Wreck of the Carl D.: A True Story of Loss, Survival, and Rescue at Sea [Paperback]

On November 18, 1958, a 623-foot limestone carriercaught in one of the most violent storms in Lake Michigan historybroke in two and sank in less than five minutes. Four of the 35-person crew escaped to a small raft, to which they clung in total darkness, braving 30-foot waves and frigid temperatures. As the storm raged on, a search-and-rescue mission hunted for survivors, while the frantic citizens of nearby Rogers City, Michigan, the hardscrabble town that was home to 26 members of theCarl D. Bradley's crew, anxiously awaited word of their loved ones' fates. InWreck of theCarl D.,Michael Schumacher reconstructs the terrible accident, perilous search, and chilling aftermath for the small Michigan town so intimately affected by the tragedy.

The gripping story of a tragedy on the Great Lakes

Michael Schumacher is author of nine books, includingFrancis Ford Coppola, There but for Fortune, Crossroads, Dharma Lion,andThe Mighty Fitz.

Prologue
Wreck of theCarl D.
Epilogue
The Crew of theCarl D. Bradley
Appendix
Glossary
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index

Available as an audio book onAudible

2011 AAUP Public and Secondary School Library Selection

Schumacher has written an exceptional book . . . carefully omitting the hype, mystery, and artificial drama so popular in the shipwreck media of today. He readily proves the point that an accurate story can be far more interesting and dramatic than fictionalized accounts.

Schumacher . . . cover[s] the ship's shaky state, the harrowing wreck and risky rescue with assurance and clarity. . . . By profiling the Carl D.'s crew and detailing their lives . . . [he] gives a human face to the tragedy, infusing the book with dramatic substance to match the riveting narrative.