Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs
A maritime history podcast. Dive deep into the captivating world of shipwrecks, maritime disasters, and seafaring legends. Each episode unravels the true stories behind history’s most infamous shipwrecks, from legendary vessels lost to the depths to modern-day maritime mysteries. Join host Rich Napolitano as he explores the history, science, and human stories behind these sunken relics—perfect for history buffs, sailors, divers, ocean lovers, and adventure seekers alike. Set sail with us on a voyage through time, where the past meets the sea. Follow Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs and embark on a journey through the forgotten chapters of maritime history! 🌊⚓ Subscribe to the Officer's Club on Patreon for ad-free listening and bonus content! Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs is a proud member of the Into History podcast channel. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried.
Episodes
November 4, 2025 • 60 mins
The Star of Bengal was a three-masted steel sailing ship that met a tragic end off the coast of Alaska on September 20, 1908. While transporting over 138 cannery workers, mostly Asian immigrants, and a cargo of canned salmon from Wrangell, Alaska to San Francisco, California, the ship was caught in a fierce gale. Two accompanying tugboats were forced to release their towlines, leaving the Star of Bengal to be driven onto the rocky ...
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October 28, 2025 • 18 mins
The SS Andaste was a semi-whaleback, self-unloading freighter built in 1892 by the Cleveland Shipbuilding Company. In 1925, a self-unloading system was added to her deck making her a bit top-heavy and unstable. On September 9, 1929, she was lost in a storm on Lake Michigan, while transporting a load of gravel from Ferrysburg (Grand Haven), Michigan to Chicago. All 25 on board perished. The wreck of the Andaste has never been found,...
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October 21, 2025 • 45 mins
Anthony Cummins, also known as Captain Tonz, is a retired marine captain, and real-life modern day pirate. I spoke with him in Episode 37, and he told of taking a humber barge across the Bay of Biscay, and his creative escape from Gibraltar.
I had the chance to catch up with Captain Tonz again, and he shares more of his interesting stories including a dicey shipwreck, smuggling camels, and how pirates can, and do, help preserve t...
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October 19, 2025 • 45 mins
Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922) was an Anglo-Irish explorer best known for his daring Antarctic expeditions during the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration. Born in County Kildare, Ireland, and raised in London, Shackleton first ventured south with Robert Falcon Scott on the Discovery Expedition (1901–1904), before leading his own journeys aboard Nimrod (1907–1909) and Endurance (1914–1917). Though he never reached the South Pole, his...
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October 9, 2025 • 51 mins
Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874–1922) was an Anglo-Irish explorer best known for his daring Antarctic expeditions during the Heroic Age of Polar Exploration. Born in County Kildare, Ireland, and raised in London, Shackleton first ventured south with Robert Falcon Scott on the Discovery Expedition (1901–1904), before leading his own journeys aboard Nimrod (1907–1909) and Endurance (1914–1917). Though he never reached the South Pole, his...
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September 30, 2025 • 41 mins
On February 12, 1983, Signalman 3rd class Scott Baxter was on board the USS Jack Williams and participated in the search and rescue mission for the SS Marine Electric. Scott Baxter retired from the US Navy as a Signalman Chief Petty Officer, and I had the opportunity to speak with him about that cold, February morning and other memorable moments from his career.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can ...
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September 29, 2025 • 58 mins
This episode was originally published in August of 2024.The bulk carrier SS Marine Electric went down on February 12th, 1983, 30 miles off the coast of Virginia during a severe winter storm. The World War 2 era ship had been been deteriorating for years and suffered from rust, corrosion, failed pumps, and faulty safety features that the ship's owners, Marine Transport Lines had neglected to repair. Only 3 out of 34 crewmembers surv...
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September 23, 2025 • 43 mins
Kim Wall was a fiercely independent journalist whose reporting spanned the intersections of identity, gender, culture, social justice, and global politics. Her life was tragically cut short in August 2017 when entrepreneur Peter Madsen brutally murdered her on board his submarine UC-3 Nautilus, which he built himself.
Links mentioned in the episode:
Kim Wall Memorial Fund: https://www.iwmf.org/programs/kim-wall-memorial-fund/
...
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September 16, 2025 • 52 mins
Tom Kastle has been a singer and folk musician for decades, traveling the world, collecting and performing maritime songs and stories, and captaining sailing ships on the Great Lakes. Onstage, he has performed theatrical roles ranging from musicals to Shakespeare and played a political pundit with the legendary Ed Asner in God Help Us! Tom is currently developing and touring two, one-man plays.
For more about Captain Tom Kastle...
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September 16, 2025 • 14 mins
This bonus episode is a companion to Episode 86, Sea Shanties and Tall Ships with Captain Tom Kastle. Please enjoy these three tracks:
1) Cold Winds
2) Rolling Home (Live)
3) The Bigler
Please visit https://www.tomkastle.com for more about Captain Tom.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be found at https://www.shipwrecksandseadogs.com.
Original theme music by Sean ...
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September 2, 2025 • 44 mins
On May 7th, 1915, RMS Lusitania was hit with a single torpedo from German submarine U-20, commanded by Walther Schweiger. A second explosion rocked the ship after the initial torpedo, which is still a source of controversy today. Of the known 1,960 on board, 1,197 people lost their lives, including 94 children. The sinking triggered worldwide outrage and accusations of war crimes.
To donate to the Joe Mazraani Memorial Fund to ...
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August 26, 2025 • 39 mins
The tragic sinking of the RMS Lusitania in 1915 was a pivotal maritime disaster of World War I that claimed almost 1200 lives after a German U-boat torpedo struck the British ocean liner off the coast of Ireland. Part 1 of this 2 part series discusses the history of the Lusitiania as a luxury liner, political tensions as World War 1 began, and the events of the Lustiania's final voyage up until it was struck by a torpedo.
Written...
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August 12, 2025 • 42 mins
Just after midnight on March 24, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef, in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Over 10 million gallons of crude oil spilled into the waters, killing hundreds of thousands of animals, and devastating the fragile ecosystem. This episode provides a detailed account of how this accident happened, and its ramifications.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be...
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July 29, 2025 • 49 mins
In 1864, the American packet ship Adriatic was on voyage from London to New York when it was captured and burned by the notorious Confederate raider CSS Tennessee. The passengers and crew were taken prisoner, but the ship fell out of memory. In 2016, Captains John Noonan and John Bricker, and their team of divers discovered the old sailing vessel, along with some of its artifacts.
John Noonan and John Bricker join me as guests t...
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July 22, 2025 • 66 mins
Rich chats with Deb Whitcraft, of the New Jersey Maritime Museum, which houses the world's largest collection of artifacts and memorabilia related to the Morro Castle.
https://njmaritimemuseum.org/
This bonus Flotsam & Jetsam episode is available for everyone. To hear more, please subscribe to the Officer's Club on Patreon, or subscribe to the Into History Podcast Channel.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. Orig...
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July 15, 2025 • 51 mins
The Morro Castle shipwreck of 1934 was a tragic maritime disaster involving a luxury passenger liner operated by the Ward Line. On September 8, 1934, while en route from Havana to New York, the ship caught fire off the coast of New Jersey near Asbury Park, resulting in the deaths of 137 passengers and crew. The fire, which was later suspected to be an act of arson, spread rapidly due to strong winds and flammable materials onboard,...
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July 8, 2025 • 50 mins
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 Envi...
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June 24, 2025 • 45 mins
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, an...
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June 20, 2025 • 8 mins
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 merchandi...
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June 19, 2025 • 5 mins
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...
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