based on a True Story Podcast with Dan Lefebvre to discuss fact versus fiction in AMC's The Terror, Season 1. This series is a sci-fi/horror adaptation of the novel by Dan Simmons called The Terror portraying the 1845 Franklin Expedition as they search for a passage through the Canadian Arctic on HMS Erebus and HMS Terror
90 Seconds to Disaster: The Herald of Free Enterprise
90 Seconds to Disaster: The Herald of Free Enterprise Jun 16, 2026 2296 The Herald of Free Enterprise: How a Routine Ferry Crossing Became One of Britain's Deadliest Peacetime Disasters | Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs On the night of March 6, 1987, the roll-on/roll-off ferry Herald of Free Enterprise left the Belgian port of Zeebrugge bound for Dover with nearly 500 passengers and crew aboard. Minutes after clearing the harbor, the ship rolled onto its side in shallow wate
The Wreck of the Mentor w/Eric Jay Dolin
The Wreck of the Mentor w/Eric Jay Dolin Jun 9, 2026 2164 The Wreck of the Whaleship Mentor (1832) | Shipwreck, Captivity & Survival in Palau | Interview with Eric Jay Dolin In May 1832, the American whaleship Mentor was battling fierce storms in the western Pacific when disaster struck. Wrecked on a remote reef in the Micronesian archipelago of Palau, eleven surviving crewmen found themselves stranded in unfamiliar territory, their supplies dwindling a
(Bonus) The Curious Case of the Glenesslin
(Bonus) The Curious Case of the Glenesslin Jun 2, 2026 1245 In 1913, the fully-rigged British vessel Glenesslin strangely sailed straight into the rocks on the coast of Oregon, despite relatively calm weather. Locals reported the captain and crew were drunk, and rumors of insurance fraud swirled. Many questions still remain about why this beautiful ship was wrecked on the rocks.All episodes and transcripts can be found at shipwrecksandseadogs.com.For ad-fr
The Doolittle Raid and Unit 731 w/Jenny Chan
The Doolittle Raid and Unit 731 w/Jenny Chan May 26, 2026 3012 In April 1942, sixteen American B-25 bombers lifted off from the deck of USS Hornet and struck the Japanese home islands in a raid that stunned the Empire of Japan. But for the Chinese people of Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces, the Doolittle Raid triggered a catastrophe. In this episode of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs, host Rich Napolitano examines the brutal Japanese military campaign that followed dur
Dr. John Rae: A Scottish Hero
Dr. John Rae: A Scottish Hero May 19, 2026 2953 Dr. John Rae was a Scottish surgeon who became one of the most remarkable Arctic explorers of the 19th century, and one of its most unjustly forgotten. Between 1846 and 1854, Rae led four major Arctic expeditions, trekking, sailing, and canoeing more than 37,000 kilometres across some of the most unforgiving terrain on Earth. His discovery of Rae Strait proved to be the final link in a navigable
Lost Franklin Expedition w/NEW UPDATES
Lost Franklin Expedition w/NEW UPDATES May 18, 2026 3269 This replay of episode 35 includes new updates! A 2026 research study has positively identified remains of four men from the Franklin Expedition using DNA analysis. Also, updates about what has been found at the wrecks of HMS Terror and HMS Erebus. The Franklin Expedition of 1845 was a British voyage led by Sir John Franklin in an attempt to navigate the Northwest Passage, a coveted sea route thr

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