In Part 1 of a three part bonus series, we discuss the use of prison hulks with an emphasis on their role in the American Revolution. Check us out on Patreon for parts 2 and 3 of the series! Sources: Bowden, Mary W. "In Search of Freneau's Prison Ships." Early American Literature, vol. 14, no. 2, Fall 1979, pp. 174 - 192. Cray, Robert E. "The Horror of These Hulks." Naval History , 2006 Freneau, Philip. "The British Prison Ship." Freneau, Philip. "To Lord Cornwallis." Ranlet, Philip. "In the Han...
Mar 19, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 11
This week we are discussing the tragedy of the Russian nuclear-powered submarine Kursk (K-141), which was lost with all hands in August 2000. Donation link for the National Bank of Ukraine (Patreon money will be donated from our February proceeds.) Correction: Multiple times we refer to two of the rescue vehicles as “AN-32” and “AN-34” this should be “AS-32” and “AS-34”. Sources: Chuen, Cristina, Clay Moltz, and Nikolai Sokov. "The Kursk Accident." nonproliferation.org . Middlebury Institute of ...
Mar 07, 2022•1 hr 7 min•Season 2Ep. 10
This week we discuss the SS Selah Chamberlain , a wooden-hulled bulk freighter that sank after a collision off of Sheboygan, Wisconsin in 1886. Sources: "Chamberlain, Selah (1873, Bulk Freighter)." Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library, Thomsen, Tamara L., Caitlin N. Zant and Victoria L. Kiefer. "Storms and Strandings, Collisions and Cold: Shipwreck Surveys of the 2018 Field Season." Wisconsin Historical Society, 2018. Support the show...
Feb 28, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 9
This week we discuss the 1953 sinking of the SS Henry Steinbrenner . Sources: Kadar, Wayne. "The Henry Steinbrenner. " The Lakeshore Guardian United States Coast Guard report on the sinking of the Henry Steinbrenner Support the show...
Feb 20, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 8
In this episode we discuss the 2000 sinking of the Kirkcudbright scallop dredger Solway Harvester . Sources: Full report Summary Report Scallop Dredging Fishing Gear - Dredges (NOAA) Support the show...
Feb 14, 2022•53 min•Season 2Ep. 7
This week we discuss the sinking of the HMS Egret and its overall importance in the history of naval warfare. Support the show
Feb 07, 2022•43 min•Season 2Ep. 6
Le quatorze juin, un dimanche De l'an dix neuf cent trente et un Le ciel était bleu de pervenche Et l'air embaumé de parfum De la joie-z-au cœur, cinq cent promeneurs Embarquent d'un quai de Nantes Sur le vapeur " Saint-Philibert " Sans penser qu'une mort navrante Tenait leur cercueil entr'ouvert - "Le Naufrage du Saint-Philibert" This week we are back in France to discuss the loss of the Saint-Philibert , an excursion vessel that sank on its return journey to Nantes in 1931. Sources: Béranger, ...
Jan 30, 2022•56 min•Season 2Ep. 5
In July 1890, a relaxing day trip turned tragic when the sternwheeler Sea Wing sank on Lake Pepin, taking with it scores of passengers - the majority of whom hailed from nearby Red Wing, Minnesota. Sources: Johnson, Frederick L. "Unlocking the Mysteries of the Sea Wing" Kinkenberg, Dean. "The Sea Wing Disaster" Pierce County, WI - The Sea Wing Disaster Sea Wing Disaster, 1890 Shipwrecked on Lake Pepin: The Sea Wing Disaster Support the show...
Jan 23, 2022•45 min•Season 2Ep. 4
This week we discuss the sinking of the Austro-Hungarian dreadnought SMS Viribus Unitis in the closing days of World War One. *Originally released 1/16/22; edited and re-uploaded 3/8/22 Sources (available in PDF on Patreon): “Austria’s Navy and the Adriatic.” Scientific American , vol. 111, no. 10, 5 Sep 1914 Demark, Nikolina. "3000 Tonnes of Steel at the Bottom of Pula Port." Total Croatia News , 26 Sept 2017. Gerwarth, Robert and Ugur Umit Ungor. “The Collapse of the Ottoman and Habsburg Empir...
Jan 16, 2022•1 hr•Season 2Ep. 3
This week we discuss the loss of two US Coast Guard vessels, the Jackson and the Bedloe, in September 1944. *Originally released 1/10/22; edited and re-uploaded 3/19/22 Support the show
Jan 10, 2022•39 min•Season 2Ep. 2
To kick off Season Two of the podcast, we're undertaking our first ever two-part episode to discuss the SS Noronic . Part 1 will be released on Monday, 1/3 followed by Part 2 on Wednesday 1/5. *Originally released 1/5/22; edited and re-uploaded 3/9/22 Sources: Bunch, Adam. "Toronto's most deadly disaster: the nightmare on the SS Noronic ." Spacing , Jan 26, 2016. "The Burning of the Noronic ..." The Hamilton Spectator , 16 Aug 2003. Dobson, Cathy. "The Hamonic Burns at Sarnia." The Sarnia Observ...
Jan 05, 2022•50 min•Season 2Ep. 1
To kick off Season Two of the podcast, we're undertaking our first ever two-part episode to discuss the SS Noronic . Part 1 will be released on Monday, 1/3 followed by Part 2 on Wednesday 1/5. *Originally released 1/3/22; edited and re-uploaded 3/9/22 Sources: Bunch, Adam. "Toronto's most deadly disaster: the nightmare on the SS Noronic ." Spacing , Jan 26, 2016. "The Burning of the Noronic ..." The Hamilton Spectator , 16 Aug 2003. Dobson, Cathy. "The Hamonic Burns at Sarnia." The Sarnia Observ...
Jan 03, 2022•52 min•Season 2Ep. 1
Now available for everyone! This was originally the Patreon bonus episode for September Hear us discuss the White Ship Disaster of 1120, which laid the groundwork for a bloody and chaotic time “when Christ and his saints slept” in the kingdom of England. Support the show
Dec 25, 2021•57 min•Season 1Ep. 44
This week we discuss the John B. Cowle , which sank in 1909 after a collision with returning Breakers guest star the Isaac M. Scott . *Originally released 12/20/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/3/22 Sources: Numerous articles from the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Duluth News Tribune (shared on Patreon in a public post), accessed via the America's Historical Newspapers database. Deadliest American Disasters and Loss-of-Life Events Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum Support the show...
Dec 20, 2021•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 43
This week we discuss the early stages of the Battle of the Atlantic and the loss of the British vessel HMT Bedfordshire. *Originally released 12/13/21; edited and re-uploaded Support the show
Dec 13, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 42
This week we discuss the sinking of the Russian monitor Rusalka in 1893, leading us eventually to one of the most unique shipwrecks of all those we've covered so far. **correction** - Towards the end of the episode Tanner mistakenly says that Rusalka sank during the reign of Nicholas II; he did not become Tsar until 1896. Rusalka sank during the reign of his father Alexander III. This error was made presumably because Tanner does not respect the Romanov monarchy. *Originally released 12/6/21; ed...
Dec 06, 2021•59 min•Season 1Ep. 41
This week we discuss the loss of the MV Derbyshire, the largest British merchant vessel to be lost at sea. *Originally released 11/27/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/25/22 Support the show
Nov 27, 2021•39 min•Season 1Ep. 40
This week we discuss the wreck of the Edmond , one of the many "coffin ships" that carried Irish emigrants fleeing the Great Famine. The Edmond sank at Kilkee in 1850 after being driven against the rocks by a violent Atlantic storm. Resources: An Gorta Mor - the impact and legacy of the Irish Great Famine Ireland's Great Hunger Museum The Irish Potato Famine - Digital History Irish Shipwrecks - Edmond Riches of Clare: Wreck of a Coffin Ship The Wreck of the Edmond at Kilkee, 1850 - Clare County ...
Nov 22, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 39
This week we travel to the Pacific Northwest to explore the tale of the SS Valencia, which ran aground on Vancouver Island after missing the entrance to the Juan de Fuca Strait. The subsequent ordeal suffered by her passengers and crew took the lives of 136, according to the officially recorded death toll. *Originally released 11/15/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/20/22 Selected sources and further reading: Goodrich, Richard J. "The Titanic of the West: The S.S. Valencia sails to disaster in the Gr...
Nov 15, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 38
We discuss the sinking of the paddle steamer Anthony Wayne on Lake Erie in April of 1850. *Originally released 11/8/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/22/22 Selected sources: "Anthony Wayne" - Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales of the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail Batemon, Shondra - "From Wreck to Rediscovery - PS Anthony Wayne: a historical treasure" Krueger, Bradley Alan - Anthony Wayne : The History and Archaeology of an Early Great Lakes Steamboat (2012) - This is the detailed source that I refer to hea...
Nov 08, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 37
In honor of Halloween, we get spooky this week. Taylor tells stories of the Black Dog of Lake Erie. Is it out for revenge on the uncaring sailors who allowed it to drown in the Welland Canal? And Tanner relates the tales of ghostly happenings around the 1873 sinking of the steamer Ironsides in Lake Michigan, and Connecticut's steamship Atlantic disaster from 1846. Does the spirit of young Henry Valentine still cry for help from passing mariners in Lake Michigan? Does the bell of the Atlantic sti...
Oct 31, 2021•49 min•Season 1Ep. 36
This week we're discussing the deadly Paisley Canal Disaster of 1810, a tragedy that claimed the lives of 84 people just days into the operation of the Glasgow, Johnstone, and Ardrossan Canal. *Originally released 10/25/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/20/22 Selected Resources: "Paisley pub on site of Britain's worst canal disaster to honour victims " - Alastair Dalton, The Scotsman "How Paisley poet Robert Tannahill made his mark on history" - Hamish McPherson, The National "Melancholy Accident" fr...
Oct 25, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 35
This week we take a trip to one of our favorite countries, Norway. We discuss the Helge Ingstad, which was a modern navy frigate which encountered a problem that has been a part of maritime history since sailing began. Norwegian Safety Investigation Report Part 1 , Part2 Norwegian animation with radio traffic from the incident. (Note, it is in Norwegian, but still very interesting to see it all play out) *Originally released 10/18/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/2/22 Support the show...
Oct 18, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 34
This week we discuss an incident considered to be the deadliest peacetime disaster at sea in history - the sinking of the ferry Doña Paz off the Philippine island of Mindoro in 1987. Source material: Asia's Titanic - Thousands Died Thirty Years Ago (Maritime Executive) Dona Paz victims waiting for justice 25 years after - Joey A. Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas - survivor accounts and quotations Supreme Court case, 1999 Sulpicio gone; owners change name - Irene R. Sino Cruz, Inquirer Visayas Evacuatio...
Oct 11, 2021•52 min•Season 1Ep. 33
Since we weren’t able to put together an episode this week, we’re releasing a pretty fun Patreon bonus episode from the month of August for everyone. Enjoy our discussion of a few WWI naval engagements, homemade (shipmade?) guns, and the ultimate scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet during internment at Scapa Flow. Support the show
Oct 03, 2021•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 28
This week we discuss the Great Lakes Storm of 1913. Recommended reading: Schumacher, Michael. November's Fury: The Deadly Great Lakes Hurricane of 1913 . (2013) *Originally released 9/26/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/15/22 Support the show
Sep 26, 2021•51 min•Season 1Ep. 32
**skip to about 9:30 to get right down to the business of the episode** This week is actually a discussion of several incidents involving DUKWs, commonly known as "duck boats," with a focus on the 1999 Miss Majestic incident in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and the 2018 Table Rock Lake (Missouri) Ride The Ducks accident. NTSB Safety Recommendation Report "Odd DUKW" (Smithsonian, 2002) "... new duck boat company plans Branson operation" *Originally released 9/20/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/18/22 Suppor...
Sep 20, 2021•1 hr 7 min•Season 1Ep. 31
This week we discuss the 2015 sinking of the Russian freezer trawler Dalniy Vostok [Дальний Восток] in the Sea of Okhotsk. *Originally released 9/6/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/16/22 Sources referred to in the episode: An animated representation of the sinking of Дальний Восток Short interview footage with one of the survivors (with English subtitles) ТАСС-English article from 4/7/15 'Крушение траулера "Дальний Восток" в Охотском море' - Александр Крылов - RIA Novosti article that was the primar...
Sep 06, 2021•45 min•Season 1Ep. 30
This week we discuss the deadliest incident for the US Navy of the post-WWII era, a fire aboard the carrier USS Forrestal in July of 1967. Support the show
Aug 30, 2021•48 min•Season 1Ep. 29
This week we discuss the sinking of the Royal Navy troop ship HMS Birkenhead off of the Cape Colony in 1852 . * Originally released 8/22/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/16/22 "Women and Children First!" - Ben Johnson, historic.uk.com Our Soldiers - W.H.G Kingston Soldier an' Sailor too (Rudyard Kipling) The Household Narrative of Current Events, April 1852 - Description of the events in the episode begin on p. 87 Support the show...
Aug 22, 2021•46 min•Season 1Ep. 28
