Beyond the Breakers

This week it's the tale of the Nantucket lightship LV-117 and her fateful collision with the Titanic's older sister. 

The Sameer Project (Tents / aid for Gaza) 

Sources: 

media.defense.gov/2020/Sep/28/2002507189/-1/-1/0/LIGHTSHIP_SNAPSHOT_OF_LIFE_ABOARD_LV78.PDF

https://web.archive.org/web/20121024033319/https://www.uscg.mil/history/weblightships/LV117.asp

Chirnside, Mark. The 'Olympic' Class Ships: Olympic, Titanic, Britannic. 2nd rev. ed., The History Press, 2011

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In this episode we discuss a maritime incident from March 2011 that saw the container ship COSCO Hong Kong collide with fishing transportation vessel Zhe Ling Yu Yun 135 off the coast of Zhejiang Province. 

The Sameer Project

Sources: 

“Collision between container vessel Cosco Hongkong and fish transportation vessel Zhe Ling Yu Yun 135 with loss of 11 lives.” Marine Accident Investigation Branch, 23 Jan 2015. https://www.gov.uk/maib-reports/collision-between-container-vessel-cosco-hongkong-and-fish-transportation-vessel-zhe-ling-yu-yun-135-east-china-sea-with-loss-of-11-lives

Yi, Zaicai. “Study on collision between fishing vessels and merchant ships within the China coastal waters.” World Maritime University, 23 Aug 2015. 

https://commons.wmu.se/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1125&context=msem_dissertations

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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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