Monthly Gathering—April 2008
Shipwrecked! A Story of Survival against All Odds
On November 29, 1966, the S.S. Daniel J. Morrell, a 603-foot-long steel freighter, sailed into lower Lake Huron on what was supposed to be her last trip of the season. As she rounded the tip of Michigan’s thumb, she faced the full fury of a storm whose winds reached 65 m.p.h. with waves exceeding 25 feet. With little warning, the Morrell broke in half and sank in a few minutes. Of her crew of 29 men, only four made it to an open life raft. The temperature was 34 degrees Fahrenheit. At the end of a 38-hour ordeal, barefoot and wearing just a peacoat and underwear to protect him from one of the Great Lake’s worst winter storms, only one of the four survived.
Join us on April 19, when that survivor, Dennis Hale, will be with us to share his truly incredible story of survival against all odds and the tremendous impact its had on his life ever since.
Page last updated: Sunday, February 15, 2009