Special Episode: The D-Day Surf Report

Send us Fan Mail Special Episode - The D-Day Surf Report In this special standalone episode, host Tripp Collins steps out of the standard author interview format to share a story from his own field: ocean wave science. Learn how a 1913 storm in Casablanca, WWII Higgins landing craft, and two Scripps oceanographers led to the mathematical breakthroughs in surf forecasting that made the D-Day landings possible. Key Highlights: The origin of the world's first operational swell forecast in Casablanca and the Azores in 1922. Why flat-bottomed Higgins landing boats were dangerous liabilities in waves over five feet. How Walter Munk and Harald Sverdrup defined Significant Wave Height and quantified wave growth, decay, and surf transformation under pressure. General Eisenhower's 24-hour D-Day delay decision and the unpredicted severe storm that hit two weeks later. If you prefer a visual experience, you can watch the video version on YouTube with historical charts, diagrams, and photos. Chapters: 00:00:00 - Introduction to this special episode on wave science history 00:00:49 - Context on YouTube visuals and inspiration from the movie Pressure 00:02:37 - The practical power of ocean wave prediction for ports, warfare, and surfing 00:03:29 - The 1913 Casablanca swell and early pressure chart analysis 00:05:16 - The Azores field office in 1922 and the first operational swell forecast 00:06:41 - Why early local forecasting methods failed when applied elsewhere 00:07:55 - WWII amphibious landings and the need for universal wave physics 00:09:08 - Early British empirical rules developed by Claude Suthens 00:10:20 - Walter Munk's journey from Austrian skier to Scripps oceanographer 00:12:51 - Army service and Munk's return to Scripps under Harald Sverdrup 00:14:17 - Operation Torch and Higgins boats: Floating shoeboxes in heavy seas 00:16:44 - Spotting the wave height discrepancy for the North Africa invasion 00:18:22 - Building a mathematical model for wind wave growth from weather maps 00:20:12 - Standardizing Significant Wave Height with landing craft coxswains 00:21:49 - Operation Torch in November 1942: Forecasting Casablanca surf 00:23:49 - Training weather officers at Scripps for Operation Neptune 00:24:46 - Balancing tides, moon phases, and surf limits for D-Day 00:26:41 - Maureen Flavin Sweeney's barometric warning and Eisenhower's 24-hour delay 00:28:25 - June 6, 1944: 133,000 Allied troops land on Normandy beaches 00:30:22 - The unpredicted storm 13 days after D-Day and the timing of the invasion window Links and Resources: Explore books in the Book Science Store on Bookshop.org Read show notes and transcripts on TrippCollins.com/podcast Follow the podcast on Instagram, Bluesky, and Youtube Book Science Book Shop (bookshop.org) Welcome to the official bookshop.org bookshelf of the Book Science podcast. Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you. Support the show