A doomed ship?s final moments as told by the only survivor
Last March, local artist Steve Witucki painted a picture of the ship Daniel J. Morrell that sank in Lake Huron on November 29, 1966. Witucki’s painting shows a painstaking attention to detail that only an eyewitness would know and, so it was that the only person who could relate the fearful magnitude of the Morrell disaster, Dennis Hale, shared that knowledge with the artist. Witucki’s 29-year experience as an able-bodied seaman gives him a unique perspective on his artistic endeavors. Talking with Hale about the conditions of the seas, the twisting of the ship’s hull, and the reactions of the crew allowed Witucki to capture the moment on the canvas.
THE RESULT is a vivid image with an aspect that is almost surreal, like staring at a memory that is cold and wet and terrifying. Hale was at the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum Monday to talk about his ordeal as the sole survivor of that tragedy 38 years ago. Talking about the experience has not always been easy for the former seaman. He broke nearly three decades of silence in 1996 to write down his account of the harrowing experience in a book called “Sole Survivor.” Hale said he had been sailing for three years, all of them on the 580-foot freighter Morrell. Built in 1906, the Morrell was in its 60th year and one of the oldest freighters on the Great Lakes.
THE SHIP was scheduled to layup for the winter when another freighter in the fleet developed engine trouble and the Morrell was dispatched for one last run in late November. On the 29th, the Morrell rounded the thumb of Michigan and ran head-on into one of those notorious gales on Lake Huron that seemed to throw twenty-five foot waves in every direction at once. Hale said he was shaken from sleep by a loud noise. “I thought it was the anchor banging on the bow, but when it happened again I knew it was trouble. I jumped out of bed and ran out on deck,” he said. He explained he only had on underwear, his pea coat, and a life vest but he knew he had to get to a lifeboat fast.
THE GALE force winds were blowing ice and water everywhere as huge waves broke all over the deck. He had to pull himself along the ship’s rail to get to the boats. He remembered that some flares were launched by some men near the stern but was not aware that a broken antenna prevented the distress signal from reaching any other ship or shore patrol. Hale and some of his mates tried to break loose a life raft when the hull of the Morrell suddenly groaned under the strain of heaving steel and the massive ship was torn apart like two pieces of birch bark. Hale recounted those chaotic moments in his book: “The next thing I knew, I was underwater. When I came to the surface, I saw a raft and swam over to it. A couple of the men had climbed aboard. I got in and we helped a fourth man climb on.”
“It was freezing cold and snowing. All I could do was hang on. The storm was over by 5 a.m., but by then, two of the men were already dead. The other fellow died later,” he continued. After 38 hours of clinging to a life raft, Hale was found and rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter. His ankle was broken and his feet were frostbitten, but otherwise, he had sustained only minor injuries.
EXPERTS SAY his lack of clothing probably saved his life; had he been covered in freezing wet clothes, like his shipmates, hypothermia would have claimed his life in a short time. “The people from the hospital told me it should not have been possible to survive longer than a few hours in those conditions, let alone nearly 40 hours in that water,” he said while sitting among the exhibits in the museum. “That amazes me still,” he said. “There’s got to be some reason I survived. Maybe I’m supposed to give others hope. Maybe hearing my story inspires people, I don’t know. “I plan to write another book about the effect it has on the mind to carry this inside
HALE AND WITUCKI sat together in the museum and signed the first edition print (1/300) of “The Daniel J. Morrell, Dennis Hale edition.” Hale signed the print with the added the inscription, “Our Final Hour” and wiped a lone tear from his eye. In addition to being an artist, Witucki continues to sail the Great Lakes, and his love for the sea and the vessels he sails is depicted in his artwork that cannot be duplicated by other artists who can only imagine what he has experienced first-hand.
Witucki’s works of art are available from www.theartmasters.com and he has a showroom located in the Fleis Excavating premises in Rogers City.