Preble Hall

Latest Episodes:

Col Rod Andrew, USMCR-Ret, Marines Fight for Survival Sep 13, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Preble Hall author Rod Andrew Jr. discusses his book The Marines' Fight for Survival War, Politics, and Institutional Crisis, 1945–1952 with Sondra Duplantis, the U. S. Naval Academy Museum's Education Specialist. Rod Andrew Jr. is professor of history and Alumni Master Teacher at Clemson University. The author of six books, he is a retired colonel in the US Marine Corps Reserve and former officer-in-charge, Field History Branch, US Marine Corps History Division.

Dr. David A. Smith - Alfred Thayer Mahan Sep 06, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Preble Hall, Dr. David Smith, Teaching Professor of History in American History at Baylor University and a fleet professor in the U.S. Naval War College’s College of Distance Education, discusses his recently published work, Alfred Thayer Mahan: The Life of Maritime Strategy's Greatest Revolutionary, published by the Naval Institute Press.

Dr. Stephen Phillips Shifley Lecture on the Naval Academy's move to Newport during the Civil War can be found here: Shifley Oct 2020

Paul Magid - Pursuing the Leviathan Aug 23, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Preble Hall, author Paul Magid discusses his book Pursuing the Leviathan: The Heroic Life of New England Whaling Captain Benjamin Clough with Sondra Duplantis, the U. S. Naval Academy Museum's Education Specialist.

Set in the golden age of whaling in the nineteenth century, this book brings to life the adventures of Benjamin Clough, best known for single-handedly rescuing the ship Sharon from mutineers in 1842. Clough's heroism earned him a whaling command, which led to a whaling career that for a quarter-century took him into the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic Oceans.

Don Preul - Curator of Ship Models Aug 16, 2026

Show notes

The United States Naval Academy Museum's Curator of Ship Models, Don Preul, and Education Specialist Sondra Duplantis discuss the museum's ship model collection, model shop volunteers, and a beloved colleague.

Captain James Bryant & Co - Rush to Disaster - Loss of the Thresher Jul 19, 2026

Show notes

Captain James B. Bryant, USN (Ret.) and his Volunteer Research Team discuss Bryant's upcoming book Rush to Disaster: The Loss of USS Thresher with USNA Museum's Education Specialist, Sondra Duplantis. Rush to Disaster reexamines the 1963 loss of USS Thresher—the deadliest nuclear submarine disaster in history—using thousands of pages of newly declassified Naval Court of Inquiry (NCOI) records released through a landmark Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit. Written by a former nuclear commander, the book reveals how Cold War urgency, flawed assumptions, and institutional pressure combined to produce a catastrophe that reshaped submarine safety.

MU1 Tyler Tolles - USNA Band and 200th Anniversary of the Musician Rate Jul 05, 2026

Show notes

In this episode of Preble Hall, United States Naval Academy Museum's Education Specialist, Sondra Duplantis and MU1 Tyler Tolles of the United States Naval Academy Band celebrate the 200th anniversary of the Musician (MU) rating. Since the first "Master of the Band" was appointed in 1826, Navy Music has projected a positive image at home and abroad, preserving the nation's musical heritage and inspiring the next generation of Sailors.

Thomas Cutler - Give Me a Fast Ship - The Heroic Actions of Ernest Evans and the Crew of USS Johnston Jun 28, 2026

Show notes

In Preble Hall Episode 262 LCDR Thomas J. Cutler, USN (Ret.) discusses his book Give Me a Fast Ship: The Heroic Actions of Ernest Evans and the Crew of USS Johnston with Sondra Duplantis, U. S. Naval Academy Museum's Education Specialist. LCDR Cutler is a retired lieutenant commander and former gunner’s mate second class who served in patrol craft, cruisers, destroyers, and aircraft carriers. Cutler is the winner of the Alfred Thayer Mahan Award for Naval Literature, the U.S. Naval Institute Press Author of the Year, and the Commodore Dudley W. Knox Naval History Lifetime Achievement Award.

Dr. Tyler Pitrof - Educating the Bluejackets Jun 14, 2026

Show notes

In this episode, Preble Hall's Educational Specialist, Sondra Duplantis, discusses with Dr. Tyler Pitrof his most recent book, Educating the Bluejackets: U.S Navy Enlisted Policy 1940-2024.

Dr. Justin Laborde - Scattered Far and Wind - the USNA Class of 1938 May 24, 2026

Show notes

For episode 260 of the Preble Hall Podcast, Midn Austin Wilson serves as host. He interviews Dr. Justin Laborde to discuss Scattered Far and Wide, a poignant work about the U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1938 published by the Naval Institute Press.

Dr. Stephen Phillips - A Poisoned Chalice: The U.S. Navy in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988 Apr 19, 2026

Show notes

Dr. Stephen Phillips discussed his new book A Poisoned Chalice: The U.S Navy in the Persian Gulf, 1987-1988 with Dr. John Sherwood. Dr. Phillips is a U.S. Naval Academy Class of 1992 graduate and a former U.S. Navy EOD officer.

Links to episodes mentioned in the podcast:

EP 90: The Great Mule Caper: Preble Hall | The Class of 1992's Great Mule Caper

EP 258: Tom Duffy – Tanker War in the Gulf: Preble Hall | Tom Duffy - Tanker War in the Gulf

EP 117:The USS Samuel B. Roberts Mine Strike: Captain Paul Rinn, USN-Ret: Preble Hall | The USS Samuel B. Roberts Mine Strike: Captain Paul Rinn, USN-Ret

For more detailed information on the Iraqi Air Force attack on USS Stark listen to: Rendering Safe an unexploded Exocet missile aboard USS Stark (FFG-31)

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected