The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.

How true these words by the great oceanographer Jacques Cousteau still are.

Hold fast, shipmates, as we make our descent into the watery depths of the unknown.

Be prepared to be held in its net of wonder forever.

This first of four nautical nightmares we've dredged up for you as called the open boat.

It was recorded live in New York City on January 28th, 2018.

It was part of our show, Lost at Sea.

A war raged between the Atlantic and the angry skies above.

Unfortunately, an American package ship called the Veritas was caught in the middle of this skirmish on its journey home to New York City.

The year was 1856.

110 passengers were aboard, along with a cargo load of railroad iron.

In the blackness of night, the storm bashed the vessel relentlessly.

Passengers gasped in terror as they saw a sailor topple from the jib boom. His body was never found.

And then all was quiet. But in the storm's wake came a thick blanket of fog that obscured all visibility. All the ship could do was aimlessly groped through the denseness of the mist,

hoping for a break in the...

It was then that the Veritas struck an iceberg. for a break in the...

It was then that the Veritas struck an iceberg.

A large section of the boat's forefoot was sliced off.

The freezing waters of the Atlantic rapidly poured into the hold of the vessel, which was a hundred miles from the nearest port.

But the captain and crew were determined to save the ship. Cargo was thrown overboard. Every able-bodied man worked the pumps, but it was to no avail.

The outcome was now horribly clear.

The lifeboats were too few in number to seat all the passengers.

...