Beyond the Breakers

In this THREE-part episode we delve into a disaster on the US home front during WWII and the subsequent work stoppage that contributed to the eventual desegregation of the US Navy. Part I deals with the Port Chicago disaster itself, and Parts II and 3 will cover the details of the famous "mutiny" that took place in its aftermath. Sources:  https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/war...

In this two-part episode we delve into a disaster on the US home front during WWII and the subsequent work stoppage that contributed to the eventual desegregation of the US Navy. Part I deals with the Port Chicago disaster itself, and Part II will cover the details of the famous "mutiny" that took place in its aftermath. Sources:  https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflic...

In this episode we discuss HMS  Hermes,  the first vessel designed explicitly as an aircraft carrier.  The Sameer Project  Sources: "Hermes".  World War II Database.  Osprey Publishing. https://ww2db.com/ship_spec.php?ship_id=160 "HMS Hermes I: Fleet Aircraft Carrier."  Index of Naval Aircraft Carriers .  Symonds, Craig L.  World War II at Sea: A Global History . Oxford Univers...

This week it's the story of the cargo vessel MV Rema , lost in the North Sea in April 1998.  The Sameer Project Sources: Flooding and sinking of dry cargo vessel Rema with loss of 4 lives. https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/flooding-and-sinking-of-dry-cargo-vessel-rema-off-whitby-england-with-loss-of-4-lives Support the show

This week we have the saga of the SS Springfjord, which survived World War Two unscathed but could not escape the wrath of the Central Intelligence Agency.  The Sameer Project Sources: Handy, Jim. Gift of the Devil: A History of Guatemala . South End Press, 1984.  Handy, Jim. Revolution in the Countryside: Rural Conflict and Agrarian Reform in Guatemala, 1944 - 1954. University of North Carolina P...

This week it's the tale of the small fishing vessel Tullaghmurry Lass , lost in the Irish Sea on February 14th 2002.  The Sameer Project Sources:  Andrews, Rachel and Liam O'Brien. "Tullaghmurry Lass." RTÉ Radio 1, March 2005. https://www.rte.ie/radio/doconone/646256-lass "Kilkeel Harbour." eOceanic , https://eoceanic.com/sailing/harbours/113/kilkeel_harbour_county_do...

This week it's the tale of the Nantucket lightship LV-117 and her fateful collision with the Titanic 's older sister.  The Sameer Project (Tents / aid for Gaza)  Sources:  media.defense.gov/2020/Sep/28/2002507189/-1/-1/0/LIGHTSHIP_SNAPSHOT_OF_LIFE_ABOARD_LV78.PDF https://web.archive.org/web/20121024033319/https://www.uscg.mil/history/weblightships/LV117.asp Chirnside, Mark. The 'Oly...

In this episode we discuss a maritime incident from March 2011 that saw the container ship COSCO Hong Kong collide with fishing transportation vessel Zhe Ling Yu Yun 135 off the coast of Zhejiang Province.  The Sameer Project Sources:  “Collision between container vessel Cosco Hongkong and fish transportation vessel Zhe Ling Yu Yun 135 with loss of 11 lives.” Marine Accident Investigation Branch ,...

The first episode of Season 6 (!) takes us to Sydney Harbor for the story of the ferry Rodney.  [The main story starts at 11:39]  This episode ends with a trailer for the Season 6 Patreon (intro music - 'Poppy' by our pals Nadezhda https://nadezhda.bandcamp.com/) and preview for non-patrons of the Guadalcanal bonus series.  The Sameer Project Sources:  "80 Years on: the Rodney ferry...

This episode is part two(of two) on the life and times of the German battleship Tirpitz .  *This is also the final episode of Season 5 - thanks for listening and we will be back with a new season soon! The Sameer Project  Gaza Funds Sources: Hansen, Kenneth P. “Raeder Versus Wegener: Conflict in German Naval Strategy.” The Naval War College Review , vol. 58, no. 4, Autumn 2005.  Knowles, Daniel .T...

This episode is part one (of two) on the life and times of the German battleship Tirpitz .  The Sameer Project  Gaza Funds Sources: Hansen, Kenneth P. “Raeder Versus Wegener: Conflict in German Naval Strategy.” The Naval War College Review , vol. 58, no. 4, Autumn 2005.  Knowles, Daniel .Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany's Last Great Battleship. Fonthill Media, 2018.  Steinberg, Jonathan...

This week it's the tale of the Portuguese galleon Padre Eterno, launched in the Bay of Guanabara in 1663. More the story of a ship that did wreck at some point and the world she inhabited rather than a nuts-and-bolts 'shipwreck' yarn.  The Sameer Project  Sources:  Blackburn, Robin. The Making of New World Slavery: From the Baroque to the Modern, 1492 - 1800. Verso, 1998.  Camenietz...

We've unlocked a bonus episode for everyone, since there's some useful information here for an upcoming main episode dealing with Portugal/Brazil.  Sources: Blackburn, Robin. The Making of New World Slavery: From the Baroque to the Modern, 1492 - 1800. Verso Books, 1998.  Silva, Daniel Neves. "Escravidão no Brasil." Universo Online, https://mundoeducacao.uol.com.br/historiadobr...

This is a short preview of our most recent $3 bonus episode - sign up on Patreon at the $3 Able Seaperson tier for an extra episode each month, or the $5 2nd Mate tier for two extra episodes.  Patrons also get main episodes a few days early, plus occasional bits of the main episode that are edited out on the main feed release.  Support the show

We're back to discuss the career of the SS Pacific (not that one, the other one!) We'll even throw in a rail disaster for free.  Sources: https://web.archive.org/web/20091215121426/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsP-Q.html https://web.archive.org/web/20100120135812/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/collins.html https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usr...

Here we have the long-awaited conclusion to our epic series on the saga of HMCS Karluk  Don't forget that there is a bonus Part V available for patrons, covering Stefansson's later ill-fated attempt at colonizing Wrangel Island Major thanks to Jess (@jesslovesboats) for guiding us through this story!  gazafunds.com Sources: Cavell, Janice. “The Karluk ’s Lost Men: The Alexander Anderson...

Jess (@jesslovesboats) is back to navigate us through Part Three (of Four) in the saga of the Karluk ! gazafunds.com Sources for Part II: Cavell, Janice. "The Karluk 's Lost Men: The Alexander Anderson and Alister Forbes Mackay Parties, 1914." The Journal of the Hakluyt Society , March 2025, pp. 1 - 31.  Diubaldo, Richard J. Stefansson and the Canadian Arctic. McGill-Queen’s Univers...

Jess is back as we get further into the saga of the Karluk (emphasis on the second syllable). If you've been waiting for the shipwreck, wait no more! Sources for Part II: Cavell, Janice. "The Karluk 's Lost Men: The Alexander Anderson and Alister Forbes Mackay Parties, 1914." The Journal of the Hakluyt Society , March 2025, pp. 1 - 31.  Diubaldo, Richard J. Stefansson and the C...

We're joined by longtime listener and longer time polar exploration enthusiast Jessica (@jesslovesboats) for a tale that would be a certified goofball comedy if not for the overwhelming tragedy of it - it's the story of the Karluk , the Canadian Arctic Expedition, and the men, women, and (yes!) children who fought to survive in some of the cruelest conditions that Planet Earth has to off...

This week it's the story of a battleship so famous that they made an entire musical about her.  gazafunds.com Don't forget to check out our guest appearance on We Always Lie to Strangers where we are introduced to the 1953 Springfield Missouri Cobra Scare.  Sources:  Evans, David C. The Japanese Navy in World War II: In the Words of Former Japanese Naval Officers , 2nd Edition . Naval In...

This week it is the story of the narrowboat Drum Major and her 1998 foundering on the Leeds & Liverpool Canal that resulted in multiple deaths. *there is about 19 minutes of intro in this one so skip accordingly if you want to get into things right away gazafunds.com Sources:  Clarke, Mike. The Leeds & Liverpool Canal: A History and Guide . Carnegie Publishing, 1994.  Farrington, J.H. “The...

Honorary third host of the podcast Kaylee is back this week to join us in discussing the R.J. Hackett , a vessel that changed the way bulk cargo was transported on the Great Lakes and laid the groundwork for the designs we still see today.  gazafunds.com Sources:  Baker, Newton D. “Transportation on the Great Lakes.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science , vol. 171, Ja...

We are joined by the baddest boys in the Ozarks - We Always Lie To Strangers - to discuss the I-40 Bridge Disaster, which saw the towboat Robert Y. Love impact a bridge over the Arkansas river near Webbers Falls, Oklahoma, on May 26 2002. (Wish we could claim the foresight to have scheduled this for the anniversary but that is entirely 100% coincidental)  You can find everything WALTS-related here...

This is a short preview of a bonus episode available at the Able Seaperson ($3) and 2nd Mate ($5) tiers  Support the show

Here we conclude the main story of the mutiny on the whaleship Globe where everyone lives happily ever after in a tropical paradise. Or something like that.  *meant to cut in a minor edit for this episode - George Comstock was 15 by the time the Globe sailed, and Samuel was 20 gazafunds.com Sources:  Couper, Alastair. “Dangers, Mutinies, and the Law.” Sailors and Traders: A Maritime History of the...