History Series / DisastersAtSea

* EverybodyLives: Every now and then – one example being the MV ''Explorer'', which despite sinking in cold Antarctic waters, lost none of her passengers and crew.

* SalvagePirates: When the ''MSC Napoli'' wrecked off of southwest England, come of her containers broke off and washed ashore. Crowds of locals flocked to the scene and made off with some of the containers' contents – everything from nappies (which puzzled one investigator because they'd be soggy with seawater) to wine barrels to motorbikes.
* SinkingShipScenario: Frequently the Ship Of The Week sinks, but this is to be expected, given the show's subject matter. However, there are a number aversions in the show (e.g. the ''Norman Atlantic'' or the ''Andrew J. Barberi'').

"Niether."

* NoOSHACompliance: Rears its head sometimes.

*** Similarly, both the Captain and the Assistant Captain are supposed to be at the controls together during docking, but this rule was frequently flouted, with one of the two being in the pilothouse at the other end of the ferry to speed up the turnaround in port. Had Captain Gansas been in the pilothouse with Assistant Captain Smith, he could have intervened when Smith blacked out and thus averted the collision.

** The ''Destination'' hadn't done a stability report in 20 years, during which time, more weight had been added to the boat in refits. Furthermore, they hadn't accounted for the fact that crab-pots had become heavier over time.

* MakingLoveInAllTheWrongPlaces: Downplayed, but implied as a possible contributing factor in the sinking of the ''Queen of the North'', since the ship's Fourth Officer and Quartermaster had previously had an affair. What exactly they were doing when they were alone on the bridge together was never established; of greater importance was what they were ''not'' doing, which was making sure the ''Queen of the North'' was staying on course and not sailing toward rocky shores…

** A more subtle, but no less effective variant in "Death on the Staten Island Ferry," as Assistant Captain Smith's doctor signed off on certification that he was fit for duty, while knowing that he had been prescribed medication that had side effects that could affect his performance, resulting in the loss of life aboard the ''Andrew J. Barberi''.

* LethalNegligence: Rears its head frequently, with one particularly nasty example being the ''Marine Electric''. As detailed under NoOSHACompliance, the ship was all but falling apart at the seams due to deferred or half-assed repairwork. Additionally, the agencies that were supposed to catch the reason for this plan didn't do so because their inspections were rushed.

* HadTheSillyThingInReverse: PlayedForHorror in "Shipwrecked in Alaska." When the rising water levels in the ''Alaska Ranger'' caused the ship's power to go out, her controllable-pitch propellers went into reverse, with the Captain either being unaware that the engines were still going or unable to shut them off. And since the ''Alaska Ranger'' was sinking from the stern, this accelerated her sinking.

* HadTheSillyThingInReverse: PlayedForDrama in "Shipwrecked in Alaska." When the rising water levels in the ''Alaska Ranger'' caused the ship's power to go out, her controllable-pitch propellers went into reverse, with the Captain either being unaware that the engines were still going or unable to shut them off. And since the ''Alaska Ranger'' was sinking from the stern, this accelerated her sinking.

* SinkingShipScenario: Frequently the Ship Of The Week sinks, but this is to be expected, given the show's subject matter. However, not all ships featured in the show actually sink (e.g. the ''Norman Atlantic'' or the ''Andrew J. Barberi'').

* HadTheSillyThingInReverse: PlayedForDrama in "Shipwrecked in Alaska." When the rising water levels in the ''Alaska Ranger'' caused the power to go out, the ship's controllable-pitch propellers went into reverse, with the Captain either being unaware that th engines were still going, or unable to shut them off. And since the ''Alaska Ranger'' was sinking from the stern, this resulted in her sinking faster.

** The culture at Townsend Thoresen encouraged a "go go go" mentality that caused making sure the bow doors had been shut to lose priority because that was the first officer's job but he had to be on the bridge for the ship to launch, resulting in at least '''two''' instances of the bow doors being left open by mistake... the second known instance of which resulted in the capsizing of the MV ''Herald of Free Enterprise''.

* AnachronismStew: Pops up occasionally. For example, in "Coffin Ship," investigators are shown using LCD screens during the late 1990s.

** The culture at Townsend Thoresen encouraged a "go go go" mentality that caused making sure the bow doors had been shut to lose priority, resulting in at least '''two''' instances of the bow doors being left open by mistake... the second known instance of which resulted in the capsizing of the MV ''Herald of Free Enterprise''.

* BungledSuicide: The Assistant Captain of the ''Andrew J. Barbieri'' attempts suicide with a pellet gun and drugs over his role in its collision with a maintenance pier.

* SinkingShipScenario: Frequently the Ship Of The Week sinks, but this is to be expected, given the show's subject matter. However, not all ships featured in the show actually sink (e.g. the ''Norman Atlantic'' or the ''Andrew J. Barbieri'').

** One egregious example being the ''Marine Electric'', which – thanks to penny-pinching owners – had hatch covers that were allowed to deteriorate past the point they should have been replaced, and repaired using second-rate materials that were only meant to be used as stopgaps. It got to the point that there were holes in the deck that were simply circled so that no one tripped over them. The owners weren't the only ones to blame for the disaster; the only reason all this went undetected was because inspections from two separate agencies that were supposed to detect problems like this were rushed – conducting them in half an hour when they should have taken days.