On this day, May 7, 1965, US Steel Corp.’s CEDARVILLE collided with the Norwegian freighter TOPDALSFJORD in thick fog about a mile east of the Mackinac Bridge.   This should not have happened since both vessels were equipped with radar and radios.   Evidently the TOPDALSFJORD had not responded to radio calls and once the two vessels saw each other, it was too late to avoid contact.

         The CEDARVILLE

            The bow of the TOPDALSFJORD cut into the CEDARVILLE port side, slightly aft of midship.  No crew were injured in the collision.   The ships separated and sailed on into the fog. 

         The TOPDALSFJORD at Jones Island, May 1960

            The TOPDALSFJORD had bow damage but was able to control any flooding.

            The CEDARVILLE was cut below the waterline.  She dropped her anchor and sent out a distress call while assessing the damage. She was taking on water rapidly and attempts to stop it failed.   Captain Joppich raised the anchor and hoped to beach her.  This did not happen.  The water in the hull forced the bow down and she began listing to starboard.   The CEDARVILLE rolled over 40 minutes after the collision and sank.

            The German freighter WEISSENBURG had witnessed the collision and began collecting the CEDARVILLE’s crew.  25 of the 35 survived.  Ten were lost.  The survivors were then transferred to the CG Cutter MACKINAW.

            Of course lawsuits began and continued for years.  The Coast Guard inquiry found Captain Joppich at fault for the sinking and was charged with four counts of faulty seamanship.  His license was suspended for a year. 

            The CEDARVILLE is a popular dive site in the Straits of Mackinac.  She lies on her starboard side about 45 degrees from being upside down in about 110 feet of water.  She is a confusing dive because of her size and inverted position.  At least two divers have lost their lives on this wreck.

          The A. F. HARVEY

            The CEDARVILLE was launched in 1927 at River Rouge, Mich., as the A. F. HARVEY.  She measured 604’ x 60’ x 32’.  She was renamed CEDARVILLE in 1957 and refit as a self-unloader.  She sailed for the Pittsburgh Steamship Company from 1927 thru 1957 and then for the Bradley Fleet.

            In 1987, a large memorial dedicated to the 33 men lost on the CARL D. BRADLEY and the 10 men lost on the CEDARVILLE was unveiled at Lakeside Park in Rogers City, Michigan.

Suzette Lopez

PHOTO CREDIT:  Great Lakes Marine Collection of the Milwaukee Public Library and Wisconsin Marine Historical Society.