Back From The Dead

1973: The incredible true story of the Blythe Star disaster, which left ten men, shipwrecked and alone, on the wild Southern Ocean off Tasmania. Almost two weeks later they were found on a remote trail on a southern peninsula, and their story would stun the nation... and leave a powerful legacy in its wake.

When the coastal freighter MV Blythe Star left Hobart on a routine trip, Mick Doleman was an 18-year-old deckhand working alongside nine other crewmen, all accustomed to the dangers of the sea. But nothing could prepare them for what happened less than 24 hours later.

In the early morning, the Blythe Star started listing, and swiftly sank. Miraculously, all the crewmen escaped, only to be crammed into a tiny life raft at the mercy of the ocean. The ship's sinking sparked the largest sea and air search at the time, but the crew remained lost – and soon they were given up for dead.

Twelve days later, three ravaged and starving men, including Mick, found help on a remote logging trail in heavy bush on the Tasman Peninsula. Their story was shocking, and set the country alight with questions about their plight. How had they disappeared without trace? How had they survived the un-survivable?

This is an extraordinary story of human endurance in one of the most challenging environments on earth, written by Piia Wirsu, the producer and narrator of 'From the Dead', the award-winning season of the ABC podcast Expanse, with Mick Doleman, now the only surviving crewmember of the Blythe Star, who became a global influence in maritime safety.

About the Author

Piia Wirsu was always going to be a storyteller – her love of stories was forged around campfires on weekend and holiday adventures. A journalist and producer of ten years, Piia has interviewed, written about, and told the stories of people from all walks of life – from politicians to refugees to community heroes. The host and senior producer of Expanse, one of ABC's top performing and award-winning podcasts, Piia Wirsu has turned her storytelling nous to creating longform narrative podcasts including Dig: Saving the Franklin, which won the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union's Best Radio Documentary. She lives in Tasmania.

Mick Doleman is an Australian maritime worker and trade union official who started work as a 16-year-old deck boy. At age 18, Mick was a crew member of the MV Blythe Star which sank in the southern ocean off Tasmania and among the remaining crew found almost two weeks later on a remote peninsula. He gave evidence at the inquiry into the sinking, which led to significant changes in maritime practice, and he continued a high profile domestic and international maritime career. He lives in Victoria.