Question About Ship That Sank

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Guest793

Re: Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by Guest793 »

There is a very good 20-minute video on youtube that provides a look at the Daniel J. Morrell as she sits on the bottom of Lake Huron. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQ5gQcl6dfI
Guest

Re: Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by Guest »

What a horrific ordeal it must have been for any crewmen who were still alive in the stern section. Any estimates as to how long it would have taken the stern section to travel some 5 miles before finally sinking? Is the stern upright on the bottom?
Jared
Posts: 798
Joined: December 6, 2014, 4:51 pm

Re: Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by Jared »

Guest wrote: November 25, 2022, 11:46 am Great info Jared thanks, how deep is the water where the stern and bow are?

If you have dived on this wreck what's your best guess do you think
crew were still alive in the stern after the bow sank? What do you think
happened, series of events, that caused the stern to sink some 5 miles away?

Thank you in advance.
Water at the bow is in 200ft of water and the stern is in 210. The crew in the stern alive until the stern sank a few minutes after 5 AM. We know by the course of the stern that once the break up occurred, the stern pushed the bow out of the way and continued a rough drifting course to the north and west almost broadside to the waves.

What the actions of the crew entailed in the 3 hours between the breakup is unknown except of evidence of trying to stuff everything they could into the doorways. Lifeboats were mostly out of the question as the boats would be smashed against the side of the hull and I'm sure stability of the stern was in question as they had no ballast control and the rudder would be hard to turn manually, and the emergency station was exposed the the weather. We can only speculate on why the crew did not shut the engine down and abandon the ship earlier. We don't know how many people climbed onto the stern life raft and were washed off. No victims were discovered in the physical wreck itself, which means they abandoned the ship before it went down.

As is known now, the Morrell is the only wreck so far that has separated such a distance. The only comparison known is the 1860 wreck of the Lady Elgin which is spread out over 2 miles.
Guest

Re: Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by Guest »

Great info Jared thanks, how deep is the water where the stern and bow are?

If you have dived on this wreck what's your best guess do you think
crew were still alive in the stern after the bow sank? What do you think
happened, series of events, that caused the stern to sink some 5 miles away?

Thank you in advance.
Jared
Posts: 798
Joined: December 6, 2014, 4:51 pm

Re: Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by Jared »

Guest1 wrote: November 23, 2022, 10:54 pm Was that the lifeboat that sits on the lake bottom next to the hull?
Jared wrote: November 19, 2022, 8:57 pm
Guest wrote: November 19, 2022, 7:35 pm How far away did the stern actually sink from the bow?

Is it known was there crew alive in the stern section who tried to beach it?
The stern sank 5 miles away from the bow. There is no hard evidence to prove that the crew tried to beach the stern section as the stern headed northwest from bow into the waves instead of following seas to the Thumb.

When re-discovered in 1979, there were rags stuffed into the doors and bulkheads indicating that the crew tried to keep the water out. The telegraph was broken and needle hanging down, so it's unknown what the state of the engines were in. Also one lifeboat hangs in the davit that would have been on the lee side of the ship. So it does not appear they tried to launch her boats. However a stern life raft had a frozen crewmember inside the equipment compartment (very tight fit).
Yes, when it was originally located (the stern) in 1966 and relocated in 79 the lifeboat was still hanging by its stern in the davit. I cannot remember if the second lifeboat is 200 yards behind the stern or if that was the Goodyear.

We located her hatch covers between the two halves in 2020. The stern was continually shipping water in amounts that forced the hatches to blow off between the 3 hours that separated the foundering of the bow and the stern.
Guest1

Re: Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by Guest1 »

Was that the lifeboat that sits on the lake bottom next to the hull? These types of facts are fascinating to me…it makes you really feel the tragic human loss. This information forum is invaluable for these little unpublished facts that help create a fuller picture of some of these wrecks. Been reading this forum since the mid 90s and I still learn stuff. Thanks!
Jared wrote: November 19, 2022, 8:57 pm
Guest wrote: November 19, 2022, 7:35 pm How far away did the stern actually sink from the bow?

Is it known was there crew alive in the stern section who tried to beach it?
The stern sank 5 miles away from the bow. There is no hard evidence to prove that the crew tried to beach the stern section as the stern headed northwest from bow into the waves instead of following seas to the Thumb.

When re-discovered in 1979, there were rags stuffed into the doors and bulkheads indicating that the crew tried to keep the water out. The telegraph was broken and needle hanging down, so it's unknown what the state of the engines were in. Also one lifeboat hangs in the davit that would have been on the lee side of the ship. So it does not appear they tried to launch her boats. However a stern life raft had a frozen crewmember inside the equipment compartment (very tight fit).
Jared
Posts: 798
Joined: December 6, 2014, 4:51 pm

Re: Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by Jared »

Guest wrote: November 19, 2022, 7:35 pm How far away did the stern actually sink from the bow?

Is it known was there crew alive in the stern section who tried to beach it?
The stern sank 5 miles away from the bow. There is no hard evidence to prove that the crew tried to beach the stern section as the stern headed northwest from bow into the waves instead of following seas to the Thumb.

When re-discovered in 1979, there were rags stuffed into the doors and bulkheads indicating that the crew tried to keep the water out. The telegraph was broken and needle hanging down, so it's unknown what the state of the engines were in. Also one lifeboat hangs in the davit that would have been on the lee side of the ship. So it does not appear they tried to launch her boats. However a stern life raft had a frozen crewmember inside the equipment compartment (very tight fit).
Guest

Re: Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by Guest »

How far away did the stern actually sink from the bow?

Is it known was there crew alive in the stern section who tried to beach it?
Guest

Re: Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by Guest »

You must be talking about the Daniel J. Morrell, that broke up and sank on Lake Huron during the early morning of November 29, 1966.

Several books have been written about the Daniel J. Morrell sinking. The one I have in my collection is "Sole Survivor - Dennis Hale's own story" as told to Tim Juhl, Pat and Jim Stayer.
wiseguy

Re: Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by wiseguy »

You may be thinking of the Daniel J. Morrell, a 603-foot (184 m) Great Lakes freighter, that broke up in a strong storm on Lake Huron on 29 November 1966. One crew member, Dennis Hale, survived.
Guest

Question About Ship That Sank

Unread post by Guest »

What ship was it that broke in half in a severe storm on one of the great lakes and i think the stern section may have stayed afloat and crew may have tried to beach the stern before it finally sank some distance away from the bow section?

Thank you in advance.
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