Crew of the Cedarville honored with ceremonies
by Angie Asam, Staff Writer
As part of the Mackinaw Maritime Festival on Friday, the 45th anniversary of the sinking of the S.S. Cedarville, a special commemorative ceremony was held aboard the Icebreaker Mackinaw Maritime Museum. The Great Lakes Lighthouse Keepers Association (GLLKA) put on the first-ever maritime festival. Dick Moehl, GLLKA president, became friends with Edward Brewster a watchman on the Cedarville who survived the tragedy but passed away recently. Moehl approached Brewster who had come aboard to help at the museum along with his wife and asked him if he thought it would be a good idea to do something, Brewster told Moehl we have to do this.
On the 44th anniversary of the tragedy, Moehl was working in the lantern room of the McGulpin Point Lighthouse in Mackinaw when he looked out over the straits and saw a dense fog. He went to visit Brewster who was not doing well and told him what he had seen to which Brewster simply replied, ?Good?. Moehl was never sure what Brewster meant by his comment but was reminded how he had to do something for his friend, had to put together a remembrance ceremony for the Cedarville.
Moehl and his crew with six months of planning and preparation put together a fine show Friday that even the blistering cold and blowing winds couldn?t stop from happening. People gathered on the bow of the icebreaker Mackinaw looking out over the place where the Cedarville had gone down, where the new icebreaker Mackinaw WLBB-30 was sitting.
The program began with the Pledge of Allegiance and ?God Bless America? before a brief recount of the day by Bill Shepler was given and survivor Leonard Gabrysiak was invited forward to read the names of the 10 men who lost their lives that day. After each name was read three bells were tolled before the next name as a Coast Guard helicopter flew over the area and hovered above the Mackinaw.
After the reading of the names songwriter Dan Hall came forward and performed ?Out of the Fog? a song he wrote about the Cedarville tragedy as the crew of the new Mackinaw fired a parachute flare over the wreck site. Coast Guard captain Mark Huebschman delivered the Coast Guard?s perspective on the tragedy and the color guard was invited forward as the Rev. Dave Wallis gave a prayer over the fleet. Hall was then invited forward to perform ?The Blessing of The Fleet?. A brief conclusion was given and announcements were made before bagpipes played ?Amazing Grace? to end the ceremony.
A luncheon followed at Audie?s Restaurant with the four living survivors of the freighter, their families and friends, and family and friends of those lost that tragic day. Peter Hahn, bosun mate who was aboard the German freighter Weissenberg, who aided in the rescue of Cedarville survivors, was present at the ceremony and the luncheon and told his story of trying to find and rescue those crying for help.
Hahn was in the mess hall when he heard the mayday call from the Cedarville. The captain ordered that the crew lower the lifeboats to the main deck. After 20 minutes it (the mayday call) was blown off because it seemed the Cedarville had beaten itself. Hahn went down to his cabin and about 15 minutes after that the mayday came again indicating that the Cedarville had sunk. The captain then ordered his crew to man the lifeboats.
?Myself and two other people were in the starboard lifeboat. As soon as we came around our bow I could see a big water fountain where the Cedarville went down. Water was shooting upward about 15 to 20 feet. We could see debris laying there and some people. We started picking up survivors. One person I pulled out was under shock, after I picked another one up he tried jumping back into the water because he thought he was on the sinking Cedarville. We couldn?t see too far because of the heavy fog. We shut the engine off on our lifeboat to listen for calls for help. When we heard calls we started up our engine and picked people up. We took the survivors to our main ship and about two hours later the Mackinaw came alongside to take the survivors off the ship,? said Hahn. Survivors of the tragedy present at the ceremony Bob Bingle (deck watchman), Larry Richards (deckhand), Gabrysiak (wheelsman) and Dave Erickson (porter) gathered with Hahn for a photo and made it clear to the audience that some of them would not have been there if it weren?t for Hahn.
Following the luncheon visitors had the opportunity to board a Shepler?s ferry to take a ride through rough seas and intense wind out to the wreck site of the Cedarville. On the way to the site survivor Bingle told his story of what happened that day noting that many of his crewmates took photos of the wreck but those photos could never be recovered. Once reaching the wreck site coordinates a video of a September 2008 dive to the ship below was shown before a ceremony
Many other events also took place to commemorate the Cedarville at the maritime festival including a panel with the survivors at the library at 3 p.m. FRIDAY WASN?T the only ceremony held as the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum in Rogers City held their annual bell-tolling ceremony on Saturday at 2 p.m. At that ceremony many family members and loved ones gathered to remember those lost, ringing the bell once for each crewman succumbed in the tragedy and those who have since passed. Visitors also heard Hahn?s story of his rescue efforts.