Episode 27 - RMS Lancastria
This week we discuss the sinking of RMS Lancastria during allied evacuation operations near St. Nazaire in 1940. *Originally released 8/15/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/9/22 Support the show
Beyond The Breakers is a podcast about shipwrecks, loss, and lessons learned from maritime disasters.

This week we discuss the sinking of RMS Lancastria during allied evacuation operations near St. Nazaire in 1940. *Originally released 8/15/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/9/22 Support the show
This week we discuss the sinking of the fishing vessel Scandies Rose off of Alaska's Sutwik Island on New Year's Eve 2019. Full public docket from the NTSB investigation News report featuring an interview with one of the surviving deckhands *Originally released 8/9/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/16/22 Support the show...
In this episode we discuss a 2006 accident involving the Canadian RO/RO ferry Queen of the North . Link to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada report on this accident. *Originally released 8/2/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/1/22 Support the show
Here is our bonus episode from the month of June, now unlocked for everyone! Tanner is joined by Katie to discuss the movie (and book) The Perfect Storm. This is a good chance to revisit a pretty solid film and for you to get to know the third member of the podcast! **Error correction - in discussing the cast, I refer to "Michael McDonald" instead of the correct Christopher McDonald; the alliteration was too much to resist I guess. Support the show...
This week we discuss the deadliest peacetime incident in the history of Australia's armed forces - the collision between HMAS Voyager and HMAS Melbourne. https://www.navy.gov.au/hmas-voyager-ii Unfit To Command 4 Corners - HMAS Voyager *Originally released 7/25/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/18/22 Support the show...
In this episode we cover the tragic tale of the paddle steamer General Slocum, which caught fire in New York's East River in 1904, leading to the deaths of at least 1,000 people - many of whom were children. "A Spectacle of Horror - The Burning of the General Slocum " - This is the Smithsonian article referenced in the episode Manhattan Melodrama (opening sequence) Henry Slocum monument at Gettysburg *Originally released 7/19/21; edited and re-released 2/25/22 Support the show...
In this week's explosive episode we discuss the maritime disaster of the cargo ship Cason , which caught fire off Cape Finisterre in 1987, killing 23 crew and causing a months-long potential ecological disaster. Incident Report Documentary - Part 1 *Originally released 7/12/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/26/22 Support the show...
Do you like gold? Hurricanes? Treasure hunting? Swindling and betrayal? We have a story for you. In this episode, we discuss the 1857 sinking of the SS Central America - known as the "Ship of Gold" - the subsequent search and recovery efforts, and some protracted legal battles. *Originally released 7/25/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/16/22 Main sources for the episode: Bowers, Q. David. A California Gold Rush History , California Gold Marketing Group, 2002. Lacitis, Erik. "Seattle group helped fin...
This week we discuss the sinking of the nuclear-powered attack submarine USS Thresher during deep-dive trials in 1963. The loss of the Thresher with all hands constitutes the deadliest submarine accident in US history. https://news.usni.org/tag/thresher-inquiry https://maritime.org/doc/fleetsub/trim/chap1.htm Welding vs. Brazing Originally released 6/27/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/15/22 Support the show...
This week we discuss the history of one of the most unique type of vessels in maritime history - the whaleback. The focus of the episode is on the SS City of Everett , but to tell that story we have to also discuss Alexander McDougall and his dream of a new type of steamship, designed to be invulnerable to wind and wave. *Originally released 6/23/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/5/22 Pacific Steel Barge Company and the whaleback City of Everett - this was the primary source in researching the episod...
This week, we discuss the sinking of the SS Cedarville , which went down in the Straits of Mackinac in May of 1965. *Originally released 6/13/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/17/22 Helpful links: Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve - Cedarville United States Coast Guard Report YouTube Video Diving on the Wreck of the Cedarville Support the show...
This week we answer listener submitted questions and share some of our thoughts about the show. Support the show
This week we visit the continent of Africa for the first time on the show. We discuss the loss of the MV Bukoba, a Tanzanian RO/RO ferry that went down in Lake Victoria. Irish Times - May 23, 1996 News Bulletins covering Bukoba from Features Africa Network "Zanzibar's ferry disaster could have been prevented" - Saumava Mitra, September 13 2011 *Originally released 5/30/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/18/22 Support the show...
This week we discuss the loss of Titanic's sister ship HMHS Britannic. Link to Documentary about Britannic *Originally released 5/23/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/14/22 Support the show
This week we venture to South America to discuss the 2nd worst disaster in Chilean maritime history. http://chile-catastrofes-tragedias.blogspot.com/2012/07/naufragio-transporte-angamos-6-de-julio.html https://revistamarina.cl/es/articulo/el-naufragio-del-transporte-angamos/en https://www.diarioconcepcion.cl/opinion/2019/07/06/el-angamos-un-naufragio-antiguo-y-cercano.html *originally released 5/17/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/14/22 Support the show...
No new episode this week since I'm a little under the weather. Instead we will release last month's bonus episode! Hope you enjoy! Link to Stan Roger's Northwest Passage Cover by Unleash the Archers that was discussed. Link to Wreck of the Athens Queen Support the show...
This week we explore the Battle for the Atlantic in World War Two. More specifically we look at the story of the SS Atlas how it represents an experience lived by thousands of brave sailors in the early part of the war. *originally released 5/2/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/13/22 Support the show
This week we discuss the loss of the Korean vessel MV Sewol. ***We are aware of a audio issues with this one. We were trying a different recording method, but will be going to the traditional way we were doing it.*** *originally released 4/25/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/12/22 Link to In the Absence Support the show
This week we discuss the loss of the PS Lady Elgin. Excellent Chicago Tribune article about the Lady Elgin. *originally released 4/19/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/11/22 Support the show
Today we discuss the 1958 loss of the Carl. D Bradley. Link to the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum's page about the Carl D. Bradley. The museum is located in Rogers City, Mi homeport of the Bradley. *Originally released 4/12/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/10/22 Support the show
Hello Everyone! From time to time we will be doing mini-episodes when we haven an announcement or other news about the pod. We wanted to let you know we will be shifting our release schedule slightly. We will probably be releasing on Patreon on Sundays, and Monday for everyone else. Additionally I wanted to do a short story that may not have enough information for a full episode, but is still something worth sharing. We hope you enjoy! Link to an interesting article discussing the disappearance ...
In this episode, Tanner drags us deep into the vaults of history to discuss the sinking of the Tudor-era warship Mary Rose in 1545. *Originally released 4/2/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/11/22 **Tanner also mistakenly refers to the USS Monitor’s sloped sides; he intended to refer to the CSS Virginia (formerly the USS Merrimack)** https://web.archive.org/web/20110725170212/http://userweb.port.ac.uk/~fontanad/maryrose/ - This page features detailed pictures, charts, and maps related to the sinking ...
Hey everybody, we have something a little different for you this week. We are taking a little time off but we wanted to share a preview of the bonus content you can expect if you support us on Patreon. We will be producing one bonus episode a month. This month we will be discussing the tragic 1972 loss of the passenger liner SS Poseidon after an earthquake off of Crete. *Originally released 3/12/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/10/22 Support the show...
In this week's episode, we discuss the 1914 sinking of the Empress of Ireland , Canada's deadliest peacetime disaster at sea. **Note** Several times during the episode, we mistakenly refer to the captain of the Empress of Ireland as "Captain Kembell." The captain of the vessel was in fact Henry George Kendall . We apologize for the error. Video illustrating the Empress of Ireland's sinking in real time. Support the show...
This week we discuss the worst peace time accident in US Coast Guard history. The USCGC was a sea going buoy tender which met a tragic fate in Tampa Bay. Join us as we explore the accident and give our thoughts on this tragic loss. *Originally released 3/12/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/6/22 William Flores , hero of the USCGC Blackthorn Coast Guard Report Recommended Reading: Wilfred Owen Arms and the Boy Joe Kassabian The Hooligans of Kandahar Support the show...
This week, we discuss the F/V Katmai, which sank off of Alaska in 2008. Link to US Coast Guard report. *originally released 3/4/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/5/22. **Note** - At one point in the episode, the year 2009 is referenced in regard to the sinking of the Katmai; this should be "2008". Support the show...
In this episode, we discuss the wreck of the SS Admella , one of the worst maritime disasters in Australian history. *Originally released 2/25/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/5/22 Milwaukee's Harbor Seagull sinking - https://www.wisn.com/article/crane-on-barge-raises-sunken-harbor-seagull-from-kinnickinnic-river/35604251 23 March 1944, Portland Guardian https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/64388815 September 23 1893, South Australia Register - https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/536162...
In this episode, we discuss the deadliest maritime accident in US history - the riverboat Sultana , which sank in April 1865 transporting recently liberated Union POWs north at the end of the American Civil War. *originally released 2/18/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/4/22 For detailed reference: https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2009/august/death-river We now have a Patreon, please consider supporting the show! https://www.patreon.com/beyondthebreakers Support the show...
In this episode we will discuss the loss of the SS Milwaukee, a railcar ferry that was lost with all hands in a 1929 October gale in Lake Michigan. Wisconsin Shipwrecks website with excellent photos of the Milwaukee: https://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/Vessel/Details/435?region=Index Historical Marker Database: https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=42299 Support the show...
The debut episode of Beyond the Breakers covers the story of the SS El Faro, a cargo ship that went down during Hurricane Joaquin in the year 2015. Here is a link for the NTSB Illustrated Digest referenced during the show. SS El Faro transcript Support the show...