Underwater Images of the Wreck of the Carl D. Bradley, Lake Michigan
The SS Carl D. Bradley was a freighter that sank during a Lake Michigan storm on November 18, 1958. Out of 35 crew members, 33 lives were lost.
Built in 1927, the ship was nicknamed "Queen of the Lakes" due to it being the largest – and longest - Great Lakes freighter.
The Carl D. Bradley was used as an icebreaker thru the Mackinac Straits during the freezing winter months, helping the smaller ships and boats leave port. On November 18, 1958, while on its way to Rogers City from Gary, Indiana, the ship encountered gales from 25 to 65 miles per hour. The ship captain, Roland Bryan, was a bull when it came to bad weather – he was intent on getting the cargo to its destination on time and carried on through a lot of bad weather. Even so, he had doubts about this particular trip.
At 5:35 p.m. just a few miles southwest of Gull Island, Bryan heard a loud thud followed by a strange vibration. The stern began sagging and Bryan ordered engines to be stopped and abandon ship. The crew scurried to put on their life jackets as the ship was breaking in half.
There was only one life raft in the bow and two lifeboats in the stern. As the crew attempted to lower the lifeboats, one got tangled up in cables and the other was hanging in a position that made it impossible to board. Once the bow sank, the life raft got thrown away from the sinking ship. Four crew members made it to the raft but huge waves kept pounding away and only two of the four men survived.
Nearby, a German cargo ship witnessed the sinking and then heard an explosion; flames and ship pieces shot up into the air and they realized the Bradley had blown up.
Out of the entire crew, there are still fifteen bodies that have never been recovered.
The ship currently sits 375 feet underwater 12 miles southwest of Gull Island.
Shipwreck of the Carl D. Bradley, Lake Michigan
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