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, which is owned and operated by the Environmental Protection Agency, the team discovered several new shipw...
Jul 08, 2025•53 min•Ep. 80
The Mary Rose was a warship of the Tudor era of the English monarchy, built in 1510 during the reign of King Henry VIII. The hulking ship was the king's favorite for many years, until it inexplicably sank in Portsmouth Harbour in 1545 as it sailed out to meet the invading French fleet. Over 400 years later, the Mary Rose was raised and its artifacts preserved. My guest is author and historian Richard M. Jones. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be found at https:...
Jun 24, 2025•47 min•Ep. 79
Listener Appreciation Week Day 5 When the SS Central America sank off the coast of South Carolina in 1857, it went down with millions of dollars worth of gold from California. The loss of the badly needed gold caused a run on the banks, and a financial crisis called the Panic of 1857. As a thank you to all Shipwreck and Sea Dogs listeners, I am bringing you a bonus mini-episode each day this week. As another bonus, all merchandise is 25% OFF during Listener Appreciation Week! Go to shop.shipw...
Jun 20, 2025•8 min
Listener Appreciation Week Day 4 Renowned French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot explored the polar regions for many years aboard his ship, the Pourquoi Pas. When fellow explorer Roald Amundsen's plane went missing in 1928, Charcot joined the search for the Norwegian. Amundsen himself was searching for the crashed Italian airship, Italia, and its captain Umberto Nobile. As a thank you to all Shipwreck and Sea Dogs listeners, I am bringing you a bonus mini-episode each day this week. As another bo...
Jun 19, 2025•5 min
Listener Appreciation Week, Day 3During World War 2, the Germans captured several Dutch submarines, which included an experimental air venting device. The Germans put this to use, and used it on board some of their own U-boats. This led to the creation of a high-pressure, deepwater toilet waste system, and things did not quite go as planned. As a thank you to all Shipwreck and Sea Dogs listeners, I am bringing you a bonus mini-episode each day this week. As another bonus, all merchandise is 25% ...
Jun 18, 2025•10 min
Listener Appreciation Week, Day 2 Renowned ocean explorer Robert Ballard found the legendary Titanic in 1985, but it was a top-secret mission sponsored by the U.S. Navy that allowed Ballard to make his discovery. As a thank you to all Shipwreck and Sea Dogs listeners, I am bringing you a bonus mini-episode each day this week. As another bonus, all merchandise is 25% OFF during Listener Appreciation Week! Go to shop.shipwrecksandseadogs.com and use code LISTENER2025 at check out. Please sha...
Jun 17, 2025•7 min
Listener Appreciation Week, Day 1: Heroes of Two Shipwrecks Musicians Moss and Tracy Hills survived the sinking of the Greek cruise ship Oceanos in 1991, and then the Italian ship Achille Lauro in 1994. During both sinkings, the married couple stepped up and provided leadership and assistance to the passengers, and were critical to rescue efforts. As a thank you to all Shipwreck and Sea Dogs listeners, I am bringing you a bonus mini-episode each day this week. As another bonus, all merchandise i...
Jun 16, 2025•7 min
Announcing the first ever Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Listener Appreciation Week! From June 16 - 20, 2025 a bonus mini-episode will be published each day as a special thank you to listeners. June 16: The Heroes of Two Shipwrecks June 17: The Top Secret Mission That Found the Titanic June 18: The Toilet That Sunk a German U-Boat June 19: The Pourquoi Pas and Roald Amundsen June 20: The Shipwreck That Crashed the Stock Market Also, from now through June 20th, all merchandise is 25% OFF. Go to https://...
Jun 12, 2025•6 min
William Bligh makes his miraculous voyage to Timor in the small launch, and Fletcher Christian and his fellow mutineers take the Bounty to the uninhabited Pitcairn Island. Meanwhile, 16 of the Bounty crew remain on Tahiti and are captured by Captain Edward Edwards of HMS Pandora. The Pandora itself wrecks on the Great Barrier Reef, killing 31 crew and 4 of the prisoners. The court martials result in Bligh being exonerated and 3 of the mutineers executed. The mutineers establish a settlement on P...
Jun 03, 2025•43 min•Ep. 78
The legendary story of the Mutiny on the Bounty. In part 1 of this 2-part series, the Bounty departs England for Tahiti to obtain breadfruit. The crew become comfortable on Tahiti and form relations with the women. Commanding Lt. William Bligh becomes increasingly hostile toward his officers, and insults and humiliates them regularly, setting up the muitiny led by Acting Lt. Fletcher Christian. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be found at https://www.shipwrecks...
May 27, 2025•35 min•Ep. 77
This guest episode is from History Daily hosted by Lindsay Graham. November 16, 1720. The trials of notorious pirates Anne Bonny, Mary Read, and John Rackham begin in Spanish Town, Jamaica. A co-production from award-winning podcasters Airship and Noiser. For more information about History Daily, please visit https://www.historydaily.com/ For ad-free episodes of History Daily, shipwrecks and Sea Dogs, and many more fantastic history podcasts, please subscribe to Into History, at IntoHistory.com/...
May 20, 2025•19 min
The H.L. Hunley was a submarine built by the Confederate States of America in 1863, during the American Civil War. Two tragic mishaps during testing resulted in the deaths of 13 crewmen in Charleston Harbor, including its namesake, Horace Lawson Hunley. The Hunley was finally put into action in 1864, when it successfully ventured into the Atlantic Ocean, and rammed the USS Housatonic with its spar torpedo, and sank her. The Hunley was the first submarine to ever sink an enemy ship. But the subma...
May 13, 2025•39 min•Ep. 76
The American sailing vessel Adriatic collided with the French steamship Le Lyonnais on November 2, 1856, off the coast of Nantucket in what can best be described as a maritime hitand-run. Adriatic’s captain, Jonathan Durham, rendered no aid and left the passenger steamship to fend for herself. 114 people died in the collision and in the days that followed. In August of 2024, Jennifer Sellitti, her partner Joe Mazraani, and a team of explorers discovered, dived, and identified the wreckage of Lyo...
Apr 29, 2025•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 75
The Princess Sophia was a Canadian passenger steamship that tragically sank on October 25, 1918, after striking Vanderbilt Reef in Lynn Canal near Juneau, Alaska. Caught in a severe snowstorm with strong winds and poor visibility, the ship ran aground and was unable to be evacuated due to worsening weather. Despite rescue ships waiting nearby, conditions prevented any safe transfer of passengers. When the storm intensified, the Princess Sophia broke apart and sank, killing all 353 people on boar...
Apr 15, 2025•46 min•Ep. 74
Rich joins Lindsay Graham, host of History Daily, American History Tellers, and American Scandal, for a discussion of the book The Wager by David Grann. HMS Wager HMS Wager was a British Royal Navy ship that became famous for its dramatic wreck and subsequent mutiny in 1741, off the desolate coast of Chilean Patagonia. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be found at https://www.shipwrecksandseadogs.com. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried. Go AD-FREE by becom...
Apr 01, 2025•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 73
On July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis was struck by two torpedoes from the Japanese submarine I-58. The ship sank in just 12 minutes, leaving almost 900 men stranded in the water. For 4 days, the men suffered from horrific shark attacks, dehydration, and exposure. Of the 1,195 on board, only 316 ultimately survived. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be found at https://www.shipwrecksandseadogs.com. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried. Go AD-FREE by becomin...
Mar 26, 2025•53 min•Ep. 71
The SS Western Reserve was the first steel-hulled bulk carrier on the Great Lakes, launched in 1890 for the Minch Transportation Company. Its owner and designer, Peter G. Minch, took his family for a vacation cruise on a late summer day in 1892. The vessel was caught in a strong gale on Lake Superior on August 30th, 1892, and all but one of its 28 occupants was lost, including Peter G. Minch and his family. The location of the ship was unknown until 2024, when the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historica...
Mar 25, 2025•24 min•Ep. 72
Famed pirate Henry Every went by many names, but earned his nickname "King of Pirates" when he plundered the Mughul treasure ship, Ganj-i-Swai in 1695. Valued at over $100 million today, it is believed to be the most lucrative pirate haul in history. His brutal savagery also was notorious, leading to a worldwide manhunt for his capture. Henry Every mysteriously disappeared from history in 1696, but there are many rumors of what became of him. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All...
Mar 11, 2025•32 min•Ep. 70
This special bonus episode features guests Dr. Scarlett Smash and Dr. Craken McCraik from the Marine Conservation Happy Hour Podcast. Join us as we discuss the conspiracy theories of the Titanic/Olympic switch, the legend of the supposedly prophetic "Titan" novel written 2 decades before the Titanic sank, and the story of an interracial married couple who boarded the Titanic. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be found at https://www.shipwrecksandseadogs.com. Or...
Mar 04, 2025•31 min•Ep. 69
The barque Cataraqui crashed into the rocks of King Island, Tasmania, in the Bass Strait, August 4, 1845. The ship was carrying emigrants, mostly families, from England to New South Wales to start a new life. Of 409 on board, only 9 survived, including only 1 passenger. All of the women and children perished. The wreck of the Cataraqui is Australia’s deadliest civil maritime disaster in history. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried. All episodes...
Feb 25, 2025•31 min•Ep. 68
Roald Amundsen was a Norwegian explorer renowned for being the first to reach the South Pole on December 14, 1911, beating Robert Falcon Scott's British expedition. A skilled navigator and leader, he used innovative techniques learned from the Inuit, such as dog sledding and wearing fur clothing, to survive in extreme polar conditions. Amundsen also led the first successful navigation of the Northwest Passage in 1906 and later became the first confirmed person to reach the North Pole by airship ...
Feb 18, 2025•51 min•Ep. 67
The first in a planned series of future episodes about the world's most well-known lighthouses. The enormous Lighthouse of Alexandria is the most famous lighthouse of all time, and stood for 1500 years on the shore of Alexandria, Egypt, and It is one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. Hook's Lighthouse in Ireland is over 1200 years old and is the oldest, intact, operational lighthouse in the world. The Eddystone off the coast of England has gone through numerous iterations, dating back to th...
Feb 04, 2025•32 min•Ep. 66
The U.S. Navy brig Somers was part of an experimental apprentice program to teach young men, mostly teenagers, to be naval officers. During a return voyage to Africa in 1842, Captain Alexander Slidell Mackenzie learned of a mutiny plot, orchestrated by Philip Spencer and other young crewmen. Spencer was the son of Secretary of War John Spencer, and already had a reputation as a troublemaker. Acting swiftly, Mackenzie ordered the execution of the alleged ringleaders, Philip Spencer, Samuel Cromwe...
Jan 21, 2025•37 min•Ep. 65
The pleasure yacht Wawinet sank on September 21, 1942, in Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada. The Wawinet was owned by retired NHL defenseman Bert Corbeau who played for the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Corbeau was Plant Supervisor at Midland Foundry and Machine Company, of Midland, Ontario, and he was taking the workers out for an evening boating excursion. Corbeau was an experienced captain and knew the waters and channels very well. The Wawinet suddenly listed over and took on w...
Jan 07, 2025•51 min•Ep. 64
(This episode was oiginally released in January of 2023.) On the evening of January 28, 1980 the United States Coast Guard cutter Blackthorn was leaving Tampa Bay on its way to its home base in Galveston, Texas. It was a cool, calm, and pleasant night as the Blackthorn headed out. At the same time, the SS Capricorn was inbound to the bay. Through a series of missteps and miscommunications, the Blackthorn and Capricorn collided almost head-on, killing 23 Coast Guardsmen. Rich's wife Dawn joins th...
Dec 31, 2024•40 min
Bonus Episode from La Fayette, We Are Here! podcast. This particular conflict goes by multiple names and definitions. While it is globally recognized as the Seven Years' War, it is more commonly referred to in America as the French and Indian War, and in Canada as the War of Conquest. These wars are all interconnected and are part of a vast global struggle between the two superpowers of the mid-eighteenth century: France and Great Britain. Considered by many as the first true world war, it conti...
Dec 23, 2024•48 min
In the midst of increased tariffs and enforcement of the Navigation Acts, an angry group of merchants, plantation owners, and residents of Providence, Rhode Island slipped out under the cover of darkness on June 10, 1772, and boarded HMS Gaspee. After a short battle, the Rhode Islanders burned the British vessel, and shot and wounded its commander, Lt. William Duddingston. The Gaspee Affair, as it came to be known, was the result of increased tensions between colonists and the British government...
Dec 17, 2024•40 min•Ep. 63
On the 13th of January, 2012 the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia struck a rocky outcropping off the coast of Italy. The ship lost power and propulsion, and came to rest on its starboard side, just meters from the island of Giglio. Panic and chaos ensued on board, with over 4000 passengers and 1000 crew. Captain Francesco Schettino altered the planned course of his ship to perform a sail-by salute, close to Giglio, without informing Costa operations. His mistress, Moldovan dancer Domnica Cemo...
Dec 10, 2024•47 min•Ep. 62
Bonus Episode from La Fayette, We Are Here! podcast. The Nouvelle France (New France) is the French colonization of North America. Over a couple of centuries, the French established settlements all over North America, especially along the St. Lawrence and Mississippi River but also in Nova Scotia, Florida, Louisiana and more. New France existed from the first adventures of Jacques Cartier in 1534 to the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763 and the signature of the treaty of Paris, that saw France...
Dec 03, 2024•1 hr 5 min
The Royal Tar was a Canadian steamship built in 1835. On October 25, 1836, the ship was on voyage from Eastport, Maine to Portland, Maine. On board were 72 passengers, 21 crew, and a large caravan of animals that were part of a traveling menagerie. The caravan included horses, lions, camels, a tiger, birds, reptiles, and even an elephant. when the ship's boiler ran dry due to a leak. When the boiler became red hot, it ignited the timber and supports above. The crew was unable to control the fire...
Nov 26, 2024•32 min•Ep. 61
