ROCK CREEK — Until a week ago, the last time Dennis Hale had sailed on Lake Huron was during a November gale that claimed 28 of the 29 crew members aboard the Daniel J. Morrell.
On June 10, Hale, 69, returned to the site where the Morrell sank Nov. 29, 1966, and placed his hand on the rope that descends 285 feet to the Morrell’s mast.
“That was enough for me, putting my hand over the side (the boat) and holding it. That gave me a closeness,” Hale said of his visit to the Morrell’s grave last week.
The two-hour boat trip out of Bad Axe, Mich., was arranged by a Canadian film crew working on an installment of “Deep Sea Detectives,” which airs on several documentary channels. The filming also included a stop at Harbor Beach, where Hale was first taken after being rescued from the icy lake shore.
The installment in which Hale is to appear deals with the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. To help shed light on what might have happened to the Fitzgerald, Hale was called upon to tell his story of survival. He spent 34 hours on a life raft on Lake Huron, huddled under the frozen bodies of other sailors, after the Morrell broke in half.
Hale wrote a book about his experience and has an autobiography ready for publication this year. He frequently speaks at libraries, museums and schools about the Morrell and the night she sank, but until this month Hale had rejected offers to return to the site, including one to visit it in a submarine.
This offer was different, however.
“I just felt that, for my own peace of mind, I had to do it,” he said. “Needless to say, it was pretty emotional and a frightening thing. I’ve always had this feeling it missed me the first time and would get me the last time.”
As it turned out, the day of the recent trip was beautiful, and it went without incident. Hale spent about six hours at the site, much of it being interviewed. As he shared his recollections of the sinking and his ordeal on the life raft, divers followed the yellow rope down to the site and filmed the wreckage. Hale says he did not see any video feed from the depths, but the crew is supposed to send him a DVD of their shoot.
“I was surprised I handled it as well as I did,” Hale said. “I had feelings about not going, but I felt I had to do it.”
Hale planned to place a wreath on the water — the bodies of several crew members are believed to be in the ship — but decided against it because it would signal separation and closure. That fateful night of Nov. 29, 1966, did more than change the direction of Hale’s life: It gave him a mission.
“I want to keep the memory of the Morrell alive,” he said. “I don’t want it to die, at least as long as I’m alive.”
Local News
Related Photos
Discussion
Daniel J. Morrell’s sole survivor
Dennis Hale visits site for TV documentary
- Local News
-
-
Sports, academics to come together
SPIRE Institute will expand its educational base and accept international students into its sports performance programs through a partnership with the Andrews Osborne Academy, Ted Meekma, SPIRE management team member, announced Wednesday.
-
Grand Valley sixth grader wins Ashtabula County Spelling Bee
James Elliott, a sixth grader at Grand Valley Middle School, clinched his win of the 29th annual Ashtabula County Area V Spelling Bee by successfully spelling the words “physique” and “daffodil.”
-
Conneaut Chamber lauds top citizen, ‘Champions’
Nicholas Iarocci, Conneaut’s 2011 Citizen of the Year, needed plenty of gulps of water to complete his acceptance speech Tuesday night.
-
Conneaut’s unpaved roads will get priority status in 2012
Secondary roads in Conneaut will get the lion’s share of attention from the Public Works’ Department this year, said City Manager Tim Eggleston.
-
Felony charge filed in robbery
An Ashtabula woman who police said grabbed a woman’s purse inside a Conneaut supermarket late Monday afternoon faces a felony charge in Conneaut Municipal Court, according to reports.
-
Ashtabula County building projects readied for bids
Up to four improvement projects for county-owned buildings are being lined up for bids in the next month.
-
City of Ashtabula looking for new auditor
Six candidates have applied for city auditor, which City Council President J.P. Ducro IV says he hopes to fill by the end of March.
-
Red Cross holding breakfast for ‘Community Heroes’
The Red Cross Community Heroes Breakfast will honor 12 county residents March 3 at the Bernard Vacca Community Center.
-
New film showcases county’s scenic rivers
Ohio’s Scenic Rivers program, which protects stretches of 14 waterways — including three in Ashtabula County — is the focus of a new movie by a Dayton-based independent filmmaker.
-
Students can donate clothing to Goodwill
Many Ashtabula Area City Schools students will find themselves cleaning out their closets this week.
- More Local News Headlines
-
Sports, academics to come together
