Remembering the Carl D. Bradley

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Carl D Bradley on the Great Lakes

Bradley – Color – 300 dpi, photo by Presque Isle County Historical Museum.

23 women became widows in that instant and 53 children lost their fathers.
~Rogers City resident on the sinking of the Bradley

The Edmund Fitzgerald gets the majority of the attention when Michigan shipwrecks are discussed, but it can be argued (very convincingly) that the wreck of the Carl D Bradley on November 18, 1958 was the greatest of Great Lakes tragedies. 33 of 35 crewmen – most from her home port of Rogers City – perished, leaving the small city in northeastern lower Michigan stunned by grief.

Over on Absolute Michigan today we have an excellent feature from the Archives of Michigan on the Wreck of the Carl D. Bradley that includes a riveting video from the documentary November Requiem. An article by Warren J. Toussaint about the sinking begins:

Tuesday, Nov. 18, 1958, at 5:31 p.m., the limestone carrier, Carl D. Bradley, was up bound on Lake Michigan, having delivered her last limestone cargo of the year to Indiana on November 17,1958. She stayed close to the Illinois and Wisconsin shores because of reports of severe weather conditions rapidly developing from the west. As it reached the area of Sturgeon Bay, Wis., it had to turn to the northeast in order to cross the upper area of Lake Michigan on its way to the homeport of Rogers City, Mich., on Lake Huron. Suddenly, the Bradley’s steering wheel went slack, as if the gears had suddenly disconnected. On the course it was on, the winds and waves were striking the ship on the aft quarter of the port side causing the ship to rock severely. First Mate, Elmer Fleming, knew the ship was in trouble. He jerked the radio telephone from its cradle and shouted a desperate call “Mayday, Mayday, – Mayday. This is the Carl D. Bradley. Mayday Mayday Mayday.”

Read on and see much more at carldbradley.org!

The photo is one of the last known photos of the Steamer Carl D. Bradley, taken after she passed under the Mackinac Bridge and was making the turn to the southeast to set a course for Rogers City. Check it out background big and in their great Bradley Transportation Fleet slideshow. Definitely have a look at the Presque Isle County Historical Museum website for more on the Bradley and the history of the region and to order the Bradley DVD!

Edmund Fitzgerald, 1975

Posted on by farlane

Edmund Fitzgerald 1975

Edmund Fitzgerald 1975, photo by The Open Lake Group LLC

Wade writes that this photo by Roger LeLievre of the Fitzgerald as she passes downbound in the St. Mary’s River off Six Mile Point is one of his all time favorite views the Fitz. See it on black and in his Edmund Fitzgerald slideshow. Wade works the lakes and has some really cool photos of all kinds of ships in his photostream. He had this to say about the Fitz:

The 729 foot Str. Edmund Fitzgerald was launched into the Detroit River in 1958. Over the next 17 years she was considered to be the ‘best among the best” as the flagship of the Columbia Transportation Line. Sailors that worked on her took immense pride in their opportunity and she was a favorite of sailors and people ashore as well.

Lots more Edmund Fitgerald on Michigan in Pictures and definitely check out The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Joseph Fulton on Absolute Michigan – a masterful video that accompanies Gordon Lightfoot’s tribute with great footage.

Graveyard Coast II

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

"Graveyard Coast II " - (Mary Jarecki shipwreck) , Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore

“Graveyard Coast II ” – (Mary Jarecki shipwreck) , Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, photo by Michigan Nut.

Over on Absolute Michigan today we have a feature on the Alger Underwater Diving Preserve – Michigan’s first underwater preserve and one of 12 that protect over 2300 square miles of Great Lakes bottomland.

You don’t have to strap on a tank to explore some of these wrecks. John writes that the Mary Jarecki was a wooden bulk freight steam Ship of 645 tons, 200 feet in length. It grounded on Au Sable Reef and went down on July 4, 1883. She lost her way in one of the heavy fogs that frequent the area. These shipwrecks are a sobering reminder of the incredible power of Lake Superior.

Indeed. See this photo bigger and in John’s jaw-dropping Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore slideshow.

An adventure a day…

Posted on by farlane

Michigan Fall Paddle

Michigan Fall Paddle, photo by onewildwest

An adventure a day keeps the doctor away by Carol Thompson on the Great Lakes Echo is short, sweet and exactly the prescription that Michigan can be filling for an over-stressed and under-recreated nation. Carol writes:

A dose of exercise and fresh air is just what the doctor ordered.

Getting out for a bike ride is a good medicine for any Great Laker.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore is partnering with Porter Health Systems in Indiana to prescribe walks, bike rides, kayak trips and other activities to patients through the Park Prescription Program. By getting out to the park, patients will get some exercise and stress relief, while hopefully boosting visitation.

Not every prescription is the same. Before they write a prescription, Porter doctors will find the right trails and activities based on the patient’s needs and abilities. Considering there are over 40 miles of trails in the Lakeshore, there’s something for everyone.

Don’t wait for your next checkup to get out for a hike or a ride. In this case, a little self-medication might be ok!

We should probably add “paddle, ski and snowshoe” to that list. Can we take a cue from out neighbors to the south and add “Michigan is good for you” to the Pure Michigan message?

Check this out bigger and in Brent’s Random slideshow.

Rainboat … aka the State of Michigan

Posted on by farlane

Sorry about the bad link this morning…

Traverse City 9-15-2011, by Mark O’shaughnessy

It was quite the double rainbow last Thursday in the Traverse City area. I was off to the right end of the bow in Suttons Bay but I couldn’t fit it all in in any of my photos.

The boat is the State of  Michigan at the Great Lakes Maritime Academy in Traverse City, a  training ship that allows cadets to put into practice the theory and skill sets taught in the classroom. The vessel is a:

…224-foot former Navy submarine surveillance ship Persistent, which is now T/S State of Michigan. The vessel is relatively new, having been built in 1986 as part of a series of 18 Stalwart-class T-AGOS vessels designed to tow highly sensitive sonar arrays for the tracking of Soviet submarines. As the Soviet threat diminished in the 1990s, the Navy decided to decommission the T-AGOS fleet, and in 1998 Persistent and sister ship Vindicator were transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard for primary use in drug interdiction.

See the specs and check it – and Grand Traverse Bay – out on their webcam!

See this photo bigger on Facebook and see more from Mark on his photography website.

kayaker shadow

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

kayaker shadow

kayaker shadow, photo by northernlightphotograph.

Gorgeous shot from Lake Superior.

Check it out bigger and see a great series of kayaking photos in Tim’s slideshow.

Kicking back on the Kalamazoo

Posted on by farlane

The View From My Kayak "Hazy Day's of Summer"
The View From My Kayak “Hazy Day’s of Summer”, photo by Mark Workman

Mark says that he got to enjoy yet another summer sunset on Big Daily’s Bayou off the Kalamazoo River.

 

Check it out bigger and in Mark’s The View from My Kayak Slideshow.

Kayaking Under the Mighty Mac (and walking over it)

Posted on by farlane

Kayaking Under the Mighty Mac

Kayaking Under the Mighty Mac, photo by Kathleen Swinehart

This Monday (September 5th) it’s time for the annual Mackinac Bridge Walk. 2011 is the 54th annual and the walk is open to all. It starts at 7 AM and you can leave any time up to 11 AM. They have a blog with information for and about the 400 runners who won the lottery for an opportunity to take part in the early morning Mackinac Bridge Labor Day Run. It includes information for how to enter next year and I have to imagine that for a runner, the 5 mile span from the Lower to Upper Peninsula would be a pretty special memory!

Michigan in Pictures has a TON of Mackinac Bridge photos and information.

Kathleen posted this photo to the Michigan in Pictures wall on Facebook. You can see more photos that people have shared with us in our photo album. See it big as the Mighty Mac and see more in Kathleen’s My Pure Michigan album.

 

Sunset for Fishing on the Great Lakes?

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

Fishing

Fishing, photo by kevindooley.

On this photo Kevin writes:

I think one of our best indicators of the planet’s health is the price of a fish sandwich. Notice how much the price has gone up in last 5 years? It’s because we’re depleting our fisheries.

Seems to me an Earth without fish is not a good sign.

Here in the Great Lakes we are waging a desperate battle against invasive species including Asian Carp and zebra & quagga mussels. Today on Absolute Michigan I featured a sobering article about how we are losing the battle to control sea lamprey, a longtime invasive that we once had under control due to funding cuts that are projected to get even worse in the years to come. Click through to check it out and to go up close with the US Fish & Wildlife Service’s lamprey control efforts via Michigan Radio and also Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs.

View this big as the Great Lakes and in Kevin’s Lake Michigan Sunsets slideshow.

USCGC Mackinaw at the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival

Posted on by Michigan in Pictures

USCGC Mackinaw

USCGC Mackinaw, photo by loomisman.

The Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival (July 29 – August 7, 2011) has been held every year in Grand Haven. It features a parade of ships and a couple street parades, music, carnival, fireworks and all kinds of events and exhibits about the history of the United States Coast Guard. They explain:

The festival unofficially began in 1924 as a Coast Guard personnel only picnic when the local Coast Guard station held rowing competitions for those service members stationed in Grand Haven. Today the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival has become a premier event with attendance of over 350,000 people including the nations highest ranking Coast Guard dignitaries from Washington, D.C.

The focus of the annual Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival is the National Coast Guard Memorial Service honoring those who sacrificed their lives in the service of their country while fulfilling their motto “SEMPER PARATUS” (“Always Ready”). Each year since the first picnic in 1924 and the first festival in 1937, we have celebrated our heroes, the men and women of the United States Coast Guard with fun filled family events at the annual Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival. Grand Haven is honored by its designation as “Coast Guard City, USA” by an Act of Congress and signed by the President of the United States on November 13th, 1998.

Check this out bigger in in Drew’s Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival slideshow.

Michigan in Pictures has more about the US Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw.