Boatnerd Discussion Forum

Our group helped out a lot with the Whitefish Bay project. I think you will find their results and our diving discoveries satisfactory!

I just received a copy in the mail today of the Shipwreck Journal which is a newsletter published by the Great Lakes Shipwreck His. Society at Whitefish Point. In addition to new exhibits there coming soon about the Morrell, it also mentions that later in 2020 there will be a brand new book coming out about the Morrell. It doesn’t give any further updates other than that. So we will all have to wait and be patient for this new book to be published and released but when it is, I’ll definitely be sure to purchase a copy. Wish though that Dennis Hale was still here to see the new book and sign copies. I am so glad and blessed to have met him and to get his signature in some of his books. Hard to believe too that it will be 5 years later on this fall already that he passed away!

I see the current configuration for her pilothouse in photos dating back to 1941.

She actually had a couple retrofits before then. When she was launched she had a flying bridge which was later enclosed giving her a double pilot house look, sometime after that they removed the square windows for port holes. There was a dimension & tonnage change, 1944-45 which is when she received new boilers, I think her last pilot house came around then because she was re-powered in 1956 she had the last pilot house.

If you can, a good source would be a DVD Video that was published years ago during the Morrell’s 30th Anniversary of her sinking back in 1996. The video is from Out of the Blue Productions and I think they are located up in Lexington, Michigan. This video I believe describes what you are looking for in details and gives a good detailed history about the Morrell and the changes and years they took place on her. Hope that this information has helped. Good Luck in your presentation about her.

Hello everybody.

I'm putting together a presentation on the Daniel J. Morrell and I'm having difficulty locating in what year the Morrell received her more modern forward cabins/pilothouse? If you could provide a source that would be even better!
TIA