The Edmund Fitzgerald may be the most famous of all Great Lakes shipwrecks but other shipping tragedies on the lakes actually claimed more lives.
One of those was the November 1958 sinking of the Carl D. Bradley. The 638-foot long freighter snapped in two during a violent gale and plunged to the bottom of Lake Michigan, killing 33 sailors. (The 1975 sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior claimed 29 lives).
The Bradley disaster is the subject of a new book, “Torn In Two: The True Story of the Carl D. Bradley Sinking and the Challenges for Those Left Behind,” by Michigan based writer Eric Gaertner.
Gaertner’s book does more than recount a tragic shipping accident. He explored how the loss of the Carl D. Bradley affected Rogers City, a small northern Michigan community where most of the stricken sailors resided.
“Torn In Two” is a fascinating tale that will give readers a new appreciation for the awesome power of the Great Lakes and the courageous sailors who ply these waters. It’s a good read. I recommend it.
“Torn In Two: The True Story of the Carl D. Bradley Sinking and the Challenges for Those Left Behind,” was published by Splattered Ink Press. It sells for $19.95, plus tax, and is available at several bookstores in West Michigan and online at amazon.com and barnesandnoble.com. Signed copies may be purchased directly from the author by contacting him, via e-mail, at eric5032@frontier.com.
Reblogged this on The Outdoor Journal.
This wreck devastated Rogers City as almost everyone lost a brother, father, husband or close friend. We had a feature on it on Absolute Michigan a couple of years ago from the Archives of Michigan that includes a video – here is the link.
PS: Cool blog – just read your Traverse City article and followed the link here!