history

With the dawn of the iconic flying boat, Trans-Pacific travel that once measured in weeks by ship could be accomplished in only days. These island-hopping aircraft were passports to worlds that were once only seen in books. Travel is different these days, but there are a handful of dedicated aviators who are keeping that dream alive and their stories are featured in the beautiful film, Flying Boat. Join us as we sit down with the film’s director, Dirk Brawn, to talk about these magnificent machines & their extraordinary pilots.  

“When can you get it there”? From overnight shipping to delivering goods in the days of sail, anyone who has shipped anything has asked this question. The Cutty Sark was designed for speed, to deliver materials from all over the globe back to London as fast as possible. Built in 1869, she represented the pinnacle of shipbuilding and success on the high seas. In this episode we are joined by the curator of the Cutty Sark Museum on the banks of the Themes River to learn more about the last of the great clipper ships.  

The Iowa Class Battleships are some of the most powerful ships to sail into battle and represent the end of an era in naval warfare. The USS New Jersey was launched a year after Pearl Harbor and immediately went into battle; playing a role in the largest naval battles ever seen. She continued to serve for nearly five decades before being decommissioned in the early ‘90’s. In this episode, we talk to Ryan Szimanski, the curator of the USS New Jersey Museum about the most decorated ship in US Navy history.

Shortly after the Revolutionary War, it was apparent that the United States needed a new Navy to protect its interests overseas. The USS Constitution along with five other warships were built and immediately sailed into battle. After 225 years of service, it’s amazing that she can still be making history. This January, CDR Billie Farrell became the first female to take command of the Constitution and we are honored to sit down with her to talk about “Old Ironsides” and the roll she plays in today’s Navy.

In 1940 John Steinbeck was at the top of literary world, but fame came with a backlash. His depiction of migrant workers in 'The Grapes of Wrath' labeled him as a communist, and protests were held to burn his books. Wanting to escape, Steinbeck chartered a fishing vessel named Western Flyer for an expedition to Mexico; a trip recounted in his book, 'The Sea of Cortez'. Seventy-five years later, after a long fishing career, Western Flyer was found rotting away. This episode is about a complete restoration that will soon return her to Mexican waters. Listen in!