Bradley bell comes ‘home’ to Great Lakes Lore Museum in Rogers City
by Angie Asam– Staff Writer
Many people gathered at the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum Saturday to mark the 49th anniversary of the Carl D. Bradley tragedy. On this 49th anniversary the announcement came that the Carl D. Bradley?s bell had been recovered and restored. On August 7, 2007, John Jantsen and John Scowles, two professional divers from Minnesota, dove down and recovered the bell. On August 10 they replaced the original with a replica bell engraved with all the names of the sailors on the ship who lost their lives that tragic November day.
The divers were presented with small trophy bells as a token of the museum?s appreciation for their efforts. Vice President of the museum Bill Valentine expressed his gratitude, ?Special thanks to professional divers John Jantsen and John Scowles who have given so much of their own time and money to this project, we are indeed grateful and indebted.? Jantsen and Scowles were also given the honor of ringing the bell for Captain Roland O. Bryan and second mate John F. Fogelsonger. The bell ringing was done on the be
The bell was rung 33 times, once for each man lost on that fateful day, once for survivor Elmer Fleming who has now passed, and one additional time for all other sailors lost on the Great Lakes. Dan Hall, music director at the Cross in the Woods Shrine in Indian River, and folk singer, wrote a song about the Bradley and played it for those in attendance just prior to the ceremony beginning. The song was a short rendition of what happened on that day ?when the Bradley was torn and then gone?.
The first man to dive down and see the Bradley, Fred Shannon of Mt. Morris, who did so in August 1995, was there to pay tribute as well. ?We are honored to have you here today, Fred,? said museum director Dave Erickson. It was a special moment for him, having been down to the depths himself, to see the recovered and restored bell.