Courtesy Photo provided by Jeff Thomas The SS Carl D. Bradley is seen on the lake, with men sitting in the foreground. The freighter sank in a storm on Lake Michigan on Nov. 18, 1958, with 33 casualties.

ALPENA — Sixty-four years ago, 33 men perished in the sinking of the SS Carl D. Bradley. Two survived. Of the 33 men who died, 23 were from Rogers City.

Wednesday at 7 p.m., learn more about the Great Lakes freighter, the men aboard, and the presumed cause of its Nov. 18, 1958 sinking in Lake Michigan.

Local historian, Great Lakes sailor, and Alpena High School history teacher, Jeff Thomas, will lead the presentation, which is part of the Sanctuary Lecture Series at the Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center, 500 W. Fletcher St., Alpena. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for this free presentation.

Join Thomas as he tells the story of the tragic loss of the Carl D. Bradley. This presentation will cover the launching and life of the vessel for the Michigan Limestone Transportation Company, her sinking, and its impact on the town of Rogers City. This presentation will also discuss the search for the Bradley’s wreckage and the ongoing debate of what actually caused the vessel’s fateful end.

“The title is ‘There’s Nothing You Can Do,’ and it’s the story of the Carl D. Bradley,” Thomas said. “As the ship was sinking, the first mate went to the captain to ask for orders, and the captain told him, ‘There’s nothing you can do,’ and we know that because the first mate was one of the two survivors of the sinking.”

The first mate was Elmer Fleming. He was one of four crew members who made it onto a life raft, but only Fleming and Frank Mays survived the bitter cold on that tragic night. Both have since died — Fleming on Feb. 26, 1969, at age 53, and Mays on Jan. 7, 2021, at age 89.

Thomas has been researching the Bradley for several years.

“I’ve studied Great Lakes shipping history, shipwrecks, just as hobby, so the Bradley’s come up several times in my different adventures,” Thomas said.

Thomas is a 2006 Alpena High School graduate. This is his second year teaching at AHS, and eighth year teaching overall.

“This is my way of sharing the stories that I learn,” Thomas said of conducting lectures.

Thomas has fun with it, and hopes attendees will learn a lot from his presentation.

In addition to being a historian and teacher, he is also a part-time sailor.

“During summer vacation, I work out on the freighters as a deckhand,” Thomas said. “This is my third summer to go out and do that. It gives me a better appreciation for the stories that I’m telling.”

He said the lecture is pertinent to Northeast Michigan, since the Carl D. Bradley was based in Rogers City.

“The Carl Bradley was one of the Bradley fleet that was based out of Rogers City, so this was a hometown boat for Northeast Michigan,” Thomas said. “Most of the crew were from this area. Twenty-three were from Rogers City itself, and several of the others were from neighboring towns — Posen, Millersburg, places like that.”

He said when she launched, the Bradley was the biggest freighter on the Great Lakes.

“She was the ‘Queen of the Lakes’ for several years,” Thomas said. “And the most powerful. And then, in 1958, she got caught in a storm and wound up splitting in two, with only two survivors out of the crew of 35. With so many of the crewmen from one area like that, it really hit the town of Rogers City really hard … The effects of the loss of those men are still being felt.”

This will be the first time presenting at GLMHC for Thomas.

“Any time that you can have community events like this, sharing local stories … it’s really important to the whole community,” Thomas said. “It keeps history alive.”