The SS Cedarville Disaster

On the night of November 18, 1958, Bob Belmore grooming himself on the aircraft carrier Limestone Cedarville eagerly listened to news of his fleet mate, the Carl D Bradley, where his brother Doug was serving as p. Both the Cedarville and the Bradley were due to arrive at Calite Harbor that night and both were battling the same violent storm, only one would survive. All but two aboard the Bradley, including Bob's brother Doug, would lose their lives that night. A few years later, in 1964, one of the Bradley survivors, Elmer Fleming, was scheduled to take command of the Cedarville, but moments after coming aboard, Elmer abandoned ship for good and would never sail again.

Just a year later, the Cedarville would meet her own tragic fate in 1927. The Great Lakes Engineering Works sh shipyard in River Rouge, Michigan, the same shipyard that would build the Edmund Fitzgerald. 30 years later she was commissioned to build a new bulk carrier for the Pittsburgh Shipping Company, a subsidiary of the United States Steel Corporation, with hole number 255. The new freighter was designed to transport iron ore. She wouldn't be the largest of lakes, but yes. approach with a length of 63.9 feet or 184 m on a beam of 60.2 feet or 18.3 meters launched on 9 April 1927 was originally named AF Harvey the Harvey was almost identical to several of the bolt carriers that they entered service at around the same time.

When fitted with large box-shaped cargo holds designed to efficiently deliver iron ore to steel mills, its power was generated by three coal-fired Scotch Marine boilers feeding a single triple expansion engine. which reached 2200 horsepower. Operated by a crew of 35, the AF Harvey entered service in May 1927, but just a year into her career she ran into trouble near Michigan in dense fog, collided with the whaling steamer John Erikson, while the Damage to the Harvey seemed minimal, the Ericson had to be stranded. prevent the ship from sinking the Harvey was able to reach the tour under her own power repairs were made and she was soon returned to service the Ericson was also refloated and repaired she briefly re-registered at the home port of New York, although she never left the Great Lakes in 1956.

She was transferred to the Bradley Transport Fleet, part of the Michigan Limestone division of US Steel. Her registration was returned to the port of Duth Minnesota, although she operated out of Roger City Michigan during her winter layup in late 1956. She underwent a major overhaul at the defo shipbuilding company in Bay City, Michigan. This refurbishment converted it from an iron ore conveyor to a self-discharging limestone and coal conveyor. Her cargo holds were equipped with a new hopper bottom and two conveyor belts running the entire length. From the ship, these would take Stone to a front-mounted bucket elevator that lifted materials to a 250-foot self-loading boom.

It was mounted just outside her forward cabins, while this equipment reduced her overall cargo capacity, making her significantly more efficient and versatile, capable of delivering cargo virtually anywhere without the need for expensive and time-consuming ground unloading equipment. As part of the refit, she was painted gray to match the Bradley fleet livery and renamed Cedarville in honor of the Michigan port. The Cedarville was also equipped with a new modern funnel. She reentered service at the start of the 1957 season and operated alongside her new fleetmate, the slightly larger Carl D Bradley. Elmer Fleming's unexpected departure from the Cedarville on March 27, 1964 reorganized the ship's deck crew, First Officer Martin Jich, an 18-year-old sailor. his experience on the Great Lakes he was promoted to Captain while jpic was liked by his crew some found his sudden promotion a mystery an even bigger mystery is why exactly Fleming abandoned ship that day some believe bad weather at the time triggered the trauma he experienced when the Bradley sank years earlier, while he had passed away as the

disaster

left him with a nervous disposition that he wouldn't after surviving what he did, perhaps there was something about the Cedarville that didn't feel right.

Well either way, the new boat captain took command and completed the season in October. Jait grounded the boat in the St Mary's River. The ship required drydocking to repair the damage. At the beginning of the 1965 season, it was clear to the Cedarville crew that her hole was aging rapidly as she advanced. As early as the spring of 1961, a shore garden inspection found serious deterioration in her bore lining and ordered replacements of the affected areas beginning 80 feet after the bow on both sides her bore was made of 3/8 of steel cladding, these plates were susceptible. due to corrosion causing thinning, pitting and other signs of weakness because the cost of repairs ordered by the Coast Guard would exceed $124,000 and could potentially disrupt Cedarville's busy schedule, the previous Captain requested Ed's permission to delay the repairs until a more convenient time for the request.

Lloyd's Register of Shipping officials subsequently pressured the Bradley shipping company to invest in repairs after the ship's insurers urged it, but these repairs were postponed indefinitely even as the Cedarville was in drydock after running aground in October 1964. The company refused to invest in replacing its weakened PL hole. In 1961, the ship was reboiled, improving its efficiency and slightly increasing its power. This was the last major work carried out on the ship before the 1965 season. Captain Jich and His crew were well aware that the 40-year-old ship was showing its age, but these problems were easy to ignore. The ships were strong and the experienced captains took pride in pushing them to their limits.

Bradley Transportation's fleet was responsible for delivering Limestone to the vast American steel empire, a vital ingredient in steelmaking used to remove impurities during the blasting process, fleet captains were given extremely optimistic schedules and tonnage requirements. disregarding the complications of operating an aging ship, while it was ultimately up to the captain to keep his crew safe and decide. If they abandoned port, it was clear that missed deadlines, low tonnage and costly maintenance work could end a master's career with the company. The culture of prioritizing profits over safety was pervasive on the lakes and continued long after even high-profile losses like the Carl D.

Bradley and Daniel J morale, so while Captain Chich was still a Captain relatively new to the fleet, probably would have preferred the New Hole coating, decided that the ship was seaworthy and the Cederville began the 1965 season with a considerable increase in the tonnage required by the company that year, but the weather did not We imported Steels Limestone quotas and a cold front soon swept through the region, the recently cleared Minov Strait rose and, despite Captain Chic's efforts, the Cedarville found itself icy, she would have to wait until April. 1965, when the weather finally began to cooperate for the season to actually begin after a handful of successful races.

Captain Chich relaxed a little, but the pressure to keep up was always present and certainly played a constant role in his mind, now more than ever. It is important to quickly and efficiently assemble the jobs to be done and the men and women who can do them in April 1965. Another ship, half a world away, left Denmark bound for the American Great Lakes via the San Seaway. Lorenzo, commanded by Captain Rasmus. Hokland, the 6-year-old MV Topal Shord, was built in Gutenberg, Sweden, and operated by a Norwegian shipping company. The 6,000 T cargo ship, 423 feet or 129 M long, was built to withstand the fury of the North Atlantic and the brutal North Sea.

She was reinforced to break ice and was powered by a single diesel engine that could reach 6,500 horsepower. Her five cargo holds were loaded with European goods bound for Canada and the United States and she was scheduled to return to her home port of Oslo, Norway, with a cargo of grain from Chicago and Port Arthur opened in April 1959, the track The St Lauren Maritime Port allowed ships with drafts of up to 26.9 feet or 8.2 m to operate between the Great Lakes and the Atlantic Ocean, giving access to much larger ocean-going vessels. Topdel Fjord reached the Great Lakes in mid-April 1965, after battling a series of squalls in the North Atlantic, she would spend the next few weeks navigating the series of locks and congested waterways that connected the Great Lakes while unloading On the morning of May 7, sailing down Lake Michigan bound for Port Arthur, Ontario, the night before, a dense fog had taken over the streets of Mao, reducing the With visibility only a few hundred feet, so dense that the captains of the Long Lake freighter could not even see the sides of their ships as they made their way through the fog, the captains had to rely on their radios, radar, and the rules of the sea, as well as in their senses as they listened to the foghorns in the Eerie Abyss, yet they moved forward eager to stay on schedule, the topil was no different as it sailed east.

Captain Huland monitored the situation closely by manually operating the ship's fog whistle, letting out three short blasts at regular intervals and complying with Great Lakes regulations as they approached the shadowy outline of the MAA bridge looming somewhere in fog at the end of each school year, recruiters from Bradley Transportation Company visited Rogers City High School looking to hire new crew members for their Great Lakes fleet for young graduates who couldn't pay or didn't have The qualifications. or the desire to attend university, a job in the Lakes could be a fairly solid job, room and board were provided during the trips, there was a lot of free time and the pay was decent, many young people spent a couple of years in the Lagos while they saved. making money and planning the next chapter of their lives for others was the beginning of a lifelong career when Dave Ericson graduated in 1959, signed with the shipping company, new crew members were placed where needed and during the Early years Dave moved from deck crew to the engine room, eventually realizing that off-duty weeks tended to be more consistent for gy crews.

A few years into his career, he became a goalie at Cedarville. His job was to serve the captain and the chief engineers. Before dawn on May 7, 1965, Dave informed the Cedarville in Roger City, Michigan, the ship was scheduled to transport 14,411 tons of Open Hearth limestone to Gary Indiana, the ship left port at 5:00 a.m. m., giving Dave some time before he started his shift at 7:00, so he went to his bunk and took a quick nap. The atmosphere on board was cheerful. The crew loved the overnight breaks at their home port, where they could spend the night with friends and family after a quick breakfast.

Dave headed to the captain's cabin to begin his shift as he moved forward, the fog was so thick he couldn't see the other end of the 600 ton ship, the fog horn was sounding at regular intervals, it was cold around 41°F when He finished his work at the front, returned to help in the kitchen. He could hear the fog horns of other ships if they approached the Strait. The boat had a vegetable bin on the port side of the main deck, just outside the galley. Dave went out to get something. potatoes when another Porter Jerome Kik said hello Dave look at this Dave joined him at the rail and looked where Jerome was pointing near the bow of the ship a dark mass loomed out of the fog heading straight for the ship the Cedarville let out a long explosion just When a ship emerged from the fog and crashed onto its port side, Dave didn't remember much noise from the collision, only that the ship closed as if it had been hit by a large wave, the ship's bow remaining lodged in its side.

As the Cedarville continued on, Dave and Jerome watched for a moment and then realized they should go down and grab their life jacket. They shared a cabin and quickly got ready when the ship's warning alarm began to sound. Dave then went to the cabins around him to make sure no one was sleeping. When he returned to the deck, he heard the sound of the other ship finally breaking free and scraping the side of the Cedarville. He passed so close that he could almost reach him andtouch it before it disappeared once again into the mist. She briefly visited his boss to tell her what happened before moving on to get a better look at the damage.

Some of the railings and deck plates were bent, but most of the damage appeared to be below the waterline. She could hear the water entering the boat. Below it, the deck crew lowered an emergency collision tarp over the damaged area to try to slow the flooding, but the hole was too large and the tarp was almost immediately absorbed by the ship, a heel was developing. port and water was pumped to the starboard ballast tanks. To level the ship, but it was clear to Dave and the rest of the crew that the Cedarville was in grave danger, he gave the order to begin preparing the lifeboats while the captain attempted to beach the ship.

Dave reported to his assigned station in Lifeboat Number One on the inside starboard side and helped uncover and lower the boat to the main Tech. He looked toward the bow barely visible in the fog. The forward decks were already washed and the ship was beginning to list to starboard some of the starboard ballast. The tanks were renting water Cederville was already making its final dive The crew remained calm but moved urgently as the bow pushed beneath the waves and the boat rolled further to starboard Dave jumped into the lifeboat joining several of his crewmates Dave He felt the chill as the bow of the Cedar hit the lake bed and the roar of its cargo of limestone spilled out of the ship.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached the surface, the cold water making it difficult to catch his breath. He searched for the ship but only saw about 150 feet from the bottom of its hole, saw the port lifeboat still attached to the capsized ship, another crewman desperately hit his releases with an AE and finally released the ship just as the Cedar Bill disappeared. under the waves As he watched his boat disappear into the choppy lake, the reality of what had just happened to Dave was cold and numb, held up only by his life jacket, he could hear the sounds of other boats' foghorns in the distance, he heard to men screaming for help. around him he finally saw a life wrapped around him and he swam towards it the men on the raft helped him get him out of the water he was already too weak to get up once he was on the raft he tried to warm up his crewmates threw ropes into the water and helped others to climb aboard the raft surrounded by the surreal super fog.

The men waited on the bridge that morning. Captain Cho commanded the Cedarville as they sailed into the MAA Strait. Visibility was as bad as it could be, but the boat. He continued forward with the aid of RCA radar and a radio direction finder to help establish a position. The ship was also equipped with a gyrocompass and a standard radiotelephone manned by the captain. All operational and navigation communication equipment was operational. Although visibility had progressively worsened since she left Kelsa, Cedarville continued down Hon Lake at full speed at approximately 11.7 mph as they approached the Mao Bridge. Captain Chich made contact with the forward-descending Benson, a passage agreement was verbally agreed upon, and the two ships safely passed approximately half a mile. separated from each other, the fog at this time was so thick that none of Cille's lookouts could see the Benson Ford as they passed within 3 or 4 miles of the Mao Bridge.

Captain Jich made radio contact with a German ship called the Vienberg and verbally established a port-to-port passage agreement with her Captain Verer May when the Vienberg passed under the bridge Captain May warned them that there was a Norwegian ship not far away of them heading to the Cedarville Captain Chich attempted to contact the ship but was unsuccessful Third Officer Charles Cook, who observed the radar screen, warned that the other ship was approaching. Accounts of what happened on the bridge during the next few minutes differ. Captain Chich would later claim that he had already reduced his speed to move more slowly, but there is no other record.

Of this and others on the bridge at the time, including pilot Leonard Giac, maintained that the ship's speed was only halved after failing to make contact with the Norwegian ship, they could now clearly hear the other's fog whistle. ship on the Cedarville as the range between the two ships decreased. Captain Chich ordered a change of course by turning to the right, but the other ship continued forward. He then let out a long blast to signal a passage from port to port. Tension increased as the captain continued to try to reach the other ship by radio and then the lookout stationed on the port bridge wing shouted there, she is another lookout stationed on the bow saw the two as the ship emerged from the fog, he shouted half a block away, by then the driver Gabric could also see it only about 100 feet ahead of them and Approaching fast Captain Chich immediately ordered to advance slowly just as he gave the order Charles Cook shouted Captain, we are going to attack in a last-ditch effort by Stitch to avoid the collision.

Chich ordered to advance completely and turn sharply to the right, but it was too late. top dolls F Captain Hogland sailed at reduced speed as the distance between the two ships shortened, he maintained his course and ordered his engines to decelerate only about 3 or 4 knots. They could hear the foggy signals of the other ship ahead of them, it looked like they would pass on their starboard side. Captain Hogland was outside the wheelhouse door on his starboard bridge wing when he heard the long sound of a ship's whistle. , suddenly the Cedarville appeared in the fog only about 250 feet away, passing right in front of them, Hogland ordered his engines. reversed, but again it was too late, the reinforced bow of the F upper dummies cut the Cedarville at an almost perfect right angle on her port side in her hatch number seven at 9:55 on the morning of 7 May 1965 Her bow remained lodged in the ship for a few moments before the forward momentum of the Cedarville separated the two ships.

The Cedarville disappeared into the fog despite her damaged bow. The crew of the Top Doll F were unharmed and the ship was not running. no serious danger of sinking her two lifeboats were launched to search for survivors but no one was found after a few hours it was confirmed that other ships were able to assist the Cedarville and the damaged Norwegian ship set sail to see St Marie. They were lucky that the real horror occurred just a few hundred feet away in the fog, Captain Chage was clear that the damage to his ship was severe, but in the moments after the collision he felt it was possible to save the ship.

Cedarville, ordered the engine stopped and sounded a general alarm, then radioed a message and launched. anchor from the ship's port, the accident was reported to the MAA island coast guard station in nearby Vienberg. Soon Captain Jich learned that the ship was absorbing a huge amount of water and that the emergency collision tarpaulin failed to stop the flooding and then he ordered the entire crew not to help in the engine room or on the bridge to report to their musky stations and prepare the lifeboats, Captain Jobic then decided to flee and attempt to beach the sinking ship, the anchor was raised and the engines were ordered forward to starboard.

The tanks were filled to try to match the list, but instead of heading for a beach or the nearest fish, Captain Chich set his sights on Mino City, the third officer, Charles Cook, quickly plotted a course that would result in the Perhaps erroneous and hopelessly over-optimistic, the nearest shallow Graham Sha was only 1 mile away and perhaps accessible, while the old MAA point was out of reach. At 2.2m away, the forward movement only pushed the bow of the Cedar Ville deeper and it was very clear that the ship would be gone in just a matter of minutes, still no order to abandon ship was given soon.

The Cedarville began listening to starboard as her bow sank lower. Leonard Gabric was the only one on the bridge to Dawn. A life jacket immediately after the collision while escaping the flooded ship saw third officer Charles Cook. Struggling to put on his life jacket he lost sight of it when the ship healed over Charles Cook's body was never found. Captain Chich was pulled from the water clinging to his life jacket immediately after receiving distress calls from Cedarville. Captain May on the German freighter Vienberg followed. The alien ship up close, although they could not see the ship sink into the fog, they knew what happened when the Cedarville disappeared from the radar screen and immediately launched their lifeboats to search for survivors.

Dave Ericson's raft was soon dragged alongside the Vienberg, the German crew. He helped them aboard and immediately gave the men blankets and warm clothing, as well as hot coffee and tea. As Dave warmed up and regained his senses, he saw the German sailors performing CPR on some of his crewmates. Two would die in Vienberg from shock. Hypothermia of all 35 crew members of the Cedarville 10 lost their lives All but one of the engine crew members who were on duty at the time sank with the ship Survivors were soon transferred to the Coast Guard cutter MAA and taken to local hospitals Dave was treated for his injuries and then taken to his home in Roger City, where he was reunited with his wife and two children.

He and his surviving companions spent the rest of their lives trying to understand what happened that day immediately after the sinking. American steel accelerated. to protect their reputation after another of their ships met an untimely end, the loss of the Carl D Bradley was still fresh in people's memories and another accident attributed to poor maintenance could prove costly, luckily for them, the aging ship , underpowered and poorly designed, along with its lack of a safety culture was easily overshadowed by Captain Jich's actions, while the United States initially attempted to blame the accident on the crew of the top dummies.

A United States Coast Guard investigation quickly focused its attention on what happened on the Cedarville. Steel's attorney attempted to invoke the Fifth Amendment or the right to remain silent on Captain Japic's behalf, but a federal judge ruled that the claim did not apply under maritime law and the captain faced questioning. His testimony not only contradicted testimony given by other surviving crew members but also contradicted what was recorded in the ship's logs and other documentation. The investigation found his testimony to be self-serving and largely false. It was ultimately ruled that Captain Hogland and the Topil F operated with reasonable caution given the conditions by reducing their speed and observing the established rules of passage, the blame for the accident and the loss of life fell on Captain Japic and he ultimately pleaded guilty to the charges against his license. captain.

The Cedarville moving at its maximum speed was determined to be sailing too fast given the low visibility and volume of ship traffic. Captain Chich failed to establish a radar plot or follow established tracking lines despite ample warning by radio radar and through fog signals that another ship was approaching once the collision occurred. Captain jpic did not realize the seriousness of the situation. and while his attention to land, the ship was reasonable, she was unable to establish her position or plot a course to the nearest shallow area. He wasted those critical moments when he could have saved his entire crew and his ship, perhaps most damning was his failure. to issue an order to abandon ship, almost the entire engine crew remained at their posts long after it became abundantly clear that the ship was doomed, although he avoided criminal liability.

Captain Japic was stripped of his captain's license and would never sail again. Questions remain about the extent to which US Steel, with its profit-over-safety culture at the time, contributed to the

disaster

, many victim families maintained that the company created an unsafe work environment and questioned whether Jich was ever able to serve as captain in the legal battles over Liability dragged on for years. The investigation also determined that the crew of the Vienberg acted heroically. Captain May remained in the area even after Captain Chich refused his help. Immediately after the collision, they actedquickly to get the men out of the water as soon as possible.

Due to low visibility and low temperatures, the death toll would almost certainly have been significantly higher if not for their actions, but in the end the Cedarville became just another victim of the Lakes overshadowed by greater horrors. The wreck lies face down on the bed of Lake Hon, a popular but dangerous dive site, a ghostly reminder of the risks sailors take every day to move our world forward. Thank you very much for watching, don't forget to support the channel with a similar comment and subscribe if you haven't already. I would love to welcome you aboard. I would like to especially thank my Patreon followers and my channel members for helping keep this channel afloat.

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