Captain's Log
The newsletter companion to Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Podcast
Hello Swabs!
It’s been very busy at Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs HQ lately. I’ve been doing a lot of interviews, have even more scheduled, and have fantastic episodes coming your way! Here’s a preview of what is up next:
November 4th: The Star of Bengal - Alaska’s Forgotten Tragedy
I interview historian Ronan Rooney, host of Wrangell History Unlocked Podcast. We talk about the 3-masted bark Star of Bengal and its tragic loss in 1908, on the southeast coast of Alaska. Of 138 on board, 111 perished, mostly Asian immigrant cannery workers.
November 11th: Yarmouth Castle Burning
The cruise ship Yarmouth Castle was on voyage from Miami to Nassau when it caught fire and sank on November 13th, 1965. Of the 552 passengers and crew, 90 perished. Authors of Yarmouth Castle Burning Eric Takakjian and Randall Peffer join me to discuss the tragedy.
November 18th: Captain’s Dinner - The Case of the Mignonette
On May 19, 1884, the yacht Mignonette set sail from England on what should have been an uneventful voyage. When their vessel sank in the Atlantic, Captain Thomas Dudley and his crew found themselves adrift in a tiny lifeboat. As days turned to weeks, they faced an unthinkable choice: starve to death or resort to cannibalism.
Their decision to sacrifice the youngest—17-year-old cabin boy Richard Parker—ignited a firestorm of controversy upon their rescue. Instead of being hailed as heroes and survivors, Dudley and his crew found themselves at the center of Regina v. Dudley and Stephens, a landmark murder trial that would establish the legal precedent that necessity cannot justify murder—a principle that continues to shape Anglo-American law today.
Acclaimed journalist, author, and lawyer Adam Cohen joins me to discuss his new book, Captain’s Dinner, and this true story that changed legal history.
On the Horizon
These episodes are coming soon, starting in late November and into December, but not necessarily in this order.
The Worst Maritime Disaster of All Time: The Wilhelm Gustloff
On January 30th, 1945, the German transport/training ship Wilhelm Gustloff was carrying over 10,000 people, mostly German civilian refugees. Germany was evacuating its citizens west to Kiel as the Red Army closed in. Soviet submarine S-13 struck the Wilhelm Gustloff with three torpedoes in the Baltic Sea, sinking the vessel and killing an estimated 9,200 to 9,500 people. It is the greatest loss of life from a single shipwreck in history.
Project Mayflower: Building and Sailing a Seventeenth-Century Replica
The never-before-told story of Project Mayflower—the building of the replica ship docked in Plymouth, Massachusetts—from the origins of the idea, through the financial and political influences that nearly scuttled her, the seven-week ocean voyage from England in the skilled hands of Alan Villiers, and finally her lasting impact on America.
Author Richard A. Stone joins me to discuss the fascinating story of the Mayflower II.
For more maritime stories, please subscribe and listen to Shipwrecks and Sea Dogs Podcast. Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
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Until next time, don’t forget…to wear…your…lifejackets!
— Rich
