Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs

In the summer of 1813, American and British forces raced to build fleets on the shores of Lake Erie, each side betting that naval control would decide the fate of the western frontier. On September 10th, Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry sailed his squadron out to meet the British fleet under Robert Barclay. Early in the battle, Perry's flagship Lawrence was battered into a wreck, forcing him to row t...

In this episode, Rich speaks with author Julie Gerstenblatt, author of Daughters of Nantucket, which won the New England Society Book Award for Fiction, to discuss her new historical novel, The Stargazer of Nantucket. Set in 1851, the novel follows Winifred Starbuck, an eighteen-year-old who stows away on her parents' final merchant voyage from Nantucket Island to San Francisco and across the Paci...

The Terror and the Franklin Expedition Rich recently appeared as a guest on Based on a True Story Podcast with Dan Lefebvre to discuss fact versus fiction in AMC's The Terror, Season 1. This series is a sci-fi/horror adaptation of the novel by Dan Simmons called The Terror portraying the 1845 Franklin Expedition as they search for a passage through the Canadian Arctic on HMS Erebus and HMS Terror....

The Herald of Free Enterprise: How a Routine Ferry Crossing Became One of Britain's Deadliest Peacetime Disasters | Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs On the night of March 6, 1987, the roll-on/roll-off ferry Herald of Free Enterprise left the Belgian port of Zeebrugge bound for Dover with nearly 500 passengers and crew aboard. Minutes after clearing the harbor, the ship rolled onto its side in shallow water...

The Wreck of the Whaleship Mentor (1832) | Shipwreck, Captivity & Survival in Palau | Interview with Eric Jay Dolin In May 1832, the American whaleship Mentor was battling fierce storms in the western Pacific when disaster struck. Wrecked on a remote reef in the Micronesian archipelago of Palau, eleven surviving crewmen found themselves stranded in unfamiliar territory, their supplies dwindling an...

In 1913, the fully-rigged British vessel Glenesslin strangely sailed straight into the rocks on the coast of Oregon, despite relatively calm weather. Locals reported the captain and crew were drunk, and rumors of insurance fraud swirled. Many questions still remain about why this beautiful ship was wrecked on the rocks. All episodes and transcripts can be found at shipwrecksandseadogs.com. For ad-...

In April 1942, sixteen American B-25 bombers lifted off from the deck of USS Hornet and struck the Japanese home islands in a raid that stunned the Empire of Japan. But for the Chinese people of Zhejiang and Jiangxi provinces, the Doolittle Raid triggered a catastrophe. In this episode of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs, host Rich Napolitano examines the brutal Japanese military campaign that followed dur...

Dr. John Rae was a Scottish surgeon who became one of the most remarkable Arctic explorers of the 19th century, and one of its most unjustly forgotten. Between 1846 and 1854, Rae led four major Arctic expeditions, trekking, sailing, and canoeing more than 37,000 kilometres across some of the most unforgiving terrain on Earth. His discovery of Rae Strait proved to be the final link in a navigable N...

This replay of episode 35 includes new updates! A 2026 research study has positively identified remains of four men from the Franklin Expedition using DNA analysis. Also, updates about what has been found at the wrecks of HMS Terror and HMS Erebus. The Franklin Expedition of 1845 was a British voyage led by Sir John Franklin in an attempt to navigate the Northwest Passage, a coveted sea route thro...

The USS Jeannette expedition (1879–1881) is remembered as one of the most tragic and compelling stories in maritime history, blending ambition, endurance, and survival against the odds. Financed by James Gordon Bennett Jr. and undertaken by the United States Navy, the expedition aimed to reach the North Pole via the Bering Strait in search of the theorized open polar sea. Commanded by George Washi...

The USS Jeannette expedition (1879–1881) is remembered as one of the most tragic and compelling stories in maritime history, blending ambition, endurance, and survival against the odds. Financed by James Gordon Bennett Jr. and undertaken by the United States Navy, the expedition aimed to reach the North Pole via the Bering Strait in search of the theorized open polar sea. Commanded by George Washi...

Hell Ships is the name given to prisoner of war transport ships used by the Empire of Japan during World War 2. These ships were truly nightmarish. Thousands of POWs were crammed shoulder to shoulder in the holds of these ships, in brutal heat, unsanitary conditions, with rancid water, limited food, and no room to lie down. These ships were also unmarked, and were often targeted by Allied planes,...

The 5- masted schooner Carroll A. Deering was discovered abandoned on January 31, 1921, hard aground on the treacherous Diamond Shoals off Cape Hatteras. All crew members had vanished without a trace, leaving behind a fully set table in the galley, personal belongings, and signs that the vessel had been recently occupied, but with its lifeboats missing. The ship’s logs and navigational equipment w...

The USS Narcissus was a Union screw tug during the American Civil War, originally built as the stram tug, Mary Cook in 1863. USS Narcissus sank for the first time in 1864 in Mobile Bay, but was refloated, repaired, and put back into service. Her fatal sinking was in 1866, off the coast of Egmont Key, in the mouth of Tampa Bay, Florida. This episode was researched and written by Rich Napolitano and...

HMS Rockingham was an armed convoy escort of the Royal Navy during World War 2. Originally built as USS Swasey for the U.S. Navy, she was transferred to the Royal Navy in 1940 as part of the "Destroyers for Bases" deal. On 27 September, 1944, Rockingham struck a mine off the coast of Scotland, requiring a daring rescue in rough seas. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes,...

Violet Jessop was a stewardess for the White Star Line and survived three maritime disasters. She was on board the RMS Olympic in 1911 when it collided with HMS Hawke, RMS Titanic when it famously sank in 1912, and HMHS Britannic when it struck a German mine in 1916. Her early life in Argentina and later England was a constant struggle, but she survived despite adversity and tragedy. Violet Jessop...

HMHS Britannic was built by Harland & Wolff for the White Star Line as an OIympic Class ocean liner. Her older sisters were RMS Olympic and RMS Titanic. Britannic never realized the glory of translatlantic passenger service, as she was requisitioned by the Admiralty as a hospital ship for service during World War I. On 21 November 1916, Britannic struck a German mine in the Aegean Sea sank. Thirty...

On June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible imploded during a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic, killing OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, ocean explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and civilians Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and 19 year old Suleman Dawood. Many industry experts warned Stockton Rush of his reckless methods, reliance on untested and unproven materials, and lack of safety standards...

On June 18, 2023, the Titan submersible imploded during a voyage to the wreck of the Titanic, killing OceanGate founder and CEO Stockton Rush, ocean explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, and civilians Hamish Harding, Shahzada Dawood, and 19 year old Suleman Dawood. Many industry experts warned Stockton Rush of his reckless methods, reliance on untested and unproven materials, and lack of safety standards...

Lac La Belle was a wooden passenger and cargo steamer built in 1864. Her troubled career included several groundings and a collision with another ship that caused her to sink in 1866. After being refloated Lac La Belle was lost in a storm in 1872 on Lake Michigan and remained undiscovered for 150 years. In February 2026, it was announced she had been finally found by shipwreck hunter Paul Ehorn. W...

Maritime historian Chris Sams joins me to discuss the Battle of Jutland. Fought from 31 May to 1 June 1916 in the North Sea, it was the largest naval engagement of the First World War and the only full-scale clash between Britain’s Royal Navy Grand Fleet and Germany’s High Seas Fleet. Commanded by Admirals Sir John Jellicoe and Sir David Beatty for Britain and Vice Admiral Reinhard Scheer and Admi...

On the morning of April 10, 1968, one of New Zealand’s most infamous maritime disasters unfolded in Wellington Harbour. The TEV Wahine, a modern passenger and vehicle ferry, was driven off course by Cyclone Giselle and wrecked just yards from safety. The ship struck a reef and capsized, killing 51 people and creating a national tragedy. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episode...

Host of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Rich Napolitano recently appeared as a guest on Deck Tales. Rich talks about how he got started in podcasting, how he chooses episodes and guests, and some of his favforite episodes. This is a just a clip from the much longer full episode of Deck Tales. Sammy Catling is the host of Deck Tales, and a former cruise ship entertainer. He collects the wildest, most hilar...

Seas The Day Ocean Rowing Team – Historic Pacific Crossing (2025) In 2025, the Seas The Day Rowing Team made history when adventurers Miriam Payne and Jess Rowe became the first all-female team ever to row non-stop and unsupported across the Pacific Ocean. Navigating over 8,200 nautical miles from Lima, Peru to Cairns, Australia in their 9-metre boat named Velocity, Seas The Day not only broke rec...

On January 22, 1873, the British passenger ship Northfleet was anchored in the English Channel, bound for Tasmania, when she was suddenly struck by another vessel in the darkness. Carrying more than 300 people, many of them emigrants, the ship sank within minutes. Lifeboats failed, distress signals went unanswered, and passengers were thrown into icy waters just miles from shore. More than 300 liv...