The Horror of Lake Superior's Mataafa Storm
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 9 ก.ค. 2024
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The SS Mataafa, launched in 1899, probably never should have left port when her captain tried to get in one last run late in the season on November 27th, 1905. Only a few hours after departing Duluth, Minnesota, she was overtaken by a massive November gale on Lake Superior. Forced to return to Duluth to seek shelter from the storm, she was only 700 feet from safety when she met disaster at the mouth of the Duluth Shipping Channel. The next 24 hours were so nightmarish that the storm of 1905 became known as the Mataafa Storm.
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Sources:
So Terrible a Storm: A Tale of Fury on Lake Superior by Curt Brown: amzn.to/3H9aVC6
Great Lakes: Shipwrecks & Survivals by William Ratigan: amzn.to/3wB9Pdr
Music sourced from Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com/referra...
Chapters:
0:00 The Mataafa
2:58 Chapter 1: One Last Run
7:44 Chapter 2: 250 Feet
12:34 Chapter 3: A Cold Dark Night
15:53 Chapter 4: The Cold Light of Day
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Thank you so much for watching! What do you want to see next?
I would love to see a video on the Great Lakes SS Cedarville.
Also SS Eastland and the Whaleback wreck of Sagamore and Flor De La Mar..
Great content really enjoy watching your videos always the highlight of my week
You probably already heard this, but you may find if curl your index finger in when you chop and use the knuckle to guide the edge of the blade. It's safer and a lot faster. Every time I don't obey this I almost self-amputate. 3 times now. OTW I'd mind my own beeswax
Also cause I love your channel and want to see more and uploading is hard without an index finger. You have one of the most soothing voices on TH-cam.
So was it 1909 or 1905..?
Coz your title doesn’t seem to match what you say in the first 19 seconds of the video 🤷♂️
The Captain made a mistake leaving port, but it seems like he did everything he could to save his crew after that. A sad story.
Yeah, from the description alone he seemed to be a decent man.
@@thomaskositzki9424 Yeah Mataafa was a good ship, the captain was a good man and a skilled captain... Mother Nature takes very few prisoners though. :/
I can respect the captain in this, yes he made a mistake likely due to pressure from his superiors, but he did everything in his power to try and save his crew, thou he lost members of that crew, he clearly regretted his choice that fateful day, thus I can give him my respect as he tried to do anything in his power to save his crew and I bet none of the survivors held a grudge against him as he tried to keep them safe and alive!!
I mean we're all honest with ourselves we all have likely been guilty of being lax or outright ignoring safety rules at work and in our personal lives, luckily for most of us we haven't had it go bad, but we've all done it.
"One last run" practices on the Great Lakes is always a disaster. Every. Single. Time. If pushing for one last run isn't illegal now, after god knows how many men were lost because of this predatory, negligent business practice, then there truly is no justice in this world.
Her Captain was a good man, he made a mistake that would cruelly take his life slowly, along with nine men who died that fateful night. Captain Humboldt made the mistake, but he also was a hero who did his very best to save his men, overall he did his job, and I pray for his soul that he rest at peace along with the men that died aboard and in old age.
I think it was a great decision to include the Captain as the tenth victim!
I’m a veteran, and I’ve lost friends and former colleagues to suicide, OD, and substance abuse - we so often forget that they were victims as well, not just the ones who died while deployed!
In the same manner as this disaster took a toll that undoubtedly played a huge role in ending the Captains life at such an early age!
At school {UK} we has a lovely English teacher whose father has been a WW2 Veteran, who was living at the Royal Star and Garter home for Injured Servicemen..
A few of us visited him as part of a class project- and in his shared room was a tiny elderly man who was obviously worried by our presence.
We of course quietly left the room so as not to cause any more anguish.
The Serviceman who was worried was a WW1 veteran who had originally lied about his age to get in to the Army - and had suffered phenomenal 'Shell shock' as well as other physical traumas. He had barely spoken a word in all the intervening decades.
Goodness only knows what dreadful things he'd witnessed. He was one of the very last WW1 Veterans.
Yesterday we went for a walk in Weston, UK, and a Blue Plaque was affixed to a high wall atop a steep hill.. ''Dwight D Eisenhower camped here with American Troops preparing for D Day 1944.''
I wonder how many men made it home safely. Wherever they are, I hope they are at peace.
In regard to weather forecasting, your viewers might be interested in the story behind the 1900 Galveston Texas Hurricane. 7-10 days before the storm reached Galveston, it passed over or near Cuba, which was now a US territory due to the just ended Spanish-American War. The Havana weather station looked at the storm reports and projected the storm would likely hit Galveston, Texas in about a week and immediately sent a warning to the Washington DC Weather Service headquarters. Weather Service HQ, not fully trusting the Havana station and its operators, did not forward the warning to stations in Texas or Louisiana (another likely target). Galveston was devastated in a storm that impacted the area as far inland as even Houston suffered heavy damage and 6,000-12,000 killed including about 60-80 on a rescue train sent out from Houston during the landing of the hurricane's eye.
Damn, George! Great bit of info! I'd never heard that before.
@@lsudx479 I try to bring stuff from different perspectives and sources. I also have read that the Weather Center HQ in 1900 had policies (1) that they would not approve any warning message that said "hurricane" and (2) that no station was allowed to release a severe weather warning without HQ approval, but I only read that in the wikipedia article on the Galveston Hurricane so not sure of validity.
@@georgewnewman3201 It's crazy how stuff worked back then. Policies weren't set for safety, but to be high brow in that era's way of thinking.
@@lsudx479 it was usually profit far above safety.
@@georgewnewman3201 Yup. They just assumed they could take the men's butts discount and skip the safety.
How horrible to die right there within view of the shore, so close to safety. Great video.
One last run seems to be fatal for boats on the Great Lakes.
Well due to the nature of a final run, the final part meaning the run is occurring very close to something dangerous, it's no surprise.
@@randomlyentertaining8287 the Legend lives on form the Chipewwa on down of the big lake they call Gitchi Goomie'.
A great lakes sailors most feared sentence. One last run
Well, the almighty dollar spoke, and once again it turns out that lives are cheap.
Retired ships engineer here. So the ONE laker I sailed on professionally was being supplied and maintained like it was proverbially on her last Run. The economics of ships, sailors and the things we do on them hasn’t changed that much.
Living in the Great Lakes region, to me this shipwreck isn’t forgotten
Mataafa all but forgotten except here at big old boats. Tragic story.
Great ship, had a long productive career. makes the tragedy even more unfortunate. Mataafa didn't sink. She ran aground, but 9 of her crew still died. :/ God was merciful that night. God made Mataafa stay grounded on that rock. If she'd sunk... none of her crew would have survived.
This is history that was not taught in Minnesota in grade school and high school the 1950' s and 60's.
Thank you
Most history isn't, simply because the classes are designed to give a general overview rather than get bogged down in the minutiae of each period.
I absolutely love that you do so many Great Lakes ships for video topics! I’m from Minnesota and as such fascinated with the Great Lakes, Superior and Duluth specifically. Please keep doing more Great Lakes disasters!
Edit: I also feel that the Great Lakes never get enough love compared to the oceans disasters.
the Great Lakes are called "great" for a reason. :D
"Great Lakes" really does them a disservice; they're really inland seas. I mean, they have their own weather patterns, doesn't that tell you all you need to know?
@@Darkkfated exactly. And those weather patterns are often extremely dangerous.
I think the weather on the lakes gets much worse and can change more quickly and unpredictably than the oceans due to them being smaller, ironically, this causes many more tragedies than the oceans by %
@@mattstorm6568 Or to look at it another way, you get near ocean-like and near ocean-sized weather patterns... on something much, MUCH smaller than an actual ocean.
Of course, this means that anyone out of on lake is much more likely to be in (or in the path of) whatever is developing, since these storms often cover *huge* portions of whatever lake they're forming on.
In 2019 we had a storm like this in Duluth, It took down trees that had been on the lake shoreline for at least 100 years, they were probably the surviving trees from the last storm!! It must be a hundred year phenomena.
Thank you for another gripping tale. I'm sure there were many men who envied the life of a captain, not realizing the high cost of that responsibility.
I’m so happy to find a new video. It’s 1115pm in Australia, and I’ve had a truly hideous day, on the back of a hideous year. This is the voice I need to hear. Narrator, I appreciate your perfect articulation, inflection and tone. It helps my decompression. I even watched the Ad just in case you get paid for views. Keep up the good work. Your efforts are greatly appreciated, and dang it, now I’m obsessed with boats in a country I’ve never been too. Bizarre 🤓
🙏
And your correctness of language is so rare and perfect. It makes my ocd happy 😂
Solidarity. Same crap year/day here & happy to see this video posted.
I wouldn't put this on your OCD... he is just simply a pleasure to listen to for the reasons you already gave. ;)
Excellent program. You evoked the emotions inherent when good men make bad decisions without becoming maudlin. You report what you find meaningful and interesting, and your sincerity comes through. You're as good as a documentarian already, so you'll be ready for PBS in no time.
A tragic story, wonderfully well-told.
It's worth noting, for illustrative purposes, that the canal's bridge at the time was the Aerial Bridge, and was just composed of that arch with a gondola that hung down and would go back and forth, ferrying passengers and vehicles across. It wouldn't be converted into a vertical lifting bridge until 1930.
Gotta love the risk-reward assessment of the captain:
Either he makes one last run before a big storm, generating a modest chunk of profit, or he gets caught in a big storm, where the worst that happens is that the ship sinks and everyone aboard dies. Hmm....
...yeah, a modest chunk of profit was totally worth THAT risk!
Mmmm... SaltyWaffles
I believe that there were also bonuses at stake for some of these "one last run" crews--I can't remember how it worked but it was mentioned in another Great Lakes shipwreck video.
Absolutely wild that a ship with no ability to drive herself through the waves to try and avoid the worst of it is the vessel that ended up surviving.
I think another storm that should be talked about is 1916 Black Friday Lake Erie storm or the 1940 Armistice Day Storm on Lake Michigan. You’re videos are always so informative and I’m wondering what you would bring up about those storms.
Captains regularly risked the lives of their crew by setting out in storms or into predicted storms.
The toll of lives lost speaks volumes on just how expendable the crews were considered to be.
Despite all the benefits of modern science and technology, captains still behave with utter contempt for the lives of their crew, like captain Davidson of El Faro...
Wouldn't say the Captains acted with contempt for their crews, since they invariably faced the same dangers and risks, the toll of lives was the responsibility of the companies that owned these vessels, who expected the captains to make that "one last run" for their profit margins.
@@richardcowling7381 in this case, to wait might have meant being stuck at a port away from home for weeks. Getting home was risky, but... probably ok.... probably.
Man, the Great Lakes are nuts!!!
We've sailed in very rough conditions, but nothing close to this. I can't imagine how terrible it must have been. May all the departed rest in peace.🙏
They waited… for 70 years to change things?!
The captain tried to save his men
People froze to death
BUT 70 YEARS?!
It's very true. Part of the problem is how international the crews and ships are. Any regulations have to go through two sets of political shake downs with the well moneyed corporate interests do everything they can to tank such "oversights."
You have to remember that this is the age that spawned the "rules of the road" that governed shipping, which put profit far, far above safety. The age that saw the birth and death of both RMS Titanic and SS Naronic (see video on Naronic, "White Star's Ghost Ship" also done by B*O*B*), along with many other ships. Some minor changes might come along, but in the case of some shipping regs it might take generations for the changes to take place (usually in response to some disaster or other). And before you ask, this was also the age when the regulatory agencies in most countries were actually run by the industry leaders, not by the governments involved.
@@ivechang6720 As much as everyone complains about the "greedy companies" it's us salivating consumers who demand the products they sell.
@@mattstorm6568 There is truth to that but balance is important. That's why independent production to user to waste disposal assessments are so valuable. Unfortunately this is exactly what big businesses use their influence to prevent from being done well and properly. Thankfully a lot of that culture is changing at least in certain areas.
@@ivechang6720 I'm just saying, let those shipments of XBox Games/Consoles from Asia cause a parents kid to get their present even a few days late they'll be hell to pay.
In other words, how many people are like "yeah, I really want Susie or Johnny to get their BDay/Christmas/whatever gift on time but I'll stop to think of the sailors who may have to chance rough waters to get it here on time."
I worked at an Amazon Warehouse 1yr, we were doing 10hr days/7 days a week breaking our backs, and still lots of people didn't get their stuff on time, you wouldn't believe how rage mode they were despite all of our effort.
Great video. The Lakes are as harrowing as the open sea.
Every now and then, I watch videos of ships pulling in to Duluth harbor. I especially like watching the Arthur M. Anderson, and everytime I see those piers I remember Mataafa.
You did a great job sharing the impact if this story not only on the Capitan but on the city of Duluth.
A deeply moving story, very well told.
Thak you.
Absolutely love your channel! I had no idea I was this fascinated with ships. Although I had "the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" stuck in my head for weeks about 30 years ago and I had to buy the whole damn Gordon lightfoot CD and play it on repeat until it finally left- I should have had a clue 😂. Ahh, the days before TH-cam. But it's a surefire way to rid yourself of a pesky earworm 😁
There is a cool 60's video of the last whaleback leaving Duluth, its cool to see, they're so odd looking
I’m from Duluth/Superior and I love the Great Lakes content! Thank you for going in depth on this.
Truly mystery I love how much research goes into these videos and I hope you can keep up the good work
This is one of the most interesting Great Lakes shipwrecks besides The SS Marquette & Bessemer No. 2. When I read through the classic book Great Lakes Shipwrecks and Survivals, this was the story that stuck with me.
Excellent and respectful coverage.
I been in that harbor many times in my life and as a child heard of this ship at that pier in the Great Lakes museum built new.
You did good on this one.
Keep it up the Great Lakes has intriguing and interesting facts, events and circumstances in it.
You did do it justice. I've enjoyed every one of these is put on TH-cam and look forward to your next.
I haven't heard of this story before - very well told. I enjoy your channel so much!
I didn't even know I liked these kinds of stories until I found this channel. Great narration
I love these stories thanks
Amazing storytelling! I love the new Great Lakes videos, of which I have no knowledge of besides the videos! Thank you for this well-produced video!
Man the Great Lakes are truly a scary place
Not always!
God's grace to the Sailors tough racket...deepest sympathy 🙏 stay healthy safe travels.
he clearly wasnt a bad man, i mean my god he let one bad choice kill him years after the fact. most captains would be upset at the loss of life but they would move on and justify it with "they knew the risks, we all did" and let it rest at that. this man was so stricken with grief that he died as a result of being so broken up over what his one bad choice did. he wasnt a bad man, he was a person who made a foolish choice that many would have made as well. may he rest now in peace.
I have always been fascinated with the history of Lakers and their crews. Well done! I'm extatic there's a channel which covers them in such depth and detail!
Many thanks for sharing, well they say that it's unlucky to change the name of a ship. Amazing to hear how long she stayed in service for after almost sinking. I hope that you are enjoying your new life as a full-time TH-camr keep up the good work.
As a Michigander, I really enjoy these stories. Thank you for your informative cover of these stories!
Wow, what a story! I can only imagine what all those brave sailors went through. Thank you.
I live in Duluth and it's not forgotten here. I also scuba dive and have visited the Mediera wreck many times. It's a testament to the power of that storm.
Wow, what an experience to dive any of these wrecks. And I can't imagine how you can tolerate diving in that freezing water
Helluva story, and well told. Well done all around. 🙂
My Dad sailed on the Henry J. Ford during the War He often talked about how rough the seas could be and the bitter cold.
Wow, I've been binge-watching your Great lakes content over the last couple days and I feel like with this particular story, not only did you do it justice but you so perfectly encapsulate the whole hellish combination of commercial pressures and barometric pressures that led to so many ships and/or crews being preventably lost over the years. It illustrates so well how a very qualified, competent captain could make such a horrible error in judgment all for the sake of job stability and also illustrates so many of the particular failures and weaknesses in life-saving procedures at the time. It's so well researched and also ties into everything else you've done about the lakes by wrapping up with the footnote about the Fitzgerald, really making that point that it was the same conditions that led to the loss of so many of these Great lakes Mariners. Like, if I was to show anybody a video from your channel to exemplify what you're all about and how professional your content is, this would be it.
Congratulations on being able to make videos full time this year. I really enjoy learning new things. Though the subject is usually heartbreaking with lives lost. I appreciate the time and effort you put into the work bringing history to us. Thank you.
Great work Big Old Boats. RIP to all the souls lost.
Wow, fantastic job telling this heart-wrenching story.
Excellent! I was aware of the Mataafa tragedy, but never heard such detail and film and photos. Thanks for posting.
Amazing! Well researched video!
You did a great job, keep up the good work!
This was a great video. Sadly, it takes a certain number of deaths before changes are made.
You make me cry EVERY TIME!!! 😭
Thanks for getting me so interested in naval and maritime history. A subject I'd never thought I'd have an interest in. Your channel made it so alluring and intriguing.
Duluth native here I’ve never heard of this story till now thanks for sharing this
Glad to hear you enjoyed it, thank you!
Great job on the video!
brother you are the QUICKEST iv ever subscribed too, GREAT STUFF , looks like you were BORN to do this , all in all VEDDY COOL
This was an outstanding video!! BRAVO!
I am convinced that the problem is that most of these sorts of situations happen on the last trip of the season, and so the obvious solution is to either not have a last trip, or not have a season. They should have planned another trip.
Well in that case there would be no shipping 😂 but yes i agree, lengthen the off season to ensure no ones there in a dangerous time to be on the lake
The "season" is dictated by the weather, and you make as many trips as you can. These big ships have big costs, and that one last run can mean the difference between mediocre profits and good profits for the year, so there's a lot of pressure to chance it. Captains who miss chances for profits often find themselves unemployed next season. Crews also get paid by the trip and they too don't want to miss a sailing. This is simply how business works everywhere.
No amount of money is worth your life. Those at management level need to be part of the crew during any 'last trip'. Problem solved.
@@stargazer5784 i dunno about that, i agree they shouldnt take bad risks. But id rate my life being worth about 350k. Someones gonna offer me a risky af job as a one off, and its paying 400k. Id be in it. Thats 9 years work. If it pays off, i can make myself 200k+ a year by using that money. If not, saves busting my ass for 40 more years to earn stuff all and end up dead anyway.
@@P_RO_ In this case Mataafa was already loaded and ready to go, what good is waiting gonna do?
Always a pleasure to watch your videos B.O.B., love your content , footage and photographs and your wonderful voice and storytelling ability, sometimes I go back on previous videos of yours and just binge watch for an afternoon /evenings as you draw me in straight away. Why is it that so many Captains go out in bad weather or bad weather approaching? This totally scrambles my mind every time and then with a lot of them their is bad descisions , human error happens often in seafaring tales with mounting deaths and casualties. Thank you B.O.B.!😊👍🚢🌊🌀
You are a fantastic narrator!! I always enjoy your videos!! Well done!! 🥰
Excellent job on this one!
Wow,I lived in Milwaukee growing up as a kid,and boy let me tell you some of those storms would leave 3.5 ft.in an evening,50-60mph winds.Can you imagine being in the situation that those 9 froze,incased in thick ice.When I was 18 I tried for a job on a ship on the great lakes,now that. I'm older ,62 now,so glad it didn't work out for me!!!!!
Great video and channel, thank you.
I subscribe to most of the shipwreck channels,i swear someone else did this like 2-3 weeks ago,but obviously when u take any fandom into consideration,there is only so much content out there,yada yada,reguardless,good job dude!
Well done !
Would love more
I love the part when he says, “are you hungry? Because the people on the boat were, sponsored by HelloFresh”
God bless ❤
From the crew of
Dodge Buoy
Port of Duluth
Cutting the barge loose reminds me of the documentary film "Touching the Void", in which a mountain climber is forced to cut a rope holding his friend over a cliff and let him fall to a certain death or be dragged down too killing them both. It's a horrendous predicament to be in, dooming another so that you may live.
Captain Humble did get them into the mess, but if he hadn't done what he did to keep those in that part of the ship alive, I presume all of them would've died. I doubt any of the owners blamed themselves afterwards, like he did.
Your documentaries are excellent!
You did this tragedy justice in the telling. Good Job!
Well narated. I enjoyed your story.
The storytelling here is great and is accompanied with interesting photography.
I'm new to your channel, what a fantastic video! Very well done!
It's always the last run.
Nicely done sir.
Thomas woodgrave was such a massive Chad of a man, it's 100 years later and people are still like "that dude was strong as hell'
Another first-rate effort. Thanks.
Excellent presentation. However, you say that 10,000 people watched the disaster, 1/5 of the population of the state at that time. In 1900, the population of Minnesota was over 1,750,000 people.
I think he said 1/5 of the cities population, not the state?
Those guys that made the run to the bow are the ultimate badasses. They had more courage in their toes than 99% of us have in our entire bodies.
Awesome vídeo Man
_"If you don't sail into this hurricane and lose everything, you're fired."_
A fascinating and very sad story.
Great story, thanks
Great documentary
Great job! For all the numbers, dates, statistics, shipping manifest and weather conditions, I’m guessing the images and artist renditions were the most difficult to locate. I’ll share this with friends as well.
Big fan and subscriber
Lived in Duluth '89 to '95 and heard about the Mataafa disaster, very sad story....
Best video yet
Ouuuu new video :) yay!
Great video. I too love Great Lakes stories. And all your videos as well. Kudos to you from Kalamazoo. I busted a ryhme...lol. Carry on and Be Well.....
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Thank you so much for watching! What do you want to see next?
21 servings of hello fresh diarrhea is what I'd like to share with you next
Great video
If you’re ever in Duluth, visit the nautical museum. It’s really interesting. Id heard the name Mataafa, but didn’t realize it was so close to the Pierre. The whole area is cool
awesome video