Richie Kohler

Richie Kohler is a filmmaker, author and explorer whose diving experiences began in the waters surrounding Brooklyn NY, but whose passion for diving and exploring shipwrecks has taken him to all corners of the globe. As a founding member of the NY based group the “Atlantic Wreck Divers” Kohler has spent the last 40 years exploring and identifying lost shipwrecks. Those exploits have been documented in newspapers, magazines, documentary films and numerous books. Kohler holds nearly every diving qualification, has certified scores of technical divers in advanced diving techniques and continues to lead shipwreck and technical diving expeditions internationally.

In 1992 his work (with diving partner John Chatterton) to identify a previously unknown German U-boat was the focus of an award-winning NOVA documentary, “Hitler’s Lost Sub.”  That six-year effort was the subject of several television documentaries and a best-selling book, Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson, a New York Times bestseller. The success of that program launched his career in underwater film making. Kohler co-hosted and produced fifty-six episodes of the popular History Channel program “Deep Sea Detectives” that attracted millions of viewers worldwide. The educational program focused on underwater mysteries in nearly every aquatic environment and inspired many to discover diving and explore the undersea world.

Kohler has produced numerous other television programs detailing his explorations on some of the most famous shipwrecks in the world, including the Andrea Doria, RMS Titanic, and the HMHS Britannic. Kohler has worked on film projects for Paramount Pictures, CBS, PBS/NOVA, National Geographic, Discovery Channel, Universal Studios and most recently Kohler joined legendary underwater explorer Dr. Bob Ballard aboard his research ship, EV Nautilus, documenting deep water shipwrecks in the Gulf of Mexico.

Kohler’s work is often focused on the human aspect of shipwreck tragedies and he has prioritized reaching out to the survivors and families answering questions and providing closure on wrecks such as the U-215, U-869, USS Murphy, USS Lagarto and the PC 566.  Most recently his work in correcting historical wrongs culminated in an award ceremony at the Pentagon in which the Secretary of the Navy posthumously awarded the Legion of Merit with Valor to a World War II Captain.

A Fellow in the Explorer’s Club, Kohler continues to lead expeditions in search of lost ships and the mysteries they hold.  He has written dozens of articles about shipwrecks, deep diving and diver safety and in 2016 published his first book, Mystery of the Last Olympian, that details his decade of work on Titanic’s sister ship HMHS Britannic. Over the years he has made presentations at schools, libraries, diving conventions and symposiums promoting diving safety, education and awareness.

Recently Kohler hosted on a new series of diving-centered programming, Dark Waters with Richie Kohler. This programming will promote the fragile underwater environment, showcasing the treasures it holds to a new generation of underwater explorers.

Richie Kohler represents a unique sector of diving professionals with significant contributions to exploration and historical preservation of the ocean’s wreck resources.

Please Note. That this was originally recorded in November 2020.

www.titanicconnections.com

We are joined in todays stream by Rick Ayrton, a wreck diver who has been fortune to visit the wreck of Titanic's' sister ship, Britannic.  Britannic was a hospital ship that was sunk in the first world war off the coast of Kia, without ever sailing as a passenger ship for the White Star Line.  Rick Ayrton released a book on his dive to Britannic, and is available from the link below.  www.divedup.com Www.titanicconnections.com

1st class stewardess Violet Jessop was a 'true survivor' and one of the more famous names to come out of the Titanic story.  From humble beginnings to becoming a stewardess aboard the new R.M.S Olympic, she was aboard when it suffered a major collision with another vessel, the H.M.S Hawk.  Transferred to the R.M.S Titanic she survived the infamous disaster, and them during the 1st world war would go on to become a nurse, assigned to the H.M.H.S Britannic, a ship she narrowly escaped with her life as the vessel sank 21 November 1916.  Here, in this rare recording made available exclusively for Titanic Connections, we'll hear Violet in her own words, as she describes her experiences to the noted maritime author and historian John Maxtone Graham for his book 'The Only Way to Cross'.  This recording, as well as the many notes he obtained from this interview, would also go on to become the collaborative book "TITANIC SURVIVOR: The Memoirs of Violet Jessop".  This rare recording, previously available only through official request, has slipped into the public domain and has thus been given in its entirety to Titanic Connections courtesy of the U.K. National Archives and the British Imperial War Museum.   To learn more visit our website at  Www.titanicconnections.com