#OnThisDay in 1633, Samuel Pepys was born. He is most well-known for his detailed diary that provides us a fascinating window into 17th century British life. He held many roles throughout his career but as Chief Secretary to the Admiralty he was instrumental in transforming a corrupt and inefficient Royal Navy in to a powerful fighting force that would be Central to the rapid growth of the British Empire.
Painting: ‘Portrait of Samuel Pepys’ (1666) by John Hayls, National Portrait Gallery, London.
Part II of our look at the naval Battle of Artemisium has just dropped! 3 days of battle, another storm, and some trickery & psychological warfare, courtesy of none other than Themistocles.
Our between-seasons interlude episode is now live! We take a whirlwind look at the basic boat forms that would (most likely) have been used in prehistory: dugout canoes, reed boats, rafts, bark canoes, hide canoes and boats, and the coracle. We also talk about some historic recreation voyages like Kon-Tiki and the First Mariners Project.
Episode 019 is now up and running! This episode features quite a few letters between Bronze Age rulers of places like Ugarit, Hattusa, and Egypt. What they tell us is that famine, drought, and seaborne invasion all converged during the high point (or low point) of the Late Bronze Age Collapse, between 1230 and 1175 BCE.
Our latest episode is now live! Take a listen to get an overview of the Late Bronze Age Collapse. We also look at the details of its early stages. These include the first mention of a group who became part of the Sea Peoples, a few Bronze Age battles, and a treaty to cut off trade routes on the Mediterranean. Thanks for listening and supporting the podcast!
Prince Henry the Navigator died on this day in history, 13 November 1460. He was instrumental in the rise of maritime exploration and was a key figure in initiating the Age of Discovery.
Today is the Day of the Seafarer 2015, a day set aside to celebrate the contributions of those around the world who work at sea or in maritime industries. Happy Day of the Seafarer!
Aiming to wrap up the writing for our next episode today. I hope to get it recorded by the weekend (I may or may not have said a similar thing last week wink emoticon ) and out to all of you soon! It’s proving to be a bit longer than I anticipated, but after all, there’s a lot to talk about. Things like the Minoan fresco below, supermassive volcano eruptions, and even Atlantis! Should be a good episode once it’s all said and done. Thanks for your patience everyone!
Glad to announce our next book giveaway! This time it’s for a copy of ‘Pirate Hunters,’ a great book that was released just a few days ago. Rules are the same as last time, with the exception of the time limit and dates. Detailed Rules are in the link below, otherwise, here’s a short summary. Our next episode is being finished up and should be out soon!
- **Entry restricted to those with a mailing address in the U.S. or Canada.**
- Contest begins June 20 and ends on a date TBD, no later than four weeks from date of contest start.
- Method of entry is an iTunes review of the podcast or sharing the show with a friend.
- To be officially entered, entrant must contact me via Facebook, Twitter, or email to notify me of review or share and desire to be entered. I must have a way to contact each entrant in case they win.
Henry Grace à Dieu was launched on this day in history, 13 June 1514. Also known as ‘Great Harry,’ Henry Grace à Dieu was an English carrack of the King’s Fleet in the 16th century. She had the high forecastle, typical of English carracks of the period, and at 50 meters (165 ft) long, weighing 1,000–1,500 tons and having a complement of 700–1,000 men, she was one of the largest warships in medieval Europe.
The Naval Battle of Riachuelo was fought on 11 June 1865 on the rivulet Riachuelo (Argentina), between the Paraguayan Navy on one side and the Brazilian Navy on the other. The Brazilian fleet heavily outnumbered the Paraguayan fleet, and Brazilian victory was crucial for the later success of the Triple Alliance (Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina) in the Paraguayan War.
One week left in our book giveaway contest! If you’ve ever left a review of the show or feel led to do so, message me your username and that will get you entered for a chance to win.
No iTunes? No problem! Just share the podcast with a friend and let me know you did so. That will get you entered too!
More details are available on the website or on older posts from the Tumblr page. Don’t miss your chance to be a part of the drawing!
The basic rules for entry to the book giveaway contest are:
1. Contest runs from today (May 30) until the end of the day on June 13, 2015, EST.
2. Entry limited to residents of U.S. and Canada w/a mailing address therein. (Sorry everyone else! Int'l shipping is just more than I can currently afford)
3. Method of Entry - Either leave a review of the podcast on iTunes or your pod catcher of choice, or tell a friend about the podcast.
4. Notification - Message me on Facebook or Twitter, or email me at [email protected] with the username you used to leave a review or how you told a friend about the podcast.
5. Drawing - I will verify review entries and enter all participants in a random drawing that will be conducted during the week of June 13.
6. Winner - I will notify the winner via the method they entered within a day of drawing. The winner has one week to accept the prize. If it is not accepted by initial winner, I’ll conduct a second drawing with the remaining entrants.
7. Prize - The prize is one (1) copy of the ‘Wreck of the Whale Ship Essex: The Complete Illustrated Edition: The Extraordinary and Distressing Memoir That Inspired Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick.’ More info about the book can be found at http://www.amazon.com/Wreck-Whale-Ship-Essex-Extraordinary/dp/076034812X. The Maritime History Podcast will pay for shipping costs involved in getting the prize to the mailing address provided by the contest winner.
In this episode, we take a look at the evidence from early Minoan history, beginning with pre-history and working up to the Neo-Palatial period. While the items we’ll discuss are beautiful and tell us a lot about the artistic focus of Minoan culture, we’ll also try to discern the line between fact and fiction when it comes to theories of a Minoan thalassocracy, or, the so-called Minoan ‘empire of the sea.’
There’s also a book giveaway connected with today’s episode! I’ll post a link to the rules and further details later today, so head up to the crow’s nest and keep a lookout for more info just over the horizon!
Almost done editing our next episode! Downed some coffee to put some wind in my sails, and with some luck the show page will be ready to go before long. Stay tuned everyone!
Our First Minoan Episode is in the Final Stages of Production!
Putting the finishing touches on the first of our Minoan/Bronze Age Aegean episodes! The item above (which vaguely resembles a frying pan) will be an item of discussion, along with some other amazing things. I aim to get it out by the weekend, so thanks for your patience amidst the craziness of my life that’s made podcast production a bit more difficult of late. Details about the book giveaway are coming in the next few days also, so stay tuned crew!
The English ship Sea Venture wrecked on the reefs of Bermuda on this day in maritime history, 25 July 1609. Sea Venture had departed from Plymouth, England, as the flagship of a 7-ship Virginia Company fleet destined for Jamestown, Virginia. On the voyage, the fleet was caught in a hurricane and the ships separated. Although it fought the storm for several days, Sea Venture’s timbers had not yet set and the ship began to leak rapidly as the caulking was forced out from between the timbers.
Having spied land on the morning of 25 July, the captain made for the reefs of what proved to be Bermuda and ran the ship aground in the hopes that the passengers and crew (and one dog) could be saved. All 150 people aboard Sea Venture were saved (including the dog), though they were stranded on Bermuda for nine months, during which time they built two new ships from Bermuda cedar and parts salvaged from Sea Venture, especially her rigging. The survivors left Bermuda in various groups, each suffering a different fate. Three survivors remained on Bermuda and a permanent colony was established in 1612.
The coat of arms of Bermuda depicts a red lion holding a shield that has a depiction of a wrecked ship upon it. The red lion is a symbol of England and alludes to Bermuda’s relationship with that country. The wrecked ship is the Sea Venture, the flagship of the Virginia Company. The Latin motto under the coat of arms, Quo Fata Ferunt, means “Whither the Fates Carry [Us]”.
RMSCarpathia sank off the coast of Ireland after being torpedoed by a German U-boat on this day in history, 17 July 1918. Carpathia made her maiden voyage in 1903 and became famous for rescuing the survivors of RMS Titanic after it struck an iceberg and sank in April 1912. Carpathia was used during World War I to transport American and Canadian troops across the Atlantic.
On the summer morning of 17 July 1918 she was torpedoed in the Celtic Sea by the Imperial German Navy U-boat, U-55. Of three torpedoes fired at the ship, one impacted the port side while another penetrated the engine room, killing two firemen and three trimmers. All 57 passengers and 218 surviving crew members boarded lifeboats as the vessel sank. U-55 surfaced and fired a third torpedo into the ship and was approaching the lifeboats when the Azalea-class sloop HMS Snowdrop arrived on the scene and drove away the U-boat with gunfire before picking up the survivors from Carpathia.
Six weeks after his defeat at Waterloo, Napoleon boarded HMS Bellerophon and formally demanded political asylum, on this day in British history, 15 July 1815. It was HMS Bellerophon that would transport Napoleon to his exile on the island of St. Helena.
Plenty of time left to enter the book giveaway for your chance to win a copy of ‘Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship.’ Details are on the website or in the pinned post from the Facebook page. Entry closes July 18!
Our latest episode is live! This time we look at the Akrotiri Fleet Fresco, the massive volcanic eruption that shook the Minoan world, and the theory that the Minoan Civilization was the basis for Plato’s Atlantis legend.
Show notes are on the website, as is more info about the Pirate Hunters book giveaway. Entry is simple and those who entered the last giveaway are still eligible for this one. Entry closes July 18.
May 8th 1701 saw the Scottish-born pirate “Captain” William Kidd tried for piracy at London’s Old Bailey.
Another Scotsman who turns up in my posts on a number of occasions, I will keep this one short as a follow up will tell the full story in about a fortnight.
William Kidd was the son of a minister in Greenock and was born around 1645. He emigrated to New York and married there, earning his living as a sea captain and a trader in the Caribbean. He successfully defended American and English trade routes in the 1690s in the war between France and England.
In 1695 Kidd sailed to London where he obtained a royal commission to act as a privateer against pirates in the Indian Ocean, operating from bases in Madagascar. Reports came back to England, however, that he was attacking merchant ships as well as pirates.
After capturing the fully laden “Quedah Merchant” with cargo worth over $100,000 he returned to Hispaniola (now Haiti). He was offered a pardon for his surrender and he sailed to Boston. He was treacherously captured and taken to London. In a rigged trial, with little real evidence and despite his claim that his crew had mutinied and he had no alternative but to join them, he was found guilty and hanged. The treasure from the “Quedah Merchant” has never been found.
Henry Grace à Dieu was launched on this day in history, 13 June 1514. Also known as ‘Great Harry,’ Henry Grace à Dieu was an English carrack of the King’s Fleet in the 16th century. She had the high forecastle, typical of English carracks of the period, and at 50 meters (165 ft) long, weighing 1,000–1,500 tons and having a complement of 700–1,000 men, she was one of the largest warships in medieval Europe.
It was at noon on this day in history, 10 April 1912, that RMS Titanic departed Southampton, England, on its maiden voyage. The ship’s whistle blew 3 times to mark the start of the journey. It’s next destinations were Cherbourg, France, and Queenstown, Ireland, to pick up further passengers before turning to cross the Atlantic Ocean.
On 23 January 1909, RMS Republic issued the first recorded CQD distress signal after its collision with the Lloyd Italiano liner SS Florida.Republic was navigating through a thick fog off Nantucket when it collided with the Florida, resulting in the death of six passengers. Republic began to take on water and gradually sink, but she was equipped with the new Marconi wireless telegraph system, and became the first ship in history to issue a CQD distress signal, sent by Jack R. Binns.
At the time of Republic’s sinking, ocean liners were not required to have a full capacity of lifeboats for their passengers, officers and crew, so the distress signal probably saved many lives. The Florida was able to take many of the passengers from the stricken ship, but the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service cutter Gresham responded to the distress signal as well and was able to take on several hundred passengers that couldn’t fit on the Florida.
RMSRepublic would founder for 39 hours before sinking to the ocean floor. Thanks to the CQD signal over 1200 passengers were saved, but there are many rumours that Republic was carrying gold and/or other valuables when she went down.
The Wrightson and Isabella of Sunderland was a merchant collier with a small crew of eight men (five sailors and three boys) and a small armament (four guns and two swivels) engaged in the North Sea trade and commanded by Captain Richard Avery Hornsby (1699-1751). On 13 June 1744 Hornsby arrived off the Dutch coast at the Hague, along with three smaller ships with which he had sailed in convoy from Norfolk to unload his cargo of malt and barley.
When the Isabella arrived, there were numerous fishing boats offshore, among which the Marquis de Brancas, was hiding. It was a larger ship under the command of a Captain André she was a French privateer, with a crew of 75 men, ten guns, and eight swivels, besides 300 small arms. As the others in the convoy had quickly scattered, she had chosen the Isabella as her prey. Like any privateer, André was of course intent on capturing a valuable prize rather than destroying it, and his first attack on the Isabella was with small arms only.
Hornsby’s answer was his swivel guns, with which he twice managed to prevent the French from boarding the ship on the port side. The French kept trying to board the small ship, but failed again and again until he succeeded. However, the 7 fought to the death, beating Frenchman after Frenchman. Andre had to send new men again and again, and once they had taken cover behind the main mast when Hornsby fired on them again with his blunderbuss. He had not realised that it had been double-loaded in the heat of battle, and when he fired, the weapon burst, throwing him to the ground, wounded but still defiant. As boarding proved too costly, Captain André pulled his men back aboard the Brancas and broke off, apparently more determined to destroy - and take revenge - than to capture a prize. Another distant gun battle ensued, hitting the Brancas on her waterline and forcing her to pause for repairs. The Isabella, barely able to swim, also received a quick repair, for it was too late to escape. The spectacle, which took place near the coast, quickly became a crowd puller.
After the leak was stopped, the Brancas returned to give the crippled Isabella her coup de grace. She crossed under the stern of the Isabella and exposed her to a volley of small arms fire, a musket ball hitting Hornsby on the temple. He bled profusely but was otherwise not seriously wounded. Brancas now fired three broadsides at the Isabella, but was driven off by another lucky hit from the waterline. A hurried repair was all that was needed to get the ship moving again - another five broadsides were fired into the Isabella’s hull, and André again demanded that Hornsby surrender at last. When his demand was refused, he ordered his men to bring Brancas alongside to board another ship, which they refused. They had had enough and André had no choice but to break off the fight after 7 hours.
Not this event here, but it shows what it might have looked like- A View of His Majesty’s Brigg Observer, Commanded by Lieut. John Crymes (to whom this print is inscribed) Engaging the American Privateer Ship Jack, John Ropes (commander), by Night on the 29th of May 1782, Off the Harbour of Hallifax, Nova Scotia”. Aquatint by Robert Dodd, 1784, by Robert Dodd (x)
The Isabella fired one last time and made the hit of all hits. The shot went through the weakened hull and hit the magazine. The gunpowder inside exploded and in a huge fireball it tore the Privateer apart, ultimately saving only three survivors. The crew of the Isabella, themselves badly damaged, crawled to the shore and were taken care of.
The courage of Hornsby and his crew was deservedly recognised. Three months later, at Kensington Palace, King George II presented him with a gold medal and chain worth £100, while each of his crew members - who apparently all survived - was awarded £5 each, though the boys were awarded £2.
Hornsby, however, lived only seven more years and died at sea after a long illness.
