Sunken History — A Diver’s Journal
The Sinking of the Daniel J. Morrell, Part 2
by Captain Deb Biniecki

Last month we left off with Dennis Hale and other crew members from the bow section boarding the life raft. Being too rough to launch the raft, the crew members waited for their broken ship to sink out from under them. When the bow and stern separated, the helpless bow was completely at the mercy of the wind and waves. The stern section still being driven by the powerful engine appeared to be transformed into a metal monster. Dennis Hale recalled the sight of the ship’s torn cargo hold still illuminated, being driven toward the bow where he and his shipmates sat atop of the raft. It appeared that they would be crushed by the “gaping mouth of a monster.”

As the lifeless bow was flooded it lurched up scattering the men into the churning frigid water. Dennis Hale found himself immersed under mountainous waves. Disoriented he kicked his way to the surface using his air bubbles as reference. Once he surfaced, he searched for the life raft through the blizzard. Spotting the glowing carbide light in the distance, he swam hard through the towering waves, losing sight of the raft as he rode down the trough of the waves.

When Dennis Hale reached the raft two shipmates, Art Stojek and John Cleary, were already there and helped him aboard. Soon after this they pulled the fourth drenched, freezing crew member, Charles “Fuzzy” Fosbender, onto the raft. They did not see anyone else in the water. Dennis Hale found the raft’s parachute flares and sent up distress signals. With the visibility being poor it was unlikely that they would be seen.

The last communication with the Morrell was by radio phone when the Morrell’s captain spoke of the worsening weather conditions with the captain of the Townsend. At that point there was no indication of distress. When the ship broke in two, the power was disabled to the bow so no SOS could be sent out. They were alone on the lake and no one knew of the disaster. How long would it be before they would be discovered? Could they survive the battering of the 25-foot waves and 65-mile-an-hour winds?

Fuzzy Fosbender saw lights in the distance and began signaling with a flashlight. Unfortunately, the lights were that of the Morrell’s stern section chugging mindlessly down the lake. The four men were alone in the engulfing darkness of the early morning hours. They huddled together at one end of the open raft to conserve body heat. Dennis Hale recalls little conversation but the men did exchange some details of their lives and express hope about spending Christmas with their families. For the most part, each man was occupied with his own internal thoughts of survival.

They were continuously buffeted by the raging seas and stinging bitter wind. Time after time, the raft was dragged down into the troughs as waves of ice water thundered down upon them. Dennis Hale described being painfully hit by the “three sisters” or three waves in succession, each drenching, stealing precious body heat. In the darkness they could not see the wall of water coming at them and did not have the benefit of taking a deep breath. Their lungs burned and they cried out in pain as they gasped for air. Without warning another one struck.

This ravaging continued throughout the long hours that night. In the gray dim light of dawn Hale found two of his shipmates unresponsive. Art Stojek and Jack Cleary were gone. Only he and Fuzzy Fosbender, who had sustained crushing injuries to his chest and broken shoulders, made it through the night. The two men passed the day without saying much, each man lost in his own thoughts. Hale recalled saying a few words to Fuzzy in the late afternoon. Fuzzy told Hale that he saw land. He told Hale that his lungs were filling up and shortly after died.

Hale had lost feeling in his body. He slept and tried to keep warm, putting his fingers in his mouth at times to keep them from freezing. As he was being tossed about in the tempest, he was on an emotional roller coaster as well. Hale intermittently cursed the heavens and prayed. He described experiencing “loss of faith syndrome.” He wanted it over with. He either wanted to be rescued or he wanted to die, but something. He felt anything would be better than what was happening to him.

The raft grounded on the rocks within sight of shore. Hale could see the glowing lights of a farmhouse as well as the Pointe Aux Barques Lighthouse. Paralyzed with pain he could not move even though he was within a few hundred feet of shore.

Dennis Hale found himself facing another night on the raft completely alone. Numb with cold he drifted in and out of consciousness. After hours of nothing to eat or drink he was becoming dehydrated and started eating the ice off the collar of his pea coat. An old man appeared warning him not to eat the ice. This apparition was a white-haired old man whom Hale referred to as “Doc.” Hale had an out-of-body experience during which earthly things disappeared and he met deceased family members and shipmates from the Morrell. During this time he became thirsty and once again picked the ice from his collar. “Doc” reappeared and admonished him not to eat the ice as it would further lower his body temperature.

It was not until noon the next day that Bethlehem Steel informed the Coast Guard that the Morrell with her crew of 29 men was missing. This prompted a search from land and air.

Join us next month for the conclusion of the Morrell story.

If you would like to contact Capt. Deb with any ideas, feedback, or information regarding shipwreck stories, please contact her through Huron Explorations at 810-648-4638 or e-mail at captdeb@avci.net. SCUBA diving charters can also be arranged through the above contact information.