Shipwreck That Claimed Captain’s Life in 1940 Finally Found, But Why He Went Down with Ship Remains a Mystery

“There was plenty of time for that captain to get out of his cockpit and be part of that crew that was going to be rescued,” one expert said.

A ship that sank more than eight decades ago (along with its captain) has just been discovered at the bottom of Lake Superior.

On the evening of April 30, 1940, a World War II bulk carrier, the SS Arlingtonset sail from an Ontario port loaded with wheat, and its crew was unaware of the ship’s unfortunate fate, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society said in a news release Monday.

Shortly after setting sail, the ship was caught in a storm and its captain, Frederick “Tatey Bug” Burke, made a decision that still baffles historians.

Confused by his crew and in direct defiance of his first officer — who suggested seeking shelter by a safer route up the coast — Capt. Burke ordered the 244-foot ship to stay on its course over open water, according to the historical society.

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

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The ship was wrecked in a storm, and on May 1, the crew was woken up by the sound of a trumpet in the early hours of the morning. Arlington was sinking, and her chief engineer sounded the alarm.

Fearing for their lives, Burke’s crew did not wait, but began fleeing the ship without orders from the veteran captain. Each person must have reached the Collingwoodnearby ship – except for the captain.

Just a few minutes before SS Arlington fell, Burke was seen near the ship’s wheelhouse waving Collingwoodaccording to reports from the time of the accident.

SS Arlington shipwreck.

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

Crews were confused as to why he was waving, though some theorized he was sick or had fallen, said Bruce Lynn, executive director of the historical society The New York Times.

“The stereotype is that the captain goes down with the ship,” Lynn told the news outlet. “But there was enough time for that captain to come out of his wheelhouse and be part of that crew that was going to be rescued.”

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To this day, there is no explanation for the captain’s strange behavior, says the historical society.

But now, almost 84 years after the bulk carrier sank, its wreckage has been discovered – and it may offer some answers.

What remains of SS Arlington was discovered about 650 feet below the surface of a lake about 35 miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, the historical society along with shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain announced Monday.

SS Arlington shipwreck.

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

After years of searching for wrecks in Lake Superior, Fountain came across a “particularly deep anomaly,” which he believed might be a shipwreck, and contacted the historical society for help.

Last year, Fountain joined forces with the company’s director of marine operations, Darryl Ertel, and the crew of the research vessel David Boyd to sonar the area, and they determined it was, in fact, a wreck. Shortly thereafter, they identified him as SS Arlington.

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Last year, Fountain joined forces with the company’s director of marine operations, Darryl Ertel, and the crew of the research vessel David Boyd to sonar the area, and they determined it was, in fact, a wreck. Shortly thereafter, they identified him as SS Arlington.

SS Arlington shipwreck.

Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

In a press release, Fountain said it was “exciting to solve just one more of the many mysteries of Lake Superior.”

“Having found Arlington so far out in the lake, I hope this final chapter in her story can provide some measure of closure for Captain Burke’s family,” he added.

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Source: HIS Education