The cruise ship Lakonia of the Greek Line caught fire on 22 December, 1963, and later sank, killing 128 passengers and crew.
Category: European Shipwrecks
The Zeewijk with Dr. Howard Gray
The Dutch East India Company vessel Zeewijk wrecked off the coast of Western Australia in 1727. Survivors built a boat and sailed over 1600 miles to the island of Java.
The Raft of the Medusa
The French frigate Medusa wrecked in 1816 off the coast of modern Mauritania. The survivors, left on a makeshift raft, endured starvation, dehydration, and cannibalism before rescue. The incident sparked public outrage and inspired Théodore Géricault’s famous painting “The Raft of the Medusa.”
The Sinking of the Vasa
The Swedish ship Vasa was a warship built in the early 17th century during the reign of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. Despite being one of the most powerful warships of its time, the Vasa sank on its maiden voyage in 1628, just minutes after setting sail from Stockholm’s harbor.
The Final Voyage of SS Atlantic
The SS Atlantic of the White Star Line crashed into the rocks of Nova Scotia on April 1, 1873, killing 550 people. The people of the isolated fishing communities selflessly risked their own lives to rescue hundreds.
The Lost Franklin Expedition
The Franklin Expedition of 1845 was a British voyage led by Sir John Franklin in an attempt to navigate the Northwest Passage. The fate of the expedition remained a mystery for over 150 years until the wrecks of the Erebus and Terror were discovered in 2014 and 2016 respectively.
The RMS Republic
The luxury ocean liner RMS Republic of the White Star Line sank in 1909 after being struck by the SS Florida.
Return to the Andrea Doria
The crew of the D/V Tenacious returns to the wreck of the Andrea Doria with three Italian divers.
The Ancient Uluburun Shipwreck
The Uluburun shipwreck dates from the Late Bronze Age, circa 1300 BCE. It went down off the southern coast of Anatolia, or modern day Türkiye, and was found in 1982 by a sponge diver. Dr. Eric Cline, author of 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed, joins me for an in-depth interview about Bronze Age civilizations in the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Near East Asia, and the ship that was taking part in a vast trade network between them.
The Fiery Demise of the Georges Philippar
The French luxury liner Georges Philippar was destroyed by fire on her maiden voyage, while returning to France from Japan.