SS Daniel J. Morrell

The SS "Daniel J. Morrell" was a 603-foot Great Lakes freighter that broke up in a strong storm on Lake Huron on November 29, 1966, taking with it 28 of its 29 crewmen.

The Ship's Name

The ship was named for Daniel Johnson Morrell, a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania; who was born in North Berwick, York County, Maine, on August 8, 1821. Morrell attended the public schools; moved to Philadelphia, Pa., in 1836; entered a counting room as clerk and afterward engaged in mercantile pursuits; moved to Johnstown, Pa., in 1855 and became general manager of the Cambria Iron Co. which until the Johnstown Flood was the greatest manufacturer of iron and steel in the United States. Morrell also served as president of the local gas and water company 1860-1884 and president of the First National Bank of Johnstown 1863-1884; president of the city council many years; elected as a Republican to the Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses (March 4, 1867-March 3, 1871); chairman, Committee on Manufactures (Fortieth and Forty-first Congresses); unsuccessful candidate for reelection in 1870 to the Forty-second Congress; commissioner to the Paris Exposition of 1878; again engaged in banking; died in Johnstown, Cambria County, Pa., August 20, 1885; interment in Grandview Cemetery. He was a member of the elite South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club mainly to keep an eye on the club and its dam which formed Lake Conemaugh. Morrell died before the Johnstown Flood, caused by the failure of that dam.

"A Bizarre Incident"

Making the last run of the season with its sister ship the "SS Edward Y. Townsend", the "Morrell" became caught in winds exceeding 70 mph and swells that topped the height of the ship. During the early morning hours, the "Townsend" made the decision to take shelter in the St. Mary's River, leaving the "Morrell" alone on the waters north of Point Aux Barques, Michigan. At 2 am, the ship began its death throes, forcing the crew onto the deck, where many jumped to their deaths in the 34 degree Lake Huron waters. At 2:15 am, the ship broke in two, and the remaining crewmen loaded into a raft on the forward section of the vessel. While they waited for the bow section to sink and the raft to be thrown into the Lake, there were shouts that a ship had been spotted off the port bow. Moments later, it was discovered that the looming object was not another ship, but in fact the "Morrell's" aft section, barreling towards them under the power of the ship's engines. The two sections collided, with the aft section continuing into the distance, thrashing about in the Lake. In the words of writer Bill Ratigan, the remnants of the vessel disappeared into the darkness "Like a great wounded beast with its head shot off".

Overdue

The "Morrell" was not reported missing until 12:15pm the following afternoon, November 30, after the vessel was overdue at its destination, Taconite Harbour, Minnesota. The U.S. Coast Guard issued a "be on the lookout" alert and dispatched several vessels and aircraft to search for the missing freighter. At around 4:00 pm on November 30 a Coast Guard helicopter located the lone survivor, 26-year-old Watchman Dennis Hale, near frozen and floating in a life raft with the bodies of three of his crewmates. Hale had survived the nearly 40-hour ordeal in frigid temperatures wearing only a pair of boxer shorts, a lifejacket, and a pea coat.

Victims

The following crew were lost in the sinking:
* Bragg, Norman M., 40, Niagara Falls, NY, Watchman
* Campbell, Stuart A., 60, Marinette, WI, Wheelsman
* Cleary, John J., Jr., 20, Cleveland, OH, Deckhand
* Crawley, Arthur I., 47, Rocky River, OH, Master
* Dahl, George A., 38, Duluth, MN, Third Assistant Engineer
* Davis, Larry G., 27, Toledo, OH, Deckwatch
* Fargo, Arthur S., 52, Ashtabula, OH, Fireman
* Fosbender, Charles H., 42, St. Clair, MI, Wheelsman
* Grippi, Saverio, 53, Ashtabula, OH, Coal Passer
* Groh, John M., 21, Erie, PA, Deckwatch (missing)
* Homick, Nicholas P., 35, Hudson, PA, Second Cook
* Kapets, Phillip E., 51, Ironwood, MI, First Mate
* Konieczka, Chester, 45, Hamburg, NY, Fireman
* MacLeod, Duncan R., 61, Gloucester, MA, Second Mate
* Mahsem, Joseph A., 59, Duluth, MN, Porter
* Marchildon, Valmour A., 43, Kenmore, NY, First Assistant Engineer
* Marcotte, Ernest G., 62, Waterford, MI, Third Mate
* Norkunas, Alfred G., 39, Superior, WI, Second Assistant Engineer
* Price, David L., 19, Cleveland, OH, Coal Passer (missing)
* Rischmiller, Henry, 34, Williamsville, NY, Wheelsman
* Satlawa, Stanley J., 39, Buffalo, NY, Steward (missing)
* Schmidt, John H., 46, Toledo, OH, Chief Engineer
* Sestakauskas, Charles J., 49, Buffalo, NY, Porter
* Simpson, Wilson E., 50, Albemarle, NC, Oiler
* Stojek, Arthur E., 41, Buffalo, NY, Deckhand
* Truman, Leon R., 45, Toledo, OH, Coal Passer
* Wieme, Albert P., 51, Knife River, MN, Watchman
* Worcester, Donald E., 38, Columbia Falls, ME, Oiler

The remains of 25 of the 28 lost crewmen were eventually recovered, most in the days following the sinking, although bodies from the "Morrell" continued to be found well into the spring of the following year. The three men whose bodies were never recovered were declared legally dead in May 1967.

References

*Ratigan, Bill. "Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals". Grand Rapids: WB Eerdmans, 1977
* [http://ul.bgsu.edu/cgi-bin/xvsl2.cgi Great Lakes Vessels Online Index: "Daniel J. Morrell"]

External links

* [http://www.dalnet.lib.mi.us/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=q-000-00---0shipping--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4---Document-dky--0-1l--1-en-50---20-about-morrell--001-011-1-0utfZz-8-0&a=d&c=shipping&cl=search&d=HASH0142e4caf852722464327e33 University of Detroit Mercy]
* [http://www.boatnerd.com/swayze/shipwreck/m.htm Great Lakes Shipwreck Files]