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  • How a Hidden Rusted Valve Nearly Turned Superior Into a Dead Zone

    How a Hidden Rusted Valve Nearly Turned Superior Into a Dead Zone
    2026/10/31
    How a Hidden Rusted Valve Nearly Turned Superior Into a Dead Zone

    A single corroded slide valve invisible from the outside failed inside the fluid catalytic cracking unit, triggering an explosion that sent debris two hundred feet and punctured a 50,000-barrel asphalt tank - sending a dense black smoke plume so large radar mistook it for a storm. Four years of investigation and thousands of documents later, one question remains: how close did this really come to a far worse catastrophe?

    In this episode, you will hear what happened at the Superior Refinery on April 26, 2018, the sequence of mechanical failures in the FCCU, and the immediate human and material consequences that followed - was the explosion preventable, and why was the proximity of hydrofluoric acid to the blast suppressed for years?

    Person: Husky Energy
    Date: April 26, 2018
    Location: Superior, Wisconsin
    Event: FCCU explosion and asphalt tank rupture
    Status: Final report delivered December 29, 2022

    - Fifty thousand barrels of heavy crude were processed daily through the Superior Refinery.
    - The asphalt storage tank held roughly 50,000 barrels when debris punctured it.
    - Debris from the explosion traveled two hundred feet and struck the above-ground asphalt tank.
    - The Chemical Safety Board delivered its final report on December 29, 2022 after four years of analysis.
    - The corroded slide valve failure was not evident from the outside and was not identified by inspections before the explosion.

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    22 分
  • Standing Tomb: The Ironclad That Drove 177 Men Underwater

    Standing Tomb: The Ironclad That Drove 177 Men Underwater
    2026/10/30
    Standing Tomb: The Ironclad That Drove 177 Men Underwater

    There are 177 men still inside a ship standing vertically on the bottom of the Gulf of Finland since September 7, 1893 - bow buried 74 meters into the mud, stern rising 33 meters toward a surface she never reached. How did a coast-defense ironclad sink nose-first with no survivors and leave only a dead sailor in a dinghy and scattered lifebuoys for over a century?

    In this episode, we trace the Rusalka from her construction and specifications to her final voyage and the storm that separated her from her escort, asking what combination of design flaws, damage history, and weather sent her straight to the seabed.

    Person: Captain Second Rank V. Kh. Ienish
    Date: September 7, 1893
    Location: Gulf of Finland (departure from Reval to Helsingfors)
    Event: Found lifebuoys and one dead sailor in a dinghy; no survivors
    Ship class: Charodeika-class coastal defense ironclad

    - Keel laid: June 1866; launched: September 12, 1867; completed: 1869 at a cost of 762,000 rubles.
    - Displacement designed: 1,882 long tons; actual at launch: 2,100 long tons.
    - Engines designed: 900 indicated horsepower; in service: 705 ihp; top speed about 9 knots.
    - Deck plating thickness: 1 inch amidships; 0.25 inch at bow and stern.
    - Complement aboard on final voyage: 13 officers and 164 crew listed (total aboard 177).

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    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    21 分
  • The Upright Grave: Why the Monitor Rusalka Vanished Nose-First

    The Upright Grave: Why the Monitor Rusalka Vanished Nose-First
    2026/10/29
    The Upright Grave: Why the Monitor Rusalka Vanished Nose-First

    The thought of a warship standing nose-first in the mud for 110 years taps a cold fascination: 177 men vanished and the hull was found 74 meters deep with its rudder frozen to starboard - so how did a coastal ironclad seemingly "dive" into the seabed? What sequence of design flaws, storm conditions, and that locked rudder explain a disappearance with almost no surface debris?

    In this episode, we lay out the ship's construction, service history, the final crossing from Reval on 7 September 1893, and the storm that erased her crew, and we ask whether the vessel's buildup of weight, low freeboard, earlier grounding, and that starboard-turned rudder can together account for her upright burial.

    Person: Captain Second Rank V. Kh. Ienish
    Event: Departure from Reval on 7 September 1893
    Location: Gulf of Finland, wreck at 74 meters depth
    Status: 177 men lost, single corpse found in a dinghy
    Technical: Delivered at 2,100 long tons vs. designed 1,882 long tons

    - Laid down: 1866 at the Admiralty Shipyard in Saint Petersburg
    - Launched: September 1867; completed in 1869 at a cost of 762,000 rubles
    - Engines rated: 900 indicated horsepower; trial output: 705 ihp; speed ~9 knots
    - Draft: 12 feet 7 inches with very low freeboard for coastal operations
    - Wreck reached: 2003, found standing nearly vertical with stern 33 meters toward the surface and rudder frozen to starboard

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    24 分
  • The Day All Anchors Held - The Vanishing of Loch Vennachar

    The Day All Anchors Held - The Vanishing of Loch Vennachar
    2026/10/28
    The Day All Anchors Held - The Vanishing of Loch Vennachar

    The sea swallowed a ship that had already survived a broken mast, a sinking in the Thames, and a gale - with every anchor later found still lashed in place; how could a vessel built in 1875, 250 feet long and carrying 1,557 gross tons, disappear with no survivors or immediate wreckage? What unseen force or event left only cargo washing ashore 23 days later on Kangaroo Island and a single brick on the cliffs for seventy-one years?

    In this episode, we trace the Loch Vennachar’s life from her launch on the River Clyde to her last sighting by the steamer Yongala, and lay out the concrete events and timelines that make her loss so baffling. Can the ship’s past survivals and the later discovery of anchors and debris point to what really happened on that September voyage?

    Person: Captain William Bennett
    Date: Launched 4 August 1875
    Location: River Clyde, Dalmuir
    Event: Last sighting by steamer Yongala on 6 September 1905
    Location: Kangaroo Island (cargo washed ashore 23 days later)

    - Built of iron, 250 feet long, 38 feet beam, 22 feet depth, 1,557 gross tons.
    - Launched by James and George Thomson on 4 August 1875 and registered PCVQ (official number 71748).
    - In June 1892 all three masts broke in a gale; repairs cost £9,071 and she reached Port Louis five weeks after the storm.
    - Sank after collision in the Thames on 12 November 1901 at ~4:15 a.m.; raised on 9 December and repaired for £17,000.
    - Last seen under full sail by the Yongala roughly 160 nautical miles west of the Neptune Islands on 6 September 1905; no distress call and no crew ever seen alive again.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    25 分
  • Glasgow Brick, Silent Cliff: The Loch Vennachar Vanishing

    Glasgow Brick, Silent Cliff: The Loch Vennachar Vanishing
    2026/10/27
    Glasgow Brick, Silent Cliff: The Loch Vennachar Vanishing

    The salt‑eaten brick with the letters G L A S O W pressed into its face was found half‑buried on a Kangaroo Island cliff, one of twenty thousand identical bricks from a ship that disappeared with thirty-one men in 1905 - a vessel that had already survived a dismasting and a sinking. How could an iron‑hulled, 1,557‑ton ship experienced in the Southern Ocean vanish onto a cliff with everyone aboard?

    In this episode, we lay out the surviving facts of the Loch Vennachar’s final voyage and the material traces that washed ashore, and ask what those precise physical clues imply about where she met her end.

    Person: Thomas Pearce
    Date: 6 September 1905 (last sighting)
    Location: approximately 160 nautical miles west of the Neptune Islands (last seen)
    Event: cargo included 20,000 bricks stamped "Glasgow"
    Status: 31 men lost, no passengers

    - Brick found on West Bay cliff at Kangaroo Island with letters G L A S - O W, discovered 24 February 1976.
    - Loch Vennachar launched 4 August 1875, built at Dalmuir by James and George Thomson.
    - Ship dimensions: iron‑hulled, three‑masted, 250 feet long, 1,557 gross registered tons.
    - Crew noted last by the steamship Yongala on 6 September 1905; signals exchanged, then she passed out of sight.
    - Cargo included a reel of blue printing paper recovered by the ketch Annie Watt on 29 September 1905, 18 nautical miles northwest of Kangaroo Island.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    24 分
  • The Last Radio: Why El Faro Steered Into Hurricane Joaquín

    The Last Radio: Why El Faro Steered Into Hurricane Joaquín
    2026/10/26
    The Last Radio: Why El Faro Steered Into Hurricane Joaquín

    Horror and disbelief: a seaworthy ship, 33 souls, and a captain who voiced confidence as a Category Four storm closed in - yet none returned. What made a vessel that passed every inspection sail straight toward Hurricane Joaquín and never come back?

    In this episode, we tell the story of El Faro from departure to silence, following the bridge audio, ship modifications, and the conflicting warnings that played out at sea - how did official approvals, a 40-year-old hull, and decisions on the bridge combine to send thirty-three people to the bottom of the Atlantic?

    Person: Captain Michael Davidson
    Person: Second Officer Danielle Randolph
    Date: October 1, 2015
    Event: Sinking of El Faro during Hurricane Joaquín
    Location: Atlantic Ocean

    - 33 people were aboard El Faro when it sank on October 1, 2015.
    - El Faro was built in 1975 and by 2015 had been in service for 40 years.
    - The ship had a 90-foot midbody insertion performed in 1992 (was "stretched").
    - New lift-on, lift-off cranes added 4,875 long tons of fixed ballast and raised the load line by ~2 feet in 2005-2006.
    - Investigators recovered a voyage data recorder with 26 hours of bridge audio and a 500-page transcript.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    25 分
  • The Pewter Plate That Outsmarted a Lost Dutch Galleon

    The Pewter Plate That Outsmarted a Lost Dutch Galleon
    2026/10/25
    The Pewter Plate That Outsmarted a Lost Dutch Galleon

    The oldest written European artifact in Australia sat exposed to salt wind for eighty years after its maker walked away - while the ship that carried him sank with a cargo of coins. How did a thirty-five-year-old Amsterdam merchant end up nailing a pewter plate into a rock cleft on an unmapped coast in 1616, and why did that plate alone survive the fate that took his ship?

    In this episode, we tell the recorded facts of Dirk Hartog's 1616 voyage on the Eendracht and the sequence of events from departure to the plate's recovery, focusing on the decisions and forces that placed him on that coast. What choices-commercial mandate, navigational gamble, or weather-led Hartog to make landfall no European had charted?

    Person: Dirk Hartog
    Date: 27 August 1616 (departed Cape of Good Hope turning south into the Roaring Forties)
    Ship: Eendracht, 700 tons burthen, launched 1615
    Event: Pewter plate left in a rock cleft; later recovered and taken to Amsterdam (Rijksmuseum)
    Wreck: Ship wrecked 13 May 1622 off Ambon Island with a cargo of coins

    - Hartog was 35 years old when he made the unintended 1616 landfall.
    - The Eendracht carried a crew numbering in the dozens and was built as a cargo ship, not a warship or survey vessel.
    - Hartog departed Texel with a VOC fleet on 23 January 1616 and reached the Cape around August 1616.
    - He turned south into the Roaring Forties on 27 August 1616, using westerly winds to push eastward.
    - The plate remained in a rock cleft for eighty years before another captain found and carried it back to Amsterdam.

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    23 分
  • The Silent Shipwreck: 295 Men Lost Without a Signal

    The Silent Shipwreck: 295 Men Lost Without a Signal
    2026/10/24
    The Silent Shipwreck: 295 Men Lost Without a Signal

    A routine maiden voyage in January 1889 carried 120,000 pounds in gold sovereigns, yet twenty-six years later the same ship sank in 1915 with 295 men and not a single distress signal sent - what could have silenced her? This episode centers on a ship examined and rejected by the Admiralty in 1888 for weak engines, later requisitioned in wartime, that vanished off the Irish coast with no survivors and no confirmed cause.

    In this episode, we lay out the ship’s three separate lives, the technical details that mattered, and the sequence of events from launch to disappearance that leave one central question: how did a vessel fitted with wireless telegraphy and submarine signaling go down without a call for help?

    Person: Robert Napier and Sons
    Date (launch): 22 September 1888
    Date (maiden voyage departure): 17 January 1889
    Cargo (strongroom in 1889): 120,000 pounds in gold sovereigns, 2,000 pounds in jewellery, 400 pounds in silver bars
    Crew/Passangers (final loss): 295 men lost

    - Length: 421 feet and beam 50 feet, 5,347 gross register tons
    - Engine: single triple-expansion engine rated 687 nominal horsepower, cruising 14 knots
    - Boilers: eight boilers running at 150 pounds per square inch
    - Wireless: Marconi telegraphy fitted in 1910; call sign MVK registered in 1913
    - Requisition: taken by the Admiralty in 1914, renamed HMS Viknor and sent to Northern Patrol

    To listen to this podcast ad-free and access premium episodes, try our subscription with a 14-day free trial at obomedia.com.

    © 2026 OBOMEDIA. All rights reserved.
    This episode and its content (audio, text, and related materials) are the exclusive property of OBOMEDIA and are protected by applicable copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, editing, or commercial use, in whole or in part, without prior written permission from OBOMEDIA is prohibited. For permissions, licensing, and business inquiries: business@obomedia.com.
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    23 分