The Mariner's Mirror Podcast

In this episode of The Mariner’s Mirror Podcast, we continue our naval fiction series with Chris Durbin, author of the excellent Carlisle & Holbrooke Naval Adventures. Set during the global conflict of the Seven Years’ War, the series follows two Royal Navy captains—one a colonial Virginian, the other from Hampshire—as they navigate war, politics, and shifting loyalties in a world on the brink of revolution. Drawing on a 24-year career as a Royal Navy warfare officer, Durbin brings an authentic edge to his storytelling, capturing the realities of life at sea—from fleet actions and convoy duty to the personal pressures of command. In this conversation, we explore how he blends history with fiction, the challenges of writing naval warfare, and the wider historical forces shaping his characters’ lives. With seventeen novels in the series and the story moving toward the American Revolution, Durbin’s work offers a vivid and immersive take on a defining period of maritime history. If you’re new to the series, you can catch up on previous conversations with authors spanning the centuries—from the 17th century with David Davies, to the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars with Julian Stockwin, Katie Daysh, and Philip K. Allen. We’ve even delved into the life behind Patrick O’Brian’s work with his biographer for a broader perspective.

In this episode, we continue our deep dive into naval fiction with the prolific and insightful Philip K. Allan. Since 2018, Philip has built an impressive body of work, most notably his Alexander Clay series set during the Age of Sail. Following a Royal Navy officer through the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, the series brings to life a global naval career—from home waters to the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, and South America. Along the way, readers experience everything from commerce raiding and blockades to dramatic ship-to-ship combat and fleet battles, all while gaining a vivid sense of life at sea and the shifting alliances of the era. More recently, Philip has turned his attention to the Second World War with his Wolves series, exploring the deadly struggle between Allied convoys and German U-boats. If you enjoy this conversation, be sure to check out our other episodes in the naval fiction series, featuring contemporary authors writing naval fiction across the centuries and a fascinating look into the life behind Patrick O’Brian’s iconic work.

This episode explores the shipyards, political intrigue, and naval ambitions of 18th-century Spain at a pivotal moment in its emergence as a modern maritime power. Once dominant in the wake of its vast American empire, Spain by the mid-1700s faced a rapidly changing world, as Britain and France competed fiercely for control of the seas.At the centre of this transformation lay the Marquess de la Ensenada, an ambitious and influential minister determined to rebuild Spain’s naval strength. His reforms reshaped the navy from the ground up: new bases rose at Ferrol, Cartagena, and La Carraca; naval administration was overhauled; officers were professionalised; and shipbuilding became a central priority of the state.Looking beyond Spain’s borders, Ensenada’s programme embraced foreign expertise. British shipbuilding methods were adopted, officers were sent abroad to gather knowledge, and skilled shipwrights were discreetly recruited from London—efforts that sometimes edged into espionage. The result was a bold and complex naval experiment that brought both friction, and lasting impact.Dr Sam Willis spoke with Dr Catherine Scheybeler to explore the ambitions, achievements, and limitations of Ensenada’s naval revolution, and its enduring significance in the history of European sea power.

This episode continues our mini series on the history of the Clan Line, one of the most prominent and enduring British shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded in Glasgow in 1878 by Sir Charles Cayzer, the line began with a small fleet of steamships and quickly grew into a major force in maritime commerce. Its ships, all bearing the 'Clan' prefix in their names, became a familiar sight across the world’s oceans, linking Britain with India, South Africa, and the Far East.This episode takes us to the heart of the maritime world from which the Clan Line emerged. Every great story has a turning point and for the Clan Line, one of those moments came in a hotel in Glasgow — when the young Charles Cayzer, who had come to Glasgow to follow his maritime dream, met with alexander Stephen, a shipbuilder with a yard on the Clyde, in the very centre of the city. To find out more Dr Sam Willis met up with Ian Johnston, a well-known and deeply knowledgable Clydeside historian, for a tour of maritime Glasgow, to help us understand the world into which the Clan Line was born. They visit key sites like St. Vincent Place, the Anchor Line building, and George Square. They also explore the historical significance of the River Clyde and the shipbuilding industry, including the decline and redevelopment of Govan and the legacy of the Fairfield shipyard.This is the fourth in our series on the Clan Line – we have heard previously an overview of the company from Jamie Cayzer-Colvin, a descendant of Charles Cayzer and Director of Caledonia Investments which was born from the Cayzer family’s shipping business. We have also travelled all over the country to find sailors who served on the Clan Line ships to hear their brilliantly entertaining tories of their time afloat. We’ve also looked at the Clan Line ships – exploring some magnificent models of their fleet and then travelling to Inverclyde to see where so many were built.

In this episode of the Mariner’s Mirror podcast, we explore the extraordinary life of Harold Derber — a British Merchant Navy veteran whose early training as a wireless operator during the Second World War set him on an unexpected and remarkable path. From the dangers of Atlantic convoys to the political turbulence of the Cold War, Derber’s story moves far beyond the bridge of a ship.Derber would go on to become one of the pioneers of the modern drug trade, developing the concept of the “drug mothership” and operating a ghost fleet that supplied hundreds of tons of marijuana to post-war America. His journey took him from humble beginnings in Manchester to a violent end on the streets of Miami.To uncover this fascinating story linking maritime history and true crime, Dr Sam Willis spoke with author David Tuch, whose debut book The Wireless Operator investigates Derber’s life in remarkable detail. Tuch also has a personal connection to the story — he is a descendant of the elusive smuggler himself.

This episode continues our mini series on the history of the Clan Line, one of the most prominent and enduring British shipping companies of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Founded by Charles Cayzer, the Clan Line became synonymous with reliability, global trade expansion and the professionalisation of British merchant shipping. At its peak, it had one of the largest merchant fleets in the world, forming a crucial part of Britain's maritime commercial power. These ships linked Britain to its colonies and trading partners across Africa, India, Australia and the Far East, moving everything from manufactured goods to raw materials. This is the third in our series on the Clan Line. We've heard previously an overview of the company from Jamie Cayzer-Colvin, a descendant of Charles Cayzer, and now director of Caledonia Investments, which was born from the Cayzer family's shipping business. We've also traveled all over the country to find sailors who served on the Clan Line ships to hear their brilliantly entertaining stories of their time afloat. This episode looks at the ships. One of the fascinating things about the ships of the Clan Line is that from sail to steam to motor ships, they continually adapted to advances in ship design and propulsion. The business was always an early adopter of efficient cargo handling and modern engineering standards influencing how liner companies manage global routes and logistics. This means that the ships of the Clan Line almost perfectly act as a mirror of merchant ship evolution, a microcosm of the shifting tides in maritime design over more than a century. This episode takes us from London, where Dr Sam Willis explores some beautiful models of Clan Line ships with Simon Stevens, curator of ship models and small boats at the Royal Museums in Greenwich. Sam then heads to the Clyde estuary, to the shipyards where many of the Clan Line ships were built and speaks with speak with Vince Gillen, Inverclyde historian and writer. 

In today’s episode, we leave the dockyards and engine rooms behind to step aboard the ocean liner as it appears not at sea, but on the page. From the gilded salons of Edwardian fiction to the psychological depths of modernist prose, ocean liners have long served as floating stages for human drama, capturing the hopes, tensions, and contradictions of the modern age. We explore how writers such as E.M. Forster, Noël Coward, Virginia Woolf, Katherine Mansfield, and Agatha Christie used these vast ships as microcosms of society—places where class, desire, ambition, and anxiety collided in close quarters. Christie’s fascination with liners, in particular, reveals how perfectly they lent themselves to closed-circle mysteries: isolated worlds where familiar social types gather, secrets simmer, and violence quietly waits beneath the surface. The conversation ranges from glamour and luxury to migration and the uneasy faith in progress that defined the early twentieth century. Ocean liners emerge as symbols of empire and innovation, but also of displacement, vulnerability, and transition—spaces where identities could shift and certainties dissolve. To find out more Dr Sam Willis is joined by the brilliant Professor Faye Hammill, whose work illuminates why these ships so powerfully shaped literary imagination, and why they continue to haunt it today.

The true story of Mary Ann Patten, a nineteen-year-old woman who, in the summer of 1856, took command of a clipper ship and navigated it around Cape Horn. What drives someone to leave behind security, reputation, and the expectations of society to sail into the unknown? In this episode, we explore To The Edge of the World with author Tilar Mazzeo—a gripping true story of adventure, obsession, and the irresistible pull of the sea. We discuss the extraordinary life at the heart of this book: a woman who refused to accept the limits placed on her and instead chose a life defined by risk, freedom, and relentless determination. Through treacherous waters, isolation, and moments of triumph and despair, Mazzeo paints a vivid portrait of what it means to chase a dream when the world insists you shouldn’t. Her journey is as much an inner reckoning as it is a physical voyage to the farthest reaches of the globe. Along the way, we discuss the book’s rich historical context, the emotional costs of ambition, and the complicated line between courage and obsession. This episode asks big questions about independence, belonging, and why the call of adventure can be so powerful that it demands everything in return. Whether you’re drawn to true stories of exploration, fascinated by lives lived outside convention, or simply curious about what lies beyond the horizon, this conversation will take you right to the edge of the world—and what it means to live there.

This episode explores the fascinating history of the Glenlee, a tall ship built in Glasgow 1896 and restored by the Clyde Maritime Trust. Originally a cargo ship, the Glenlee survived fifteen voyages around Cape Horn and later served as a Spanish Navy training vessel during the fascist dictatorial rule of Francisco Franco. After being neglected, she was rescued and restored, showcasing Scotland's maritime heritage. To find out more Dr Sam Willis spoke with Lauren Henning, the Glenlee's learning and museum manager. They discuss the ship's construction, her role in various maritime adventures, links with Spain's fascist history, and her significance in Glasgow's maritime past. The conversation also highlights the ship's educational programs and the efforts to preserve its authenticity.