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Nov. 2008 Vol 13

The Explorer is a regular publication of MSRA distributed via email. For more information visit michiganshipwrecks.org

Letter From the BoardLetter From the BoardLetter From the BoardLetter From the BoardLetter From the BoardDear MSRA Members,

Greetings after a longsummer which extended into thefall and allowed MSRA toaccomplish much this year.

Summer activitiesincluded diving and documentingthe two new wrecks found withClive Cussler, as well as exploringthree newly discovered wrecks inthe northern Lake Michigan areaoff Frankfort, MI. More informationabout those activities will beincluded in our next newsletter.

The team is also workingto complete the MichiganHumanities Council Grant that hasresulted in the development of anexhibit at the Heritage Museumand Cultural Center in St. Joseph.Details about the exhibit areincluded on page 6.

Sometimes the work ofthe organization takes us indirections we would not anticipate,such as being able to host amemorial for the families of Flight2501 victims 58 years after theaccident. Being able to dosomething like this for thefamilies has been very rewardingand we appreciate the supportof all our members.

We look forward tocelebrating the year with theorganization at our third annualMSRA holiday party which willbe held on December 6th. Wehope you can all join in thefestivities. Details will follow!

Best Regards,

Craig RichCraig RichCraig RichCraig RichCraig RichDirector, MSRA

P.S. Please consider a year-endtax-deductable donation to MSRA

MSRA Hosts MemorialMSRA Hosts MemorialMSRA Hosts MemorialMSRA Hosts MemorialMSRA Hosts MemorialWNDU News Story byRyan Famuliner9-20-08

Families from acrossthe country gathered in St. Jo-seph, Michigan Saturday after-noon to finally get closure afterlosing their loved ones more than58 years ago.The story startedback in June of 1950, when North-west Airlines Flight 2501 crashedinto Lake Michigan. At the time, itwas the largest aviation disasterever in the U.S.

None of the 58 peopleon board survived, and to this dayno one really knows why theplane crashed, because thewreckage has never been found. But days after the crash debris started washing ashore, which until recentlyhad been forgotten about. Now, more than a half century later, it’s given families at least one answer.

A group based out of Holland, Michigan started searching for the remains of the plane about 5years ago. “We have yet to find the remains, but we found something more important I think,” said ValerieVan Heest with Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates (MSRA).Searching through old records, theyfound evidence of an unmarked grave. “It was about one line that basically said “plane crash victims from1950,” that were buried in Riverview Cemetery; which is where we are today,” said Chriss Lyon, anothermember of MSRA, who helped discover the unmarked mass grave. Even though most of the victims ofthe crash had their own services in towns across the country in 1950, Saturday was the first time victims

had a memorial at their true resting place. “I’m so glad. It wasreally hard to come but I thought; it’s just one day in my lifethat I really don’t want to miss,” said Elizabeth Schulze, whocame to the service from California. Her uncle died in thecrash.

Victim’s relatives wore pictures of their loved onesnear their hearts, where the memories had never left. I was16 when it happened and I can remember when my mothertold us what had happened; I thought well maybe he didn’tget on the plane, maybe he’s safe somewhere; but of coursethat wasn’t true,” Schulze said. Some human remains washedashore back in 1950. The coast guard cremated them andburied them in the Riverview Cemetery in St. Joseph. Thegrave was not marked, and no family members were evernotified. “You don’t ever quite close the door on this happen-ing because there wasn’t any closure,” Schulze said. “Wedon’t know what remains are buried there, but for the samereason I assume my mother’s are. So for the first time she'snot quote, “lost.” She’s dead, but it doesn’t have the sense of"what happened?" so much,” said Bill Kaufmann of Oakland,CA, whose mother died in the crash when he was 6 yearsold. There’s not so much sadness; I mean it’s been 58 years.

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Memorial Memorial Memorial Memorial Memorial Con’t from page 1Con’t from page 1Con’t from page 1Con’t from page 1Con’t from page 1

From the Front Page of the Herald Palladium: Sept. 21, 2008

Jeff Filbrandt of FilbrandtFuneral Home in South Havenmade all this possible. Hedonated the granite grave stoneengraved with the names of all58 victims.

Some might recall Bill Kaufmann andKen Skoug II and III who traveled herein 2006 to meet the team, attendMSRA’s annual program andparticipate in the search effort. Wewere pleased that both families couldreturn for the memorial service.

The families who traveled here forthe memorial service met after theservice at the Van Heest’s house fora gathering to remember those lostin the crash and share stories of howthey dealt with the tragic loss of theirloved ones.

They talk about completion and tying up loose ends, but there are a lot of things we still don’t knowabout,” said Robert K. Williams of Minnesota, whose cousin died in the crash.

MSRA hopes to give the families that, too, by continuing the search for the wreckage in LakeMichigan. “Finding the grave has provided one answer, and finding the plane will get the rest of theanswers,” Van Heest said. But for some the answer to, “where?” helps closure finally start. “Just to havea picture in my mind of near where the plane crashed… and the beautiful place where they’re resting,”Schulze said. A few days after the crash in June of 1950, the Korean War started. Families say thatdominated the news coverage, so they found out very few details about the crash where they lived. Noneof the victims were local. The flight left New York headed for Minneapolis, and ultimately bound forSeattle. They say it was really difficult to track down any information about the crash. MSRA also hadsome trouble tracking down all the families even now; many relatives have passed on. But they'vecontacted the majority of them, and about 10 families from as far away as Virginia and California cameto Michigan for the Ceremony Saturday. A headstone for the victims was dedicated at the ceremonySaturday, with all 58 names listed: 55 passengers, and 3 crew members.

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July’s sinking of a 65-foot motor yacht in Lake Michigan, under-scored a major rule in boating: equip your boat with goodPFDs!

This article was written by Valerie vanHeest for Lakeland Boating Magazineand will appear in an upcoming issue.

Tim Marr is no stranger to ship-wrecks. He owns Advance Scuba, a diveshop in Holland Michigan, where he

teaches diving, and operates a charter service thattakes divers to explore the numerous shipwrecks lostoff the shores of western Michigan. But Tim never ex-pected to be shipwrecked himself!

Last month this burly 46-year old former Spe-cial Forces operative, boat mechanic and Captain witha 100- ton master’s license, was retained by the ownerof a classic 65-foot, 1966 Chris-Craft “Constellation,” PIZZAZZ, to pilot the yacht from its new home portin Saugatuck, MI to Charlevoix, MI. The owner intended to drive up and meet the boat for a weekend ofcruising. July 23rd was a warm, the sky was dull and the seas were running 1-3 feet. It would be abouncy, but safe run, Tim thought, particularly for a boat of that size and condition. The beautiful 42-yearold motor yacht, with mahogany planking and teak decks, had been meticulously maintained by itsprior owner.

Tim’s 15-year old son and namesake, Tim Marr Jr., would accompany him on the run north.Timmy is no stranger to Lake Michigan; he is a certified diver and firstmate, who regularly works alongside his Dad. The father/son pair hadintended to spend a few days together in Charlevoix before the ownerarrived. The three-foot chop they set out in on Tuesday morning wouldhave more than enough to make a cruise on a smaller boat annoyingand unpleasant, but the big yacht PIZZAZZ was taking the waves com-fortably and making good headway north along Michigan’s western shore.Tim calculated they would reach Charlevoix, 220-miles distant, by lateafternoon on Wednesday.

What the father/ son crew could never have anticipated was theseries of rogue waves that hit them in the early afternoon. PIZZAZZ wasabout a mile off Little Sable Point when Tim saw a freak wave in thedistance. “Get up here Junior,” he called to his son who was down in thesalon playing Xbox, “There’s a huge wave heading our way!”

Tim held the helm steady, steering perpendicular into the freak wavebuilding from the north. PIZZAZZ reared upwards and glided nicely overthe wall of water. Tim and Timmy both breathed an audible sigh of relief,but when the onslaught of water cleared from the windshield, they couldsee several more unusually large waves. My God, Tim thought, I’ve

In the Next Issue.....In the Next Issue.....In the Next Issue.....In the Next Issue.....In the Next Issue.....

Pastor Robert Linstrom fromthe Peace Luthern Church inSouth Haven officiated at theFlight 2501 Memorial Service.

Shipwrecked! Not Just a Thing of the Past!Shipwrecked! Not Just a Thing of the Past!Shipwrecked! Not Just a Thing of the Past!Shipwrecked! Not Just a Thing of the Past!Shipwrecked! Not Just a Thing of the Past!

Tim Marr and his son Tim Jr. havealways been close, but even moreso now that they survived thesinking of the Pizzazz. At timesduring the ordeal they each fearedloosing the other.

In the weeks following the accident,Tim Marr was able to locate thewreck of the Pizzazz and attempt toretrieve some of his personalpossessions, but fewremained after thesinking. Another team ofdivers, Bill Miklosz andGordon Chapman, whoare helping to developthe West MichiganUnderwater Preservealso independantlylocated the wreck. DiverDeb Chase took thisincredible photo of thewreck and those on thenext page when visibilitywas almost 100-feet.Once final insurancework is completed on thewreck, Tim will post thecoordinates so that otherdivers may visit this wreck.

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Stay tuned for the following stories in the next issue of The Explorer:

Details and photos of the two wrecks discovered with Clive Cussler this past spring.

Stories of three newly discovered wrecks the team surveyed this past fall up in Frank-fort, Michigan with our affiliate Jed Jaworski.

MSRA member and Flight 2501 Project pilot, Kevin McGregor made an exciting discov-ery this past summer with regard to the Northwest Flight 4422 wreck he discovered inthe mountains of Alaska that was the subject of a presentation he made in Holland atMSRA’s annual program in 2007.

And if you are able to attend the MSRA Annual Christams Party on December 6th at theVan Heest’s house, you just may see your picture int he next issue of The Explorer!

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We appreciate Tim Marr’s will-ingness to share this story withour membership and the pub-lic. He feels there is somethingthat we can all learn from thisevent and the lesson may wellsave someone’s life in the fu-ture. Always have a type OnePFD, like pictured above, whenyou are on a boat..

Shipwrecked! ... Shipwrecked! ... Shipwrecked! ... Shipwrecked! ... Shipwrecked! ... Con’t from page 3Con’t from page 3Con’t from page 3Con’t from page 3Con’t from page 3never been in such big waves – they’re over ten- feet high. Tim maintained his composure andreassured his nervous son, that a boat this size could handle rough seas like they were experienc-ing. The boat rode over the second wave just like it did the first. When the next one hit, Tim’sconfidence turned to fear when he heard a loud cracking noise.

Then rather than ride up the fourth rouge wave, PIZZAZZ plowed right through it. As Timgripped the wheel, and tried to see through the cascading water, the boat didn’t feel right. When thewater cleared, He could see the boat angling down in the water, and looking down into the salon hesaw water rushing in. In a heartbeat, Tim knew the boat was sinking. His only thought was for Timmy.With one hand on the helm, he groped around the bench seat for the bag that contained the lifejackets, and struggled to pull one out and wrap it around his terrified son. They both fumbled with theclasps, but were able to secure it. “Go out back and wait for me,” Tim directed his son when he sawwater quickly filling the salon “don’t jump in yet.”

Timmy is a good swimmer, but his Dad saw the fear in his eyes. This was every parent’snightmare—a situation he had no control over that could result in the loss of his child. The boat wasangling down by the bow and water was working its way up the steps towards the pilothouse. Timwas able to radio a distress call, “May Day! May Day! Abandoning ship!” After a verbal scuffle with thecoast guardsman, who thought this was a crank call, he gave his position. When water beganlapping at his ankles, he grabbed another life jacket, threw it over one shoulder and hurried aft to joinhis son.

As the boat sank from under them, Tim gave the go-ahead to jump. “Swim hard,” he holleredto Timmy, afraid the boat would roll over on him. Timmy hit the water hard and fought his way to thesurface. The thin PFD did so little to keep his head above water and he had to tread frantically. HisDad jumped seconds later but landed in the trough of a wave. As he surfaced, and gasped for breath,he was pounded by the next breaker, taking a mouthful of water. Seeing his Dad choking and strug-gling with the lifejacket that was a tangled mess around his shoulders, Timmy now worried for thesafety of his Dad, who had always seemed invincible to him.

Timmy managed to swim the 20-feet that separated them. By then, Tim had coughed out thewater, but was still fighting the lifejacket. Timmy tried to help fasten it, but it was too tangled and everywave made it worse. They were so busy with their struggle, neither saw the boat slip beneath thewaves, but a small piece of the hull bobbed to the surface. In desperation to stay afloat, Tim grabbedonto it, ignoring the pain when twisted nails tore into his flesh.

Able to catch their breaths by holding onto the floating wood, Tim tried to calm his son byreminding him they were within site of shore, “We’re going to make it—we can swim.”

Even though the cheap lifejacket did not provide much flotation, Timmy now felt a surge ofconfidence that he could make it to shore, but he was now worried for his Dad. “I wasn’t willing toleave my Dad’s side,” he later recounted.

Just as they began to swim east towards shore, they crested a wave and saw their salvationappear. About a quarter mile distant, a boat was heading their way. Suddenly their hope diminishedwhen they saw it turn the other way. A few minutes later it turned again. “Hold on Timmy, I think they’recoming around.”

Craig Cather, the captain of the 46-foot Sea Ray, UPWORDS AND ONWORDS had seen twopeople enter the water as the big boat sank and was trying to negotiate his way to them without thesame thing happening to his boat. Finally, he got close enough to fish the twosome out of the water.

A lakefront home owner, Cindy Jurik, had seen the ordeal unfolding. She had called theCoast Guard, which had already received the mayday call and dispensed a rescue vessel andchopper, but Cather’s Sea Ray reached them first. Tim and Timmy had been in the water a total of 35minutes. Despite the relatively warm water and their proximity to shore, Timmy later recognized, “It’sa good thing the other boat picked us up, I wasn’t sure we could make it.”

Keith Pearson, a captain and salvage master of TowBoat US Chicago sees the outcome ofa number of boat accidents and sinkings each year. “A captain’s job is to stay out of trouble on thewater, but occasionally, like with these rouge waves, there’s things you can’t anticipate.” He remindsboaters, “more often than not, when there’s a massive hull breach, you have less than a minutebefore you find yourself in the water.” The Marrs had double that time, and were still not fully gearedup to hit the water.

When you think that a boat sinking can only happen to someone else, think again. It canhappen to even the most experienced captains. The Mars skirted death despite inadequate lifejacketsbecause another boater happened to be at the right place at the right time. Tim lost his laptop, hismapping software, an Xbox, a GPS, hand-held radio and all the cash he had brought along for thetrip, but he did not loose that which is most precious: his son. Tim, who is confident they could haveendured many hours in the water and easily made it to shore IF they had good lifejackets, feelscompelled to pass on the lesson he learned to other boaters: “Spend the money necessary for agood “type one” PFD, and bring it with you when you travel on someone else’s boat, rather than trustthey will be well-equipped. Stow your PFD in an accessible place near open deck; and put it on andsecure it at the first sign of trouble. Your life may depend on it.

See more photos of PIZZAZZ at the MSRA website!

Underwater Photos by Deb Chase.Her husband and dive buddy, Paul,is pictured in the second photo. Thelast photo shows the damage thewaves created.

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Finding The Hero of the S.S. MichiganFinding The Hero of the S.S. MichiganFinding The Hero of the S.S. MichiganFinding The Hero of the S.S. MichiganFinding The Hero of the S.S. MichiganSubmitted by MSRA member Alex Parker (16 years old)

There are many people in the history of mankind that have beenheroes. Most of them are unsung whose stories have never been fully told.Their brave acts for kindness are never realized. One such person was ayoung man named George Henry Sheldon.

Sheldon was born in the countryside of Vermont in 1862. Not muchis known about his childhood only that he had a couple of siblings and a civilwar veteran father. His later life is just as eluding. His story however beginson February 9, 1885. His ship, the steamer S.S. Michigan left port that snowyday in search of a boat named the Oneida. The steamer was jammed in apack of ice and drifting. Unfortunately the Michigan did not find the Oneida. Tomake matters worse the Michigan herself became trapped in ice and couldnot get out. Eventually the ice started moving and the crew was stranded.After a week it was decided about 17 of the crew would go ashore for sup-plies. They left the ship and trekked 10 hours to shore and caught a ride toGrand Haven, Michigan.

Sheldon left the 21st like the other men but came back the next daybringing cigars and newspapers for his fellow crewmembers. He made a

second trip on the 23rd, bringing back supplies once again. After he returned to the Michigan on the 25th,the ship once again drifted. After almost a month later on March 17, 1885, the S.S. Michigan gave agroan and the crew realized that she was sinking. The ice had caved in her hull. All the crew left the boatafter lowering a lifeboat. The Michigan sank stern first in almost 300 feet of water. After his ordealGeorge Sheldon would not live long. Tragically he died 5 years later of illness from his adventure. Hewas only 25 years old at the time of his death.

After I first read about this story in Valerie’s book, “Icebound! The Adventures of Young GeorgeSheldon and the SS Michigan decided to visit the grave of George Sheldon. My parents and I went southof Grand Haven after finding directions and after about a half an hour drive we came upon the gate of theLake Forest Cemetery. We went in a ways and my dad had an idea. Since the gate was open enoughfor a person to walk through we decided to go farther down the road. We then came upon the front gateof the cemetery. After getting out of our car and walking for about 10 minutes looking at gravestones mydad once again noticed something. An older part ofthe cemetery was farther down from the entrance.As we walked down right in front of me was the name“George H. Sheldon. 1862 – 1890.” I couldn’t be-lieve that we found the gravestone of a hero that fast.All 3 of us believed that George somehow guided tohis grave. I myself believe that he is happy that peopleknow his story at last.

Alex has attended many of MSRA’sprograms over the last couple years.He is a great example of how the workof MSRA is reaching the nextgeneration of historians and explorers.

Van Heest’s Book Wins Award!Van Heest’s Book Wins Award!Van Heest’s Book Wins Award!Van Heest’s Book Wins Award!Van Heest’s Book Wins Award!The Historical Society of Michigan presented Valerie van Heest with anaward for her new book on September 29, 2008. Here is what they said:Icebound! The Adventures of Young George Sheldon and the SS Michigan byValerie van Heest published by In-Depth Editions was this year’s winner in thecategory of Publications: Books - Children and Youth.An expertly crafted narrative and illustrations bring thisstory of a sunken Michigan-built passenger steamerand the discovery of its remains by a team of explor-ers to life. The book can be enjoyed by all genera-

tions as it tells the story of the book’s hero GeorgeSheldon. The story of personal dedication andresponsibility speaks to the little documented life ofcrewmen on Great Lakes steamers and can beembraced by children today.

Order your copy for Christmas: in-deptheditions.com

Valerie accepted the award at theannual meeting of the Historical Societyof Michigan at the Gerald Ford Museumin Grand Rapids. The ceremony wasfollowed by dinner at the Van AndelMuseum as well as a book signing.

Mark your calendars forNovember 25th when CraigRich and Valerie van Heest ofMSRA will present a programentitled LOST AND FOUNDSHIPWRECKS OF LAKEMICHIGAN for the HollandHistorical Society at 7:30 PMat Maas Auditorium on theHope College Campus, 264Columbia. Admission is free.Valerie will be signing herbooks there.

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MSRA Board of Directors

Valerie Olson van HeestGeoffrey ReynoldsCraig RichRoss RichardsonJack van Heest

Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates,is a Michigan 501(c) 3 nonprofit corporation,whose mission is to Preserve Michigan’ssubmerged maritime history. To that end,the organization’s work includes research,exploration, documentation and educationregarding historic shipwrecks within Michiganwaters, with an initial emphasis on the area offWest Michigan. MSRA works in cooperationwith State Agencies. As a Holland-basedvolunteer-driven organization, MSRA relieson memberships, fundraising events andgrants to continue its work.

1134 Goodwood CourtHolland, Michigan 49424

www.michiganshipwrecks.org

Associates

William Lafferty, PhDDirector of Research

Arthur AllenOceanographer, U.S.C.G.

Brendon BaillodHistorian/Writer

Jed JaworskiMaritime Historian

Dr. Guy MeadowsUniversity of Michigan

Kenneth PottMaritime Archaeologist

Dr. David SchwabOceanographer, GLERL

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MSRA is funded in part by an annual grant from theGreat Lakes Shipwreck Research Foundation, a Wisconsin 501c3

founded by Kimm Stablefeldt, Brad Friend and Jon Albrecht

New Exhibit OpensNew Exhibit OpensNew Exhibit OpensNew Exhibit OpensNew Exhibit OpensIn August the exhibit

entitled A DEEP LOOK: THERISE OF THE SELF-UN-LOADING FREIGHTERSopened at The Heritage Mu-seum and Cultural Center inSt. Joseph, MI. The exhibitwas developed as a part ofthe grant that MSRA receivedfrom the Michigan HumanitiesCouncil for the Project: FromHennepin to the thousandFooters, the Rise of the Self-Unloaders, The exhibit wasdesigned by Valerie van Heestand William Lafferty in collaboration with Museum staff including Executive Director Ken Pottand Christina Arsenau.

The opening panel gives you an overview of the exhibit as follows:The history of commercial shipping on the Great Lakes

is the history of moving bulk cargos, especially iron ore,coal, grain, and stone for our nation’s industrialization. Tensof thousands of freighters have navigated the Great Lakes,but the inland seas are dangerous. Storms and collisionsprevented many ships from reaching their destinations. Hun-dreds have ended their careers in watery graves on the bot-tom of Lake Michigan alone.

One way to learn about Great Lakes shipping is toventure underwater. Two of southern Lake Michigan’s ship-wrecks, the sailing schooner Rockaway and the steamerHennepin, represent key stages of the shipping industry.Through their study, we gain valuable new insights into the

demands of cargo transport, and how schooners evolved into the 600-foot self-unloading freight-ers that frequent St. Joseph’s harbor today.

On August 6th, Lafferty and van Heest made a presentation on behalf of MSRA at theHeritage Museum which was attended by over 100 people who were able to view the exhibit forthe first time that night. They will return in March 2009

The exhibit is the first part of a larger exhibit called Working Waterfronts which isscheduled to open in early 2009. Please plan to visit theexhibit soon.

The exhibit development and designteam is pictured right in the exhibitand includes from left to right, KenPott, Valerie van Heest, RobertDoornbos, Christina Arsenau andBill Lafferty.