Episodi

  • Episode 161 - The Rodney Disaster
    Jan 17 2026

    The first episode of Season 6 (!) takes us to Sydney Harbor for the story of the ferry Rodney.

    [The main story starts at 11:39]

    This episode ends with a trailer for the Season 6 Patreon (intro music - 'Poppy' by our pals Nadezhda https://nadezhda.bandcamp.com/) and preview for non-patrons of the Guadalcanal bonus series.

    The Sameer Project

    Sources:

    "80 Years on: the Rodney ferry disaster." Sydney Morning Herald, 13 Feb 2018. https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/80-years-on-the-rodney-ferry-disaster-20180208-h0vs63.html

    Lennon, Troy. "19 died when the Rodney ferry capsized as people rushed to farewell US warship Louisville." Daily Telegraph, 13 Feb 2018. https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/today-in-history/19-died-when-the-rodney-ferry-capsized-as-people-rushed-to-farewell-us-warship-louisville/news-story/0d0fe4feb123318c05533537ce54f8c9

    "Sinking of the ferry Rodney." Daily Telegraph Mirror, 8 Feb 1991. https://messui.polygonal-moogle.com/incident/1938_rodney.pdf

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    53 min
  • Episode 160.2 - Tirpitz, Pt. II
    Jan 1 2026

    This episode is part two(of two) on the life and times of the German battleship Tirpitz.

    *This is also the final episode of Season 5 - thanks for listening and we will be back with a new season soon!

    The Sameer Project

    Gaza Funds

    Sources:

    Hansen, Kenneth P. “Raeder Versus Wegener: Conflict in German Naval Strategy.” The Naval War College Review, vol. 58, no. 4, Autumn 2005.

    Knowles, Daniel.Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany's Last Great Battleship. Fonthill Media, 2018.

    Steinberg, Jonathan. Yesterday’s Deterrent: Tirpitz and the Birth of the German Battle Fleet. Macmillan, 1965.

    Symonds, Craig L. World War II at Sea: A Global History. Oxford University Press, 2018.

    Zetterling, Niklas and Michael Tamelander. Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany’s Last Super Battleship. Casemate, 2009.

    https://web.archive.org/web/20190219133255/https://www.tirpitz-museum.no/#home

    https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/18149/Tirpitz-Museum.htm

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    1 ora e 6 min
  • Episode 160.1 - Tirpitz, Pt. I
    Dec 5 2025

    This episode is part one (of two) on the life and times of the German battleship Tirpitz.

    The Sameer Project

    Gaza Funds

    Sources:

    Hansen, Kenneth P. “Raeder Versus Wegener: Conflict in German Naval Strategy.” The Naval War College Review, vol. 58, no. 4, Autumn 2005.

    Knowles, Daniel.Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany's Last Great Battleship. Fonthill Media, 2018.

    Steinberg, Jonathan. Yesterday’s Deterrent: Tirpitz and the Birth of the German Battle Fleet. Macmillan, 1965.

    Symonds, Craig L. World War II at Sea: A Global History. Oxford University Press, 2018.

    Zetterling, Niklas and Michael Tamelander. Tirpitz: The Life and Death of Germany’s Last Super Battleship. Casemate, 2009.

    https://web.archive.org/web/20190219133255/https://www.tirpitz-museum.no/#home

    https://www.tracesofwar.com/sights/18149/Tirpitz-Museum.htm

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    1 ora e 3 min
  • Episode 159 - Padre Eterno
    Nov 11 2025

    This week it's the tale of the Portuguese galleon Padre Eterno, launched in the Bay of Guanabara in 1663. More the story of a ship that did wreck at some point and the world she inhabited rather than a nuts-and-bolts 'shipwreck' yarn.

    The Sameer Project

    Sources:

    Blackburn, Robin. The Making of New World Slavery: From the Baroque to the Modern, 1492 - 1800. Verso, 1998.

    Camenietzki, Carlos Ziller. “O galeão Padre Eterno.” BN Digital Brasil. https://bndigital.bn.gov.br/dossies/historia-da-ciencia/o-galeao-padre-eterno/

    Costa, Fernando Dores. A Guerra da Restauração, 1641 - 1668 (Temas de História de Portugal. Livros Horizonte, 2004.

    Gomes, Laurentino. Escravidão, Volume I: Do primeiro leilão de cativos em Portugal até a morte de Zumbi dos Palmares. GloboLivros, 2019.

    Lara Mesquita, João. “Padre Eterno: maior navio do século 17 no Brasil.” Mar Sem Fim, 13 Jan 2020. https://marsemfim.com.br/maior-navio-do-mundo-no-seculo-17-foi-construido-no-brasil/

    Marcolin, Neldson. “Por mares sempre navegados.” Pesquisa, vol. 189, Nov 2011. https://revistapesquisa.fapesp.br/por-mares-sempre-navegados/

    Russell-Wood, A. J. R. The Portuguese Empire, 1415 - 1808: A World On The Move. Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998.

    https://lisboa-e-o-tejo.blogspot.com/2019/06/padre-eterno.html


    Els Segadors (Catalan National Anthem) referenced in the episode



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    59 min
  • **unlocked** 'The Ignoble Means by Which That Wealth Was Accumulated' - The Slaving Brig Henriqueta and the Illicit Slave Trade to Brazil (March 2025 2nd Mate Bonus)
    Nov 5 2025

    We've unlocked a bonus episode for everyone, since there's some useful information here for an upcoming main episode dealing with Portugal/Brazil.

    Sources:

    Blackburn, Robin. The Making of New World Slavery: From the Baroque to the Modern, 1492 - 1800. Verso Books, 1998.

    Silva, Daniel Neves. "Escravidão no Brasil." Universo Online, https://mundoeducacao.uol.com.br/historiadobrasil/escravidao-no-brasil.htm

    Tinnie, Dinizulu Gene. “The Slaving Brig Henriqueta and Her Evil Sisters: A Case Study in the 19th Century Illegal Slave Trade to Brazil.” The Journal of African American History, vol. 93, no. 4, Fall 2008, pp. 509 - 531.

    "Trans-Atlantic Slave Trades - Estimates." https://www.slavevoyages.org/assessment/estimates

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    1 ora e 18 min
  • **bonus preview** "To Defeat Such Unreasonable Purposes": Lord Dunmore's Floating Town - A Maritime Misadventure of the American Rebellion
    Oct 31 2025

    This is a short preview of our most recent $3 bonus episode - sign up on Patreon at the $3 Able Seaperson tier for an extra episode each month, or the $5 2nd Mate tier for two extra episodes.

    Patrons also get main episodes a few days early, plus occasional bits of the main episode that are edited out on the main feed release.

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    7 min
  • Episode 158 - SS Pacific
    Oct 23 2025

    We're back to discuss the career of the SS Pacific (not that one, the other one!) We'll even throw in a rail disaster for free.

    Sources:

    https://web.archive.org/web/20091215121426/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/descriptions/ShipsP-Q.html


    https://web.archive.org/web/20100120135812/http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/lines/collins.html


    https://tile.loc.gov/storage-services/service/ll/usrep/usrep062/usrep062372/usrep062372.pdf


    https://web.archive.org/web/20141024184337/http://www.barnstablepatriot.com/home2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15011


    https://www.pilotcatholicnews.com/article.php?ID=197412



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    1 ora e 3 min
  • Episode 157.4 - "We're Living Now, Aren't We?": HMCS Karluk, Pt. IV ft. Jessica Watkins
    Sep 20 2025

    Here we have the long-awaited conclusion to our epic series on the saga of HMCS Karluk

    Don't forget that there is a bonus Part V available for patrons, covering Stefansson's later ill-fated attempt at colonizing Wrangel Island

    Major thanks to Jess (@jesslovesboats) for guiding us through this story!

    gazafunds.com

    Sources:

    Cavell, Janice. “The Karluk’s Lost Men: The Alexander Anderson and Alister Forbes Mackay Parties, 1914.” The Journal of the Hakluyt Society, March 2025, pp. 1 - 31.

    Diubaldo, Richard J. Stefansson and the Canadian Arctic. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 1978.

    Jenness, Stuart E. Stefansson, Dr. Anderson, and the Canadian Arctic Expedition, 1913-1918: A Story of Exploration, Science and Sovereignty. Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation, 2011.

    Levere, Trevor H. “Vilhjalmur Stefansson, the Continental Shelf, and a New Arctic Continent.” The British Journal for the History of Science, vol. 21, no. 2, June 1988, pp. 233 - 247.

    Levy, Buddy. Empire of Ice and Stone: The Disastrous and Heroic Voyage of the Karluk. St Martin’s Press, 2022.

    Niven, Jennifer. The Ice Master: The Doomed 1913 Voyage of the Karluk. Hyperion, 2000.

    Sowards, Adam M. “Claiming Spaces for Science.” Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, vol. 47, no. 2, Apr 2017, pp. 164 - 199.

    Stefansson, Vilhjalmur. The Friendly Arctic. Macmillan, 1921. www.loc.gov/item/21021129/

    Stefansson, Vilhjalmur. “Letter from Mr. Stefansson.” The Geographical Journal, vol. 52, no. 4, Oct 1918, pp. 248 - 255.

    Stefansson, Vilhjalmur. “‘Living Off the Country’ as a Method of Arctic Exploration.” Geographical Review, vol. 7, no. 5, May 1919, pp. 291 - 310.

    Stefansson, Vilhjalmur. “Plover Land and Borden Land.” Geographic Review, vol. 11, no. 2, Apr 1921, pp. 283 - 291.

    Stefansson, Vilhjalmur. “Stefansson’s Expedition.” Bulletin of the American Geographical Society, vol. 46, no. 3, 1914, pp. 184 - 191.

    UPI. “North Pole fuss just Peary’s word against Cook’s now.” https://www.upi.com/Archives/1909/09/10/Pole-fuss-just-Pearys-word-against-Cooks-now/3310181788478/

    Webb, Melody. “Arctic Saga: Vilhjalmur Stefansson’s Attempt to Colonize Wrangel Island.” Pacific Historical Review, vol. 61, no. 2, May 1992, pp. 215 - 239.

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    2 ore e 1 min