Armistice Day Storm of 1940 took the lives of 64 sailors, sank 3 ships

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By Rob Alway, Editor-in-Chief

On Monday, memorial services and observations were held throughout the Great Lakes region commemorating the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, Nov. 10, 1975 near White Fish Point in Lake Superior. The 29 sailors who lost their lives and the shipwreck, like all tragedies, deserve to be remembered.

But, an even more significant storm occurred 85 years ago today, on Nov. 11, 1940. It is now commonly known as the Armistice Day Storm and the Lake Michigan shoreline between Ludington and Little Point Sable was the epicenter of the most significant loss of life of that storm, which caught the region completely by surprise. The storm was one of the worst to ever hit the Great Lakes.

The storm caused the destruction of three freighters and the grounding of one car ferry. Of the 154 deaths that resulted after the storm, 56 of those deaths were sailors who died in the shipwrecks off the shores in Oceana and Mason counties.

From Oct. 25, 1940 to the afternoon of Monday, Nov. 11, 1940, the weather had been mild and dry. The weather forecast for the day of the storm didn’t indicate any inclement weather was expected. By early afternoon on Nov. 11, 1940 temperatures approached 65 degrees. The Ludington Armistice Day parade was scheduled to be held at 7:30 p.m.

The local weather forecast, published in the Saturday, Nov. 9, 1940 edition of the Ludington Daily News, called for light rain with possible snow flurries on Monday, Nov. 11.

A few days earlier, a strong weather system moving into the Pacific Northwest had taken down the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in Pierce County, Wash. Until the collapse on November 7, 1940 the bridge had been the third longest suspension span in the world. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge, an engineering wonder, had already acquired the name “Galloping Gertie” due to its motion in the wind. On Nov. 7, winds of 35 to 45 mph caused its center span to undulate 3 to 5 feet and the bridge failed before the center of the storm system reached shore. On Nov. 8, 1940, the storm center remained off the Washington coast producing gale force winds. Meanwhile pressure was falling over the Pacific Northwest.

By Nov. 10, the storm system had moved across the Rocky Mountains to redevelop over Trinidad, Col. Initially the system headed east, and then it curved northward into the central U.S. where it would leave a path of icy destruction. During the next six hours, the storm center moved to vicinity of Iowa Falls, Iowa. West of the center, blizzards raged across South Dakota and a widespread ice storm across Nebraska left hundreds of people impacted. East of the center, a broad swath of warm air streamed up the Mississippi Valley.

During the day and into the night, severe weather erupted across much of the Midwest. A tornado was reported one mile west of Davenport, Iowa; 2-3 inches of heavy rain fell over the Mississippi Valley; and heavy snow began to fall across Minnesota and western Iowa.

On Sunday, Nov. 10, the staff at the U.S. Weather Bureau in Chicago had worked only the standard half day and were shocked to see on Monday morning that the West Coast storm had moved southeast across Idaho, Wyoming, and Colorado and did not die out in the Rocky Mountains as expected. The storm collided over Iowa with an Arctic cold front and a southern warm front. The barometric pressure dropped rapidly, 28.57 inches of mercury, lower than ever previously recorded.

Forecasters realized that the apex of the storm where the three fronts met created a “weather bomb.” Rising warm air and falling cold air were fueling cyclonic winds. They calculated the 1,000-mile-wide windstorm would hit Chicago by noon, and then move straight up the center of Lake Michigan causing massive waves, freezing temperatures, and snow.

Storm warnings were issued throughout the Midwest. By 6:30 a.m., the U.S. Coast Guard and weather stations along the shores of Lake Michigan rose storm flags as warnings to the many ships in transit without communications.

Along the northern Mississippi River, several duck hunters had taken time off from work and school to take advantage of the ideal hunting conditions, especially since there had been no predication of inclement weather. As a result, the hunters were not dressed for cold weather. When the storm began, many hunters took shelter on small islands on the Mississippi River, but the 50 mph winds and 5-foot waves overcame their encampments. Some became stranded on the islands and then froze to death as temperatures went below 10 degrees F overnight. Others tried to make for shore and drowned. Half of the 49 deaths in Minnesota were duck hunters.

The storm struck Ludington at 2 p.m. with high winds and heavy rain, causing minor damage. It eased up by 3 p.m. and left the area shortly after that. Then at 5 p.m., the storm returned, much stronger and much more destructive. Winds were reported to have been gusting at 100 mph. At Lansing Shoals Light Station, near the Upper Peninsula in northeastern Lake Michigan, the gusts were reported at 120 mph.

“Car ferries attempting to get to Ludington or to the Wisconsin side had all they could do to stay afloat,” Paul S. Peterson, managing editor of the Ludington Daily News, wrote in a Nov. 11, 1975 article. “A fleet of seven Navy sub-chasers, after rendezvousing here Sunday en route to Brooklyn Navy Yard, were tossed like cans and two of them sustained considerable damage.” The vessels were from the Great Lakes Naval Reserves.

Five vessels operating near the shore between Ludington and Little Point Sable were caught up in the storm, three of those vessels would sink, one would be grounded and the other barely made it to port — those included the S.S. City of Flint 32, flagship of the Pere Marquette car ferry fleet, the S.S. Pere Marquette 21 and the freighters S.S. Anna C. Minch, S.S. Novadoc, and S.S. William B. Davock.

S.S. City of Flint 32

The City of Flint 32 was built by Manitowoc Shipbuilding Co., Manitowoc, Wis. for the Pere Marquette Railway at a cost of $1.2 million and began service in 1930. It was 369 feet long, 57.3 feet wide with a depth of 20 feet. The ferry had 40 staterooms and five parlors. It was powered by two steam turbines driving two General Electric 2,300 volt, 118 rpm motors for a total of 7,200 hp.

At about 8 p.m., 20 minutes after the 348-foot-long S.S. Pere Marquette 21 had barely made her way into Ludington harbor, crew from U.S. Coast Guard Station Ludington spotted the lights from the City of Flint 32, two hours overdue, outside the channel. The coasties stood by to render aid.

Capt. Jens Vevang (1880-1956) attempted to maneuver the vessel into the safety of Ludington harbor, but the wind forced the ship against the north breakwater and rotated her in a circle, forcing it into the shallows of the north side of the channel. Normally, the 32 would have been under the command of Capt. Charles Robertson (1880-1944), but he was on shore leave.

“Throughout most of the night, it remained bow pointed in toward land, stern about even with the turn in the north breakwater arm,” an article in the Tuesday, Nov. 12, 1940 edition of the Ludington Daily News read. “Gradually, however it drifted parallel to the beach, in which position it remained through the morning.

“The wind causing heavy damage on land as well as at sea, gradually mounted Monday, reaching an early momentary high point about 2 p.m. It then subsided, breaking loose with renewed intense fury at 5 p.m.

“It continued with hurricane velocity for remainder of the evening, subsiding slightly in early morning hours, then returning with renewed intensity again.

“Velocity, according to official wind gauge at the Pere Marquette marine office, reached a maximum point of 75 miles an hour, wavering between 60 to 70 miles an hour for several hours. Officials pointed out that velocity at sea would be at leave five or 10 miles an hour greater than that recorded on land.”

While the most intense moments of the storm occurred on Nov. 11, it was still hovering over the area the next day.

“Velocity this noon had subsided slightly, being around 50 miles an hour during morning hours. The high wind was gusty, falling slightly, then increasing in velocity with a rush. Driving snow came in sieges, reducing vision to a minimum,” the Tuesday, Nov. 12 newspaper article stated.

It was the first time since 1916 that a ship had run aground off the Ludington shoreline, the previous having been the Pere Marquette 19, which went aground near Big Sable Point.

The City of Flint, with a crew of 45 and four passengers, was barely 500 feet off shore west of the intersection of Court Street and Lakeshore Drive, near Stearns Park. “Stern of the vessel was about 60 feet from the north breakwater, with bow pointing almost due west as it lay lengthwise in the seas,” the Daily News article stated.

“Pere Marquette officials said nothing could be done until weather subsided. In which event efforts will be made to re-float the City of Flint in deeper water by assistance of other Pere Marquette carferries.”

Capt. Vevang ordered the ship’s ballast tanks filled so it would sink, minimizing pounding in the heavy seas. According to a newspaper account, the ship’s engines and other components continued to function.

Two crew members, Ernest Delatowski, 27, of Ludington and Luther Ryder, 19, of Ludington, were taken off the ship by the Coast Guard’s breeches buoy. A breeches buoy is a rope-based rescue device used to extract people from wrecked vessels, similar to a zip line. It is deployed from shore to ship, or ship to shore, using a Lyle gun.

Officials from the railroad said they did not consider the City of Flint in immediate danger.

Other ferries in the Pere Marquette fleet were challenged by the storm. As mentioned above, the Pere Marquette 21, skippered by Capt. Arthur Altschwager, struggled reaching port, 20 minutes prior to the City of Flint. It was unable to make her usual dock, No. 3 slip, and was blown into piling east of the dock.

“It was made fast to land with emergency lines, where it was to remain with crew and passengers aboard until weather subsided,” a newspaper article stated.

The City of Saginaw 31, under the command of Capt. Ed Cronberg, left Ludington for Milwaukee at 3 p.m. on Nov. 11, an hour after the storm reached Ludington. It arrived in Milwaukee, normally a six hour trip, about 3 a.m. on Nov. 12, six hours overdue.

The PM 22 was docked in Milwaukee during the beginning of the storm. The PM 18 (II) was docked in Kewaunee. Both the 22 and 18 remained docked as of the afternoon of Nov. 12, which was unusual as the vessels operated in most weather conditions.

Further north on Lake Michigan, the Ann Arbor Railroad’s Ann Arbor No. 6 had run aground near South Manitou Island. The ferry had left Manitowoc, Wis. on Monday, Nov. 11 and sought shelter near the island. When it attempted to leave, the crew discovered it had been grounded. Another Ann Arbor ferry towed the ship to deeper water.

The 251-foot oil tanker New Haven Socony had suffered considerable damage in the storm. Under the command of Capt. Harley O. Norton of Albany, NY, the ship had left East Chicago, Ind. early Nov. 11. It was near Holland (described in an Associated Press article as 25 miles south of Muskegon) when the gale struck. The ship’s pilot house was swept away by the waves, which disabled her compass and radio. Part of the pilot house and an oar washed up on shore, leading the Coast Guard to believe the ship was lost. However, the ship and her 16 crew members survived the storm.

“‘We were fighting the gale from then on,’ Boatswain Myers said. ‘We didn’t know where we were exactly. The radio went dead. The ship’s compass was washed out and useless. Even our charts were washed away. We didn’t have any navigation left.’

“Capt. Norton said the waves were higher than the 45-foot mast. The captain almost lost his life when the pilot house was smashed.'”

The AP article said a similar story was relayed by Capt. Robert W. Parsons of the freighter Thomas F. Cole “who said a ‘miracle’ not skillful seamanship was responsible for his ship’s safe voyage into Milwaukee, Wis. harbor.

“He declared the storm which sank the carferry Milwaukee with a loss of all hands Oct. 22, 1929 was ‘just a summer breeze’ compared with the gale Monday and Tuesday.

“Capt. Parson’s ship, one of the largest freighters on the lake, was swept sideways in the trough of mountainous waves for 36 hours before it could make headway for Milwaukee. The storm popped thousands of rivets off the ship, causing its hull to sag.

“Waves crashed into doors and windows 34 feet about the waterline, making a shambles of the boat’s interior. Capt. Parsons said he often had to look up to see the top of the waves sweeping toward his pilot house, 55 feet from the waterline.”

The Chicago-based Tri-State Steamship Company’s gravel carrier Sinaloa, went aground on a reef off Sac Bay and had been in danger of breaking up after the Munising Coast Guard crew removed her 42 crew members to safety. Eleven members of the crew were hospitalized but none of them were apparently seriously hurt, the AP reported.

The 60-foot long fishing tug Drummond, owned by Joseph Kroll of DeTour, was pulled from a shoal near St. Joseph’s Island, Ont. on Nov. 13 after being held fast since Nov. 11.

In Saginaw, the 170-foot-long steam yacht Capitola, owned by the Wickes brothers, had sunk to the bottom of the Saginaw River after being flooded by the storm.

Other ships that had run aground included the Conneaut on the north shore of the Straits of Mackinac and the Frank J. Peterson on St. Helena Island. The Joseph Block was reported as badly battered but was able to make its way to port. The Arthur Orr ran aground at Waugoshance Point. The Alfred H. Smith pitched violently in the Straits of Mackinac, leaving its cargo of sardines and chocolate coagulated in a heap. Also in the Straits, the carferry City of Cheboygan struggled causing several automobiles to be mangled.

The S.S. Frank J. Peterson ran aground off Fox Island. Also initially reported lost, near Fox Island, was the fishing tug Dornbos, but it was believed to have sought shelter near an island.

Storm causes damage on land

The storm also caused major damage on shore as well. One of the headlines in the Nov. 12 Daily News read: “Mason County’s Rural Area Battered by Storm”

“Mason county’s rural residents, besieged along with the rest of the region by the worst wind storm in years, sat tight Monday afternoon and evening as severe gusts of snow-laden wind shrieked across the fields and hills from the southwest and blew away buildings, signs, windows, vehicles and roofs.

“Damage, although far from all reported, was estimated in the thousands of dollars as whole buildings collapsed under the pressure of the wind and hundreds of windows, after holding valiantly against the elements, cracked under the strain and showered rooms with glass and letting the wind into living rooms throughout the county.

“Huge trees, landmarks of years’ standing, weaved and groaned under the strain and finally gave way before the relentless force from the southwest.

“Even one motor boat hull, its prow smashed hopelessly, had made its appearance on US-10 as the first of venturesome motorists made their way down the litter-spread highway.

“A motor truck with a load of hay, had found the wind too much for it Monday evening while traveling along the highway near Scottville. A gust of wind struck the load and the truck ended, half turned-over, in the ditch on the north side of the highway.”

The article reported numerous power outages throughout the county as well. It also reported that a cottage on the Buttersville Peninsula had been torn from its foundation and “smashed into kindling wood, along with its furnishings.”

The loss of life on Lake Michigan

While the City of Flint ran aground and others throughout the region had experienced various levels of damage, over 60 sailors died on three freighters, and two fishing tugs. Most shocking were the sinking of the three freighters between Ludington and Little Point Sable with a total of 56 lives were lost.

S.S. William B. Davock

The William B. Davock was built in 1907 by Great Lakes Engineering Works in St. Clair for Vulcan Steamship Co. It was operated by Vulcan from 1907 to 1915 hauling coal, iron ore, grain and stone. In 1915, the ship came under the management of the Interlake Steamship Co. (the same company that now operates the S.S. Badger carferry and the Undaunted/Pere Marquette 41 articulated tug/barge). Interlake Steamship Co. had been founded in 1913. The vessel was re-constructed and updated in the winter of 1922-1923 in Fairport, Ohio.

The ship was 420 feet long with a beam of 52 feet. It continued hauling coal and iron ore.

On Nov. 11, 1940, it was carrying coal, heading south on Lake Michigan toward Chicago when the ship fell victim to the storm four miles off the shore of Little Point Sable.

Capt. A.E. Christoffersen, in charge of the Ludington Coast Guard station, told the Ludington Daily News that he had returned to port at 2 p.m. on Nov. 12 from a point five miles south of Pentwater, “where he found the Steamer Davock broken in two, the two pieces being aground about 300 to 400 feet off shore.”

For comparison, the ship was 10 feet longer than the S.S. Badger, built 13 years after the storm.

Bodies from the Davock started washing ashore near Ludington on Nov. 12. The first was found by Robert E. Rohn of Ludington, who sighted the body on the beach on the Buttersville Peninsula around noon. Though the victim’s life preserver was unmarked, another life preserver had washed ashore nearby and was marked with the name “William B. Davock” stenciled on it.

About 1:30 p.m., six or more additional bodies were sighted off the Ludington beach north of the north breakwater. Another body reached shore at 2 p.m. at the north end of Stearns Park, near the Ludington water treatment plant.

“Other bodies all wearing life preservers could be seen in the surf drifting toward shore,” the newspaper reported.

A total of 12 bodies washed ashore near Ludington. The Davock had a crew of 33 sailors.

The wreck of the Davock was discovered in May 1972 by divers John Steele, Kent Bellrichard and Bill Cohrs. The ship is lying upside down in 200 feet of water at coordinates  N 43° 40.089 W 086° 36.540.

In 2015 the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, a non-profit organization based in Holland, had surveyed the scene.

“From exploring the wreck, we have found evidence that what caused the Davock to sink was its rudder cable had broke, snapped back, hit the propeller, snapping a blade off the propeller which then meant the ship was unable to steer,” said Valerie van Heest, MSRA director, diver, historian, museum designer and author. “The ship turned sideways into the waves and then overturned.”

The concept that victims’ bodies had travelled nearly 30 miles in Lake Michigan from Little Sable Point northeast to Ludington in less than 18 hours seems rather far-fetched until one considers the velocity of the storm, which included recorded wind gusts of over 100 mph and reports of 60-foot waves.

“Bodies can move a long distance especially with life jackets on,” van Heest said. “That storm was coming out of the southwest moving northeast up the lake.”

S.S. Anna C. Minch

The Anna C. Minch was built in 1903 by American Shipbuilding Co. in Cleveland, Ohio. for Kinsman Transit Co. of Cleveland. In 1926 it was sold to Western Navigation Co. of Fort William, Ontario, Canada. In 1940 it was operated by Sarnia Steamships, Ltd., of Sarnia, Ont. It was 380 feet long with a beam of 50 feet.

The ship had been plagued with a series of many accidents, beginning in 1907 through 1925, some resulting in serious damage. But, a 15-year record of no accidents ended on Nov. 11, 1940. The Anna C. Minch was carrying a load of hardwood lumber on Lake Michigan when it broke in two and sank. Capt. Donald Kennedy and the remaining 23 crew members were lost, the bodies were never recovered.

Clyde Cross of Pentwater, operating the Three Brothers fishing tug, discovered the mast of the Minch on Friday, Nov. 15. Cross, along with his crew, were also responsible for the rescue of the majority of the crew members of the Novadoc (see below).

“Cross told the News this noon that he went out in his now famous little fishtug, the Three Brothers, again this morning ‘to scout around and see what we could see.’

“He said he started out about 8 o’clock and went northwest a ways, then south. He was returning, he explained, when he sighed what he at first believed to be a seagull.

“‘It looked to us like a seagull sitting on the water,’ he said. ‘But we weren’t sure. As we got closer, we saw it was not a gull.’

“‘Coming up to the object, we found that it was the tip of the mast of a ship, flying a small pennant.’

“The pennant was identified as that of the Sarnia Steamships, Ltd., Sarnia, Ont., owner of the Minch.”

Of the found shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, the Anna C. Minch has the distinction of being one of only three other known ships to have broken in half, according to van Heest. This was discovered during the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association’s 2015 dive on the site, about 1.5 miles west of Pentwater channel. One of the other four vessels that have been found to have broken in half in the Great Lakes is the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, which sank Nov. 10, 1975, one day shy of 35 years after the Armistice Day storm.

Evidence from the wreck indicates that Capt. Kennedy was attempting to keep the ship near the Pentwater harbor entrance. “He anchored the ship,” van Heest said. “The bow was heading southwest, toward Chicago. The anchor chains were out and the anchors are buried so far in the sand that we couldn’t see them. So, there’s the ship, riding its anchor in only 35 feet of water. But, then it is hit with possibly 60-foot-high waves. There was such a force of that storm. A wave had to have cracked the stern off the ship because the stern is south of the bow, which tells us they had the engines running, trying to hold the anchors in place. You don’t want to drag the ship toward shore so when the stern hit the bottom, it cracked off and the engines kept driving it, sailing south of the bow.

The dives on both the Davock and the Minch also squashed a 75-year debate that the ships had collided.

“There was no evidence that the ships had collided,” van Heest said. “With the exception of it being upside down, there was no damage to the Davock that would indicate a collision with another vessel.”

S.S. Novadoc

Just off the shore of Juniper Beach in Oceana County’s Golden Township, near the Silver Lake sand dunes, the S.S. Novadoc was sinking, with survivors on board (N 43° 41.801′, W 086° 30.954′).

The Novadoc was built in 1928 by Swan, Hunter & Wigham Richardson, Ltd. at Wallsend-on-Tyne, England for Paterson Steamships, Ltd. of Fort William, Ontario. It was 253 feet long with a beam of 54 feet.

The vessel, with its crew of 19, was heading from Chicago to Port Alfred, Quebec, Canada. Capt. Donald Steip of Wiarton, Ont. was keeping the vessel close to Lake Michigan’s eastern shore since the wind was southeast. But, the wind shifted to the southwest and began to increase dramatically.

“The boat just couldn’t compete with the waves,” Capt. Steip was quoted in the Nov. 13, 1940 edition of the Ludington Daily News. “‘Monday afternoon I decided to let the boat go aground. All of the time we were grounded in the surf off Juniper beach I was worried about nine men in the after part of the ship. I knew that at least some of them were alive because they lit matches during the night.'”

Steip told the newspaper that he had seen the Anna C. Minch around Grand Haven and had presumed her to be lost.

Two Novadoc crew members, both cooks, died but, the other 17 survived.

“A drama at the sea, as heroic as any in the annals of Great Lakes sailing, unfolded today with the rescue this morning of 17 crew members from the broken hull of the Canadian pulpwood carrier Novadoc five miles south of Pentwater,” the newspaper reported.

“For at least 36 hours, 17 of the crew had hung tenaciously to hopes of being rescued, all of them crowding into the narrow confines of the pilot house, only portion of the broken ship above water.”

The crew was rescued by the men of the fishing tug, Three Brothers II of Pentwater, operated by Harry Cross.

“A subsided sea, after almost two days of the howling fury of one of Lake Michigan’s worst southwesters, made the rescue possible at 9:30 a.m. today. The fishtug reached the steamer shortly before a coast guard boat. All surviving crew members were able to climb from the battered ship to the fishtug without assistance.”

What the newspaper did not report was that Cross and his crew on the Three Brothers had grown impatient with the Pentwater Coast Guard crew’s reservation on responding due to the lake conditions.

“The Coast Guard said it was too dangerous,” van Heest said. “But the fishermen insisted on going out.”

The 17 sailors were taken to the Pentwater Coast Guard station where they received warm clothes, food and beverages.

“Fate of the men aboard the ship had anxiously been awaited in all sections where it was known human beings were still alive on the freighter. There was joy this morning when it was reported that 17 of the crew of 19 had been rescued.”

The surviving crew members had sent up flares throughout the evening to let rescuers know that they were still alive. Their rescue came just in time.

“As the men were being taken off the steamer the hulk sank further into the surf leaving all decks and part of the superstructure awash.”

Coast guardsman Raymond Chapman of Muskegon was injured in the rescue operations and taken to Paulina Stearns Hospital in Ludington for treatment of exposure, the newspaper reported; likely hypothermia.

“‘A sudden shift in the wind would have finished the boat for good,'” said Dick Simpell of Midland, Ont., the Novadoc’s first mate. “‘Before we were taken off this morning I would have given the boat two more hours before it broke completely apart.'”

Capt. Steip told the newspaper the storm was the worst he had experienced in his 18 years on the lakes.

Howard Goldsmith of Binghamton, Ont., another member of the crew, told the newspaper how he and seven other shipmates crawled over ice-coated and storm-twisted steel bulkheads to reach the front of the vessel.

Goldsmith said he was in the after portion where the two cooks, Joe DeShane of Toronto and Phillip Flavin of Halifax, Nova Scotia, were lost.

“‘I haven’t the slightest idea what happened to them,’ Goldsmith said. ‘When the boat started to break up, we crawled forward. Only an unbroken bulkhead made it possible for us to get there.'”

Richard H.

According to the MSRA website, the Richard H. was a steam-powered fishing tug built at Marinette, Wis. in 1923. It weighed 19 tons, 43.8 feet long with a beam of 12 feet and was originally owned by William Prue of Green Bay, Wis.

The boat’s upper structure was remodeled and cut down 10 inches when Capt. John McKay Sr. purchased her in 1939. Capt. McKay was originally from Alpena but had moved his family to South Haven in the spring of 1936. He owned several fishing tugs and a laundry business.

On Nov. 11, 1940, the Richard H. was operating in southern Lake Michigan with a three-man crew. The crew included John McKay Jr., 28. John Jr. was born in Alpena and worked for his father, working the fishing boats and driving a laundry truck. He and his wife, Blanche Maxwell, formerly of Chicago, were married in March 1940, and lived in South Haven.

Also on the crew were Stanley White, 33, and John Taylor, 35. White was on his first job with the Richard H. but was a seasoned fisherman and boatman. He had come to South Haven from Rhineland, Wis. Taylor was a father of two children and was married.

All three of the crew members that day, along with the Richard H., disappeared. John McKay Sr. was not on the boat and was involved in the search efforts.

Indian

The tug Indian was built with steam engines in 1914 by Burger Boat Co. in Manitowoc. It was 40.1 feet long, 12 feet wide and weighed 26 gross tons. In 1936, the boat was equipped with a Kahlenberg oil engine. It was purchased by James Madsen of South Haven in 1939.

Madsen, 55, was among the four man crew on Nov. 11, 1940. Also on board were Harold Richter, 35, Bill Bird, 30, Jim Madson, 55, and Art Reeves, 50.

Both the Richard H. and the Indian were fishing for trout and white fish — Nov. 11 was the opening day for trout season. The Indian left South Haven at 7:35 a.m. and the Richard H. left around 9 a.m., shortly before the U.S. Coast Guard issued storm warnings. Neither tugs received the warnings.

The storm hit the area about 1:30 p.m. The Richard H. was sighted about five miles out as sustaining winds hit 60 mph, gusting at 75 mph, and waves increased in size and velocity. Within the hour, both tugs were missing and, by 2:50 p.m., the Coast Guard launched its powered lifeboat to search for them.

The boat was crewed by First Class Boatswain’s Mate Elmer Dudley, Kenneth Cortwright, Jesse Meeker, and Alvin James.

The Coast Guard boat did not report back Monday evening. On Tuesday, Nov. 12, Coast Guard personnel patrolled the beaches between Benton Harbor and Holland with four mile intervals.

About 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 12, portions of the wrecked hull of the Indian were located by Coast Guard personnel patrolling the beach between Holland and Grand Haven. On Wednesday, Nov. 13, more wreckage of the Indian was found, along with wreckage from the Richard H. near Grand Haven. The top of the pilot house and stack for the Indian came ashore while a life jacket with broken straps and the name board from the Richard H. were found.

However, the Coast Guard boat was reported safe in Chicago. The crew had fought the weather, including 40-foot waves, for 25 hours after leaving for its search.

John Taylor Jr.’s body was found at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 16, 1940 in an inlet a half mile south of the Grand Haven breakwater. Near his body was wreckage from both tugs. His body was fully clothed and he was wearing a life preserver. His watch, removed by his three brothers when they came to identify him, had stopped at 2:53 p.m.

Taylor’s body was the only one found from the seven people. Two other life preservers from the Richard H. were found, however.

Back in Ludington, by Wednesday, Nov. 13, the four passengers from the City of Flint were removed at 1 p.m. via a Coast Guard surfboat, while 43 of the 45 crew remained on the ship; two had been removed the previous day via breeches buoy. Re-floating operations of the City of Flint began on Nov. 13 with the arrival of the diesel-powered tug Cushing of Chicago, owned by the Great Lakes Dock and Dredging Co. The Cushing and PM 21 went to the scene, just north of the north breakwater. The effort continued through the night. Hundreds of onlookers from ashore watched the scene. The City of Flint was finally freed by Thursday, Nov. 14 and towed by the tug John H. Cushing to Manitowoc at 11:20 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 15.

After repairs, the City of Flint was returned to service and continued to operate until 1967. On Dec. 24, 1969 it left Ludington via tugboats and was sold to the Norfolk and Western Railway Co. and converted to a river ferry barge named Roanoke in 1970.

By Friday, the remaining PM carferries, PM 18, PM 21, PM 22, and City of Saginaw 31 were back in operation.

The seven small Great Lakes Naval Reserves vessels departed at 9 a.m. on Friday heading to Sturgeon Bay, Wis. “where they were to undergo repairs for general damage to their hulls, experienced as they tossed violently at their anchorages in Monday night’s gale,” according to an article in the Friday, Nov. 15 edition of the Ludington Daily News.

Modern historical exhibits and memorials

The Armistice Day Storm is well documented and remembered in both Mason and Oceana counties.

The Port of Ludington Maritime Museum, operated by the Mason County Historical Society at 217 S. Lakeshore Dr. in Ludington, features a fully interactive exhibit that takes the visitor through the progression of the day’s events throughout the Midwest. It includes photographs, videos, and even a pilot house simulator, that allows one to operate the wheel (the museum also features a much larger 180-degree simulator of the carferry Pere Marquette 22 pilothouse). The exhibit, designed by Valerie van Heest of Lafferty van Heest and Associates (and also of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association), features renderings created of the wrecks produced following the 2015 dives by the MSRA. The museum is open May through October.

The Mason County Historical Society’s Rose Hawley Archives, 130 E. Ludington Ave., includes a large collection of historical documents and photographs about the storm. Find out more at masoncountymihistory.org.

The Pentwater Historical Society and Museum, 85 S. Rutledge, Pentwater, features several items from the Novadoc including the ship’s wheel, flags, lanterns and bell. It also features a commemorative silver plate presented to the Clyde Cross, owner of the Three Brothers II for his crew’s rescue of the 17 sailors of the Novadoc. The museum, open June through October, also features several documents in its archives. Find out more at pentwaterhistoricalsociety.org.

Two State of Michigan historical markers memorialize the storm. One is located at Pentwater Municipal Marina and the other is at Stearns Park in Ludington. Adjacent to the Ludington marker is a bollard mooring post and plaque that also commemorates the City of Flint 32.

A marker at Lakeview Cemetery in Ludington also memorializes the crew members of the S.S. William B. Davock and the S.S. Anna C. Minch. It is also the gravesite of three sailors who were unidentified.

Lake Michigan’s Victims

S.S. William B. Davock

Charles W. Allen, captain, Detroit

Charles A. Price, first mate, Highland Park

John Wiesen, second mate, Ashtabula, Ohio

Leroy Shurkey, third mate, Columbus, Ohio

Andrew J. Stiffler, wheelsman, Cleveland, Ohio

Walter Kiewice, wheelsman, McKean, Penn.

Frank Stanik, wheelsman, Brooklyn, NY

James D. Bowman, watchman, Lyndhurst, Ohio

Lawrence Bleshoy, watchman, Ashtabula, Ohio

Joseph Rokowski, watchman, Cleveland, Ohio

Edward E. Becker, deck watchman, St. Clair

James Gordon, deck watchman, Harrison

Martin Chambers, deck watchman, Cleveland

James Saunders, deckhand, Kenmore, NY

Sterling B. Wood, deckhand, Lorain, Ohio

Woodring Wilson, deckhand, Ashtabula, Ohio

John T. Burns, chief engineer, Toledo

Jere W. Collins, first assi. engineer, Milwaukee, Wis.

Harold F. Mullen, second assi. engineer, Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.

Arnold J. Johnson, third assi. engineer, South Chicago, Ind.

Carl J. Sharrow, oiler, Marine City

Charles W. Findlay, oiler, Ashtabula, Ohio

Jay E. Weber, oiler, Fair Haven

Frank H. Parker, fireman, Conway

Lyle F. Doyle, fireman, Ashland, Wis.

Charles M. Ferguson, fireman, Tipton, Ind.

Orville J. Shurkey, coal passer, St. Clair

Godfried J. Lietka, coal passer, Forest Hills

Homer F. Youkins, coal passer, Marine City

Lawrence D. Gonyea, steward, Duluth, Minn.

Lyle E. Campbell, second cook, Toledo

John F. Janatis, porter, Ironwood

Charles J. Flint, porter, Ashtabula, Ohio

 

S.S. Anna C. Minch

Donald A. Kennedy, captain, Collingwood, Ont.

Russell Elyea, first mate, Collingwood, Ont.

Gordon Jeffrey, second mate, Collingwood, Ont.

Vincent Reive, chief engineer, Lefroy, Ont.

James Barker, second engineer, Freeman, Ont.

Howard Kirton, steward, Owen Sound, Ont.

Mabel Kirton, steward, Owen Sound, Ont.

William Vollick, wheelsman, Midland, Ont.

Lawrence Thompson, wheelsman, Midland, Ont.

George A. Sovey, lookout, Midland, Ont.

Russell Thompson, deckhand, Midland, Ont.

Clifford Contois, deckhand, Midland, Ont.

Robert Vollick, deckhand, Midland, Ont.

Howard Contois, fireman, Midland, Ont.

Stanley McNabb, seaman, Midland, Ont.

James McEachern, seaman – Collingwood, Ont.

Charles Myers, seaman, Collingwood, Ont.

Itldon McMath, lookout, Goderich, Ont.

Dan Rose, fireman, Goderich, Ont.

Martin Dillon, seaman, Maynooth, Ont.

Irvin Gallino, seaman, Britt, Ont.

 

S.S. Novadoc

Joseph Deshaw, chief steward, Halifax, Nova Scotia

Phillip Pfalvin, assistant steward, Toronto, Ont.

 

RICHARD H

Jack McCay Jr., captain, South Haven

Stanley White, crewman, South Haven

John Taylor, crewman, South Haven

 

INDIAN

James Madsen, captain, South Haven

Chris Walkild, crewman, South Haven

Glenn Richter, crewman, South Haven

William Bird, crewman, South Haven

Arthur Reeves, crewman, South Haven

Resources:

Mason County Historical Society

Pentwater Historical Society

Michigan Shipwreck Research Association

Lafferty van Heest and Associates

Sable Points Media

Ludington Daily News

Grand Haven Tribune

Ancestry.com

Newspapers.com

National Weather Service

 

 

 

The Mason County Historical Society is a non-profit charitable organization that was founded in 1937 that does not receive any governmental funding. It owns and operates the Port of Ludington Maritime Museum in Ludington, Historic White Pine Village in Pere Marquette Township, and The Rose Hawley Archives and the Mason County Emporium and Sweet Shop in downtown Ludington.

For more information about donating to and/or joining the Mason County Historical Society, visit masoncountymihistory.org.

 

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