Engine-room telegraph frozen at "ahead" - ship found 102 years later, all 25 crew dead

Emergencies and World Disasters · Jul 24, 2026 · 23m

Engine-room telegraph frozen at "ahead" - ship found 102 years later, all 25 crew dead

The telegraph in the Hydrus's engine room still points to "ahead" after 102 years, a literal last order that 25 men never undid. What could have struck a 263-foot freighter so suddenly that not one crew member could change a single instrument?

In this episode, we tell the story of the steel freighter Hydrus from launch to loss, tracing her construction, ownership, cargo, crew and the deadly November storm that ended her voyage - and ask how a ship that had survived previous danger could be taken so fast…