5 Ships Trapped by the Great Lakes Storm of 1913
This video is a compilation of:
The Deadly Great Lakes Storm of 1913: Lake Huron's Mystery Ship: • The Deadly Great Lakes...
The Mystery of the SS Henry B. Smith - Lost in the Great Lakes Storm of 1913: • The Mystery of the SS ...
Defying the Captain to Survive the Great Lakes Storm of 1913: • Defying the Captain to...
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The Only Way to Cross by John Maxtone-Graham: amzn.to/3IlHI8c
The Liner by Philip Dawson: amzn.to/3UZLafW
On a Sea of Glass: The Life & Loss of the RMS Titanic by Tad Fitch, Kent Layton and, Bill Wormstedt: amzn.to/4c1fahR
A Night to Remember by Walter Lord: amzn.to/3SXHU2b
Music and Select Stock Footage:
Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
Artlist: artlist.io/
Chapters:
00:00 SS Charles S. Price and SS Regina
19:39 SS Henry B. Smith
33:50 SS Henry B. Hawgood and SS Howard M. Hanna Jr.
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Just one last run..
Seems to be the common denominator for the vast majority of the Great Lakes wrecks.
Words almost as foreboding as "unsinkable"
get there-itis is almost always fatal
It will be fine...
Every time….
Vessels in Port don't make money.... neither do the ones on the bottom.
Yeah, but insurance at least covers the cost of the ones at the bottom - hence why they didn't really care if they were sending their crews to their deaths on that "one last run."
people drowned because of greed
@@wattsnottaken1welcome to America
@@stevensmith4369 Every country has greedy businessmen. Mine, Argentina, has a reputation for cutting corners and killing workers.
@@Gecko.... I don’t disagree with you I was only saying America since the video is about America
I grew up in Port Huron and often think of the line from Gordon Lightfoot's The wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald. "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours." No fictional horror movie can match the true horror those sailors encountered.
The news today said The Arlington that went down in 1940 in Lake Superior was just found.
This is a cool program and thanks for giving the standard and metric measurements because I don't know the metric measurements
When the big lakes kick up their heels it's best to clear the dance floor.
thank you for the post. LOVE your work. lived in Michigan, 30 min from lake Michigan for 51 years. people really really underestimate the storms and wave on the great lakes because they are "lakes". 'cant be that bad on a lake'. knew some on who took a 30' speed boat from Grand Haven to Milwaukee. I told him I wouldnt. but do as he wants. nice working with ya. he made it. he said it was one of the most terrifying things hes ever done.
Grand Haven to Ludington can be hairy let alone all the way across the lake!
Lake Michigan routinely has Gale/storm warnings with waves in excess of 20’. Superior and Huron have waves closer to 30’ in the same conditions. Anyone who underestimates the Great Lakes is a damn fool.
Born and raised in Chicago. Sailed several times to grand haven. Love going to Warren Dunes S.P. near Sawyer and watch, safely from shore, the lake at her fury. Still have a weird fascination with it. Really don't have words to explain why I'd sit for hours on the shore, watching the tempest do their worst while fog horns blared their rhythmic tune and the freighters made their runs.
Born and raised in Chicago. Sailed several times to grand haven. Love going to Warren Dunes S.P. near Sawyer and watch, safely from shore, the lake at her fury. Still have a weird fascination with it. Really don't have words to explain why I'd sit for hours on the shore, watching the tempest do their worst while fog horns blared their rhythmic tune and the freighters made their runs.
@@sinnedsinister completely understand. I feel 100% the same. years back, wife, boys and I got to sit at miners beach on lake Superior. watching a storm roll in. the lighting was like 5 strikes per second. it was just constant. it was so cool (and terrifying).
That poor boy and his poor fiancé. So close to having a family made by old friends. Rest in peace young man. May god's embrace warm you forever, and may you both hold hands forever in the everlasting.
The wreck of the Regina is lined up perfectly in front of my grandfather's home near port sanilac. He has a cup from that wreck and I was part of the research vessels crew that dove off of it in 2019. We have probably fished over it multiple times without even knowing
Who knows how many unfound ships was fished over
1905 next. The story of the Mataafa is one of the saddest stories in Great Lakes history. It was so significant that the storm that wrecked it and many others was named after that ship. You must tell it
He has told it! Where u been
@@williamrogers9004 where I didn't find a link
Learning about it on other channels I guess
The Schoonmaker is here in Toledo as a museum ship. The tour is always a fun time. It is about a 5 minute drive from my house.
I was born in November. I feel awful hearing about "November gales" and how it wrecked ships killing everyone on board. RIP to every soul that lost their lives in the Great Lakes.😢
I was born in November also too matters worst in ohio.
Watching your channel always makes me remember just how stacked US law and culture is in favor of the capital holder. So many of these Ships sailed into dangerous waters at the direction of owners on shore, but the captain (who is being told to obey or be fired) always seems to take the blame for the bad decision. Knowing that US maritime law means that those owners have limited liability to the value of the ship *after* the sinking (usually zero dollars since it's at the bottom of the lakes), meaning that the families of the dead have zero recourse for the reckless endangerment of their loved ones. It's truly awful.
That's not actually how it works anymore though. Laws have changed significantly since 1913....
@@bo7341 Laws have changed, really. Still people believe in eternal growth in USA and there is lot of people who want to wipe out all regulation. Starting with Reagan, regulation protecting consumers, the environment, and workers has been reduced, and oversight of protective regulation has been reduced. All this is done to protect big companies, their shareholders and profits. Under the Trump administration, the resources of law enforcement agencies were further reduced. All of this is, of course, the result of the childish belief of many Americans in the constant growth of the economy, even though every being capable of logical thinking understands that there cannot be constant growth forever in a finite space.
@@Beorninki Truer words have never been spoken. We are living under a system controlled by oligarchs. Human lives are assigned a paltry value by actuaries. Just another commodity to be traded for profit.
Everyone in America is employed at will and can walk away at any time. Ship sinking, for the most part, are freak events that no one can really assign the probability to, owner, or sailor. Anyone who understands the insurance industry or even the time value of money thinks it's ridiculous that an owner risks "nothing" by having a ship sink. Not to mention having to live with that the rest of your life. Sailors 100 years ago were hardened men the likes of which the average western liberal who hates capitalism couldn't even fathom. The idea that they were cowering at the thought of a lake storm and whipped into subservience by the capital interests is such a joke.
@@stargazer5784Bullshit, people work by their choice in the USA. Everyone, except soldiers, can quit. Soldiers can also quit by paying a price by getting a dishonorable discharge - or by going AWOL.
Having been born and raised in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and being 67, I’ve seen a lot of bad November weather. I remember the Big Friz going down, like this story it was unusually warm. Be careful when we have Indian summer in November.
Loving the videos. Having been to Duluth and Lake Superior, I can attest to it's raw power. I'd describe it as a freshwater ocean. It's almost alive and seems to have a mind of it's own. The waves even seem to form a 'pulse' of sorts. Even standing on a beach overlooking the lake, one can feel the rock and very ground vibrate and shake due to the sheer power of the water. I learned in my very short time on the lake is that it can catch you off guard easily, and to never underestimate it or turn your back to it. The water is also very cold year-round.
Commenting for the interaction! I'm just a kayaker living in a landlocked state. But I am OBSESSED with your channel and ships in general! Thank you for keeping these stories alive and not letting them fade from history and memory ❤
The Lakes didn’t claim these lives. The greed of the owners claimed these lives. The blood of hundreds is on their head. It’s on the hands of the people who spend their money as well.
I’m always excited when Georgian Bay and Owen Sound are mentioned in these videos!! It’s impossible to live there and not become obsessed with shipwrecks.
Same with me and sault ste marie and the sault/soo canals!
I have mad respect for those who put out to sea. I keep you all in my prayers. I wish you calm seas and good fortune. 🌹⚓ Big ships, tough men...it must be a calling. Many can't do what a sailor does. I know I would be terrified, especially during rough weather...the sounds the ship makes and the howling of the winds...the sounds alone are scary. 😐🛳 Another beautiful, well done video sir. You truly pay homage, to those who have been lost to the waters, those who have survived, and those courageous souls who put out to sea today. Thank you for the work you put in. Truly, your channel stands alone. 🌹⚓
Just a girl born and raised in Michigan, growing up near the lakes you definitely learn to respect the lakes.
Great video. I never realized how big the Great lakes really are. I was born in Detroit in 1959. Rest of family mom dad uncles were born in Detroit, Duluth, Escanaba, and Chicago. Many of us moved out west.
B.O.B., the last couple weeks your channel has become my safespace. 🎉
One of the queens of the lake survived the storm and survived the scrap yard and is a museum ship the Col james schoonmaker
Good job. The shipping companies forcing those poor sailors out in such conditions is inexcusable. The recurring theme of profit over crew safety.
That was pretty standard for corporate culture at the time. The only lives considered more valuable than profits were those of the people in charge. Everyone else was expendable.
I was stationed at Wurtsmith AFB in Oscoda MI on Lake Huron. I lived in a small cabin about 150 yards off the beach of the lake. Sure remember some of those storms that would come off the lake from time to time. I can't imagine being a sailor on one of those lake freighter.
I love Great Lake history. Spent lots of time there during summers as a child. You did a very nice job on this piece. Very informative and captivating! Thank you for sharing!
I’ve been watching your stuff for a while and I love it, but it horrifies me. Nine years ago I was diving a wreck in 40+ metres of water and I got the bends (no I didn’t ascend too fast 🫧 ). I almost died and have been left with permanent damage. But for whatever reason, I cannot stop thinking about wrecks. It’s really weird because I’m so traumatised by them at times that I can’t look at the images. But the urge is always there. Anyway…just sharing a weird personal obsession.
I share this obsession. There's something about shipwrecks that is fascinating, though profoundly sad. I can't help but think about those lost at sea...incredibly brave men. So many lost, I can't imagine the courage it must take to put your trust in a huge, steel vessel...incredible. Amazing
I was a tin can sailor, it was matter of course most of the time for me.
could you do a stretch of videos on ships lost in the black sea storms?
Here in michigan it's easy to forget the other waters we share on this sphere. As a kid I thought that the black sea and the Dead Sea were the same waters. Mainly because school doesnt care about any information outside the factory.
@@fear_the_smile961We don't teach maritime history, and it's a shame. A crime really. We are failing at education, and it shows, as our society is devolving. If you don't make the effort to educate yourself, you won't learn much. I knew this when I was quite young, and became autodidactic.
All history is important, whether good or bad (as much as humanity has tried to sweep some episodes under the carpet).
Excellent. Completely enjoyed on my birthday as a day off from work! Thank you!
i think it's amazing you can find all this old film footage. great stories and videos, thank you.
Famous last words heard by captain and crew.
My Great Uncle Arthur Ekbert (1885-1913) was a crewman on the John McGean when it went down in the 1913 storm with all hands lost. His father (my G-Grt Grandfather) Capt. Peter Ekbert (1854-1922) walked the shoreline for several days hoping to find his son, but to no avail. Arthur was married to Isabella Pfeiffer and they had one child, Vera, who was about 2 years old at the time.
Scared as to what the brave souls who work the Lakes now will have to deal with in the upcoming future.
Another excellent video! I love this channel. God rest the souls of these brave men. May they rest in peace. May perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of the faithful departed through the Mercy of God rest in peace, Amen. God bless their families.
Amen.
I'm so glad you have found a niche In great lakes ships. I'd listen to your stories down to every kayak that has ever sank on the lakes at this point
I always enjoy these compilations. Sometimes I need something a little longer to watch while I'm cooking or doing chores.
Really enjoy the stories of all the ships. You have a very smooth voice which enhances the experience.
Love the views of the piers and lights of my hometown St. Joseph!
Your podcast is so well researched. Congratulations on that ! And, your voice is a soothing balm in a crazy world.
The Unique design of Lake freighters from 1969 through 1974 is the Straight Decker design, which was utilized for efficient cargo transport. The design should return.
I always look forward to long form videos.
Fun fact the Col. James M Schoonmaker is the only surviving ship that was in the white hurricane of 1913.
Seems that the people making the real decision as whether or not to sail is made by someone sitting behind the desk in a corporate office. Of course, when tragedy strikes, that same person can always point to the captain of the ship and say: the captain has the final word.
Just like when politicians declare war their not the ones doing the fighting the suffering and lots of other stuff
Great compilation and a wonderful tribute. Your conclusion was beautifully said! Thanks so much!
It's also possible they just floated the same direction. Perhaps, maybe. Sad stories well done. Thanks, BoB
Incredible video very thorough and insightful, thank you!
Worst part (for a smaller boat) is having to slow down in the 💩 when the lakes turn on ya. A 42 in 12-14's takes forever and a day to get back in.
Stories of ships are always fun to listen to! Your videos are awesome man keep up the good work
Captain: "it's too dangerous" Owner: " you better go or you're fired" Captain: " ok, here's the keys and here's your course" Owner: " I'm not doing it, it's too dangerous" 🤦🤦🤦
Your videos are so well made. With your voice perfect for storytelling, the music and soundscape and the imagery. Just always gets me hooked!
Fantastic vid. Thank you
Another great job. Thanks.
Beautiful ending! Thanks!❤
I have watched every ocean disaster video that I can find on KZhead. This and Part Time are the best limo.
The great lakes are not oceans
TYVM for another *'interesting'* upload 😵💫 🍻🇨🇦🥶😁
New to your channel and subscribed the instant I heard the slide projector changing slides. So many memories rushing back from that sound! Well done.
Scary.
In leaving Taiwan after 6 months in Vietnam our destroyer escort ran right into a hurricane as we were headed to the area of the 1973 Middle East war! The waves were 80 ft.+. Scared the crap out of everyone. You have to 😊drive straight into the waves headfirst. When we slammed into each new wave the explosion of water against the bow was incredible. We were in it for about a day and a half. We all prayed and thought we were going to die! We made it…thank God.
Greed is a terrible thing. How much a man's life worth. I enjoy your storytelling ability. TY.
Man, this one was so sad. A man who was known for caution and threatened with losing everything made a decision that killed dozens
Thank you i have watch many youtube videos of the 1913 storm but i like how you tell the story 💚💙👍👍👏👏👏👏
At one time my grandfather was Captain of the "Clemson" shown at 17:10 I made a KZhead called: "family on freighters - great lakes"
Just subbed to view later 👍🏻
@@kimfleury Thanks
Great video
Thank you so much for routinely covering shipwrecks of the Great Lakes. There are literally thousands of them, each one deserving of its own video. As a lifelong Michigander, Ill be here for every one of them should you decide to do so. Thank you so much for your quality content, this is one of my favorite channels on KZhead.
Oy ve!
I could listen to you all day.
Thanks! I'm working hard on getting better at my narrations so I love to hear that!
@@BigOldBoats in all seriousness, you're doing great! Fantastic content! Hands down one of the best channels. Thank you for doing all this.
Thank you so much, thoroughly interesting story .
That's why you should always listen to your gut, if you have a bad feeling be smart like the guy who got off that ship before it sank and lost all hands on deck !!!!
I don’t mind having to spend a little bit of money to get crowns to get the things I want because I really enjoy the game this is the only game I play. However I only purchase crowns when they go on sale if crowns were cheaper I would probably buy them more often. I agreed with most everything in your video however I am a housing nerd… I love me some houses. Great video!
Well done.
The Capitan of the Smith had the perfect opportunity to port his ship until spring when the bunkers could not deliver the ore to the ship without the dock workers climbing down with sledge hammers into the shutes, making it very dangerous to even load the ship. I know this is a would have using lenses that have already seen the future those saliors had yet to, but, I would have stopped the loading and found a slip to put in until the storm broke. Which would have made the ship unable to begin loading again until Monday. However, she would be in the queue as she had left the loading dock and that would allow for the storm from the south to collide with the east bound storm that caused the terrible conditions. The owners would be forced to thank the Lord that the dock workers were unable to safely load their ship as they would have the Smith at least one more first run of the next spring.
Well done!
Those men were all so brave. RIP to those that lost their lives 😢
FYI; just like the weird weather triggered by the Tonga volcano, in 1912 the largest eruption on the 20th century occurred in Alaska. The eruption was so great that the area around it was called the land of a thousand smokes, by native Americans. The affects were responsible for the atmospheric conditions behind the storm of 1913.
Amazing🎉
Expertly done video.
Shifting cargoes, seetling in pyramids after loading but prone to reshifting from rough seas seems a logical risk to capsizing? I hadn't thought of this as a contributing factor up to this video.
on lake superior this year we had an uninterrupted shipping path. first time in recorded history. we had no ice through the lift bridge
Also did alot of fishing Perch of the port clinton bay
im almost 17 years old and i want to be a merchant marine so bad. Im scared i wont be able to because im failing high school.
Look into what you need to do to get in and make that your goal. It might be tough but do what you can to get that diploma. It'll be a lot easier to get into things once you get through school. Good luck and I hope you're able to go to sea soon!
@@BigOldBoats thank you 🙏 by the way i love your channel, i happen to make music and i love making ambient background music for videos like these so if you ever need music for free, let me know !
@@braydenp9431I hope you realize your ambition! It's a calling, not everyone can be a sailor. It's in you, or it isn't. Sounds like it's in you. Best wishes young man.
@@miapdx503 thank you 🙏
@@miapdx503 my plan is to graduate with a good sat score since my gpa will be below average, go to cape fear community college and grad from there, then go to the us merchant marine academy for 2 years and hopefully they’ll look at my college records instead of my high school gpa
I'm reminded of the game "Neverwinter Nights 2." At one point hostile forces are attacking and sinking ships, and one captain tries to run the gauntlet under pressure from the ship's owners. The Harbor Master sums the idiocy of the bean counters up pretty well: "The fools are risking a ship worth *twenty times* the cargo it's carrying for a few extra gold if they manage to get the goods to port early..." (you get three guesses what happens to the ship).
Interesting/informative/entertaining. Excellent still-motion photography pictures. Enabling viewers to better understand what the orator is describing-!!!😉. When a ship goes to the bottom-???😇. How much 💰 is lost then-???🤔.A little arm twisting usually does the trict-!!!😉.
DAE see the woman in the wave in the thumbnail? Starts just under the last line in N, beneath T & U stops @ 1st half of R? Eyebrows & eyes are in the white patch, with her left cheek in mild shadow, & the other wave looks like her lips and mouth, open slightly and smiling. Her ear is under the R. The dark portion is her long hair blowing back in the wind. I could even see a neck and mistook the railing as the beginning of a sleeveless top. Obviously pareidolia, not sure if you chose it on purpose though?
great channel
I enjoyed this video very much. I am saddened that companies rode the captains mercilessly!!!! I wondered what could have stopped the ships from going out in the first place...
Àwsome shows
Hi from Adelaide, Australia love watching your docs, but could you please put metric measurements and weights in brackets following imperial measurements. Thank you Sue
Lol you could just do what every American has to do when people use the metric system and google the measurement conversion
I'm new to the channel but I have to say don't go near the Water after November 1st
GREAT footage, MOST informative commentary, and VERY illustrative maps to give the viewer geographical orientation. BUT - several numbered sequences of chapters repeated are confusing; why not #1 - 9, or whatever the total, instead of #1 - 3 several times repeated throughout? Too, several times in the first half of the video, it is stated 19 ships were lost to the 1913 storm, and later, for the last time, at 32:33 minutes, but at about 34:05, it is stated 12 ships were lost in the Nov 1913 storm. So how many WERE lost? 19 or 12?
💥💥Haven't you talked about these ship wreck before on the great lakes already?
Reading the description this is a compilation of three previous videos.
I mean, there's a disclaimer in the first 30 seconds about it, so I'ma say yeah, probably.
What are the fates of these companies that forced the hands of captains to doom their crew? Dismissing safety for money should be considered in every case
What’s crazy about the smith is that bottle was most likely real since the ship was found in two
I agree it could be, the fact that it was dated 2 days later, could be easily be explained by the circumstances, being in a storm like that could easily cause you to forget the date, when in a hurry to finish the note. I forget the date just about every day.
Dan hall - gale of 1913 and the wheel man good songs for this storm. Also mcsorley and the lady of the storm is another. Also check out rick mixter he's done some real good documentaries and books on the great lakes.
Canoe do something for me? No I Canot
I wonder if chief engineer CJ McSorley is any relation to Captain Ernest M. McSorley of the Edmund Fitzgerald from 1972 until her sinking in 1975.
I had the same question come to mind.
I think the weather on the Great Lakes can be as brutal as any ocean.
7:29 Regina is also the capitol of Saskatchewan Canada
please cover the STELLAR BANNER
I wonder what is the most violent of all ship encounters that managed to pull through and safely deposit their load?
If I were a boat captain I’d hire someone else to do the last run each year.
If the regina’s wheelsman didnt turn the ship, they could’ve lived