Crew of Carl D. Bradley remembered at Lore Museum

by Angie Asam, Staff Writer

As a maritime community, Rogers City remembers the shipping industry and the sailors several times each year. This year has been no different as the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum remembered those sailors who lost their lives on Nov. 18, 1958 when the Carl D. Bradley sank in Lake Michigan.

?On behalf of the city and all of its residents I would like to say thank you to the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum for hosting this bell ringing ceremony. It was 51 years ago last Wednesday that the Bradley went down in a tragedy that touched Rogers City probably more than any other community that has been touched across the nation,? said mayor Beach Hall.

He continued, ?As an example, during World War II Bedford, Virginia had 16 of its residents killed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. They have a major WWII memorial there. I think that?s more than any one community lost at one time. When twenty-three of Rogers City and twenty-eight or twenty-nine in Presque Isle County drowned that day, this community was certainly touched. I thank you all for being here.?

Museum director Dave Erickson then gave a description of the sinking of the Bradley as it sank that fateful day. For the past six years the site has been dove and photographed, videoed and studied. In 2007 the

team recovered the original bell replacing it with a memorial bell.

Although the ship is in 300 feet of water, it has become a popular dive site for any of those who are able to dive that deep. After talking about the ship and the tragic day it went down, Erickson continued with the bell tolling ceremony.

After reading the name of the crew member lost a friend, family member or community member came forward to toll the bell once for that crew member. Erickson then rang the bell once for all sailors lost at sea before playing a ship?s salute and inviting those in attendance to explore the museum.

This Saturday another bell tolling ceremony will be held at 2 p.m. for the Daniel J. Morrel featuring the lone survivor of the wreck, Dennis Hale.

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