Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:23:15-2:24:02

Unsinkable Sam and the danger of a lucky mascot

Unsinkable Sam is the panel's favorite mascot story because surviving three lost ships made the cat look lucky and ominous at once.

Naval FolkloreRoyal NavyShip MascotsUnsinkable Sam
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Question

What is the panel's favorite story about a ship's mascot?

Short answer

Unsinkable Sam, whose survival of three ship losses reportedly ended with the Royal Navy keeping him ashore.

Notes

The panel selects Unsinkable Sam as its best ship-mascot story. The cat was said to have survived the loss of three ships, earning a reputation for personal survival that did not extend to the vessels carrying him. The Royal Navy eventually stopped sending him to sea, at least in the story as retold here. The humor rests on the old maritime idea of a Jonah: a supposedly lucky survivor who may nevertheless bring misfortune to the ship.