Seven
Down She Goes
S.S Allure
05 May, 1967 | Lake Michigan | 8:34 PM
Time was running out. The S.S Allure's short-lived life is minutes away from its end. Her fate was confirmed approximately ten minutes after the rogue wave.l. Captain Hendrickson had made the emergency announcement, informing everyone to make their way to their muster stations.
"At this time, I'm asking that everyone report to their muster stations. This is not a drill. Upon arrival at your stations, life jackets will be given to all. Follow these instructions and prepare for an immediate evacuation. Thank you."
Present Day | 9:30 AM
Odyssey Marine, LLC
"Pardon my interruption, John, but I want to clarify some things about the timeline," Dalton said as he began shaking his pencil.
Greg, Jeff, and Harold were all sitting in the conference room, each taking their own set of notes.
"Alright," John replied.
"I'm gonna read through what I've got down. Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong."
| Sinking Timeline | - - Duration: 37 MINS
Start: 8:04 PM | End: 8:41 PM
08:00 - - Rogue wave detected
08:02 - - Hendrickson orders Hard to Starboard, turn initiated
08:03 - - Starboard turn completed
08:04 - - Ship sails over the wave, bow and stern drop back into the water with a bang
08:05 - - Ship shudders and causes a short-lived electrical failure
08:07 - - Engineer confirms to Hendrickson that the ship is taking on water and will sink.
08:09 - - Hendrickson returns to Bridge
08:15 - - Passengers escorted to Boat Deck. Lifeboats begin preparing for launch
How am I doing so far?" Dalton asked. Everyone else remained silent while Dalton presented his version of the timeline.
"Accurate," John simply answered.
"Good."
08:24 - - Firsts lifeboats are launched
08:30 - - S.S Dauntless begins assisting in the evacuation
08:36 - - Stern starts going under, ship listing to Port worsened
08:39 - - Ship capsizes, comes to rest on its side
08:40 - - Submergence begins
08:41:04 - - Allure is gone
S.S Allure | 05, May 1967 | 8:35 PM
Lake Michigan
When the time passed 08:35 PM roughly three-hundred (300) passengers remained aboard. It wasn't until around 8:30 that everyone found out that the ship was going down. The ship's demise is creeping ever so closer.
The power began failing around 08:15 P.M. As a result, lifeboat davits were losing power. Without it, the crew was forced to switch to manual.
The Captain was last seen moments ago; still on the Bridge coordinating the evacuation. Most of the Bridge Crew had been relieved of their duties, but not all abandoned their posts.
Communications Officer (C.O) Burt Allen remained to guide any rescue ships. Every minute, he'd broadcast their location over a radio SOS frequency; providing nearby ships their present coordinates, and constant updates on the status of the evacuation. Only he and Captain Hendrickson remain on the Bridge.
"Power failing, sinking fast, requires immediate assistance. Going down by the stern. Flooding surpassing B deck, stern only 3-4 FT above water."
Sailing on a route that would eventually sail past her younger sister. Being nearby (only 11 miles away), she raced to the rescue. But even with her engines operating at full capacity, the liner could only make nine knots of speed.
By the time it arrived, it was evident her younger sister was going down. The ship arrived to witness the end of its younger sister ship.
Safety Of Life At Sea (SOLAS for short) does not apply in the same way to an ocean liner as it does to the Allure. Relaxed laws allowed Great Lakes cruising to operate with risks. Would this all change after tonight? How many souls need to perish before change becomes inevitable?
Outside of Wisconsin's jurisdiction, the state of Michigan dispatched its Coast Guard to the scene. They have yet to arrive.
The Dauntless has, by now, launched two of its six lifeboats, with more being prepared by the crew. The water was beginning to churn and rile up. Wind began gusting more forcefully. The twinkling stars and the crescent moon were being cast out by incoming storm clouds.
"This is Captain Rowell calling Captain Hendrickson, over," the Captain of the assisting ship said over the frequency.
"Sir, the Captain is asking to speak with you," Burt told his captain as he handed off the radio to him.
Harold Hendrickson, 56 years old with 32 years of seagoing experience, is Captain of the dying S.S Allure. Born in 1911 to a middle-class family in Detroit, he began his sea-going career at the start of the second World War. Before the Japs attacked Pearl Harbor, he was stationed on the U.S.S Arizona. Being one of the few survivors, he never abandoned the sea.
"This is Captain Hendrickson," he said into the radio.
"We've arrived on scene. My crew is lowering all boats. How many souls are still onboard?"
"274 passengers, and 84 crew members," Hendrickson replied.
"I've contacted authorities on your behalf. The Michigan Coast Guard has been dispatched to our location."
"ETA?"
"15-20 minutes at the--"
Everything suddenly went dark. The power went out; failing after a twenty minute struggle to keep the ship lit. The backup generators were supposed to kick in.
Captain Hendrickson waited for the emergency backup lights to come on, but as he glanced down at his watch to check the time, his hopes were lost.
Designed to activate 010 seconds after a ship-wide power failure, the emergency lights never came to life. This could only mean the worst: the backup power units failed. With that being the case, the S.S Allure continues adrift and powerless.
"Captain Hendrickson?" Captain Rowell said into the radio. He waited for them to respond, but nothing came through. That's when he then handed the radio back to his communications officer.
Rushing over to a metal gray box on the wall, he unlocked it. Opening the small door, inside there was a backup battery-powered radio and a pair of binoculars. He only needed the binoculars.
Now running out onto the Starboard Bridge Wing, he held the binoculars up to his eyes. Adjusting them until they came into focus.
"Reestablish the connection!" Captain Rowell shouted back onto the Bridge. "Keep trying!"
If Captain Hendrickson was as experienced as his past shows it to be, he would know to go for the backup radio and use that to reestablish talks with rescuers.
No matter where he looked with the binoculars, he couldn't find his friend and fellow captain.
"Dammit Harold," he mumbled to himself, "come on, come on!"
Back on the S.S Allure, things were beginning to crumble and fall apart. The ship started groaning, and creaking eerily. As the stern's top deck (B Deck) sank lower into the water, the bow inched up out of the water. If the ship continued sinking at this angle, her hull would succumb to the extreme stresses of an uneven keel. From Captain Rowell's viewpoint, he could see the ship's bow starting to bend and sag. The hull was managing to keep the boat in one piece. But for how much longer can it postpone a potential breakup?
"Captain, two Portside boats launched sir," a crew member informed him.
On the Bridge, Chief Communications Officer Burt Allen was being relieved from duty by Captain Hendrickson.
"Mr. Allen," he began to say, "I hereby order you to abandon your post. You've done all you can. I thank you for your bravery. Save yourself!"
Burt stood, eyeing his Captain blankly. Hesitating to act on Hendrickson's demand, he gave in. By holding out his hand, he and the Captain shook hands.
"Good luck to you, Sir," he told him. "Farewell."
"Farewell Mr. Allen."
From here, Burt departed the Bridge for the final time. Once he was gone, Harold was alone. Darkness surrounded him. As the angle grew more steep, he walked over to the helmsman's chair, grabbing onto it to keep his footing.
The chairs were made of leather and were mounted to the floor via a metal pipe and bolts. Patting the chair gently, he mumbled "Well girl. This is it for us."
The power unexpectedly came back online; although it is very weak. That's when the radio rebooted.
"Michigan Coast Guard to S.S Allure, over," a man's voice said, "come in S.S Allure."
"S.S Dauntless to Michigan Coast Guard; Captain Ronwell. MGA has ship wide power failure. MGA is silent."
For context: all ships [either ocean liners, cruise ships, and even Great Lakes ships all have radio call signs.
S.S Allure -- MGA [radio call sign]
S.S Dauntless-- MGD [radio call sign]
Back outside, the remaining 274 passengers crammed around the remaining two lifeboats. Reporting to their muster stations at the start of the sinking was what everyone did. As they waited, their boats filled quickly. Some were even filling beyond their maximum capacity.
By 08:36:24, the stern was level with the water; how long will it remain like that? Water began trickling over the deck, followed by a rush of water as it dipped lower.
Two lifeboats have yet to be lowered. With two boats left, the crew scrambled and struggled to maintain order. Far exceeding their "persons" capacity limit, they were overflowing with panicked passengers.
Lifeboats on all Great Lakes ships must be capable of supporting 135 persons in all.
Boat 006 | Occupancy: 189 persons
Boat 008 | Occupancy: 221 persons
"Stay back! We're full," a crewman announced.
"This boat is too overfilled. Step back. More boats are on the way back!" another crewman announced.
Passengers of all ages began screaming and shouting and pushing and shoving. All out panic now ensued. As for John, he had heard someone calling out for help down by the stern's Promenade deck [the deck beginning to go under.] He ran down the stairs leading to the sinking deck. By the time he got down there, the water was ankle-height and rising fast. He looked to right, then to his left.
Over by the bar area, clinging onto a mounted barstool, was an elderly man. He was struggling to keep his grip on the slippery metal pipe that mounted the barstool to the deck. John began walking as fast as he could, but the rushing currents of the deepening water were working against him.
"Help me! Please!" The old man cried out desperately.
John had noticed that the man wasn't wearing a life jacket. Without thinking about it, he began untying the straps on his jacket. After tirelessly fighting the currents and the downward pull from the stern, he'd made it over to Russel. He took his life jacket off and began trying to calm the old man down.
"We have to move quickly, okay? Take mine. Put it on and come with me, Russ!" John yelled.
Russ shook his head as he let go of the barstool. When he did, he slipped, almost hit his head on the bar. The bottles stored on glass shelves behind the counter were sliding off the shelves; falling into the water with a splash.
"Everything's going to be okay, you're going to be okay," John told him, "where's Dorothy?"
"On that ship!" Russ shouted as he put the life jacket over his head and slid it over his body. John worked with him to quickly tie the straps so it wouldn't fall off.
"Take my hand, Russ," John said. Russ grabbed his hand and held it tight.
The two of them began making their way back over to the stairwell leading up to the boat deck above. The water was now passing their waistlines, which was making them both walk slower. If they weren't fast enough, they'd lose their footing on the submerging deck.
Luckily, someone else had heard the desperate cries for help and had also come rushing down the stairs. He leapt into the water and began swimming over to John and Russ. He wasn't wearing a life jacket either. He was a member of the crew. Wearing a white buttoned-up shirt with a black tie, black pants, and black leather shoes. His nametag is pinned to his shirt above his upper shirt pocket.
"Take my hand," he shouted to John and Russ, "follow me!"
"Any chance you know how to swim, Russ?" John asked.
"I do, but not much."
"I'm going to need you to swim back to the stairs over there. Walking back isn't going to get us out of here."
The ceiling of the boat deck above was coming down on top of them. If they don't move fast, it'll force them underwater. Won't be able to breathe or see. That means…well…they'd suffocate and drown.
By the time they made it back to the stairs, they were almost underwater. To get up to the boat deck now, they would have to briefly go underwater and then swim up the stairwell and onto the boat deck. But even then, they wouldn't be out of danger's way yet. The water was following fast behind them…and soon it'd catch up with them. Soon, there'll be no boat left to stay dry on. That thought was daunting and scary. This ship is going down…and she's going down fast!
When they got back up onto the boat deck, they were soaking wet and cold. Their lips were starting to turn blue from being cold. Their bodies were losing heat–and fast. Even with the temperature being a steady 62 degrees, it felt much colder coming out of the water.
"He needs to get in one of those boats!" John told the crewman.
"My wife is on the other ship, waiting for me," Russ told them. "Dorothy hesitated leaving the ship."
"Why'd you stay back?" John asked.
"Family pictures. Our grandchildren, our children. Everything was left in our cabin on B Deck."
For a moment, John thought about going back down. He wanted to continue helping Russel anyway he could. But before he acted any further, he needed more information.
"Where's your cabin located? Maybe I can be of further assistance," John said.
"It's too late, my boy," Russ told him, "our cabin went down when we got up here. Everything we'd packed with us—is gone."
"Not everything," John said, "you still have Dorothy."
From the boat deck on the S.S Dauntless, Dorothy watched her ship's stern vanish beneath the waves of Lake Michigan. Being a quarter mile away from the sinking S.S Allure, everything seemed like a blur. She and a few of her girlfriends all stood in shock and awe as others from their lifeboat were being unloaded.
"Russel," Dorothy mumbled as she shed a tear.
"Dear god! They're jumping overboard!" A friend of hers gasped. She'd covered her mouth and pointed at what she was seeing.
From their perspective, they could hear the screams and cries of people trapped onboard. They all continued to watch in horror as they watched their weekend getaway cruise ship starting to list to Port. The time is now 08:39:45 P.M. The stern long gone under. Water is now creeping towards the last two lifeboat muster stations. Every inch the boats got closer to the water, water got closer to those still waiting to be evacuated.
"Jump or run!"
The ship's Port list was growing rapidly. So rapidly that crewmembers onboard the lifeboats had two choices. 1.) Continue to be lowered, 2.) Cut the ropes and freefall into the water. More and more people were choosing to jump than run.
As more people realized what was happening, they too started jumping overboard. The incoming lifeboats, ones that had ferried passengers to the S.S Dauntless, were now on their way back. But they came to a stop when they saw the ship starting to turnover.
"Russ, you need to jump overboard!" John said, "she's going to capsize! We need to get away fast!"
John and Russ both limped over to the 006 muster station. With no lifeboat and railing, it was an easy point for people to jump overboard. Things that weren't mounted down or stored away, were now sliding and ramming into people who hesitated. The crewman who'd helped them jumped over first. Russ was breathing heavily and trying to catch his breath.
"It's now or never, Russ," John told him. "Now or never."
With the bow 5 degrees up out of the water, the ship turned over rapidly. The massive center funnel and outer deck walls came crashing down into the water, leaving the starboard side completely exposed. As the Portside of the ship crashed down into the water, it caused a mass tidal wave to flutter out and away from the ship. The two lifeboats in the water both put their engines at full to ride the wave, while people swimming in the water tried swimming away from it. Russ and John had jumped just seconds before the funnel broke free from its casing, tumbling down into the water.
The ship was now leveling out in the water, with the bow going back down. The stern started rising out of the water briefly, but not by much. Now, the most buoyant part of the ship was the bow, with the stern being the heaviest.
When John resurfaced, he looked all around for Russ. Kicking his feet and swinging his arms around, he anxiously waited for Russ to resurface. Many in the water began swimming back to the capsized ship, now floating on her side.
The wave had started losing its strength and growing smaller. It eventually dissipated before it could ever reach the S.S Dauntless. But the water was still somewhat wavy when the waves reached the ship. The ship rocked back and forth slightly, but never by too much. It maintained its stability just as it was designed to do.
Russ had finally resurfaced, inhaling a large amount of air. People began climbing and pulling themselves out of the water and back onto the hull of the ship. The underwater currents, mainly the undertow, was strong and would drag anyone not strong enough to fight it down. Many would lose this battle and eventually drown.
For now, at 08:40:12 P.M, the S.S Allure laid on her side. No one knew if she'd remain in this state, or end up losing the flotation battle and going down–meeting her end. But no one missed out on the opportunity at hand–getting out of the water.
John pulled himself up out of the water, turning around after gaining his footing, and pulling Russ up onto the hull. But just as Russ was pulled up, the hull started creaking and bulging out like a bubble on flat water.
The two lifeboats revved their engines as they raced towards the lingering vessel. John made sure the straps on Russ's life jacket held and didn't come undone while in the water.
BOOM! The hull had given way to the air pressure trapped inside, causing a massive hole in the hull near the center of the ship. Air blasted out like a water spout or geyser. Shards of bent metal, glass, and other debris rained down onto the ship and the water. One last groan was heard as the ship began sinking once more. Water again was inching towards everyone on the hull. The lifeboats in the water continued racing to help those stuck. One had to stop and pick passengers up out of the water. The other one ignored those people [for now] and instead went around those in its way–but at a slower speed to not injure anyone.
"Listen," John shouted as the sounds of bubbling water were heard from the massive hole in the hull, "you're going to take a deep breath in on my count, understood?"
"Yeah," Russ responded.
John walked over to the edge and looked down at the rising water. It was now inches from washing over the remainder of the ship. He turned around and grabbed Russ's hand. Water began spewing out
onto the hull as the ship got lower and lower.
"Remember," John shouted, "on my word you take a breath."
"Yeah, yeah," Russ said as his breathing escalated once again. This would be the third time going back into the water in under five minutes.
The water now washed past their feet, getting deeper and deeper. John and Russ both looked down at their feet as the white painted hull slowly slipped away. By the time water reached their upper waists, that's when John told Russ to take a deep breath. And they both did because the next second, the ship disappeared from under their feet, leaving them to fend off the strong undertow current.
By 08:41 PM, the S.S Allure…was gone.
Present Day | 10:05 AM
Odyssey Marine, LLC
Everyone was at work. Telephones were ringing, and keyboards were tapping and clicking. Amongst the business, the elevator dinged and its doors opened.
A woman, far into her elder years, with sunglasses on, walked out of the elevator. Her right arm was raised, with her huge purse resting in the crest of her arm. She had a long, grey coat that was buttoned up. Her hair was curly and dark brown. Her lipstick is a dark red. Wearing high heels, black, they clicked and tapped every time she took a step.
Harold's secretary had noticed her and quickly got up from her desk. She rushed over to the woman.
"Ma'am, you can't be here," the secretary told her. "Do you have an appointment with Harold?"
"I do, yes."
"I'm sorry. He's actually in a meeting right now–,"
"Oh good," the woman said as she showed the secretary the bird as she walked away.
"Ma'am you can't–"
She ignored the secretary and continued until she came up to the conference room. Looking in, she slightly slid her sunglasses down a bit on her nose.
When Harold looked up and saw her, he froze. John was still talking, but what he was saying was concealed by the thickness of the glass. Harold got up from the chair and stormed out of the conference room. He opened the door and walked out to confront the woman. Once the door was closed, he approached her.
"I thought we had a deal," he told her.
"Oh Harold," she said, "is that any way to treat your ex-lover? I helped you get all of this after our ship sank. I kept the collision in '66 off the books. That cost me millions."
"And where's Lewis now?" Harold asked.
"Hell if I know. Probably in a mental asylum."
"Why are you here?" Harold asked.
She took her sunglasses off, putting them into a small pocket in her purse. She then unzipped a bigger pocket. She pulled out a yellow envelope. She handed it to him.
"Because I know what sank the Allure, and cost me my life's work and fortune," she said.
The woman Harold was talking to was indeed Joanne Webster. The founder of Midwestern Cruises. Has she just solved a case that's been cold for almost 60 years?