Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs
A maritime history podcast about shipwrecks, maritime disasters, and seafaring legends. Hear tragic stories of loss, as well as heroic tales of triumph. Host Rich Napolitano explores maritime history like you've never heard, including occasional guests such as authors, historians, mariners, divers, and archaeologists. If you love history, you will love Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs.
Episodes
April 29, 2026 • 30 mins
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 Washington De Long, a crew of 33 men dep...
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April 28, 2026 • 32 mins
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 Washington De Long, a crew of 33 men dep...
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April 21, 2026 • 42 mins
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, ships, and submarines. Rich and gue...
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April 14, 2026 • 36 mins
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 were also gone. Despite investigatio...
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March 31, 2026 • 24 mins
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 Madison Schmidt..All episodes, ...
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March 24, 2026 • 17 mins
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, notes, and merchandise can be foun...
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March 17, 2026 • 13 mins
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 has been called "Miss Unsinkable" ...
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March 10, 2026 • 32 mins
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 sailors and medical staff were los...
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February 26, 2026 • 48 mins
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.
This is part 2 of a 2-part serie...
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February 24, 2026 • 48 mins
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.
This is part 1 of a two-part ser...
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February 19, 2026 • 15 mins
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.
Written, edited, and produced by R...
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February 17, 2026 • 47 mins
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 Admiral Franz von Hipper for Germany, t...
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February 3, 2026 • 29 mins
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 episodes, notes, and merchandise can be...
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January 29, 2026 • 21 mins
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 hilarious sea stories from those who wo...
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January 27, 2026 • 60 mins
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 records but raised money for The Out...
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January 22, 2026 • 11 mins
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 lives were lost, making the Northflee...
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January 20, 2026 • 32 mins
The RMS Niagara was a trans-Pacific ocean liner of the Canadian-Australasian Line, lost during World War II after striking a German mine off the coast of New Zealand in 1940. While all on board were evacuated safely, the ship went down with 590 gold bars intended as payment to the United States for war munitions.
This episode includes the history of the RMS Niagara, the circumstances of its loss during World War II, and the remar...
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January 6, 2026 • 54 mins
🍾This is the 100th regular episode of Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs! ⚓
The SS Wilhelm Gustloff was a cruise ship built by Nazi Germany for the German Labour Front in 1938. It was converted into a hospital ship during World War 2, and then a U-boat training ship. On January 30, 1945, more than 10,000 people, mostly civilian women and children, boarded the Wilhelm Gustloff to escape the advancing Soviet Red Army into East Prussia. She ...
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January 2, 2026 • 14 mins
On the evening of 30 December, 1896, the SS Warwick of the Donaldson Line crashed into the rocks at Grand Manan Island, New Brunswick, Canada. All 31 on board escaped safely, and there with no injuries. But the curious locals of Grand Manan soon found the precious cargo in the hold of the Warwick, and had themselves a New Year's Eve celebration to remember.
Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be fo...
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December 30, 2025 • 46 mins
This episode originally was published on November 22, 2022.
The Empress of Ireland was a luxurious and beautiful steamship of the early 20th century, carrying passengers across the North Atlantic between Quebec City and Liverpool. She and her sister ship, the Empress of Britain, were an important cog during the peak of Canadian immigration. In the early morning hours of 29 May, 1914, the Empress of Ireland collided with the Norweg...
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