Don Preul - Curator of Ship Models

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

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. 

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 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.  

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.

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.

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.

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 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 GulfEP 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-RetFor 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)

In this episode of Preble Hall, Tom Duffy discusses his new book, Tanker War in the Gulf: Operation Earnest Will, Diplomacy and Seapower in Practice, with Dr. John Sherwood. During the Tanker War, Duffy was a naval officer aboard the U.S.S. Cochrane (DDG-21). He later served as a diplomat with the State Department for 32 years.