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About the
book . . .
On November 18, 1958, the Carl D. Bradley, a 640-foot self-unloading
limestone carrier, sank during a Lake Michigan storm. Thirty-three men
perished, fifteen of whom were never recovered. Only two survived, First
Mate Elmer Fleming and Frank Mays, a deck watchman.
Less than seven years later, on May 7, 1965, the S/S Cedarville sank in
the Straits of Mackinac after colliding with a Norwegian salty, the M/V Topdalsfjord. At the time of the collision, the Cedarville was loaded
with more than 14,000 tons of open hearth limestone. Ten Cedarville
crewmen lost their lives, one of whom was never found. Like the Carl D.
Bradley, the Cedarville’s home port was Calcite, located in Rogers City,
Michigan.
Mayday! contains more than 80 photographs, illustrations and maps. It
details the loss of the Carl D. Bradley, the rescue attempts of the U.S.
Coast Guard, and the devastating impact the shipwreck had on Rogers
City, Michigan, where most of the sailors were from. It further details
the results of the latest deep-water dives on the Bradley wreck, which
have sought to answer one of the greatest questions about the Bradley
sinking – did the ship really break in two?
The book discusses the "nautical confusion" as the Cedarville and
Topdalsfjord converged in heavy fog in the Straits of Mackinac, as well
as the fatal navigation error which contributed to the deaths of ten
Cedarville crewmen. The official U.S. Coast Guard Reports of Great
Lakes’ tragedies are also included.
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