The Open Boat, Stephen Crane (1897)

May 1, 2026 · 58 min

About this episode

This episode explores Stephen Crane's harrowing experience aboard the SS Commodore during a disastrous voyage to Cuba in 1897.

“If I am going to be drowned — if I am going to be drowned — if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?” On New Year’s Day, 1897, the writer Stephen Crane joined the crew of the SS Commodore at a dock in Jacksonville, Florida. Traveling as a journalist tasked with documenting the insurrection in Cuba, Crane watched as the ship was loaded with arms and munitions, like “some legendary creature of the sea.” As the ship sounded its whistle, the crew of nearly 30 men readied itself for the short voyage to the warring nation, wholly unaware that the battle they would witness instead would be entirely at sea. Less than two miles offshore, the Commodore encountered its first setback. Suddenly enveloped in a thick fog, the ship ran ashore into thick mud and had to be bailed out by a vessel anchored nearby. Back on track, the crew rallied, ready to make headway like filibusters on a quest for plunder. Alas, fate had other ideas, brewing a powerful squall that “ rolled [the Commodore ] like a rubber ball. ” Before long, it became apparent that there was an issue in the engine room. All…

People in this episode

Host: Ruby Love

Topics covered

survival
maritime disaster
journalism
historical fiction
Cuban insurrection

Keywords

Stephen Crane
The Open Boat
maritime disaster
Cuba
survival
journalism
historical fiction

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: SS Commodore

Places: Jacksonville, Florida, Cuba