Another Favorite Maritime Epic Fail

Bill Krol has once again sifted through the archives of nautical history to discover another untold story of questionable engineering practices on the high seas. In the Spring 2026 Circle of Scholars Program, Bill presented “My Favorite Maritime Epic Fails,” a collection of eight cautionary tales of maritime blunders just waiting to happen. This time, he will devote an entire talk to just one epic fail. So, join us for rollicking accounts of extraordinary ships, arcane units, obscure regulations, corporate greed, and predestined catastrophe.

Bill Krol started his professional career working for the US Navy as a shipfitter’s helper at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Portsmouth, VA. After earning naval architecture degrees from Webb Institute and The University of Michigan, he had a 33-year stint as a naval architect and systems engineer at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center in Newport, RI. Bill is a resident of Portsmouth, RI.