Beyond the Breakers

This week we're talking about the loss of the steamer R.G. Coburn in October 1871. Other sub-topics include the Great Chicago Fire, the Peshtigo Fire, the Chicago iron & steel industry, and the dazzling array of fonts in 1800s newspaper advertisements.  Sources: Bensman, David and Mark R. Wilson. "Iron and Steel." Encyclopedia of Chicago , 2005. http://encyclopedia.chicagohistor...

This bonus episode spun off from Episode 87 covering the steamship Metropolis , which spent part of its career serving in the Atlantic Blockading Squadron. We look at the effectiveness of the blockade and impact that the contraband trade had on life in the Confederacy. **note, the last 5-ish minutes of the episode is just some hot mic / behind the scenes discussion from between recordings that we...

This week we discuss the story of the steamship Metropolis, formerly known as the USS Stars And Stripes, which ran aground near Currituck, NC in 1878. Sources: Gentile, Gary. Shipwrecks of North Carolina from Hatteras Inlet South . G. Gentile Productions, 1992. Tabb, Kip. "Beach wreckage revives mystery of the Metropolis." Outer Banks Voice, 14 Oct 2020. https://www.outerbanksvoice.com/2...

Welcome to Season Three of Beyond the Breakers! We are starting the new year by talking about the 1982 sinking of the mobile offshore drilling unit  Ocean Ranger in the Hibernia Field of the Grand Banks. Sources: Collier, Keith. "The Loss of the Ocean Ranger , 15 February 1982." Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage , October 2016. www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/economy/ocean-ranger.php Dodd,...

This bonus episode is a discussion of the article "Dead Men Do Tell Tales: Folklore, Fraternity, and the Forecastle" Source:  Rouleau, Brian J. "Dead Men Do Tell Tales: Folklore, Fraternity, and the Forecastle." Early American Studies, vol. 05, no. 01, Spring 2007, pp. 30-62 Support the show

This is the conclusion of our four part series on RMS Lusitania , meaning it is also the conclusion to Season Two of Beyond the Breakers. We discuss contemporary reactions to the sinking, the inquiry headed by Lord Mersey, and explanations about how this tragedy occurred in the way that it did. Thank you for all the listens, the support, and the interactions on social media this season. We look fo...

Here is Part Three of our season finale series - covering U-20 's activities up until she encountered Lusitania , the sinking itself, passenger stories, and the evacuation of the vessel.  Sources: Beesly, Patrick (1982). Room 40: British Naval Intelligence, 1914–1918 . Long Acre, London: Hamish Hamilton Ltd Butler, Daniel Allen. The Lusitania: The Life, Loss, and Legacy of an Ocean Legend . S...

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In Part Two of our season finale, we discuss the history of RMS Lusitania , Cunard Line, the man who ultimately sank her, and the dedicated team of British intelligence personnel meticulously tracking the movement of German U-boats. Sources: Butler, Daniel Allen. The Lusitania: The Life, Loss, and Legacy of an Ocean Legend . Stackpole Books, 2000. Hübner, Andreas. “A People of ‘Patriotic Hearts’:...

This week we begin our three-part (correction, four-part) season finale, in which we'll discuss one of the most famous maritime calamities in history - the sinking of RMS Lusitania . Sources for Part 1: Butler, Daniel Allen. The Lusitania: The Life, Loss, and Legacy of an Ocean Legend . Stackpole Books, 2000.  Hübner, Andreas. “A People of ‘Patriotic Hearts’: German-Americans, U.S. Neutrality...

Here we wrap up our long discussion of prison ships and prison hulks in the British Empire.  Listen to Parts 1 and 2 if you haven't already! All three parts have now been unlocked for everyone on the main podcast feed.  Sources: Forbes, Thomas R. "Coroners' Inquisitions on the Deaths of Prisoners in the Hulks at Portsmouth, England, in 1817 - 1827." Journal of the History of Me...

This week we're joined by special guest Ian to discuss the tale of the schooner barge Madeira and the harrowing survival story of her crew, featuring Olympian feats of strength and agility on the icy cliffs of Minnesota's North Shore. Sources: Hübner, Andreas. “A People of ‘Patriotic Hearts’: German-Americans, U.S. Neutrality, and the Building of an Inclusive Coalition in New Orleans, 19...

This week we discuss a fatal incident involving the cargo vessel Karina C while she was docked in Seville, Spain, on May 24th 2019. We discuss guidelines, precautions, and how they don't mean anything without a culture of safety on board. Sources: Marine Accident Investigation Branch. "Crush incident on general cargo vessel Karina C with loss of 1 life." https://assets.publishing.se...

**no main episode this week, but we're unlocking a bonus for you** The January 2022 bonus episode, a continuation of our Part 1 discussion prison hulks in the British empire, with an emphasis on their use in Australia.  Hosty, Kieran and Bridget Berry. "Convict Hulks." Sydney Living Museums. https://sydneylivingmuseums.com.au/stories/convict-hulks McKay, Anna. "A Day in the Lif...

We're celebrating Halloween in style with some spooky stories of the Eastland , the Kamloops , and the ghosts of Maryland's Point Lookout. And we're joined by returning champion Kaylee! Sources: "Chicago Hauntings: The Ghosts of the Eastland." CBS Chicago , 26 Oct 2021. https://www.cbsnews.com/chicago/news/chicago-hauntings-ghosts-eastland-disaster/ Coleman, Dorcas. "...

This week we are excited and honored to be joined by Professor Karen Barton to further discuss the Senegalese RORO ferry Le Joola . Professor Barton has been an enormously important voice in sharing the story of Le Joola with an English-speaking audience on a wider scale and we are so grateful to her for spending some time answering our questions.  Sources: Barton, Karen Samantha. Africa’s Joola S...

This week we're on Lake Erie again to discuss the sinking of the wooden-hulled steam barge Margaret Olwill near Kelley's Island in 1899. Don't miss Tanner's livestream appearance on OTD Canadian Military History (@OTDCanMilHis), discussing the Battle of Lake Erie from the War of 1812 - Tuesday, October 18th @ 7 PM Eastern Time.  Sources: Boyer, Dwight. Ships and Men of the Grea...

This week we discuss the sinking of the craft designated SIEV-221 at Christmas Island (Australia) on December 15 2010. Sources: Hope, Alastair Neil. "Inquest..." Coroner's Court of Western Australia , 23 Feb 2012. https://www.coronerscourt.wa.gov.au/_files/Christmas_Island_Findings.pdf Needham, Kirsty. "Asylum boat deaths avoidable, coroner rules." Sydney Morning Herald ,...

This week we're on Lake Erie to discuss one of the Great Lakes' most enduring mysteries - the fate of the train ferry Marquette & Bessemer No. 2 , lost in December 1909.  Sources: Boyer, Dwight.  Ghost Ships of the Great Lakes.  Dodd, Mead, and Co. 1968. "Captain Robert Rowan McLeod." History of the Great Lakes , https://www.maritimehistoryofthegreatlakes.ca/GreatLakes/Docu...

This week we're joined by Brianna (@brinnabea), who's going to teach us a thing or two about weather on the Great Lakes and how it correlates with peak times for shipwrecks during the year.  Relevant charts, graphs, and slides will be posted to Patreon.  Support the show

In this episode, the Fabulous Breaker Boys answer listener questions and discuss the podcast up to this point.  Support the show

In this episode, Taylor is joined by Darcy to discuss the sinking of the charter fishing vessel Muff Diver on August 9th, 1987. This is a more lighthearted episode than we typically have, but still with lessons to be taken from the incident about disaster preparedness, communication,  and the management of crew and passengers during a voyage.  Sources: Gentile, Gary. Shipwrecks of Delaware and Mar...

This week we discuss the sinking of the sailing yacht Ouzo in August 2006 with the loss of all her crew, most likely due to a collision or near-collision with the P & O ferry Pride of Bilbao. Sources: "Candela." National Institute of Standards and Technology, 25 July 2019. https://www.nist.gov/si-redefinition/candela de Castella, Tom. "Lost at sea." Financial Times , 22 Aug...

In this episode we talk about the role of flatboats and keelboats on the American frontier in the 18th and 19th century, as well as the frontier character of the riverboat man, embodied in the semi-legendary figure of Mike Fink. *Originally released as the November 2021 bonus episode; edited and re-uploaded to Patreon 3/29/22 Sources: Allen, Michael. "Sired by a Hurricane: Mike Fink, Western...

In this episode we discuss not one ship, but several - the abandoned, rotting hulks embedded in the Delaware River known as 'the Dead Fleet.' Sources: McNulty, Bob. "Rediscovering the Dead Fleet of the Delaware River." Hidden City , 23 May 2017. "U.S. Submarine Nautilus - 1931 North Pole Attempt."  Explore North.  Support the show