Lone survivor of deadly 1966 Lake Huron shipwreck dies

Dennis Hale, the lone survivor of one of the Great Lakes' most deadly shipwrecks, died today in Ashtabula, Ohio, after a bout with cancer. He was 75.

When Hale would travel the Great Lakes region telling his tale of survival after the sinking of the Daniel J. Morrell in 1966, he often would say this about his ordeal:

"I think somehow I give people a little hope in life, that life is a struggle, but if you have faith and determination you can go through life and come out ahead."

His wife, Barb Hale, was with her husband when he died.

"He meant everything in the world to me and was an inspiration to many," she said.

In 1966, Hale was 26 when he boarded the Morrell for its last trip of the season, serving as a watchman inside the pilot house. The freighter was heading north on a three-day trip for Taconic, Minn., to pick up a load of iron ore.

Out deep in Lake Huron and off the coast of Port Hope, Mich., the freighter encountered 35-foot waves and winds close to 60 mph. The ship couldn't withstand the barrage, and broke in two.

As it sank, Hale and three of his crewmates climbed into a small life raft hoping to be rescued but it would end up being a cold, windy 38-hour ordeal.

Over those long hours, Hale had said, he and his shipmates did what they could to stay warm. In an interview for a Free Press documentary last year, Hale recounted a harrowing tale of survival.

"I'm a fighter but the uncertainty of not knowing if anybody knows you're missing and to hear your other friends cry out in pain like that is just…it makes life seem so useless, really. So I prayed."

Hale was featured prominently in the documentary, "Graveyard of the Great Lakes: A Shipwreck Hunter's Quest to Discover the Past," which debuted at the Freep Film Festival. Hale attended and spoke on a panel after the screening.

As he told it, Hale hoped and waited for a rescue with his shipmates, but they froze to death beside him before a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter spotted their raft.

Hale spent several days in recovery in a hospital in Harbor Beach but spent countless more years trying to come to grips with the reality of being the lone survivor of 29 crew members. He enjoyed travelling and telling his story, which he viewed as a kind of therapy. He would later say: "It gave my life more of a sense of purpose."

David Trotter, a shipwreck hunter from Canton who also was featured in the documentary, considered Hale a friend. They appeared together on the film festival panel.

"He was one of the most unique people in the history of the Great Lakes with his survival," Trotter said. In 1979, Trotter would discover the lost shipwreck.

"Dennis was a very unique man and I admired his ability to tell others his story. He certainly was a survivor and fought with all his energy to beat the cancer. He now belongs to Great Lakes history."

Hale went on to write a popular book in 2010 about his survival and rescue titled "Shipwrecked: Reflections of the Sole Survivor."

He is survived by his wife, Barbara, children, Cindi Titch, Katherine Scaife, stepchildren Jon C. Robinson and Melissa LaMar; and seven grandchildren.

The family is holding a private funeral. A public memorial for Hale will be held at a future date.