The Devastating Great Lakes Storm of 1940

On Monday, November 11th, 1940, a massive unexpected blizzard overtook the Great Lakes region. Dubbed the Armistice Day Blizzard, the storm left a path of devastation and sank 3 large freighters, the SS Anna C. Minch, the SS Novadoc, and the SS William B. Davock.

Music:

Sources:
True Tales of the Great Lakes by Dwight Boyer
Strange Adventures of the Great Lakes by Dwight Boyer
Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals by William Ratigan

Chapters:
00:00 Tacoma Narrows Bridge
3:30 Chapter 1: A Beautiful Sunrise
7:27 Chapter 2: Duck Hunters
9:08 Chapter 3: Death on the Horizon
12:17 Chapter 4: Sudden Chaos
15:32 Chapter 5: The Maelstrom
20:09 Chapter 6: They Never Had a Chance

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[BigOldBoats]

Thank you so much for watching! What other stories would you like to see on the channel?

[carlmontney]

Those who've never lived along the Great lakes have no idea how severe the storms can be. Very brave sailors serve on ships that sail the lakes.

[Dulcimertunes]

Lifelong Midwest resident here. If the November weather stays warm, it’s ok. If it TURNS warm-watch out!

[Steven-emif]

As a lifelong yooper the great lakes have always been a part of my life. When I watch videos like this I think of my best friend. He was a commercial fisherman and lost his life on Lake Michigan in a bad November storm.😞 Rest in peace Cliff.

[Ohiotrucker]

Moral of the story. "Red sky at night sailors delight, Red sky in the morning sailors warning.

[geralddrake]

My grandmother's cousin was on the Davock, and she would talk about how she could still hear her aunt's cry's of grief when she got the news that her son had gone down with the ship, it was something that her aunt never really recovered from.

[robertwerner]

As a teenager growing up in Pentwater MI in the 1990s I had the opportunity to meet Lloyd Belcher, a helmsman on the Novadoc at the time of her sinking (can't remember if he was at the helm when she grounded.). He was visiting from Canada to give a presentation about the events he experienced, and later he and his family went out on my father's boat and we took them to the wreck site. All those decades later and he still remembered where the remains of the ship were. On a calm day you can still see what is left of the wreck buried in the sand off Juniper Beach near the Silver Lake sand dunes.

[Randolph_Carter]

My father used to say that the sea is a beautiful lover, but a cruel mistress. I guess that goes for the Great Lakes also.

[skycaptain]

I love your Great Lakes content. I recently visited the region again touring Manitowoc’s excellent Maritime Museum and did a crossing on the SS Badger. So much history in those lakes. Our crossing of Lake Michigan was glassy smooth - heard a daughter ask her father why there weren’t waves - he told her “because this isn’t an ocean.” He has no idea…

[scooterc]

Thank you for another Great Lakes story! This time you mentioned Ludington, MI, which is my home town and 2 ships the car ferries Pere Marquette 21 and The City of Flint, both of which I would later sail many times as a passenger. My father was an able seaman for the C&O railroad car ferries in the 1960’s. When I was born, there were 7 ships in the C&O fleet, including SS Badger, that still sails today from Ludington to Manitowoc, WI. She’s the last coal fired steam powered ship in North America. My father could get us free passage whenever we wanted and I cherish those memories as a young lad absolutely mesmerized by ships and sailing the Great Lakes! Thank you for giving an old man passage once again on a trip down memory lane! Oh, and the Galloping Gerdy into was excellent! I never realized it was the same storm that took down the Tacoma Narrows Bridge that later became the Armistice Day storm! Fascinating! You really have a gift for historical accuracy and narration! I can’t wait for your next video! As always, great work!

[dukecity]

I find myself humming "the wreck of the edm Fitzgerald" a lot. I think about these ships and the men who sailed on them. This was a well told story. I appreciated it.

[albertgreene]

This has to be one of the most metal YouTube channel ever

[pedalpower]

red sky at night - sailors delight, red sky in morning - sailors take warning

[happyhighway]

#180 I have crewed aboard the SS Pere Marquette 21 and wheeled the ship on occasions, also. I am 76 now and thank you for the history. We used full gear to tie down the rail cars. Clamps, Jaxs, Turnbuckles, chains, etc. Those of us that worked the deck, developed some pretty good muscles. No need to work out at the gym.

[boydwalker]

My mom was 8 years old living with her mom and sisters in a one room apartment in a little bungalow besides a house. This was in the little town of Grand Meadow in S.E. Minnesota. The wind was so fierce that my moms mother was using a table knife to shove cloth into the gaps in the walls and door. As soon as she plugged one the intense wind blew another one out of the gap. Many hunters died trying to get back onto shore or once back on shore didn’t make it to their vehicle.

[kittybitts]

I stop everything if I can for a Big Old Boats videos. God bless the souls of those lost to the storms that rock the Great Lakes.

[jamesnelson]

My grandfather was a riveter at Manitowoc Ship building from 1915-1959. The carferry CITY OF MIDLAND 41 was under construction at that time, during the storm. Grandpa told me he went to work that morning, to drive rivets inside the hull of the 41. He took a light jacket with him for his 7AM start time. The temperature was around 70. When his crew broke for lunch, it had dropped to 40, and a cold wind howled. By the time the end of his work day ended at 3:30, the temperature was down to 10, with a terrific wind. He wondered about the boats on lake Michigan that day. And as a side note, the grounded SINALOA was towed to Manitowoc Ship building for repair. She was pretty beat up, he said.

[mattn]

I was born in Port Huron and moved when I was 7 to Ann Arbor. I remember hearing stories about great lakes shipwrecks even being that young. People who don’t live along the coasts of Michigan don’t realize how quickly the weather can change and how dangerous and destructive the lakes can be. 45 years later to now and I really enjoy your videos about the lakes.

[Straswa]

Great work Big Old Boats. RIP to all the poor souls lost in the Storm.

[greenthing]

Thanks for the connection with the Tacoma Narrows Bridge failure which I had not realised was the same storm as sunk these Great Lakes freighters. As always well researched and interesting.