Beyond the Breakers

This week we discuss the sinking of the Russian monitor Rusalka in 1893, leading us eventually to one of the most unique shipwrecks of all those we've covered so far. 

**correction**
- Towards the end of the episode Tanner mistakenly says that Rusalka sank during the reign of Nicholas II; he did not become Tsar until 1896. Rusalka sank during the reign of his father Alexander III.

This error was made presumably because Tanner does not respect the Romanov monarchy.

*Originally released 12/6/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/27/22

Sources:

"Battleships Rusalka and Charodeika." Rustrana, 11 Oct 2007.

Chikin, V.O. "The Mystery of the Disappearance of the Rusalka."  Priroda, 2004, no. 4.

Delgado, J. "The Wreck of the Mermaid." Archaeology, 2008, vol. 61, no. 5.

Nikonov, A.  "Rusalka Found!" Priroda, 2004, no. 10.

Nikonov, A. "From Rusalka to Kursk." 2003

Vanner, A. "The wreck of the Rusalka 1893." Dawlish Chronicles,  24 March 2015.



*Video of diving on the Rusalka"

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This week we discuss the loss of the MV Derbyshire, the largest British merchant vessel to be lost at sea. 

*Originally released 11/27/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/25/22

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This week we discuss the wreck of the Edmond, one of the many "coffin ships" that carried Irish emigrants fleeing the Great Famine. The Edmond sank at Kilkee in 1850 after being driven against the rocks by a violent Atlantic storm.

Resources:

An Gorta Mor - the impact and legacy of the Irish Great Famine

Ireland's Great Hunger Museum

The Irish Potato Famine - Digital History

Irish Shipwrecks - Edmond

Riches of Clare: Wreck of a Coffin Ship

The Wreck of the Edmond at Kilkee, 1850 - Clare County Library

- Report and Eyewitness Account - Clare County Library

Irish Donors Are Helping a Native American Tribe Face the Coronavirus Crisis. Here's the Historical Reason Why

*Originally released 11/22/21; edited and re-uploaded 2/23/22

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This week we travel to the Pacific Northwest to explore the tale of the SS Valencia, which ran aground on Vancouver Island after missing the entrance to the Juan de Fuca Strait. The subsequent ordeal suffered by her passengers and crew took the lives of 136, according to the officially recorded death toll.

*Originally released 11/15/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/20/22 

Selected sources and further reading:

Goodrich, Richard J. "The Titanic of the West: The S.S. Valencia sails to disaster in the Graveyard of the Pacific"

McClary, Darrel C. "The Wreck of the SS Valencia (1906)"

Wrecksite.eu entry for SS Valencia

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We discuss the sinking of the paddle steamer Anthony Wayne on Lake Erie in April of 1850.

*Originally released 11/8/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/22/22

Selected sources:

"Anthony Wayne" - Shipwrecks and Maritime Tales of the Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail

Batemon, Shondra - "From Wreck to Rediscovery - PS Anthony Wayne: a historical treasure"

Krueger, Bradley Alan - Anthony Wayne: The History and Archaeology of an Early Great Lakes Steamboat (2012)
- This is the detailed source that I refer to heavily in the episode; there is detailed information about the ship's engine system and the ship's operational history on the Lakes. 

Weisman, Matthew J. and Paula Shorf - "Boats Built at Toledo, Ohio including Monroe, Michigan:  A Comprehensive Listing of the Vessels Built from Schooners to Steamers from 1810 to the Present"

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In honor of Halloween, we get spooky this week.

Taylor tells stories of the Black Dog of Lake Erie. Is it out for revenge on the uncaring sailors who allowed it to drown in the Welland Canal?

And Tanner relates the tales of ghostly happenings around the 1873 sinking of the steamer Ironsides in Lake Michigan, and Connecticut's steamship Atlantic disaster from 1846.

Does the spirit of young Henry Valentine still cry for help from passing mariners in Lake Michigan?  Does the bell of the Atlantic still toll out in mourning for the lives she lost?

*Originally released 10/31/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/26/22

Selected Sources:

Carter, Donald. Connecticut's Seaside Ghosts, 2008, Schiffer Books, pp. 15 - 20

Lardinois, Anna. "The Ghost of Lake Michigan's Ironsides Shipwreck," Milwaukee Magazine, 2021


Further Reading:

Damned Connecticut interview with Donald Carter

Shipwrecks of the Great Lakes: Tragedies and Legacies from the Inland Seas - Anna Lardinois

WTMJ Conversations: Anna Lardinois 

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This week we're discussing the deadly Paisley Canal Disaster of 1810, a tragedy that claimed the lives of 84 people just days into the operation of the Glasgow, Johnstone, and Ardrossan Canal.

*Originally released 10/25/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/20/22 

Selected Resources:

"Paisley pub on site of Britain's worst canal disaster to honour victims" -  Alastair Dalton, The Scotsman
 
"How Paisley poet Robert Tannahill made his mark on history" - Hamish McPherson, The National

"Melancholy Accident" from Walter Scott's Edinburgh Annual Register
 - see pages 227-228 for coverage of the incident

Short biography of Hugh Montgomerie, 12th Earl of Eglinton

Casualty and survivor list from Urban Historian

Glasgow's Canals Unlocked
- An informative guide to the history of Glasgow's canals, but conspicuously no mention of the Paisley disaster

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This week we take a trip to one of our favorite countries, Norway. We discuss the Helge Ingstad, which was a modern navy frigate which encountered a problem that has been a part of maritime history since sailing began.


Norwegian Safety Investigation Report Part 1, Part2

Norwegian animation with radio traffic from the incident. (Note, it is in Norwegian, but still very interesting to see it all play out)

*Originally released 10/18/21; edited and re-uploaded 3/2/22

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This week we discuss an incident considered to be the deadliest peacetime disaster at sea in history - the sinking of the ferry Doña Paz off the Philippine island of Mindoro in 1987.

Source material:

Asia's Titanic - Thousands Died Thirty Years Ago (Maritime Executive) 

Dona Paz victims waiting for justice 25 years after - Joey A. Gabieta, Inquirer Visayas
- survivor accounts and quotations 

Supreme Court case, 1999

Sulpicio gone; owners change name - Irene R. Sino Cruz, Inquirer Visayas

Evacuation descriptions of various types of ferries and cruise ships via Det Norske Veritas
- Doña Paz is covered on p. 40 of the PDF

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Since we weren’t able to put together an episode this week, we’re releasing a pretty fun Patreon bonus episode from the month of August for everyone.

Enjoy our discussion of a few WWI naval engagements, homemade (shipmade?) guns, and the ultimate scuttling of the German High Seas Fleet during internment at Scapa Flow. 

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