AH-WR-0758

SS Daniel J. Morrell

Bulk Freighter · United States · Lost 1966 · Saginaw Bay & the Michigan Thumb

A 603-foot ore carrier that broke in half in a November 1966 storm on Lake Huron, leaving one survivor of 29.

Become Captain of Record See Shipwreck on Map

Artistic recreation based on recorded historical documents. See the documented evidence.

Historically Reconstructed. Drawn from partial documentation of this vessel together with her known class and configuration. See the documented evidence.

The Vessel and Her Loss

Daniel J. Morrell was a 60-year-old steel freighter running light on Lake Huron when a severe November storm broke her hull in two. The bow sank almost immediately; the stern continued under power for several miles before it too went down. Only watchman Dennis Hale survived, enduring nearly 38 hours on a life raft before rescue. The wreck's two widely separated sections are now a well-known technical dive site.

Vessel

Built: 1906
Builder: West Bay City Ship Building Co.
Yard: West Bay City, Michigan
Material: Steel
Length: 603 ft
Beam: 58 ft
Tonnage: 7239
Propulsion: Steam, single screw
Owners: Cambria Steamship Company

Loss

Date: November 29, 1966
Cause: Storm
Location: North of Harbor Beach, Lake Huron
Water: Lake Huron
Voyage: Not established
Cargo: Light, in ballast
Aboard: 29
Lives lost: 28
Master: Not established

The Wreck Today

Depth: 205-218
Condition: Broken in two; both bow and stern sections sit upright and largely intact several miles apart.
Orientation: Upright
Discovered: Stern located 1967; bow located 1979
Protection: Within Thumb Area Bottomland Preserve