5 years prior to Flemming boarding the Cedarville the US Coast guard had ordered that the Cedars hull plates be replaced due to wastage (rust and rot), but as Flemming went on board he found out that it still had not been done and that the ships owners had asked for an extension and recieved it. Even though it was built in the same year as the Bradley and those ships were already known to be prone to buckling they got an extension. Its believd after realizing this and of course having gone through and surviving the Bradley sinking he realized just how little the companies cared about safety and the crews who sailed them. And he turned and walked away from sailing lakers for the test of his days. Good for him!!!! Outstanding video mate!
Who knows what would have happened if the collision hadn't been sunk, she probably would have met a similar fate like the Bradley with the lack of maintenance that was shown.
Did he say this? Anecdotes from individuals are notoriously unreliable. They are a starting point, not a justification for a conclusion. People misremember, people tell tales. Always dose of salt needed there. I suspect Flemming would have known what he was getting. If he didn't he shouldn't have been assigned in the first place. As leaving the ship ended his career, I think perhaps he would have been loath to leave. PTSD works very much like what we see here--and that would end a Captain's career. As for the sinking, these icebreaker-hull ships have sunk ships in perfect shape--note the Andrea Doria. They're floating can openers. That hit would have sunk the Cedarville if she'd been brand new.
I'm with the PTSD theory...poor guy hasn't just got his own welfare in mind but that of his whole crew...and Flemming sounds like a commander who was worth his salt. Luck of the draw or lack of maintenance, I feel that surviving one utterly traumatic event on the lakes...then being given command of a near identical vessel, during a particularly challenging season? ...that would weigh down heavily. Edit: Another exceptional and thoughtful video!! Thank you! ❤
@charlesfaure1189 True in some cases but not seaman. Honest to a fault, they was. As perfectly accurate as Old Testament Hebrew scribes. In fact, those scribes was emplored to be; "As perfectly accurate as a sailor reporting on his travels" ........ Well,.....so's I heard.. 😶
I'm sure Flemming had seen plenty of rough seas between the time of the Bradley sinking and the time he walked off the Cedarville. Heck, he even worked hard enough to be PROMOTED in that time frame. So why, suddenly, would PTSD be the reason he walked away? I agree it was the realization that the boat owners do not care and that was made evident by the condition of the Cedarville. No, it did not sink due to its poor condition, but it may well have in the coming weeks, months or years. Good on Elmer for leaving.
My grandpa sailed for US Steel for 40 years out of Rogers City. His best friend went down on Cedarville and was one of the survivors. Ed Brewster was his name. I used to love sitting and listening to them share memories when I was younger.
I, too, am having problems wanting to keep watching...these videos are fascinating. I was thinking they should be shown to young people today for them to learn how to think, to learn the consequences of bad decisions, etc. I learn a LOT from these videos and I'm glad I trust Jesus!!
@@jaybelle532the story of the Atlantic on that channel has given me nightmares and idk why i never heard of that wreck before!?! Its horrible, just got this channel hope they have a video of that wreck
My grandfather worked on the Cedarville back in the 1940s when it was still sailing as the A.F. Harvey. For that reason I think I've always felt a bit of a personal connection to this particular disaster, seeing the photos of the ship on the bottom and knowing that he walked those same decks 20 years before the disaster.
In the 70s, I was a professional diver on lake Huron, I explored the Cederville wreck. It was the scariest dive I ever had, just a bad feeling on the ship.
I sailed on two of Cedarville's sisterships. Calumet (formerly Myron C Taylor) and Maumee (formerly Calcite II.) They both had extremely long careers. Calumet was 79 when she was scrapped, and the Maumee was over 80. They were both very tired and worn out by that point, and were very hard work to keep going.
26:56 Stanley Haske was my grandfather. Thank you for this video. I'm curious where you found these high resolution photos of the ship? Thanks so much for you work on this.
Even though the spectre of "one last run" wasn't directly involved, it's spirit never seems to be far away on the Great Lakes when a freighter goes under and crewmen lose their lives. On a side note I can't help to be fascinated by how much international traffic is on these technically inland lakes.
It’s hard to learn lessons when one can swim in a Scrooge Mc duckian sized pool of money. Money>lives. That’s what they have learned. And most companies are never financially punished enough to teach them otherwise.
That's why they're nowhere's near, number one, anymore (Airbus is). Just like the rest of the US, which is 7th. in the world presently, and slipping to 8th., very soon😔…………
Having grown up close to Lake Erie (Ohio) and summering on Lake Huron (Canada), I’m in awe of the Great Lakes. I thought I knew every shipping disaster, but I think this is a new one to me.
@@Maven0666 Ph yeah Mataafa was an appalling example of raw power as a wave pushed it up onto a rock and left it beached far enough out of the water to break her spine. Mataada outlived her crew, but if she hadn't stayed on that rock? If she'd sunk instead? Never seen again perhaps....
Here's an idea, just work with me here.... Ok we need to spend 100k plus on new hull plates. But! This is where it gets crazy..... lets not worry about that, how about we upgrade the boilers instead
The footage and pictures you put together are astounding. I grew up close to Lake Superior and would spend many summers in Duluth watching lake freighters come and go.
The part that really made me shutter was the fact they could hear the limestone cargo hit the bottom. Obviously seeing a ship just manifest out of the fog is scary enough but to hear that sound and knowing all is lost is quite terrifying
That gets me too. For some reason, large, shuddering noises underwater scare me so much. Even whale calls. They're ethereal and beautiful, yes, but also very eerie and somber, and *B I G* very, very big. I love whales, especially belugas, but the larger ones, they frighten me with their enormity. I wish Japan would halt all whaling operations... it makes me sad that we, humans, still hunt their dwindling numbers, doggedly, as if we wish to have them go extinct, since, y'know, we hunt and kill them much much more quickly than they can grow, reach sexual maturity, breed, give birth, raise the calf to self-sufficiency and repeat, all the while the whales have to also mind their natural predators like Orcas. Tho the great animals frighten me with their immense size, I do not want them harmed... I dunno how I went from commenting just in agreeance over the sound of limestone striking the lake bed to taking a stand against whaling, but I didn't mean to bother you, I just meant to essentially say "yea, me too" but, here we are... I'm sorry.
We all understand the Pressures of Prioritizing profit over Prevention, Protection and Planned Precautions. In spite of this, and the great amount of experience a good captain would possess, how on EARTH would he be qualified to make an engineering assessment on the hull plate strength and seaworthiness of a ship of this tonnage? Risking the lives of all aboard, and the ship herself to (somewhat) educated guesswork, no more. It's bizzare. What did the captain DO? Walk the length of the ship, rapping on the hull with a piece of rebar? It's amazing to me that they ALL didn't end up on the bottom!
I for one absolutely love your videos! Your attention to detail, production quality, accurate visuals, and compassionate and fact driven narration make these documentaries some of my most favorite Great Lakes and Ocean Liner content on YT. Thank you for putting forth such content!
Topdalsfjord: Built by the biggest and probably best sjipbuilders of its time. Fortified hull. Made by the highest quality steel for a cargo ship of its time. All signs that you SHOULD NOT collide with her if you want to stay afloat.
What a sh**show. Those poor people, and their poor families. Too bad corporations can't be held accountable for life-diminishing, if not life-ending, policies and cultures.
I remember going up and down the Duluth hill in severe foggy conditions in the early 60,s. Often it was hard to see from 😮one dotted line to the next at nite. Pulling over to one the side of the road was frightening too as getting rear ended was a possibility . I haven’t seen fog as dense as Duluth’s since.
I lived in Rogers City all my life and knew Lenny Gabryziak. We often sat in front of him and his wife at St. Ignatius and he would always give my kids quarters and he giggled each time. RIP Lenny.
I just stumbled upon your great channel and now am binging through it. Absolutely in love with the music and atmosphere you create in your -videos- films! ❤
Growing up near Lake Superior and living in Duluth at one point, I have nothing but respect for these lakes. And really to me, their mini seas. You can’t tell me they aren’t with the power they generate for storms. Being on land an experiencing a squall coming off Lake Superior is A LOT. I can’t imagine the conditions while actually being out in a ship on the water. All that power, and all the history behind the lakes is what I think always draws me back and keeps me interested!
There is a book on the Cedarville. The company was viewing things by the bottom line. Joppich was a career man and proved himself incompetent. The whole thing was a tragedy that didn't have to happen.
Fantastic video! Thank you for the details, and especially what happened aboard both the German and Norwegian ships. May God bless the survivors, and grant rest to those lost on the CEDARVILLE. "And on the last day the sea shall give up its dead."
Watching these videos, I see alot of footage I watched on UA-cam growing up, such as from "90 Years on the lakes, E.M. Ford" and the Willam Clay Ford documentary from the 60s, fantastic documentary!
Although i already know the story, and maybe in more details, your narration and how you treat the story I is so mesmerizing i just listened to the entire video as if i had never heard it. Thank you very much.
Rogers City... My hometown!! Thanks for such a good vid on the old gal! Everyone knew someone on her. A local magazine named "Calcite Screenings" was the magazine that was published in Rogers City by Calcite. It gave many details about life was like as a Calcite employee..
It's wild how much those big shipping companies get away with. Corporations don't give a damn about workers and safetly, only their bottom line. I'd love it if you did a video about the Aquitania one day!
There's no bottomless pit of resources, you do the best with what you have balancing risk vs reward. No profit everyone starves. If you prefer safety, stay on shore
Probably is. Post war see alot of Naval Surplus such as those radar types hit the various shipping fleets since they were obsolete combat wise but were more then servicable for navigation and avoidance uses. Lots of the modern civilian radars in use are basically modernize versions with new computers.
Solid state? Seems a bit early for solid state electronics, especially radar. That was cutting edge in the late 70’s/ 80’s. I think they call this style a parabolic antenna. Solid-state, at least as used since the 60’s, refers to electronic systems that utilize no moving parts (relays, switches, etc) nor vacuum tubes (fully “transistorized”) in their designs. That can’t be assumed with high power radio equipment even today (though if built after 1990, it’s safe to assume it’s mostly solid state). Radars that use a parabolic antenna can, at first, seem to meet the definition for solid state, but even if they aren’t using moving parts or tubes, they aren’t considered to be solid state devices (in a modern sense). This is because the directionality of the return with this type of radar is determined by passive means, & because this type of radar cannot do all that an actively scanned equivalent can do. To get equivalent functionality to a traditional radar, a radar like this with a stationary parabolic antenna would need to be strapped to a motor and spun around, negating the reason for using such a design in the first place. To be considered solid state, a radar must do everything a traditional, mechanically scanned radar can do without the need for moving parts.
Wow not only did they defer recommended hull repairs they actually refitted her engines in order to increase her payload. Sadly at this time profits far outweighed the value we placed on 25-30 crew members lives. Cheaper to pay off the families who lost loved ones in the event of a catastrophic failure then to stop and make the repairs. Criminal in reality but totally permissable in the times. Perhaps fortunate given the lake conditions in May that only 10 people perished?
I love these stories of the Great Lakes frieghters. Living close to these lakes all my life its interesting to hear the history of them. Its hard to believe what incredible ships were built along her shores as of course all of these shipyards have been gone for years now. These were high paying wonderful jobs that are now just a history lesson .... sad in a lot of ways. 😢
I had no idea . . . that sounds like a fascinating storyline in & of itself . . . surely there are ships still sailing the Great Lakes, transporting goods & etc. ALL the ship building yards are closed? So many questions come to mind, so many different tangents of history to investigate & inform a curious public of . . . bring the past back to the minds of an ignorant public, please & make your own $ on video views.
Best way I can think of to stop the profits over safety issue is to make it so that if you do prioritize profits over safety you won't get to keep any of them in the end people get hurt because you're worried about money. You pay massive fines that make it totally unworth the risk
30:19 The JW Westcott Detroit River Mailboat! I worked as deckhand aboard the westcott fresh out of high school i believe 1988-1992. I took any shift available while going to Henry Ford community college. Ended up working pretty much full time being young and able to go without sleep. Working with all these vessels old and new, up close and personal was an experience i will never forget. Lots of good stories were made.
I have watched four videos on the Cedarville and yours was the best. When I watched the other ones, I was left with many questions about Captain Joppich!!! I had a problem with several decisions he made, but the worse was him not ordering the men to abandon ship!! I would like to know if the men could have abandoned ship without the captain ordering it!!!!
"The risk, sailor's take everyday, to move our world forward". Well, I wouldn't say forward, as it's not progress, but just maintaining. Good detailed documentary, a bit long, but detailed👍.
At 13:00 you have a vid clip of a cook and a porter. I swear that is a picture of my Grandfather Devere Simmons. I even forwarded a screen shot to my uncle and he said it certainly looks to be him. Just wondering if you know where that clip came from. I assume that's not actually the galley of the Cedarville but some stock footage from a Laker of unknown origin. Among other boats i know my grandfather was on the Fitz for a bit as well as the J Burton Ayers and the Ashtabula Car Ferry.
I'm so glad that new heavy-draft, large-beam lock is getting built in the Soo. Gotta have another Poe-sized lock for all the copper ore from the new mine in Copper Harbor to get to Republic Wire in Cleveland. The trucking industry can ESAD for killing the railroads in the US. They can keep their filthy mitts off of ore shipping.
The city I live in has lots of rail but most of my life trains were maybe a once a month thing....lately we've been getting several a week. I think with fuel prices so high, plus trouble with shipping thanks to the Panama Canal having issues that shipping by rail might be making a bit of a comeback. Just a guess though based on way more trains than usual lately. Could just be coincidence.
I understood some of these words... (I know your message wasn't meant for me. It's just funny how little sense any of it makes when you don't have the context to understand it. I'm not really asking for an explanation though because I can look it up if I want to
The trucking industry didn't kill the railroad industry in the US. The railroad industry is going strong. Source, thousands of trains every day across the US.
@mikeprimm4077 i disagree trucking is throw away for cross country trains way more efficient till we tore up all our rail lines. Trucks have their place.
Showing my ignorance: it just baffles me how a heavy metal ship can be made to float at all, but then to design it with container sections to be loaded with heavy iron ore as well - filling air spaces I would think allows it to float in the first place . . . I just marvel at the entire concept . . . but then, to stack cargo containers on top of a hugh ship, like they do to cross the oceans! Totally beyond my comprehension.
I love your videos. Only 2K more subs and you’ll achieve 110K subs. Congrats🎉. Could you make a video about the SS City of Benares sinking it is a fascinating but tragic story.
Local archives are usually a good place to start looking. Town halls and libraries often accrue collections of microfilm records and newsreel footage, and a lot of it can be reviewed and sometimes even copied into a digital format if you know who and how to ask.
It was fair enough to punish the captain, but NOT to let the company off the hook. For while he was clearly the wrong choice for the job, some idiot had to PUT HIM IN CHARGE, and logically, that comes back to the company.
For comparison.....the hull plating of a U.S. dreadnought battleship was 5/8 inch thick. Where armor plate was not present, of course. Titanic's hull plates were 1 inch thick. Paper boat.....NOT.
I have watched a number of your video's about the disasters on the Great Lakes. I am no expert upon ship design. Here is my question. Why is it that the ships that ply there trade on the Great Lakes look so different from those out on the open ocean? Those on the Great Lakes appear to have the control room at the front and the engine room at the rear with the cargo area in the centre. Can anybody educate me?
these days the ships are built more like "salties" back then it was the most efficient design taking into account the design of the unloading equipment on shore and the size of the hold as well as the size of the locks
When navigation was mostly done by sight, it made sense to have the "eyes" up front. Lakers are long and narrow because of the locks they must fit through. Ocean-going ships endure storms far more frequently so they are made stronger and relatively shorter relating to their width which allows them to handle better in heavy seas. Lakers are fresh-water ships so they rust away far slower, which is why you see many older ship designs still in use on the Lakes while 'salties' are all newer and more modern designs.
@@cludecat7072it was for visibility. These ships have to navigate locks and canals, and rivers. They dock themselves, undock and unload cargo without the aid of tugs. So having the pilot house forward was beneficial. Now that navigational aids and computerized aids are at the level that they are they're starting to build them with the accommodation in the rear. Which is sad I really love the classic Laker look of the forward pilot House, with a rear crew quarters
I’ve never really understood the whole profits over safety thing I mean like it stands the reason that if your ships have a bunch of accidents from unsafe conditions, and you won’t make any profits because you’ll constantly be tied up in lawsuits and things like that like how can they expect to make any money if their ships aren’t safe? It just doesn’t make sense in the long term.
It’s the same story over and over with these ships and their owners. Have they ever been substantially penalized for their lack of action on maintenance issues? How were they even still insured??
I’d love to know how many near misses there were on the Great Lakes in the post war period, and beyond that, how many serious navigation errors occurred where there was a real possibility of a collision.
But why did the norwegian ship not answer the Cedarville's radio calls? Was nobody there to answer? Was their radio defect? Laguage problems? Were they asleep or why? Communication would have been a great help to avoid the collision (but of cause, beeing inside a giant can opener, you probably don't have to worry too much about sinking yourself). It's a bit odd
Actually, the hull plating so often mentioned may have been a red herring… the modern steel bow of the Norwegian vessel would have sliced through just about anything short of an armored warship
Why was there no mention of the cause of the failed radio communication between the ships? A failure that if successful would have avoided the collision!
I've been watching this series water disasters it is so sad my heart goes out to all the family who lost their loved ones on that terrible l storms God be with them all
5 years prior to Flemming boarding the Cedarville the US Coast guard had ordered that the Cedars hull plates be replaced due to wastage (rust and rot), but as Flemming went on board he found out that it still had not been done and that the ships owners had asked for an extension and recieved it. Even though it was built in the same year as the Bradley and those ships were already known to be prone to buckling they got an extension. Its believd after realizing this and of course having gone through and surviving the Bradley sinking he realized just how little the companies cared about safety and the crews who sailed them. And he turned and walked away from sailing lakers for the test of his days. Good for him!!!!
Outstanding video mate!
Who knows what would have happened if the collision hadn't been sunk, she probably would have met a similar fate like the Bradley with the lack of maintenance that was shown.
Did he say this? Anecdotes from individuals are notoriously unreliable. They are a starting point, not a justification for a conclusion. People misremember, people tell tales. Always dose of salt needed there. I suspect Flemming would have known what he was getting. If he didn't he shouldn't have been assigned in the first place. As leaving the ship ended his career, I think perhaps he would have been loath to leave. PTSD works very much like what we see here--and that would end a Captain's career.
As for the sinking, these icebreaker-hull ships have sunk ships in perfect shape--note the Andrea Doria. They're floating can openers. That hit would have sunk the Cedarville if she'd been brand new.
I'm with the PTSD theory...poor guy hasn't just got his own welfare in mind but that of his whole crew...and Flemming sounds like a commander who was worth his salt.
Luck of the draw or lack of maintenance, I feel that surviving one utterly traumatic event on the lakes...then being given command of a near identical vessel, during a particularly challenging season? ...that would weigh down heavily.
Edit: Another exceptional and thoughtful video!! Thank you! ❤
@charlesfaure1189
True in some cases but not seaman. Honest to a fault, they was. As perfectly accurate as Old Testament Hebrew scribes.
In fact, those scribes was emplored to be;
"As perfectly accurate as a sailor reporting on his travels"
........
Well,.....so's I heard..
😶
I'm sure Flemming had seen plenty of rough seas between the time of the Bradley sinking and the time he walked off the Cedarville. Heck, he even worked hard enough to be PROMOTED in that time frame. So why, suddenly, would PTSD be the reason he walked away? I agree it was the realization that the boat owners do not care and that was made evident by the condition of the Cedarville. No, it did not sink due to its poor condition, but it may well have in the coming weeks, months or years. Good on Elmer for leaving.
My grandpa sailed for US Steel for 40 years out of Rogers City. His best friend went down on Cedarville and was one of the survivors. Ed Brewster was his name. I used to love sitting and listening to them share memories when I was younger.
My grandfather was the captain of the tug limestone, bringing the ships into and out of calcite.
Keep those memories alive.
Just when I get fed up with all the crap on UA-cam I find a channel that keeps me up all night with these interesting stories. Thank you.
Oh my Lord, ain't it the truth, friend 🙂
I, too, am having problems wanting to keep watching...these videos are fascinating. I was thinking they should be shown to young people today for them to learn how to think, to learn the consequences of bad decisions, etc. I learn a LOT from these videos and I'm glad I trust Jesus!!
Also check out part time traveler. Same great production knowledge and research
@@jaybelle532the story of the Atlantic on that channel has given me nightmares and idk why i never heard of that wreck before!?! Its horrible, just got this channel hope they have a video of that wreck
Too true. Another treasure trove is the channel "scary interesting"
My grandfather worked on the Cedarville back in the 1940s when it was still sailing as the A.F. Harvey. For that reason I think I've always felt a bit of a personal connection to this particular disaster, seeing the photos of the ship on the bottom and knowing that he walked those same decks 20 years before the disaster.
Anything to feel relevant… the human way.
In the 70s, I was a professional diver on lake Huron, I explored the Cederville wreck. It was the scariest dive I ever had, just a bad feeling on the ship.
What was so scary about and how deep?
Why does it make me incredibly happy that Oceanliner Designs is one of your Patreons? I love both of you. ❤
I sailed on two of Cedarville's sisterships. Calumet (formerly Myron C Taylor) and Maumee (formerly Calcite II.) They both had extremely long careers. Calumet was 79 when she was scrapped, and the Maumee was over 80. They were both very tired and worn out by that point, and were very hard work to keep going.
I have no knowledge of ships and the Great Lakes, I am amazed at the length of service of some of the freighters.
@@stephenbarker5162 the Arthur M Anderson is 72 years old and still sailing the lakes today.
26:56 Stanley Haske was my grandfather. Thank you for this video. I'm curious where you found these high resolution photos of the ship? Thanks so much for you work on this.
I’ve been waiting for a video on the Cedarville. Excellent video! May those sailors rest in peace
All those dear dead departed sailors. 😇 Are currently sailing across the universe-!!!😉.
Elmer was a very good 1st mate and Master. if Elmer leaves a ship it tells you it was in very poor shape
I agree!!!!!
Even though the spectre of "one last run" wasn't directly involved, it's spirit never seems to be far away on the Great Lakes when a freighter goes under and crewmen lose their lives. On a side note I can't help to be fascinated by how much international traffic is on these technically inland lakes.
Do we not learn? Today Boeing is operating with the same profit over safety mindset.
No 🤑🤑🤑🤑
It’s hard to learn lessons when one can swim in a Scrooge Mc duckian sized pool of money. Money>lives. That’s what they have learned. And most companies are never financially punished enough to teach them otherwise.
Every airline is lol
@@Zildawolf Boeing is not an airline
That's why they're nowhere's near, number one, anymore (Airbus is). Just like the rest of the US, which is 7th. in the world presently, and slipping to 8th., very soon😔…………
Having grown up close to Lake Erie (Ohio) and summering on Lake Huron (Canada), I’m in awe of the Great Lakes. I thought I knew every shipping disaster, but I think this is a new one to me.
Summering. Lol
@giggiddy lol I’m old. We used to “summer”
@@margot64fern So many ships have been sunk over the years. An accurate map of every sunk ship would probably cover most of the lakes.
The Great Lakes storms are as strong as hurricanes sometimes.
@@Maven0666 Ph yeah Mataafa was an appalling example of raw power as a wave pushed it up onto a rock and left it beached far enough out of the water to break her spine.
Mataada outlived her crew, but if she hadn't stayed on that rock? If she'd sunk instead? Never seen again perhaps....
Here's an idea, just work with me here.... Ok we need to spend 100k plus on new hull plates. But! This is where it gets crazy..... lets not worry about that, how about we upgrade the boilers instead
The footage and pictures you put together are astounding. I grew up close to Lake Superior and would spend many summers in Duluth watching lake freighters come and go.
The part that really made me shutter was the fact they could hear the limestone cargo hit the bottom. Obviously seeing a ship just manifest out of the fog is scary enough but to hear that sound and knowing all is lost is quite terrifying
it's those kinda details (plus the excellent narration) that make this channel stand out.
That gets me too. For some reason, large, shuddering noises underwater scare me so much. Even whale calls. They're ethereal and beautiful, yes, but also very eerie and somber, and *B I G* very, very big. I love whales, especially belugas, but the larger ones, they frighten me with their enormity. I wish Japan would halt all whaling operations... it makes me sad that we, humans, still hunt their dwindling numbers, doggedly, as if we wish to have them go extinct, since, y'know, we hunt and kill them much much more quickly than they can grow, reach sexual maturity, breed, give birth, raise the calf to self-sufficiency and repeat, all the while the whales have to also mind their natural predators like Orcas. Tho the great animals frighten me with their immense size, I do not want them harmed... I dunno how I went from commenting just in agreeance over the sound of limestone striking the lake bed to taking a stand against whaling, but I didn't mean to bother you, I just meant to essentially say "yea, me too" but, here we are... I'm sorry.
@@grahamsawyer831sphincter shutter speed.
>refresh YT feed
>see new BoB upload
>smile
>TY for another video Brad!
Definitely not a smiley video though 😶
The maritime safety culture has improved vastly over the years, but incidents like the loss of the EL FARO shoe that shore side pressure still exists.
Nobody ever is seriously sentenced for many ship sinking...no safety culture, only profit
We all understand the Pressures of Prioritizing profit over Prevention, Protection and Planned Precautions.
In spite of this, and the great amount of experience a good captain would possess, how on EARTH would he be qualified to make an engineering assessment on the hull plate strength and seaworthiness of a ship of this tonnage? Risking the lives of all aboard, and the ship herself to (somewhat) educated guesswork, no more. It's bizzare. What did the captain DO? Walk the length of the ship, rapping on the hull with a piece of rebar? It's amazing to me that they ALL didn't end up on the bottom!
Safety first. Keeping quota firster.
upwind slow, down wind fast, tonnage first, safety last
@CaptainMcMemes12345
through fog and storms
All ahead fast
quota first
and safety last.
Slightly adapted
I for one absolutely love your videos! Your attention to detail, production quality, accurate visuals, and compassionate and fact driven narration make these documentaries some of my most favorite Great Lakes and Ocean Liner content on YT. Thank you for putting forth such content!
Topdalsfjord:
Built by the biggest and probably best sjipbuilders of its time.
Fortified hull.
Made by the highest quality steel for a cargo ship of its time.
All signs that you SHOULD NOT collide with her if you want to stay afloat.
She was gracefully beautiful too.
They say opposites attract, so I guess the collision with the Cedarville was inevitable.
What a sh**show. Those poor people, and their poor families. Too bad corporations can't be held accountable for life-diminishing, if not life-ending, policies and cultures.
Corporations could be held liable, if Congress had a spine and a set of balls.
Great work BoB. RIP to those 10 and condolences to their families.
Finally a video on the cedarville, I was meaning to dive on the wreck here soon.
I wish I could. But I have a perforated eardrum. I think it healed but not sure it would work.
@@Christian_Girl120 you could always do drop a ROV down too and get some nice footage
Oh, that last line you delivered really got to me. Well done.
It's crazy, but I forgot about this one. Thanks for a well told story. Take care, Big Ole Boats.
You should do a video on the Laurentic class (Megantic and Laurentic) Two ships that don't get the attention they deserve
I remember going up and down the Duluth hill in severe foggy conditions in the early 60,s. Often it was hard to see from 😮one dotted line to the next at nite. Pulling over to one the side of the road was frightening too as getting rear ended was a possibility . I haven’t seen fog as dense as Duluth’s since.
I lived in Rogers City all my life and knew Lenny Gabryziak. We often sat in front of him and his wife at St. Ignatius and he would always give my kids quarters and he giggled each time. RIP Lenny.
Outstanding. From the first second --that blaring foghorn made my blood run cold -- it just got better and better.
I just stumbled upon your great channel and now am binging through it. Absolutely in love with the music and atmosphere you create in your -videos- films! ❤
Another interesting “Big Old Boats” saga. Thank you.
My Grandpa was a draftsman for the Rouge Shipworks at one point in his career. RIP, Chester Brzezinski...
Growing up near Lake Superior and living in Duluth at one point, I have nothing but respect for these lakes. And really to me, their mini seas. You can’t tell me they aren’t with the power they generate for storms. Being on land an experiencing a squall coming off Lake Superior is A LOT. I can’t imagine the conditions while actually being out in a ship on the water. All that power, and all the history behind the lakes is what I think always draws me back and keeps me interested!
There is a book on the Cedarville. The company was viewing things by the bottom line. Joppich was a career man and proved himself incompetent. The whole thing was a tragedy that didn't have to happen.
you are absolutely blowing me away with these videos! You’re really spoiling us lol. Seriously though thank you!
Great show. I really appreciate your video material and delivery of information. Be well!
Fantastic video! Thank you for the details, and especially what happened aboard both the German and Norwegian ships. May God bless the survivors, and grant rest to those lost on the CEDARVILLE. "And on the last day the sea shall give up its dead."
Watching these videos, I see alot of footage I watched on UA-cam growing up, such as from "90 Years on the lakes, E.M. Ford" and the Willam Clay Ford documentary from the 60s, fantastic documentary!
Although i already know the story, and maybe in more details, your narration and how you treat the story I is so mesmerizing i just listened to the entire video as if i had never heard it.
Thank you very much.
Thanks!
Thank you!!
Was there ever a time when lifeboats released cleanly from the davits?
Right?
Those long skinny ships always bothered me, like the Fitz, there backs snap and they go down like a rock ...
Ever consider doing a video on the Hikawa Maru?
Rogers City... My hometown!! Thanks for such a good vid on the old gal! Everyone knew someone on her. A local magazine named "Calcite Screenings" was the magazine that was published in Rogers City by Calcite. It gave many details about life was like as a Calcite employee..
It's wild how much those big shipping companies get away with. Corporations don't give a damn about workers and safetly, only their bottom line.
I'd love it if you did a video about the Aquitania one day!
There's no bottomless pit of resources, you do the best with what you have balancing risk vs reward. No profit everyone starves.
If you prefer safety, stay on shore
@@M167A1
6:50
@M167A1 obviously the corporate suites aren't risking their lives on rust buckets. After all does everyone "really" need a lifeboat.🤔
@aaronbasham6554, Try not to engage the attention seeking trolls.
@@melissacarterpresley5786 meh, was already on that part of the video when saw it.
I was supposed to drive to North Carolina at 10:00 but now it’s 1:00AM and I’m still watching these videos
That solid-state radar dish looks like something off a Blue Devil destroyer from WW2.
Probably is. Post war see alot of Naval Surplus such as those radar types hit the various shipping fleets since they were obsolete combat wise but were more then servicable for navigation and avoidance uses.
Lots of the modern civilian radars in use are basically modernize versions with new computers.
Never heard of ww2 blue devil class destroyers?,There was Porter class & Flecher class destroyers & of course the old 4 stacker destroyers.
@@earlworley-bd6zy seems like dd680 got a nickname from model-builders
Solid state? Seems a bit early for solid state electronics, especially radar. That was cutting edge in the late 70’s/ 80’s. I think they call this style a parabolic antenna. Solid-state, at least as used since the 60’s, refers to electronic systems that utilize no moving parts (relays, switches, etc) nor vacuum tubes (fully “transistorized”) in their designs. That can’t be assumed with high power radio equipment even today (though if built after 1990, it’s safe to assume it’s mostly solid state). Radars that use a parabolic antenna can, at first, seem to meet the definition for solid state, but even if they aren’t using moving parts or tubes, they aren’t considered to be solid state devices (in a modern sense). This is because the directionality of the return with this type of radar is determined by passive means, & because this type of radar cannot do all that an actively scanned equivalent can do. To get equivalent functionality to a traditional radar, a radar like this with a stationary parabolic antenna would need to be strapped to a motor and spun around, negating the reason for using such a design in the first place. To be considered solid state, a radar must do everything a traditional, mechanically scanned radar can do without the need for moving parts.
@@williambrasky3891- for high power RF, electron tube finals are still often the best option.
Wow not only did they defer recommended hull repairs they actually refitted her engines in order to increase her payload. Sadly at this time profits far outweighed the value we placed on 25-30 crew members lives. Cheaper to pay off the families who lost loved ones in the event of a catastrophic failure then to stop and make the repairs. Criminal in reality but totally permissable in the times. Perhaps fortunate given the lake conditions in May that only 10 people perished?
I couldn't believe it either when I heard it! Wow!!
I love these stories of the Great Lakes frieghters. Living close to these lakes all my life its interesting to hear the history of them. Its hard to believe what incredible ships were built along her shores as of course all of these shipyards have been gone for years now. These were high paying wonderful jobs that are now just a history lesson .... sad in a lot of ways. 😢
I had no idea . . . that sounds like a fascinating storyline in & of itself . . . surely there are ships still sailing the Great Lakes, transporting goods & etc. ALL the ship building yards are closed? So many questions come to mind, so many different tangents of history to investigate & inform a curious public of . . . bring the past back to the minds of an ignorant public, please & make your own $ on video views.
IF ONLY SOMEONE WOULD JUST STAND UP TO THESE GREEDY PEOPLE.
HUMAN LIVES CAN NOT BE REPLACED.
Best way I can think of to stop the profits over safety issue is to make it so that if you do prioritize profits over safety you won't get to keep any of them in the end people get hurt because you're worried about money. You pay massive fines that make it totally unworth the risk
30:19 The JW Westcott Detroit River Mailboat!
I worked as deckhand aboard the westcott fresh out of high school i believe 1988-1992. I took any shift available while going to Henry Ford community college. Ended up working pretty much full time being young and able to go without sleep. Working with all these vessels old and new, up close and personal was an experience i will never forget. Lots of good stories were made.
I have NEVER been this early....LOVE YOUR CONTENT!!!!
I have watched four videos on the Cedarville and yours was the best. When I watched the other ones, I was left with many questions about Captain Joppich!!! I had a problem with several decisions he made, but the worse was him not ordering the men to abandon ship!! I would like to know if the men could have abandoned ship without the captain ordering it!!!!
"The risk, sailor's take everyday, to move our world forward". Well, I wouldn't say forward, as it's not progress, but just maintaining. Good detailed documentary, a bit long, but detailed👍.
At 13:00 you have a vid clip of a cook and a porter. I swear that is a picture of my Grandfather Devere Simmons. I even forwarded a screen shot to my uncle and he said it certainly looks to be him. Just wondering if you know where that clip came from. I assume that's not actually the galley of the Cedarville but some stock footage from a Laker of unknown origin. Among other boats i know my grandfather was on the Fitz for a bit as well as the J Burton Ayers and the Ashtabula Car Ferry.
Another outstanding production Sir!
Sounds more credible than AI
Hi… love your content. Perhaps you’ll consider the SS Southern Cross one day.
This is an excellent video. I didn’t know all of this history
I'm so glad that new heavy-draft, large-beam lock is getting built in the Soo. Gotta have another Poe-sized lock for all the copper ore from the new mine in Copper Harbor to get to Republic Wire in Cleveland. The trucking industry can ESAD for killing the railroads in the US. They can keep their filthy mitts off of ore shipping.
The city I live in has lots of rail but most of my life trains were maybe a once a month thing....lately we've been getting several a week. I think with fuel prices so high, plus trouble with shipping thanks to the Panama Canal having issues that shipping by rail might be making a bit of a comeback. Just a guess though based on way more trains than usual lately. Could just be coincidence.
I understood some of these words...
(I know your message wasn't meant for me. It's just funny how little sense any of it makes when you don't have the context to understand it. I'm not really asking for an explanation though because I can look it up if I want to
The trucking industry didn't kill the railroad industry in the US. The railroad industry is going strong. Source, thousands of trains every day across the US.
@mikeprimm4077 i disagree trucking is throw away for cross country trains way more efficient till we tore up all our rail lines. Trucks have their place.
Showing my ignorance: it just baffles me how a heavy metal ship can be made to float at all, but then to design it with container sections to be loaded with heavy iron ore as well - filling air spaces I would think allows it to float in the first place . . . I just marvel at the entire concept . . . but then, to stack cargo containers on top of a hugh ship, like they do to cross the oceans!
Totally beyond my comprehension.
the sound design on this channel sets it apart!
Every time I hear that alarm, I know it’s about to be amazing!! One of my favorite channels.
I love your videos. Only 2K more subs and you’ll achieve 110K subs. Congrats🎉. Could you make a video about the SS City of Benares sinking it is a fascinating but tragic story.
I really love your channel because it almost aways focuses on the Great Lakes
always enjoy your videos, I grew up on Lake Ontario so it's always interesting to learn the history of the great lakes
Where does one acquire this vintage lake freighter footage?
Local archives are usually a good place to start looking. Town halls and libraries often accrue collections of microfilm records and newsreel footage, and a lot of it can be reviewed and sometimes even copied into a digital format if you know who and how to ask.
Ironic that I find myself watching this while vacationing in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan after a full day of ship watching at the Soo Locks….
I just arbitrarily came across your channel and you did not disappoint ❤❤❤❤
This is my favorite new channel. Thanks for what you do!
Lol, a produce bed on the aft of a freighter. Nice homey touch.
I think he said bin, not bed.
Great video as always! I enjoy your Great Lakes maritime videos and not hearing about this ship before made it that much more interesting.
It was fair enough to punish the captain, but NOT to let the company off the hook. For while he was clearly the wrong choice for the job, some idiot had to PUT HIM IN CHARGE, and logically, that comes back to the company.
It's because the U.S. Government serves big business over its workers. Always has. Always will!
I am suprised anyone was punished..Usually there is no punishment for anyone..
How could a 3/8 ths inch hull be sufficient for such a large ship. Basically it sounds like a paper boat. Unbelievable.
For comparison.....the hull plating of a U.S. dreadnought battleship was 5/8 inch thick. Where armor plate was not present, of course.
Titanic's hull plates were 1 inch thick.
Paper boat.....NOT.
@@TK-ri7pl...does amyone wanna tell him?
Those are all terrible examples of shipbuilding.
The crab boats in deadliest catch talk about side walls 3/8 thick. Which blows my mind I would think be alot thicker.
The Royal Yacht Britannia was one of the ships in the St. Lawrence Seaway section.
Thanks once again for an excellent presentation.
I have watched a number of your video's about the disasters on the Great Lakes. I am no expert upon ship design. Here is my question. Why is it that the ships that ply there trade on the Great Lakes look so different from those out on the open ocean? Those on the Great Lakes appear to have the control room at the front and the engine room at the rear with the cargo area in the centre. Can anybody educate me?
To fit the locks
these days the ships are built more like "salties" back then it was the most efficient design taking into account the design of the unloading equipment on shore and the size of the hold as well as the size of the locks
When navigation was mostly done by sight, it made sense to have the "eyes" up front. Lakers are long and narrow because of the locks they must fit through. Ocean-going ships endure storms far more frequently so they are made stronger and relatively shorter relating to their width which allows them to handle better in heavy seas. Lakers are fresh-water ships so they rust away far slower, which is why you see many older ship designs still in use on the Lakes while 'salties' are all newer and more modern designs.
@@cludecat7072it was for visibility. These ships have to navigate locks and canals, and rivers. They dock themselves, undock and unload cargo without the aid of tugs. So having the pilot house forward was beneficial. Now that navigational aids and computerized aids are at the level that they are they're starting to build them with the accommodation in the rear. Which is sad I really love the classic Laker look of the forward pilot House, with a rear crew quarters
@@mikeprimm4077 that too. I also love the look of old lakers
Incredibly interesting documentary. Well done.
I’ve never really understood the whole profits over safety thing I mean like it stands the reason that if your ships have a bunch of accidents from unsafe conditions, and you won’t make any profits because you’ll constantly be tied up in lawsuits and things like that like how can they expect to make any money if their ships aren’t safe? It just doesn’t make sense in the long term.
I never heard of this story, very interesting. Thanx Utube.
excellent video, great footage and narration. i watched it on a laptop and the audio could have stood some amplification, not to nitpick . thanks
It’s the same story over and over with these ships and their owners. Have they ever been substantially penalized for their lack of action on maintenance issues? How were they even still insured??
They kept the ship moving but overlooked the need to keep it afloat.
I’d love to know how many near misses there were on the Great Lakes in the post war period, and beyond that, how many serious navigation errors occurred where there was a real possibility of a collision.
excellent, more outstanding content - many thanks for posting
Very well done. Thank you keep up the great videos
But why did the norwegian ship not answer the Cedarville's radio calls? Was nobody there to answer? Was their radio defect? Laguage problems? Were they asleep or why? Communication would have been a great help to avoid the collision (but of cause, beeing inside a giant can opener, you probably don't have to worry too much about sinking yourself). It's a bit odd
Possibly channel mismatch?
The fog was so thick that he couldn’t see the bow of the ship
Flying Dutchman: curse this cursed ghostly fog, I can barely see past my own nose.
How tf did the Norwegians get off with nothing? They refused to awnserthe radio, ignored whistle/horn signals and failed to yeild to a passing vessel
Actually, the hull plating so often mentioned may have been a red herring… the modern steel bow of the Norwegian vessel would have sliced through just about anything short of an armored warship
Amazing stories. Thank you.
I'm really early!! I love the content! I'm obsessed!❤
Why was there no mention of the cause of the failed radio communication between the ships? A failure that if successful would have avoided the collision!
I've been watching this series water disasters it is so sad my heart goes out to all the family who lost their loved ones on that terrible l storms God be with them all
Thank you so much for your stories i really appreciate you.
Great Presentation
The Cedarglen is still kicking.
Omgg perfect timing for posting! I can watch this while I work!!!