Remains of Dead Crewmen Returning to Sunken Wreck of Steamship Cedarville

November 20, 2011
By: Dave Rogers

It could be a theme of an underwater horror movie.

Or an inspirational tribute to stalwart men of the sea who never lose their affection for the old ships on which they once served.

Seven years ago a diver reported on an Internet website:

"We just 'buried' a former Cedarville crewman on the wreck yesterday. The man was an oiler on the Cedarville and his son (another diver) sprinkled his ashes on the stern area with a short service; it was really touching."

Now, even more incredibly, another crew member "sleeps" in his former bunk aboard the ship, his cremains soundly preserved in a metal box.

The latest part of the saga of the ship, sunk in a collision with the Norwegian freighter Topdalsfjord on May 7, 1965, was related Saturday night by Gary Skory, director of the Midland County Historical Museum.

Mr. Skory spoke during a a Saginaw River Marine Historical Society presentation on the Cedarville at the Bay County Historical Museum.

He said the placement of the box with the cremains of the former crew member was approved by authorities with control over underwater preserves.

Several Great Lakes divers who have visited the Cedarville wreck, including Ron Bloomfield, director and curator of the Bay County Historical Museum, were on hand for the presentation.

And this columnist recalls one of his most exciting, and heart-wrenching, assignments in covering the collision and wreck on that foggy day 46 years ago at the Straits of Mackinac.

Bay City Times Photographer Dick Hardy and myself, the reporter, representing the Associated Press, were flown to Pellston by private plane piloted by Dr. James C. Cooper. Heavy fog, that had contributed to the collision, prevented landing any closer to the straits than the small town of Pellston about 20 miles south.

Arriving in the afternoon, too late to do much more than interview and photograph a few of the anxious relatives standing helplessly on a dock, Mr. Hardy and I stayed overnight in a Mackinaw City motel.

I have described that night as one of the longest in my life, the incessant foghorn that sounded as if it was right outside our window, blasting every opportunity for rest.

In the morning we rented a fishing boat and visited the scene, an exercise that turned out to be useless since we could see nothing but ominous bubbles, and now and then a blob of oil, coming to the surface near a bobbing buoy marking the site of the sinking.

Because it lies in relatively shallow water, the Cedarville is considered one of the most accessible wrecks on the Great Lakes.

A divers' website, straitscuba.com, summarizes the events of the wreck and the current status of the underwater wreck as follows:

"This modern shipwreck is the result of controversial conduct by two ships. Carrying a cargo of limestone, the Cedarville was westbound when she ran into very heavy fog. The Cedarville continued moving relying on her radar and radio contact. The M.V. Topdalsfjord did not respond by radio resulting in confusion by the Cedarville officers. When the ships were near collision, the Cedarville attempted an emergency turn but was struck hard port amidships. She sank quickly, settling in two parts at approximately a 45-degree angle. The Cedarville was found at fault. Eight lives were lost.

"She was heavily salvaged because of her close proximity to the surface. Today, her cargo of limestone lies spilled on the lake floor alongside her unloader.

"Present condition: The Cedarville is in very good condition. While much of her ship stores and gear have been removed, she still has much to explore. Her cargo holds are very large, the pilothouse is easily accessible, the forward and stern crew quarters are intact, and her engine room is accessible. No penetration should be attempted without proper training. Hazards are present on the ship including open doors and hatchways, entangling line, confined spaces and heavy interior silt.

"Diving conditions: The ship is quickly accessed because of the closeness of her keel to the surface. A current can be present. Visibility is usually fair but it can turn poor depending, in part, on the current."

Among the 13 shipwreck dive sites in the straits, including the Cedarville, two have Bay City connections. The Eber Ward, a 213 foot long wooden steamer built in West Bay City in 1888, was lost when it hit an ice floe April 20, 1909. Eight men were saved but five perished.

The Fred McBrier, 161 foot long wooden propeller steamer built in West Bay City in 1881, was carrying iron ore and towing two barges when it was struck the night of Oct. 3, 1890, by the larger Progress, a propeller vessel. All crew members were saved. ###