Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs – Details, episodes & analysis

The H.L. Hunley was a submarine built by the Confederate States of America in 1863, during the American Civil War. Two tragic mishaps during testing resulted in the deaths of 13 crewmen in Charleston Harbor, including its namesake, Horace Lawson Hunley. The Hunley was finally put into action in 1864, when it successfully ventured into the Atlantic Ocean, and rammed the USS Housatonic with its spar torpedo, and sank her. The Hunley was the first submarine to ever sink an enemy ship. But the submarine disappeared with its 8 crewmen, and its location remained a mystery for over a hundred years. Today, the HL Hunley resides at the Warren Lasch Conservation Center in North Charleston, South Carolina. This episode explores the history of early semi-submersible and submersible vessels, and the gradual development of submarine technology, including the Confederate built David class vessels, the Pioneer, American Diver, and finally the HL Hunley. This episode is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/tCpgWaw0P4U Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. Original theme music for Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs by ⁠Sean Sigfried⁠. Go AD-FREE by becoming a Patreon Officer's Club Member! Join at ⁠https://www.patreon.com.shipwreckspod⁠ Join the Into History Network for ad-free access to this and many other fantastic history podcasts! ⁠https://www.intohistory.com/shipwreckspod⁠ Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Merchandise is available! ⁠https://shop.shipwrecksandseadogs.com/⁠ You can support the podcast with a donation of any amount at: ⁠https://www.buymeacoffee.com/shipwreckspod⁠ Follow Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs ⁠Subscribe on YouTube⁠ ⁠Follow on BlueSky⁠ ⁠Follow on Threads⁠ ⁠Follow on Instagram⁠ ⁠Follow on Facebook⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The American sailing vessel Adriatic collided with the French steamship Le Lyonnais on November 2, 1856, off the coast of Nantucket in what can best be described as a maritime hitand-run. Adriatic’s captain, Jonathan Durham, rendered no aid and left the passenger steamship to fend for herself. 114 people died in the collision and in the days that followed. In August of 2024, Jennifer Sellitti, her partner Joe Mazraani, and a team of explorers discovered, dived, and identified the wreckage of Lyonnais on the eastern edges of Georges Bank. The book includes an epilogue that chronicles what it takes to chase shipwrecks far from shore in the often-punishing North Atlantic, the search for and discovery of Le Lyonnais, and how it changed their lives. Author of "The Adriatic Affair: A Maritime Hit and Run off the Coast of Nantucket" and part of the team that discovered the wreck of Le Lyonnais, Jennifer Sellitti joins me as my guest. This episode is also available on YouTube: https://youtu.be/n_pvh7oj-xs Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. Original theme music for Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs by Sean Sigfried. Go AD-FREE by becoming a Patreon Officer's Club Member! Join at https://www.patreon.com.shipwreckspod Join the Into History Network for ad-free access to this and many other fantastic history podcasts! https://www.intohistory.com/shipwreckspod Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Merchandise is available! https://shop.shipwrecksandseadogs.com/ You can support the podcast with a donation of any amount at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/shipwreckspod Follow Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Subscribe on YouTube Follow on BlueSky Follow on Threads Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The first in a planned series of future episodes about the world's most well-known lighthouses. The enormous Lighthouse of Alexandria is the most famous lighthouse of all time, and stood for 1500 years on the shore of Alexandria, Egypt, and It is one of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World. Hook's Lighthouse in Ireland is over 1200 years old and is the oldest, intact, operational lighthouse in the world. The Eddystone off the coast of England has gone through numerous iterations, dating back to the 1600's. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried. All episodes, images, and sources can be found at shipwrecksandseadogs.com. Go AD-FREE by becoming a Patreon Officer's Club Member! Join at https://www.patreon.com.shipwreckspod Join the Into History Network for ad-free access to this and many other fantastic history podcasts! https://www.intohistory.com/shipwreckspod Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Merchandise is available! https://shop.shipwrecksandseadogs.com/merch You can support the podcast with a donation of any amount at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/shipwreckspod Follow Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Subscribe on YouTube Follow on BlueSky Follow on Threads Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The U.S. Navy brig Somers was part of an experimental apprentice program to teach young men, mostly teenagers, to be naval officers. During a return voyage to Africa in 1842, Captain Alexander Slidell Mackenzie learned of a mutiny plot, orchestrated by Philip Spencer and other young crewmen. Spencer was the son of Secretary of War John Spencer, and already had a reputation as a troublemaker. Acting swiftly, Mackenzie ordered the execution of the alleged ringleaders, Philip Spencer, Samuel Cromwell, and Elisha Small. The event sparked a heated debate about naval discipline, the potential miscarriage of justice, and the proper handling of mutiny, led by famed author James Fenimore Cooper. The incident was one of the factors in the establishment of the United States Naval Academy in 1845. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried. All episodes, images, and sources can be found at shipwrecksandseadogs.com. For AD-FREE listening, please consider becoming a Patreon Officer's Club Member! Join at https://www.patreon.com.shipwreckspod Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Merchandise is available! https://www.bonfire.com/store/shipwreckspod/ You can support the podcast with a donation of any amount at: https://shop.shipwrecksandseadogs.com/merch Join the Into History Network for ad-free access to this and many other fantastic history podcasts! https://www.intohistory.com/shipwreckspod Follow Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Subscribe on YouTube Follow on BlueSky Follow on Threads Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The pleasure yacht Wawinet sank on September 21, 1942, in Georgian Bay, Ontario, Canada. The Wawinet was owned by retired NHL defenseman Bert Corbeau who played for the Montreal Canadiens and the Toronto Maple Leafs. Corbeau was Plant Supervisor at Midland Foundry and Machine Company, of Midland, Ontario, and he was taking the workers out for an evening boating excursion. Corbeau was an experienced captain and knew the waters and channels very well. The Wawinet suddenly listed over and took on water, just south of Beausoleil Island, and began taking on water. 25 of the 42 men on board, including Corbeau, perished in the accident. To this day, there are still many questions about what caused the Wawinet to sink. Joining me for this episode are Bert Mason of Penetanguishene, Ontario, and Brien DesRochers of Parkhill, Ontario, whose relatives died on the Wawinet on that day. It remains one of the worse tragedies in Great Lakes History. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried. All episodes, images, and sources can be found at https://shipwrecksandseadogs.com/blog/2024/12/13/the-mystery-of-the-wawinet/ For AD-FREE listening, join the Officer's Club on Patreon! Join at https://www.patreon.com.shipwreckspod Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Merchandise is available! https://www.bonfire.com/store/shipwreckspod/ You can support the podcast with a donation of any amount at: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/shipwreckspod Join the Into History Network for ad-free access to this and many other fantastic history podcasts! https://www.intohistory.com/shipwreckspod Follow Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs: Subscribe on YouTube Follow on BlueSky Follow on Threads Follow on Instagram Follow on Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

(This episode was oiginally released in January of 2023.) On the evening of January 28, 1980 the United States Coast Guard cutter Blackthorn was leaving Tampa Bay on its way to its home base in Galveston, Texas. It was a cool, calm, and pleasant night as the Blackthorn headed out. At the same time, the SS Capricorn was inbound to the bay. Through a series of missteps and miscommunications, the Blackthorn and Capricorn collided almost head-on, killing 23 Coast Guardsmen. Rich's wife Dawn joins the show again as a guest. For photos and sources related to this episode please visit https://shipwrecksandseadogs.com/blog/2023/01/24/the-uscgc-blackthorn/. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried. For ad-free listening... Become a Patreon Member at https://www.patreon.com/shipwreckspod Subscribe to the Into History network at https://www.intohistory.com/shipwreckspod You can support the podcast in any amount at https://www.buymeacoffee.com/shipwreckspod. To follow on social media, please visit https://bio.link/shipwreckspod. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonus Episode from La Fayette, We Are Here! podcast. This particular conflict goes by multiple names and definitions. While it is globally recognized as the Seven Years' War, it is more commonly referred to in America as the French and Indian War, and in Canada as the War of Conquest. These wars are all interconnected and are part of a vast global struggle between the two superpowers of the mid-eighteenth century: France and Great Britain. Considered by many as the first true world war, it continues to reverberate even today. Embark on a historical journey, with Louis XV, Madame de Pompadour, the Marquis de Montcalm, and general Wolfe as our guides, to examine "the Great French Disaster."  Created and hosted by Emmanuel Dubois. Find and subscribe to La Fayette, We Are Here! on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All episodes, show notes, and transcripts can be found at https://www.lafayettepodcast.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the midst of increased tariffs and enforcement of the Navigation Acts, an angry group of merchants, plantation owners, and residents of Providence, Rhode Island slipped out under the cover of darkness on June 10, 1772, and boarded HMS Gaspee. After a short battle, the Rhode Islanders burned the British vessel, and shot and wounded its commander, Lt. William Duddingston. The Gaspee Affair, as it came to be known, was the result of increased tensions between colonists and the British government. My guest for this episode is Michael Troy, of American Revolution Podcast. Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs is written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried. For images and sources, please visit https://www.shipwrecksandseadogs.com/the-burning-of-hms-gaspee/ For ad-free listening to Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs and many other fantastic history podcasts, subscribe to Into History at IntoHistory.com/shipwreckspod. You can support the podcast in multiple ways! Make a one-time donation at buymeacoffee.com/shipwreckspod Subscribe to Into History at IntoHistory.com/shipwreckspod Buy some Merch! Follow on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and BlueSky: @shipwreckspod Tell a friend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the 13th of January, 2012 the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia struck a rocky outcropping off the coast of Italy. The ship lost power and propulsion, and came to rest on its starboard side, just meters from the island of Giglio. Panic and chaos ensued on board, with over 4000 passengers and 1000 crew. Captain Francesco Schettino altered the planned course of his ship to perform a sail-by salute, close to Giglio, without informing Costa operations. His mistress, Moldovan dancer Domnica Cemortan, was on the bridge at the time of the accident. Twenty-seven passengers and five crew were killed in the accident, and countless more were injured. Schettino and other deck officers abandoned the helpless ship well before all the passengers were off the ship, earning him the nickname, "Captain Coward." Voice actors: Dawn Napolitano: Andrea Davis, passenger Marwan Saidi: Commander Gregorio DeFalco, Italian Coast Guard Allen Nail: Captain Francesco Schettino Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs is written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. Original theme music by Sean Sigfried. For images and sources, please visit https://shipwrecksandseadogs.com/blog/2024/12/10/the-costa-concordia/. For ad-free listening to Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs and many other fantastic history podcasts, subscribe to Into History at IntoHistory.com/shipwreckspod. You can support the podcast in multiple ways! Make a one-time donation at buymeacoffee.com/shipwreckspod Subscribe to Into History at IntoHistory.com/shipwreckspod Buy some Merch! Follow on Facebook, Threads, Instagram, and BlueSky: @shipwreckspod Tell a friend! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Bonus Episode from La Fayette, We Are Here! podcast. The Nouvelle France (New France) is the French colonization of North America. Over a couple of centuries, the French established settlements all over North America, especially along the St. Lawrence and Mississippi River but also in Nova Scotia, Florida, Louisiana and more. New France existed from the first adventures of Jacques Cartier in 1534 to the end of the Seven Years' War in 1763 and the signature of the treaty of Paris, that saw France lose most of its American possessions. It is a remarkable, violent, tragic and perennial story. Created and hosted by Emmanuel Dubois. Find and subscribe to La Fayette, We Are Here! on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. All episodes, show notes, and transcripts can be found at https://www.lafayettepodcast.com/. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices