European Shipwrecks Episodes

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 Cemo...

The Greek Line cruise ends in tragedy

From History Daily, hosted by Lindsay Graham, The Sinking of the Laconia. Get ad-free access to History Daily, Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs, and many other fantastic history podcasts, on the Into History podcast channel. Subscribe at IntoHistory.com/shipwreckspod. September 12, 1942. During the Second World War, a German U-boat sinks the RMS Laconia, killing over 1,600 of the British liner’s passengers. From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Li...

A story of survival off the coast of Western Australia.

Survivors from the French shipwreck Medusa struggle to survive.

The French shipwreck Medusa, which took place in 1816 off the coast of Mauritania, remains one of the most infamous maritime disasters in history. The vessel, carrying French officials, soldiers, and settlers to Senegal, ran aground due to navigational errors and negligence. Among the survivors, those left on a makeshift raft endured harrowing conditions, including starvation, dehydration, and resorting to cannibalism to survive. The tragic events of the Medusa disaster captivated public attenti...

The Swedish warship Vasa sank just minutes into its maiden voyage in 1626.

The SS Atlantic disaster occurred on April 1, 1873, when the British steamship SS Atlantic, carrying over 900 passengers and crew, struck rocks off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. The ship was en route from Liverpool, England, to New York City but faced severe weather conditions and navigational errors that led to its tragic demise. The impact caused the vessel to quickly sink, resulting in the loss of around 550 lives, making it one of the deadliest maritime disasters of its time. Despite res...

HMS Terror and Erebus disappeared in Canada in 1845, along with Sir John Franklin and his entire expedition.

During World War 2 the British Royal Navy battled the Vichy French in Africa.

In 1909, the RMS Republic of the White Star Line was struck by the SS Florida, and sank off Nantucket in the North Atlantic. It was rumored to be carrying a large quantity of gold, silver, and other valuables, but none of it has been found. Maritime writer James B. Connolly happened to be on board the ship, and he went to great lengths to get his articles about the accident published. Descendant of James B. Connolly, Paul O'Donnell joins me as my guest. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Nap...

The crew of the D/V Tenacious returns to the Andrea Doria with a team of Italian divers to record the condition of the wreck from bow to stern. Italian divers Andrea Murdock Alpini, David D'Anna, and Marco Setti make an emotional dive to the legendary ship that was once the pride of Italy. Jenn Sellitti of D/V Tenacious is my guest. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be found at ⁠https://www.shipwrecksandseadogs.com⁠. Original theme music by ⁠Sean Sigfried⁠. Go ...

The Georges Philippar was a luxurious passenger liner of the French Messageries Maritimes line. She and other ships built by the Ateliers et Chantiers shipbuilding company were plagued by fires over the years, culminating in several tragic accidents. In May of 1932, the Georges Philippar experienced a cabin fire while returning to France from Japan. The crew struggled to control the fire and soon it burned out of control. At least 41 were killed, but possibly as many as 100. Controversy surround...

Author and historian Richard M. Jones joines me to discuss the British cargo ship Lulworth Hill. Just after midnight on 19 March 1943, the Lulworth Hill was torpedoed by the Italian U-Boat Leonardo da Vinci. The ship split in two and sank within just 90 seconds. Only 14 out of 47 made it to a small, cramped liferaft. They were stranded in a tiny lifeboat, with very little fresh water and food. The unbearable heat, dehydration, starvation took their toll on the men, all while sharks continually c...

Dr. Howard Gray joins me again for this final installment of Batavia's Graveyard. Jeronimus Cornelisz and his fellow mutineers begin their reign of terror on the other survivors of the Batavia shipwreck. Cornelisz orders the senseless murders of countless survivors. Francisco Pelsaert, Ariaen Jacobsz and over 40 others reach the Dutch settlement of Batavia on the island of Java in the longboat, and Pelsaert is dispatched with a rescue ship to recover survivors and cargo. Meanwhile Cornelisz laun...

In Part 2 of Batavia's Graveyard, the Batavia and its crew depart Table Bay in southern Africa and continue their voyage to the Dutch East Indies. The Schipper, Ariaen Jacobs had just been publicly dressed down in front of the crew for his drunken rowdiness, and both Jacobsz and Jeronimus Cornelisz begin planning a mutiny. As the ship races across the Indian Ocean, they run into an unexpected archipelago of coral islands, the Houtman's Abrolhos, off the coast of Western Australia. The Batavia is...

In 1628, the Dutch East India Company sent its brand new flagship vessel Batavia from The Netherlands on a voyage to the settlement of Batavia (modern day Jakarta) in the Dutch East Indies. The cast of characters on board would produce one of the most bizarre maritime stories in history. After being wrecked on Houtman Abrolhos archipelago off the coast of Western Australia, a horrible tragedy of survival, manipulation, torture, sexual assault, and murder took place at the hands of the monstrous ...

The Carlskrona was a 19th century corvette of the Swedish Navy. In 1846, the fast but unstable ship encountered a freak storm which came out of nowhere in the Florida Strait. The crew was not able to adjust the sails fast enough and the ship went down, with only 17 survivors ever making it back to Sweden. Author and historian Jens Kuhn is my guest. Written, edited, and produced by Rich Napolitano. All episodes can be found at ⁠https://www.shipwrecksandseadogs.com⁠. Original theme music by ⁠Sean...

On October 7, 1916 the German U-Boat U-53 showed up unexpectedly at Newport Harbor, Rhode Island. World War 1 was raging, although the United States remained firmly neutral. The U-53 captain, Hans Rose, paid courtesy visits to local US Navy commanders, and in return had them visit his U-Boat. The visit was friendly and accommodating, if not a bit strange. Curious onlookers snapped photos and gathered their boats around the U-53. The next morning, the U-53 commenced sinking Allied ships, and with...

The Achille Lauro burned and sank on December 2, 1994.

Many of the Queen Mary's crew and guests have claimed to have experienced paranormal activity throughout its long history.

The luxury passenger line Andrea Doria was the pride of post World War 2 Italy, and sank in 1956 after a collision with the vessel Stockholm.

In 1994, the passenger and vehicle ferry MV Estonia sank in the Baltic Sea during a violent storm, killing 852 of its passengers.