E271: The SS Ourang Medan

Coffee and Cases Podcast

Allison Williams, Maggie Damron

Unsolved, Murder, Conspiracy, True Crime, Cold Cases, Mystery, Society & Culture

4.8 • 608 Ratings

🗓️ 11 July 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

An unregistered ship. A haunting distress signal. A crew found dead, their faces twisted in terror—and then, an explosion that swallowed the vessel forever. This isn't the plot of a horror movie. This is the real (or is it?) story of the SS Ourang Medan. In this episode, we dive deep into one of the most unsettling maritime mysteries ever recorded—or invented. What really happened aboard the ghost ship that governments have seemingly tried to erase? Why was the CIA still referencing it a decade later? And could it all have been the cover-up of a deadly wartime secret? If you are interested in bonus content for our show or in getting some Coffee and Cases swag, please consider joining Patreon. There are various levels to fit your needs, all of which can be found here: https://www.patreon.com/coffeeandcases

Transcript

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0:00.0	For our case this week, we navigate a story so chilling, so utterly perplexing, that it continues to defy logic, sanity, and even, some would argue, reality itself.
0:14.8	It's a tale whispered in hushed tones among sailors, a ghostly fable that haunts the very annals of maritime history.
0:22.9	We're talking about the phantom vessel, the SS Orenmieden.
0:28.3	Imagine, if you will, the vast, indifferent expanse of the ocean, the rhythmic sway of the waves,
0:34.7	the endless horizon, and the solitary majesty of a ship carving its path
0:39.6	through the water. Now inject into that serene scene a jolt of sheer terror, a distressed SOS call,
0:49.1	jagged and desperate in its disembodied dots and dashes, piercing the silence of the airwaves,
0:56.1	a plea for help that begins with horror and ends with a chilling two-word sentence of finality.
1:04.4	This isn't mere fiction, at least according to some, though its origins blur the lines
1:10.7	between nightmare and reality.
1:13.5	This is the tale of the SS Orenmieden, a ship whose very existence is as debated as the horrific
1:20.9	fate of its crew. Join me as I pull back the curtain on one of the seas most tantalizing and terrifying secrets,
1:30.5	a story that begs the question, what truly happened aboard the ordering maiden?
1:36.4	And is there a logical explanation?
1:39.3	Or was it something from the realm of the unknown that led to its fate?
1:47.0	The Welcome to coffee and cases where we like our coffee in cases where we like our coffee hot and our cases cold.
2:23.3	My name is Allison Williams.
2:25.3	And my name is Maggie Damron.
2:27.3	We will be telling stories each week in the hopes that someone out there with any information concerning the cases will take those tips to law enforcement
2:34.7	so justice and closure can be brought to these families with each case we encourage you to continue
2:40.0	in the conversation on our facebook page coffee in cases podcast because as we all know conversation
2:46.3	helps to keep the missing person in the public consciousness, helping keep their memories alive.
	...

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