Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs
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
Charles Lightoller: Titanic’s Highest-Ranking Survivor w/Dustin Hyland
Charles Lightoller was the most senior officer to survive the sinking of the Titanic, and his story did not end in the North Atlantic. In this episode, we follow Titanic’s Second Officer from the bridge on the night of April 14, 1912, to the beaches of Dunkirk nearly three decades later.
Rich Napolitano speaks with author and historian Dustin D. Hyland about his book, "Unsinkable Lights: Charles
Introducing the Jordan Harbinger Show
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!
This Week in Shipwrecks #8
This week's roundup spans a war reaching the Black Sea, a fishing vessel run aground beneath a Scottish sea stack, and a 2,100-year-old shipwreck that gave up its cargo almost untouched. Host Rich Napolitano covers seven stories in sourced, fact-checked detail, from active maritime disasters to historic wrecks and the ongoing fight to save a Falklands-era frigate from the scrapyard.
Stories in th
HMAS Sydney: Australia's Worst Naval Disaster
On November 19, 1941, the Australian light cruiser HMAS Sydney met a suspicious merchant ship off the coast of Western Australia. The ship claimed to be a harmless Dutch freighter. It was actually the German raider HSK Kormoran, and within hours, Sydney was gone. All 645 crew members were lost, making it the worst naval disaster in Australian history.
This episodes describes the entire service hi
This Week in Shipwrecks #7
This Week in Shipwrecks is the weekly maritime news series of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs.
News from September 25 through October 1, 2026
Masts removed from the "bomb" ship Richard Montgomery in the Thames Estuary.
The death toll from the Virgo Transport 8 ferry disaster rises to 78
Shipwreck remains wash up on Nantucket shore after strong nor'easter.
The Batavia replica ship set for pre
El Faro: The Clock is Ticking (Replay)
In October 2015, the cargo ship El Faro sank in Hurricane Joaquin with 33 people aboard. Hear Captain Michael Davidson's emergency calls and the bridge transcripts from the ship's Voyage Data Recorder.
This episode reconstructs the final hours of the voyage from primary sources.
You'll hear the recorded emergency phone calls from Captain Michael Davidson as the ship took on water and lost propul
This Week in Shipwrecks #6
This Week in Shipwrecks: September 18–24, 2026
From a sabotage plot hidden in a 160-year-old cargo of Guinness to the long-overdue removal of the masts on Britain's most dangerous wreck, and a modern maritime disaster still unfolding in Indonesia, this week's episode spans two thousand years of shipping history and picks up right where last week left off.
Stories in this episode:
The Mindor
SS Caribou: Newfoundland's Deadliest Night
In the dark hours before dawn on October 14, 1942, the passenger ferry SS Caribou was making her regular crossing between North Sydney, Nova Scotia and Port aux Basques, Newfoundland, when a torpedo from the German U-boat U-69 struck her starboard side. She sank in under five minutes.
Aboard were civilians, military personnel, and entire families, including the ship's own captain, Benjamin Tavern
This Week in Shipwrecks #5
This Week in Shipwrecks is the weekly maritime news series of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs. This week's stories:
Rescuers race against time after the Virgo Transport 8 ferry capsizes in the Java Sea.
Cádiz port dredging turns up 27 cannons and a stash of silver.
New horrors surface from the 1629 wreck of the Batavia
Lake Michigan diver's body found
Archaelogists glean information from
Broken in Two: The SS Pendleton and SS Fort Mercer
On February 18, 1952, a violent nor'easter raged through New England and two steel tankers were torn in half within hours of each other off the coast of Cape Cod. The SS Pendleton and the SS Fort Mercer, both battered by hurricane-force winds and towering seas, cracked apart in what would become one of the most remarkable maritime rescue operations in U.S. Coast Guard history.
This episode trac
This Week in Shipwrecks #4
This Week in Shipwrecks is the weekly maritime news series of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs.
A deadly ferry fire in the Philippines
A deadly cargo ship fire in China
A car-carrier fire in China
The dismantling of a Canadian shipwreck
Update about the 1533 wreck of the Bom Jesus
A rescued teenage fisherman
Artifacts from the 1776 Battle of Valcour Island
Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs i
Into the Devil's Jaw: The Honda Point Disaster
On the foggy, moonless night of September 8, 1923, fourteen destroyers of Destroyer Squadron Eleven were running south from San Francisco to San Diego at 20 knots, a speed run meant to test the Navy's newest ships and their crews. Less than five minutes after a fatal turn to port, seven of them were wrecked on the rocks of Honda Point, California, in what remains the largest peacetime loss of U.S.
This Week in Shipwrecks #3
From the world of maritime history, marine archaeology, and maritime news, This Week in Shipwrecks beings you the following stories from the past week:
Ten Missing After Cargo Ship Sinks Near Istanbul
A Ferry Disaster Off Cyprus
Another Ferry Goes Down in the Aegean Sea
An 18th-Century Mystery Emerges From the Yucatán
Tugboat Sinks Off South Korea
World War I Shipwrecks Become P
Faded Luxury: The Sinking of the Principessa Mafalda
Faded Luxury: The Sinking of the Principessa Mafalda
On October 25, 1927, off the coast of Brazil, one of Italy's grandest ocean liners took over four hours to sink, in clear weather, calm seas, in daylight, with rescue ships already alongside.
The Principessa Mafalda had carried tens of thousands of Italian emigrants across the Atlantic for nearly two decades, and was a symbol of national prid
This Week In Shipwrecks #2
This Week in Shipwrecks is the weekly maritime news series of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs.
Here are the stories you will hear in this episode:
The wreck of the Altalena was discovered off the coast of Israel
The German vessel LS-6 has turned up in the Ionian Sea
17th century treasure ship of King Charles I has (possibly) been found
The August 22, 2026 shipwreck of the ore carrier
(Bonus) The Fascinating Tale of the Annie C. Maguire
The aging barque Annie C. Maguire wrecked just 100 feet from the Portland Head Light, in suspicious circumstances, on Christmas Eve, 1886. Lighthouse Keeper Joshua Strout and his family heroically rescued all aboard, and then were promptly eaten out of house and home. The Strout family served at the Portland Head Light for over 100 years.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All epis
This Week in Shipwrecks #1
Starting this week, Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs adds a new regular segment: This Week in Shipwrecks. Every Friday Rich will surface the latest headlines from the world of maritime history including fresh shipwreck discoveries, updates on famous wrecks, and other news from the deep — delivered in quick, repackaged nuggets.
Roman shipwreck off Sicily — spearfishers find a 2,000-year-old cargo ship
Lost Without a Trace: The Marine Sulphur Queen
In February 1963, the SS Marine Sulphur Queen, a converted WWII tanker carrying molten sulphur, disappeared somewhere between Texas and Key West, Florida, taking all 39 crew members with it. There was no distress call, and only a few life jackets and debris were found weeks later. The wreck of the Marine Sulphur Queen has never been found, and no bodies have ever been recovered. The official US Co
(Bonus) A Reading of The Open Boat by Stephen Crane
As a followup to the last episode in which Rich and guest Ben Railton discuss The Open Boat by Stephen Crane, this is a full reading read by Rich in audiobook style. This story is in the public domain and is not restricted by copyright laws.
American author Stephen Crane survived the real shipwreck of SS Commodore in 1897 off the coast of Florida. Just a few days later, he wrote The Open Boat,
The Open Boat: Facts into Fiction
In 1897, journalist and novelist Stephen Crane boarded the SS Commodore, a gunrunning ship bound for Cuba, and nearly didn't survive the trip. When the ship sank off the coast of Florida, Crane spent over 30 hours adrift in a small dinghy with three other men, an ordeal that became the basis for one of the greatest short stories in American literature: "The Open Boat."
In this episode, Rich spe
Pere Marquette 18: A Lake Michigan Tragedy
In this episode of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs, host Rich Napolitano sits down with Great Lakes historian Rob Alway to uncover the story of the Pere Marquette 18, the flagship rail car ferry that mysteriously sank in Lake Michigan in 1910.
Rich and Rob explore how the Pere Marquette Railroad helped shape maritime and rail travel across Lake Michigan, why the Pere Marquette 18 was considered the fleet
Ships' Log: The Andrea Doria - The Pride of Italy
The Andrea Doria: Pride of Italy
On the night of July 25, 1956, the ocean liner Andrea Doria was off the coast of Nantucket steaming towards New York. Converging on the same path but in the opposite direction was the Swedish passenger ship Stockholm. Nantucket. Thick fog blanketed the Atlantic that night. Radar showed each ship the other's blip, yet through a chain of misread signals and last-sec
Ship's Log: The SS Eastland Disaster
The SS Eastland Disaster — Chicago, 1915
On the morning of July 24, 1915, the SS Eastland was moored in the Chicago River, preparing to carry passengers to a company picnic across Lake Michigan. It never got underway. As passengers boarded, the ship began to list, then rolled onto its side while still tied to the dock, in water barely twenty feet deep.
The disaster killed 844 people. Most victim
The Hunting of the Bismarck
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
The Sinking and Discovery of the USCGC Tampa
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
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
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
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
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 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
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
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 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
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
The USS Jeannette: Shattered Ambitions (Part 2)
The USS Jeannette expedition (1879–1881) is remembered as one of the most tragic and compelling stories in maritime history, blending ambition, endurance, and survival against the odds. Financed by James Gordon Bennett Jr. and undertaken by the United States Navy, the expedition aimed to reach the North Pole via the Bering Strait in search of the theorized open polar sea. Commanded by George Washi
The USS Jeannette: Shattered Ambitions (Part 1)
The USS Jeannette expedition (1879–1881) is remembered as one of the most tragic and compelling stories in maritime history, blending ambition, endurance, and survival against the odds. Financed by James Gordon Bennett Jr. and undertaken by the United States Navy, the expedition aimed to reach the North Pole via the Bering Strait in search of the theorized open polar sea. Commanded by George Washi
Japanese Hell Ships with Jenny Chan
Hell Ships is the name given to prisoner of war transport ships used by the Empire of Japan during World War 2. These ships were truly nightmarish. Thousands of POWs were crammed shoulder to shoulder in the holds of these ships, in brutal heat, unsanitary conditions, with rancid water, limited food, and no room to lie down. These ships were also unmarked, and were often targeted by Allied planes,
The Ghost Ship of the Carroll A. Deering
The 5- masted schooner Carroll A. Deering was discovered abandoned on January 31, 1921, hard aground on the treacherous Diamond Shoals off Cape Hatteras. All crew members had vanished without a trace, leaving behind a fully set table in the galley, personal belongings, and signs that the vessel had been recently occupied, but with its lifeboats missing. The ship’s logs and navigational equipment w
The USS Narcissus with Madison from It's a History Podcast
The USS Narcissus was a Union screw tug during the American Civil War, originally built as the stram tug, Mary Cook in 1863. USS Narcissus sank for the first time in 1864 in Mobile Bay, but was refloated, repaired, and put back into service. Her fatal sinking was in 1866, off the coast of Egmont Key, in the mouth of Tampa Bay, Florida.
This episode was researched and written by Rich Napolitano
The Rescue of HMS Rockingham
HMS Rockingham was an armed convoy escort of the Royal Navy during World War 2. Originally built as USS Swasey for the U.S. Navy, she was transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940 as part of the "Destroyers for Bases" deal. On 27 September, 1944, Rockingham struck a mine off the coast of Scotland, requiring a daring rescue in rough seas.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes,
(Bonus) Flotsam & Jetsam: Miss Unsinkable Violet Jessop
Violet Jessop was a stewardess for the White Star Line and survived three maritime disasters. She was on board the RMS Olympic in 1911 when it collided with HMS Hawke, RMS Titanic when it famously sank in 1912, and HMHS Britannic when it struck a German mine in 1916. Her early life in Argentina and later England was a constant struggle, but she survived despite adversity and tragedy. Violet Jessop
HMHS Britannic: Titanic's Lost Sister
HMHS Britannic was built by Harland & Wolff for the White Star Line as an OIympic Class ocean liner. Her older sisters were RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic. Britannic never realized the glory of translatlantic passenger service, as she was requisitioned by the Admiralty as a hospital ship for service during World War I. On 21 November 1916, Britannic struck a German mine in the Aegean Sea sank. Thirty
The OceanGate Titan Submersible: A Preventable Tragedy - Part 2
On June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible imploded during a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic, killing OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, ocean explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and civilians Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and 19 year old Suleman Dawood. Many industry experts warned Stockton Rush of his reckless methods, reliance on untested and unproven materials, and lack of safety standards
The OceanGate Titan Submersible: A Preventable Tragedy - Part 1
On June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible imploded during a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic, killing OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, ocean explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and civilians Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and 19 year old Suleman Dawood. Many industry experts warned Stockton Rush of his reckless methods, reliance on untested and unproven materials, and lack of safety standards
(Bonus) The 1872 Wreck of Lac La Belle
Lac La Belle was a wooden passenger and cargo steamer built in 1864. Her troubled career included several groundings and a collision with another ship that caused her to sink in 1866. After being refloated Lac La Belle was lost in a storm in 1872 on Lake Michigan and remained undiscovered for 150 years. In February 2026, it was announced she had been finally found by shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn.
The Battle of Jutland w/Chris Sams
Maritime historian Chris Sams joins me to discuss the Battle of Jutland. Fought from 31 May to 1 June 1916 in the North Sea, it was the largest naval engagement of the First World War and the only full-scale clash between Britain’s Royal Navy Grand Fleet and Germany’s High Seas Fleet. Commanded by Admirals Sir John Jellicoe and Sir David Beatty for Britain and Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer and Admi
The Wahine Shipwreck & New Zealand's Deadliest Storm
On the morning of April 10, 1968, one of New Zealand’s most infamous maritime disasters unfolded in Wellington Harbour. The TEV Wahine, a modern passenger and vehicle ferry, was driven off course by Cyclone Giselle and wrecked just yards from safety. The ship struck a reef and capsized, killing 51 people and creating a national tragedy.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All epis
![Rich's Guest Appearance on Deck Tales [Teaser]](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/4e871a84-fd46-11f0-b3f4-6f333f5967d2/image/5486857e87a49d2b3e18400a7f4b2039.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
Rich's Guest Appearance on Deck Tales [Teaser]
Host of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Rich Napolitano recently appeared as a guest on Deck Tales. Rich talks about how he got started in podcasting, how he chooses episodes and guests, and some of his favforite episodes. This is a just a clip from the much longer full episode of Deck Tales.
Sammy Catling is the host of Deck Tales, and a former cruise ship entertainer. He collects the wildest, most hila
A Record Breaking Row Across the Pacific - Seas The Day 2025
Seas The Day Ocean Rowing Team – Historic Pacific Crossing (2025)
In 2025, the Seas The Day Rowing Team made history when adventurers Miriam Payne and Jess Rowe became the first all-female team ever to row non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific Ocean. Navigating over 8,200 nautical miles from Lima, Peru to Cairns, Australia in their 9-metre boat named Velocity, Seas The Day not only broke r
The Northfleet: Death Without Warning (Bonus)
On January 22, 1873, the British passenger ship Northfleet was anchored in the English Channel, bound for Tasmania, when she was suddenly struck by another vessel in the darkness. Carrying more than 300 people, many of them emigrants, the ship sank within minutes.
Lifeboats failed, distress signals went unanswered, and passengers were thrown into icy waters just miles from shore. More than 300 li
The Secrets of RMS Niagara
The RMS Niagara was a trans-Pacific ocean liner of the Canadian-Australasian Line, lost during World War II after striking a German mine off the coast of New Zealand in 1940. While all on board were evacuated safely, the ship went down with 590 gold bars intended as payment to the United States for war munitions.
This episode includes the history of the RMS Niagara, the circumstances of its loss
History's Deadliest Shipwreck: SS Wilhelm Gustloff
🍾This is the 100th regular episode of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs! ⚓
The SS Wilhelm Gustloff was a cruise ship built by Nazi Germany for the German Labour Front in 1938. It was converted into a hospital ship during World War 2, and then a U-boat training ship. On January 30, 1945, more than 10,000 people, mostly civilian women and children, boarded the Wilhelm Gustloff to escape the advancing Sovie
The Boozy End of the SS Warwick (Bonus)
On the evening of 30 December, 1896, the SS Warwick of the Donaldson Line crashed into the rocks at Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, Canada. All 31 on board escaped safely, and there with no injuries. But the curious locals of Grand Manan soon found the precious cargo in the hold of the Warwick, and had themselves a New Year's Eve celebration to remember.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich
Rewind: The Empress of Ireland - Canada's Titanic
This episode originally was published on November 22, 2022.
The Empress of Ireland was a luxurious and beautiful steamship of the early 20th century, carrying passengers across the North Atlantic between Quebec City and Liverpool. She and her sister ship, the Empress of Britain, were an important cog during the peak of Canadian immigration. In the early morning hours of 29 May, 1914, the Empress
MV Estonia replay with NEW UPDATES!
This replay of Episode 4 contains NEW information from a recent report from an investigation that took place from 2021-2025.
In 1994 the passenger and vehicle ferry MV Estonia sank in the Baltic Sea during a violent storm. 852 of the 989 on board were lost, despite being in communication with other nearby ships. The cause of the ship's demise remains disputed and controversial.
Written, edited,
Into the Breakers: The Loch Ard Tragedy
The Loch Ard was a 3-masted, iron-hulled clipper of the Loch Line. On the 1st of June 1878, bound from London to Melbourne, it struck the rocks on the isolated coast of Victoria, Australia in a heavy fog. Of the 18 passengers and 36 crew, only 18 year old apprentice Thomas Pearce, and 19 year old Eva Carmichael. Their struggle to survive was made possible by the generosity of the local people of V
Join the Officer's Club - Now Through Apple Podcasts!
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts here: https://apple.co/4j60XCG
Subscribe on Patreon here:
https://www.patreon.com/shipwreckspod
You can now join the Officer’s Club through Apple Podcasts! Enjoy ad-free listening and all bonus episodes directly in your Apple Podcasts app for just $4.99 a month. No third party apps, no additional downloads, and no new account sign-ups required. Just find Shipwreck
Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Best selling author John U. Bacon joins me to discuss his new book, Gales of November, and the behind the scenes stories of the crewmembers. We discuss their families, loved ones, and personalities that made up the crew of the famed ship. Gales of November can be purchased at the author's web site, johnubacon.com, Amazon, or wherever books are sold. (No commission is paid to Shipwrecks and Sea Dog
Project Mayflower: The Story of Mayflower II
The Mayflower II—the replica of the 1620 ship that brought the Pilgrims to America and launched a nation—is seen by some 2.6 million visitors to Plymouth annually and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But there is much more to the replica’s story than meets the eye. In fact, the origins of Project Mayflower began in the 1950s not with an American, but with a British World War II
The Whaleship Essex (Bonus)
This is the true story of the 1821 whaleship Essex, the doomed Nantucket vessel whose catastrophic encounter with a massive sperm whale helped inspire Moby-Dick. After the Essex was rammed by the massive whale, the Essex was destroyed, leaving its crew stranded thousands of miles from land.During their harrowing struggle for survival in their open-boat journey. Some of the men would survive, but o
Captain's Dinner: The Story of the Mignonette
A Shipwreck, an Act of Cannibalism, and a Murder Trial that Changed Legal History. Four men in a lifeboat.Two weeks without food. One impossible choice that would reshape the boundaries between survival and murder. On May 19, 1884, the yacht Mignonette set sail from England on what should have been an uneventful voyage. When their vessel sank in the Atlantic, Captain Thomas Dudley and his crew fou
Yarmouth Castle Burning
The total loss of SS Yarmouth Castle in 1965 is the deadliest passenger ship disaster off the American coast since the burning of SS Morro Castle in 1934.
Eighty-four passengers and two crew died in the early-morning hours of November 13, 1965, when the cruise liner SS Yarmouth Castle caught fire and sank near Great Stirrup Cay in the Bahamas. Four others would die later from their injuries.
The
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - 50th Anniversary
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the sinking, this is a replay of Episode 33, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a terrible storm on November 10, 1975. The ship's crew of 29 men all perished and were never recovered. The Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship on North America's Great Lakes wh
The Star of Bengal: Alaska's Forgotten Tragedy
The Star of Bengal was a three-masted steel sailing ship that met a tragic end off the coast of Alaska on September 20, 1908. While transporting over 138 cannery workers, mostly Asian immigrants, and a cargo of canned salmon from Wrangell, Alaska to San Francisco, California, the ship was caught in a fierce gale. Two accompanying tugboats were forced to release their towlines, leaving the Star of
Lost on Lake Michigan: SS Andaste
The SS Andaste was a semi-whaleback, self-unloading freighter built in 1892 by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company. In 1925, a self-unloading system was added to her deck making her a bit top-heavy and unstable. On September 9, 1929, she was lost in a storm on Lake Michigan, while transporting a load of gravel from Ferrysburg (Grand Haven), Michigan to Chicago. All 25 on board perished. The wreck o
Catching up with Real Pirate Capt. Tonz
Anthony Cummins, also known as Captain Tonz, is a retired marine captain, and real-life modern day pirate. I spoke with him in Episode 37, and he told of taking a humber barge across the Bay of Biscay, and his creative escape from Gibraltar.
I had the chance to catch up with Captain Tonz again, and he shares more of his interesting stories including a dicey shipwreck, smuggling camels, and how p
Sir Ernest Shackleton: The Boss - Part 1
Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922) was an Anglo-Irish explorer best known for his daring Antarctic expeditions during the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration. Born in County Kildare, Ireland, and raised in London, Shackleton first ventured south with Robert Falcon Scott on the Discovery Expedition (1901–1904), before leading his own journeys aboard Nimrod (1907–1909) and Endurance (1914–1917). Though h
Sir Ernest Shackleton: The Boss - Part 2
Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922) was an Anglo-Irish explorer best known for his daring Antarctic expeditions during the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration. Born in County Kildare, Ireland, and raised in London, Shackleton first ventured south with Robert Falcon Scott on the Discovery Expedition (1901–1904), before leading his own journeys aboard Nimrod (1907–1909) and Endurance (1914–1917). Though h
![Bonus: US Navy Chief Petty Officer (Retired) Scott Baxter [Bonus]](https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/75a85c86-9b08-11f0-be93-d7becefeb142/image/c0604f35e45aff53e1820b6ba9d169dd.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress)
Bonus: US Navy Chief Petty Officer (Retired) Scott Baxter [Bonus]
On February 12, 1983, Signalman 3rd class Scott Baxter was on board the USS Jack Williams and participated in the search and rescue mission for the SS Marine Electric. Scott Baxter retired from the US Navy as a Signalman Chief Petty Officer, and I had the opportunity to speak with him about that cold, February morning and other memorable moments from his career.
Written, edited, and produced by
Ship's Log: The Marine Electric - The Shipwreck That Changed the Coast Guard
This episode was originally published in August of 2024.The bulk carrier SS Marine Electric went down on February 12th, 1983, 30 miles off the coast of Virginia during a severe winter storm. The World War 2 era ship had been been deteriorating for years and suffered from rust, corrosion, failed pumps, and faulty safety features that the ship's owners, Marine Transport Lines had neglected to repair
The Murder of Kim Wall - The Submarine Case
Kim Wall was a fiercely independent journalist whose reporting spanned the intersections of identity, gender, culture, social justice, and global politics. Her life was tragically cut short in August 2017 when entrepreneur Peter Madsen brutally murdered her on board his submarine UC-3 Nautilus, which he built himself.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Kim Wall Memorial Fund: https://www.iwmf.or
Sea Shanties and Tall Ships with Captain Tom Kastle
Tom Kastle has been a singer and folk musician for decades, traveling the world, collecting and performing maritime songs and stories, and captaining sailing ships on the Great Lakes. Onstage, he has performed theatrical roles ranging from musicals to Shakespeare and played a political pundit with the legendary Ed Asner in God Help Us! Tom is currently developing and touring two, one-man plays.
Bonus: The Music of Captain Tom Kastle
This bonus episode is a companion to Episode 86, Sea Shanties and Tall Ships with Captain Tom Kastle. Please enjoy these three tracks:
1) Cold Winds
2) Rolling Home (Live)
3) The Bigler
Please visit https://www.tomkastle.com for more about Captain Tom.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be found at https://www.shipwrecksandseadogs.com.
O
The Sinking of RMS Lusitania - Part 2
On May 7th, 1915, RMS Lusitania was hit with a single torpedo from German submarine U-20, commanded by Walther Schweiger. A second explosion rocked the ship after the initial torpedo, which is still a source of controversy today. Of the known 1,960 on board, 1,197 people lost their lives, including 94 children. The sinking triggered worldwide outrage and accusations of war crimes.
To donate to
The Sinking of RMS Lusitania - Part 1
The tragic sinking of the RMS Lusitania in 1915 was a pivotal maritime disaster of World War I that claimed almost 1200 lives after a German U-boat torpedo struck the British ocean liner off the coast of Ireland. Part 1 of this 2 part series discusses the history of the Lusitiania as a luxury liner, political tensions as World War 1 began, and the events of the Lustiania's final voyage up until it
The Exxon Valdez Disaster
Just after midnight on March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Over 10 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the waters, killing hundreds of thousands of animals, and devastating the fragile ecosystem. This episode provides a detailed account of how this accident happened, and its ramifications.
Written, edited, and produced by R
The Adriatic: A Civil War Era Ship Uncovered
In 1864, the American packet ship Adriatic was on voyage from London to New York when it was captured and burned by the notorious Confederate raider CSS Tennessee. The passengers and crew were taken prisoner, but the ship fell out of memory. In 2016, Captains John Noonan and John Bricker, and their team of divers discovered the old sailing vessel, along with some of its artifacts.
John Noonan a
Flotsam & Jetsam: Artifacts, Stories, and Conspiracies of the Morro Castle
Rich chats with Deb Whitcraft, of the New Jersey Maritime Museum, which houses the world's largest collection of artifacts and memorabilia related to the Morro Castle.
https://njmaritimemuseum.org/
This bonus Flotsam & Jetsam episode is available for everyone. To hear more, please subscribe to the Officer's Club on Patreon, or subscribe to the Into History Podcast Channel.
Written, edited, an
The Inferno of the Morro Castle
The Morro Castle shipwreck of 1934 was a tragic maritime disaster involving a luxury passenger liner operated by the Ward Line. On September 8, 1934, while en route from Havana to New York, the ship caught fire off the coast of New Jersey near Asbury Park, resulting in the deaths of 137 passengers and crew. The fire, which was later suspected to be an act of arson, spread rapidly due to strong win
Discovering the Shipwrecks of Lake Ontario
In 2025, a team of eight students, scientists, and engineers from the University of Rhode Island conducted the first survey of known shipwrecks in the Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary. Using URI’s new, state-of-the-art remotely operated vehicle, named “Rhody”, the student-led team documented 17 shipwrecks. Having embarked from Oswego, New York, aboard the research vessel Lake Guardian, whic
Recommended
K-Drama Obsessed Mamas | Beyond “Just One More Episode!”
True Crime Classics
The Healer Revolution
Becoming: HER with Nikki Spoelstra
Booked, Blonde & Busy w/ Olivia Ponton
McKinsey on Consumer and Retail
megahired.com
Hard Knocks Podcast
Effective Weight Loss for Moms | High protein, Strength Training, Lose Weight, Meal Planning, Fat Loss, Healthy Habits
The Human-Animal Connection - Pet Life Radio Original
Infinite Health with Dr. Arasi Maran
The Daily
