Survivors II: stories of survival on the Great Lakes

For those who gathered in the historic Rogers City Theater Friday night, it was an evening of listening, appreciation and empathetic emotions. Six survivors from four different Great Lake shipwrecks gathered to retell their tales of endurance and the will to live despite the odds. THE PANELISTS were moderated by Ric Mixter, the producer of the documentary ?Deep Six,? which is a 60-minute program featuring the six largest ships ever lost on the Great Lakes, including the Cedarville and the Carl D. Bradley. More than 30 of Mixter?s productions have been shown on PBS. Mixter began the evening by honoring the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum, which is now under the new direction of Dave Erickson, a survivor of the Cedarville. ?The museum here is the greatest effort ever,? said Mixter. ?It?s so inspiring to see?it has continued to grow, and to see this lineup of people is where it starts, and these stories have to be told.?

The stories began with John Laucks, who is a survivor of the James H. Reed, which went down in Lake Erie on April 27, 1944. Laucks, who survived six other shipwrecks while serving as a merchant marine in WWII, was still very emotional about his experience on the Reed, even after 62 years. The James H. Reed was rammed broadside by the 550-foot steel freighter the Glen Eagles, and sank very quickly. Twelve lives were lost. ?The water was cold ? I mean, real cold,? said Laucks. ?The ship went down in three minutes. We were interrogated by the Coast Guard because it was an international incident.? FRANK MAYS, the only living survivor of the Carl D. Bradley, which is probably the most memorable shipwreck to the local area, spoke about his experience on November 18, 1958. The story of the Carl D. Bradley is a historic tale of the giant limestone carrier that sank during a strong storm on Lake Michigan. The high winds and whipping seas caused the Bradley to break into two sections, and sink within minutes. ?The ship ? she just couldn?t take it,? said Mays. ?I heard the loudest noise I had ever heard, and I saw the stern of the ship swinging up and down.? Although Mays had a lifejacket on, he sank deep into the cold waters. By some twist of fate, when he reached up out of the water, he grabbed onto a life raft. He, along with First Mate Elmer Fleming, spent 14 hours aboard the raft before being rescued. Thirty-three of the 35-man crew of the Carl D. Bradley perished in the life-altering event. A collaborative effort of bringing the story of the Carl D. Bradley is underway for the 50th anniversary of its sinking in 2008. The professional project will feature diving footage of the Bradley taken by John Jansen, a professional diver who has accumulated the most diving time on the wreckage.

ON FRIDAY evening, Jansen presented the audience with a brief video of two of his dives down to the Carl D. Bradley. In complete silence, the audience watched as divers plunged into more than 300 feet of water and explored the ship, which seems to be stuck in time at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Three survivors of the Cedarville spoke Friday as well, describing their experience of when the S.S. Cedarville was struck by the Norwegian freighter Topdalsfjord in the Straits of Mackinaw on May 7, 1965. Leonard Gabrysiak, who spoke in public for the first time about the sinking, described his amazing first-hand experience, giving a detailed timeline of events. ?When I went under?I said five Hail Mary?s,? said Gabrysiak. ?I took a giant gulp (of water) to give me more time, and that seemed to work.? Gabrysiak said it then felt like something was pushing him up out of the water. After he surfaced, he whistled for help. Ed Brewster said that changes to the lifejackets after the sinking of the Carl D. Bradley might have saved his life. ?After the Bradley, there were crotch straps sewn onto all of the lifejackets,? said Brewster. ?If it weren?t for those straps, that lifejacket would have come off over my head, and I probably wouldn?t be here today.?

BREWSTER SAID he was one of the last men to jump into a lifeboat. He attempted to help one other man in after him, and although their fingertips touched, a wave washed the man out of reach. ?I was the last person to see him,? said Brewster. ?He still has never been found.? Erickson described how he could hear men yelling for help in the darkness after he had been plunged into the water. ?I started swimming toward a raft, and it took me about 15 minutes in 37 degree water,? said Erickson. ?I was shot by the time I got there.? Dennis Hale ended the evening with his description of the night he became the only survivor of the Daniel J. Morrell, which was lost near Harbor Beach on November 29, 1966. Hale said he was in his bed, wearing only shorts, when he heard two loud booms. The second noise caused his books to fly off his bookcase.

?I jumped out of bed, and put on my lifejacket,? said Hale. ?I found out later the first noise was the bottom of the ship fracturing, and the second noise was the starboard side.? Hale said after realizing the ship was going down, he hurried back to his cabin to grab more clothes, but in his rush, could only find his coat. Barefooted and barely clothed, Hale eventually found himself with four others on a raft. ?There were 30- to 35-foot waves, and the winds were blowing at 70 miles per hour,? said Hale. ?You got numb real quick, and it was an effort just to use your hands.? HALE SAID if it were not for prayer and his belief in God, he would not have made it through his horrific ordeal. Aboard the raft, Hale said there was not much conversation between himself and the other men. By morning, two of those men had died. The other man had broken both shoulders, and his chest had

caved in ? he also, eventually, passed away. It was when Hale began eating ice chips off of his collar that he experienced another life changing event. ?I felt like someone was watching me, and I turned around and saw an old man,? said Hale. ?He told me not to eat the ice chips.? Hale lived through what would be called an out of body experience. He described how he saw his mother, uncles, and aunts who had all previously died. Hale said he asked about his shipmates, and was taken to see them as well. One of his shipmates told him it was not his time to pass over, and Hale immediately found himself back on the raft.

After 38 hours, Hale was rescued by helicopter. He was taken to the Harbor Beach Community Hospital for five days of treatment. ?I recently got in touch with the doctor who took care of me at the hospital,? said Hale. ?When they brought me in, he put his hands on me, and he said he never felt anyone as cold as I was. He said there was no logical reason for me being alive.?