Daniel J. Morrell,
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum,
& Undersea Research Associates
Collaborative Project
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/6/2/106221155/published/img-2841-john-debeck_2.jpg)
The personal drama linked to the Morrell tragedy has come to a point in time where perhaps some good can come from the sinking and the suffering of family and friends. A new page is about to be written to help tell the tale of the Daniel J. Morrell.
In 2015 the sole survivor of the Morrell sinking, Dennis Hale, passed away. Barbara Hale, his wife, and members of many other families that lost crew members during the Morrell sinking, have decided to donate memorabilia they had collected over many years to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, MI.
John DeBeck, who was close friends with Dennis Hale for 30 years and is a director of a museum in Green Bay, WI, was asked by Barb to help her find a museum that would do an exhibit on the MORRELL, and after much research and interviews, the GLSM was chosen. DeBeck, along with GLSM executive director Bruce Lynn and a committee of experts, is leading a program to collect and preserve all of this material in a new display that is scheduled to premier around June 2020. As a small part of this effort John contacted Dave Trotter and asked if it would be possible for URA to participate in the new display by revisiting the sunken Daniel J. Morrell … and using URA's more modern survey techniques, and URA's outstanding group of technical divers, to perform a limited archaeological survey of the sinking sites (both bow and stern). We eagerly agreed!
"With Dave being the man who found the MORRELL in 1979, and his expertise in the field, once we had the chance to meet, chat, and build a friendship, I thought this would be a great way for him to "bookend" a fabulous career in maritime research and history," DeBeck said. "It is an honor and a privilege to have the knowledge of Dave and the URA staff involved in this special project."
Additionally, the Great Lakes Lore Museum, and the associated Sailors Hall of Fame, will be inducting the 29 men from the MORRELL posthumously in 2020 as well. An extended weekend event is planned for both the exhibit opening and the inductions. People can follow the entire project at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/390567648338141/
In 2015 the sole survivor of the Morrell sinking, Dennis Hale, passed away. Barbara Hale, his wife, and members of many other families that lost crew members during the Morrell sinking, have decided to donate memorabilia they had collected over many years to the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, MI.
John DeBeck, who was close friends with Dennis Hale for 30 years and is a director of a museum in Green Bay, WI, was asked by Barb to help her find a museum that would do an exhibit on the MORRELL, and after much research and interviews, the GLSM was chosen. DeBeck, along with GLSM executive director Bruce Lynn and a committee of experts, is leading a program to collect and preserve all of this material in a new display that is scheduled to premier around June 2020. As a small part of this effort John contacted Dave Trotter and asked if it would be possible for URA to participate in the new display by revisiting the sunken Daniel J. Morrell … and using URA's more modern survey techniques, and URA's outstanding group of technical divers, to perform a limited archaeological survey of the sinking sites (both bow and stern). We eagerly agreed!
"With Dave being the man who found the MORRELL in 1979, and his expertise in the field, once we had the chance to meet, chat, and build a friendship, I thought this would be a great way for him to "bookend" a fabulous career in maritime research and history," DeBeck said. "It is an honor and a privilege to have the knowledge of Dave and the URA staff involved in this special project."
Additionally, the Great Lakes Lore Museum, and the associated Sailors Hall of Fame, will be inducting the 29 men from the MORRELL posthumously in 2020 as well. An extended weekend event is planned for both the exhibit opening and the inductions. People can follow the entire project at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/390567648338141/
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/6/2/106221155/published/morrell-bow-composite_2.png)
In June of 2019 the URA team ran our Klein side scan SONAR over both bow & stern sites from multiple directions … giving us a very detailed view of not only the major parts of the shipwreck(s) and the associated debris fields from both sites. It was an interesting, and unexpected, result … as multiple targets of considerable size were obvious with the new side scan imagery. It was quickly discussed with John DeBeck, and a plan was put into place to dive both sites and explore and identify the new debris targets, and also to provide a detailed archaeology survey of several major components of the ship … such as the condition and location of hatches, hatch divots, a close visual and imagery of the failure points in the hull as well as several large cracks near the major failure split of the bow/stern. With limited time on the ship at 200' a priority plan was mapped out by URA with John's inputs.
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/6/2/106221155/published/morrell-stern-composite_2.png)
On Sunday August 26th the URA team performed the first dives on the bow section of the Daniel J. Morrell to perform the priority tasks assigned to the bow section. Four divers … all with multiple video cameras, descended to the 208' depth and spent 3/4 of an hour on the bow wreckage. Over 44 GB of simply outstanding digital video was acquired in stunning Lake Huron visibility. Some of the initial internal video when the divers "penetrated" the inside of the bow looks stunning! The divers were Keith Colombo, Chad Brunner, Andrew Pixley, & Martin Lutz. Surface support was provided by Dave Trotter, Mike Michaels, and John Debeck.
URA's next target will be the Morrell stern with its own set of exploration & archaeological documentation tasks.
URA's next target will be the Morrell stern with its own set of exploration & archaeological documentation tasks.
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/6/2/106221155/whitefish-lighthour-museum_2.jpg)
STAY TUNED ...
URA WILL ADD SELECTED CONTENT TO OUR SITE AS A TEASER AS WE CONTINUE OUR PART OF THE JOINT PROJECT ... BUT, WE'LL HOLD BACK ALL OF THE REALLY GOOD MATERIAL UNTIL THE BIG OPENING OF THE DANIEL J. MORRELL EXHIBIT IN JUNE 2020 AT THE GREAT LAKES SHIPWRECK MUSEUM AT WHITEFISH POINT IN UPPER MICHIGAN ON LAKE SUPERIOR. (See Map)
Check out some of the images in the 2019 Activity webpage!
URA WILL ADD SELECTED CONTENT TO OUR SITE AS A TEASER AS WE CONTINUE OUR PART OF THE JOINT PROJECT ... BUT, WE'LL HOLD BACK ALL OF THE REALLY GOOD MATERIAL UNTIL THE BIG OPENING OF THE DANIEL J. MORRELL EXHIBIT IN JUNE 2020 AT THE GREAT LAKES SHIPWRECK MUSEUM AT WHITEFISH POINT IN UPPER MICHIGAN ON LAKE SUPERIOR. (See Map)
Check out some of the images in the 2019 Activity webpage!
Article from Ashland Daily Press - Sept 14, 2015
![Picture](/uploads/1/0/6/2/106221155/dennis-hale_2.jpg)
Dennis Hale, survivor of SS Daniel J. Morrell wreck, dies
Hale filled the Martin Hanson Theatre at the Visitor Center to overflowing when he came in June of 2012 to promote his autobiography “Shipwrecked: Reflections of the Sole Survivor.” The book was his account of the foundering of the SS Daniel J. Morrell, and his survival on the storm-tossed waters of Lake Huron for 38 hours.
“It was standing room only,” recalled Kristin Connell, who helped organize the event for the Apostle Islands Preservation Conservancy. “People were sitting in the aisles on steps. When Dennis starts talking, the room is completely still. People want to meet him, talk with him, and just be around him. Dennis had charisma that people were drawn to.”
Connell said Hale was a sincere and humble person with an air of serenity surrounding him.
“It was always something to observe how Dennis tried to talk with each person,” she said. “Somebody said he was like a rock star with his followers.”
Perhaps the most remarkable part of his spellbinding presentation was that for years he refused to talk about the harrowing episode. But that changed and he was been able to deal with the post-traumatic stress from the sinking with patient therapy with a trusted psychologist.
One can well understand Hale’s reluctance to speak of the matter — he watched as three of his shipmates froze to death in a life raft with him in the terrible storm of Nov. 29, 1966.
For Hale and the rest of the crew of the Morrell, the first indication that there was any trouble came at about 2 a.m. on Nov. 29, 1966, as the ship labored against the gale in Lake Huron, on the waters north of Pointe Aux Barques, Mich.
Hale had gone off duty and was asleep in his bunk when the crisis occurred.
“It was like a loud explosion; that was the bottom letting go,” he said in a 2012 interview with The Daily Press.
Quickly awakening, Hale discovered that the lights were out. Grabbing a life jacket, he ran outside where he heard shouts to put on lifejackets. Hale went back into the berthing cabin to find his clothes, but all he could find was a Navy peacoat so donning that, he went back out on deck.
There he saw a truly horrible sight — the center of the ship was higher than the stern, a condition known as hogging, which indicated that the vessel’s back was broken. Rivets were popping out of steel plates and metal groaned, cracked and tore under the tremendous pressures of the waves. As the stern of the ship raised, the crew knew she was doomed.
“All of us got on the raft that was sitting on the boat,” Hale said. “But a huge 35-foot rogue wave tossed the raft and crewmen overboard.
“Fortunately, I was on the side where the raft was. By the time I swam to it, two other guys had already swum to it,” Hale said. “I got in and we helped boost one other man into it.”
It was but a temporary reprieve. What the wind and waves started, the terrible cold finished, as by six in the morning, two men who made it to the raft froze to death. By four p.m. the last survivor, other than Hale, died of exposure.
It was not until 38 hours after the ship broke in half that the Coast helicopter finally located Hale and his three lifeless companions.
Surviving, albeit with the loss of parts of several frostbitten toes, Hale had to contend with the guilt of being the only survivor, something he said haunted him for many years.
That changed after years of therapy and writing the book that told his tale.
“Writing the book has been very cathartic for me,” Hale said.
Hale made it a mission during the final years of his life to tell the tale of the men who went down with the Morrell, lest their story be lost to the mists of time.
“I eat, live and sleep with the shipwreck; it is constantly on my mind. I constantly wonder about my friends,” he said. “I think about it every day. I think it’s mostly to try and keep the memories alive and I think maybe that’s my purpose.”
Hale will be remembered by many because of his inspiring tale of survival and fortitude, his ability to wrestle with adversity not just following the shipwreck, but in the years that followed it and finally, in the end triumph and to inspire others by his example. Not the least of these is Connell, whose father narrowly escaped being on the Morrell when it went down. He was a Great Lakes seaman who had been a porter on the Morrell, but was taken off the boat at Sault Ste. Marie with a case of pneumonia. She said she was thrilled by Hale’s presentation at the Visitor Center.
“After his return to Ohio, we remained in touch via phone calls and emails,” she recalled. “He was instrumental with the induction of my father into the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum in August of 2013. I last saw him this past November in Duluth where he presented at the ‘Gales of November’ gathering.”
Dennis Hale survived an ordeal that very few people could, Connell said. “He was a great man and I will miss my friend very much,” she said. “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet Dennis, have him come to our home, and sit at our table for dinner allowing me that time to ask more questions.”
Hale’s book remains on sale at “The Keeper of the Lighthouse” in Bayfield and other area outlets.
- RICK OLIVO [email protected]
- Sep 14, 2015
- The former Great Lakes mariner who packed people into the Northern Great Lakes Visitor Center to hear his epic tale of surviving the sinking of his ship has died at his home of Ashtabula, Ohio.
Hale filled the Martin Hanson Theatre at the Visitor Center to overflowing when he came in June of 2012 to promote his autobiography “Shipwrecked: Reflections of the Sole Survivor.” The book was his account of the foundering of the SS Daniel J. Morrell, and his survival on the storm-tossed waters of Lake Huron for 38 hours.
“It was standing room only,” recalled Kristin Connell, who helped organize the event for the Apostle Islands Preservation Conservancy. “People were sitting in the aisles on steps. When Dennis starts talking, the room is completely still. People want to meet him, talk with him, and just be around him. Dennis had charisma that people were drawn to.”
Connell said Hale was a sincere and humble person with an air of serenity surrounding him.
“It was always something to observe how Dennis tried to talk with each person,” she said. “Somebody said he was like a rock star with his followers.”
Perhaps the most remarkable part of his spellbinding presentation was that for years he refused to talk about the harrowing episode. But that changed and he was been able to deal with the post-traumatic stress from the sinking with patient therapy with a trusted psychologist.
One can well understand Hale’s reluctance to speak of the matter — he watched as three of his shipmates froze to death in a life raft with him in the terrible storm of Nov. 29, 1966.
For Hale and the rest of the crew of the Morrell, the first indication that there was any trouble came at about 2 a.m. on Nov. 29, 1966, as the ship labored against the gale in Lake Huron, on the waters north of Pointe Aux Barques, Mich.
Hale had gone off duty and was asleep in his bunk when the crisis occurred.
“It was like a loud explosion; that was the bottom letting go,” he said in a 2012 interview with The Daily Press.
Quickly awakening, Hale discovered that the lights were out. Grabbing a life jacket, he ran outside where he heard shouts to put on lifejackets. Hale went back into the berthing cabin to find his clothes, but all he could find was a Navy peacoat so donning that, he went back out on deck.
There he saw a truly horrible sight — the center of the ship was higher than the stern, a condition known as hogging, which indicated that the vessel’s back was broken. Rivets were popping out of steel plates and metal groaned, cracked and tore under the tremendous pressures of the waves. As the stern of the ship raised, the crew knew she was doomed.
“All of us got on the raft that was sitting on the boat,” Hale said. “But a huge 35-foot rogue wave tossed the raft and crewmen overboard.
“Fortunately, I was on the side where the raft was. By the time I swam to it, two other guys had already swum to it,” Hale said. “I got in and we helped boost one other man into it.”
It was but a temporary reprieve. What the wind and waves started, the terrible cold finished, as by six in the morning, two men who made it to the raft froze to death. By four p.m. the last survivor, other than Hale, died of exposure.
It was not until 38 hours after the ship broke in half that the Coast helicopter finally located Hale and his three lifeless companions.
Surviving, albeit with the loss of parts of several frostbitten toes, Hale had to contend with the guilt of being the only survivor, something he said haunted him for many years.
That changed after years of therapy and writing the book that told his tale.
“Writing the book has been very cathartic for me,” Hale said.
Hale made it a mission during the final years of his life to tell the tale of the men who went down with the Morrell, lest their story be lost to the mists of time.
“I eat, live and sleep with the shipwreck; it is constantly on my mind. I constantly wonder about my friends,” he said. “I think about it every day. I think it’s mostly to try and keep the memories alive and I think maybe that’s my purpose.”
Hale will be remembered by many because of his inspiring tale of survival and fortitude, his ability to wrestle with adversity not just following the shipwreck, but in the years that followed it and finally, in the end triumph and to inspire others by his example. Not the least of these is Connell, whose father narrowly escaped being on the Morrell when it went down. He was a Great Lakes seaman who had been a porter on the Morrell, but was taken off the boat at Sault Ste. Marie with a case of pneumonia. She said she was thrilled by Hale’s presentation at the Visitor Center.
“After his return to Ohio, we remained in touch via phone calls and emails,” she recalled. “He was instrumental with the induction of my father into the Great Lakes Lore Maritime Museum in August of 2013. I last saw him this past November in Duluth where he presented at the ‘Gales of November’ gathering.”
Dennis Hale survived an ordeal that very few people could, Connell said. “He was a great man and I will miss my friend very much,” she said. “I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to meet Dennis, have him come to our home, and sit at our table for dinner allowing me that time to ask more questions.”
Hale’s book remains on sale at “The Keeper of the Lighthouse” in Bayfield and other area outlets.