In the final weeks of World War II, the Navy cruiser U.S.S. Indianapolis was attacked and sunk by a Japanese submarine in the middle of the Philippine Sea. The nine hundred survivors found themselves stranded in the middle of the open ocean, many without rafts or life vests, wondering when – or if – help was coming.
This is the story of the greatest sea dis ... Show More
Sep 2024
Encore: USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea I Troubled Waters | 2
<p>The nine hundred men who survived the torpedo attack on the U.S.S. Indianapolis are either drifting in the sea, fighting strong currents and swells, or clinging to rafts. They’re at the mercy of the ocean, hundreds of miles from land, with dwindling supplies and no drinking wa ... Show More
43m 18s
Oct 2024
Encore: USS Indianapolis: Disaster at Sea I Holding On | 3
<p>It’s been two days since U.S.S. Indianapolis sank, and the number of survivors is dwindling. They’re being picked off by sharks, and driven insane by sleep deprivation, dehydration, and saltwater poisoning. As they hope and pray for a rescue, they will encounter a new enemy th ... Show More
42m 25s
Mar 2025
The Sinking of the USS Indianapolis
<p>A little past midnight on July 30, 1945, the USS Indianapolis, a US Navy cruiser, had just delivered the uranium that would be used in the first nuclear bomb dropped on Japan, and was returning to the Philippines when it was struck by a Japanese torpedo. The ship was badly dam ... Show More
1h 24m
Sep 2024
The Titanic | Orphans of the Deep | 3
<p>On April 16, 1912, shocked survivors of the Titanic made their way to New York aboard the rescue ship, <em>RMS Carpathia,</em> and news of the tragedy began to spread around the world. Congress and the British Board of Trade both launched investigations into maritime safety re ... Show More
36m 50s
May 2024
History Daily: A B-24 Crash Survivor Begins a Fight for Survival
<p>May 27, 1943: A B-24 bomber crashes in the Pacific Ocean, beginning a two year ordeal at sea and in Japanese captivity for former Olympic athlete Louis Zamperini.</p><p><br></p><p>You can listen ad-free in the Wondery or Amazon Music app. Or for all that and more, go to < ... Show More
15m 15s
Nov 4
Deepwater Horizon | The Summer of Tears | 3
<p>When the Deepwater Horizon explodes on April 20, 2010, 11 men are killed, while the rest of the crew tries to escape the burning rig. In the days that follow, vast quantities of oil leak into the Gulf of Mexico. As the spill spreads, coastal communities struggle to deal with t ... Show More
36m 19s
Sep 2024
9/11: Rescue on the Water (Replay)
HISTORY This Week returns with new episodes starting September 16th! In the meantime, listen to a favorite classic from the archives.
September 11, 2001. On a clear and sunny day, Captain Richard Thornton is piloting his ferry boat back and forth between New Jersey and New York ... Show More
30m 7s
Aug 2025
Disaster Favours the Daring: Shipwreck at Honda Point
In 1923, legendary navigator Captain Dolly Hunter led a squadron of warships into America’s worst peacetime naval catastrophe. The mission was supposed to be a speed trial, a display of the squadron’s skill. But it ended in a maritime pile-up, with some destroyers stranded on roc ... Show More
39m 57s
Oct 2025
Deepwater Horizon | No One Was Listening | 1
<p>In the 1990s, BP executive John Browne bets the oil company’s future on high-risk, high-reward drilling projects. But BP’s thirst for profit comes at a price. As safety violations and fatalities mount, Jeanne Pascal, a lawyer at the Environmental Protection Agency, fights to h ... Show More
38m 14s