You won't hear Gordon Lightfoot on the radio singing about the sinking of the S.S. Carl D. Bradley but man if you did, you'd be enthralled. Gordon did sing about the sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald but the sinking of the Bradley on Lake Michigan back in 1958 was deadlier and even had a few more interesting story points.

Take for instance the fact that the Bradley had survivors. Two to be exact. The death toll was larger too. 33 died on the night of the sinking on November 18th, 1958. 4 men clung to some flotsam and jetsam after the ship split in two and sunk to the bottom of Lake Michigan but only two survived.

The last surviving member of the S.S. carl Bradley crew has died. Frank Mays lived to tell the incredible tale of surviving the sinking and even wrote a compelling book that shared his harrowing tale of survival that night. The Besser Museum for Northeast Michigan announced his death on Friday.

 

“Our staff meets many local authors, artists, and interesting people who pass through our door,” staff at the museum in Alpena wrote on Facebook. “…It was truly an honor to meet such an amazing, positive man and hear of his many life adventures. He will be missed.” - MLIVE

An unbelievable 22 out 33 deaths that occurred that night were souls from one small Michigan town - Rogers City

“The Edmund Fitzgerald gets lots of attention, because of the Gordon Lightfoot song and the speculation on what caused it to sink. However, the Bradley sinking claimed more lives, featured an unbelievable night of four men clinging to a small raft and the thrilling rescue attempt,” said Eric Gaertner, a news leader for MLive in Grand Rapids who wrote a book about the wreck called “Torn in Two: The True Story of the Carl D. Bradley Sinking and the Challenges for Those Left Behind.” - MLIVE

Read more on the wreck of the Bradley HERE

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