Among the oldest stereotypes surrounding shipping is that when disaster strikes, the captain goes down with their ship. So it went with the S.S. Arlington, a Second World War-era grain carrier, whose remains were recently located in the depths of Lake Superior off the coast of Michigan, that is still surrounded by questions around its captain’s actions during its final voyage.
On February 12, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society announced that the Arlington was found 600 feet below the surface near Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula. The wreck was found in December through remote sensing data and sonar. Researchers spotted an “anomaly” in the area three years ago and conducted a two-day search to find the vessel, which was identified by its faded letters.
Carrying a load of wheat destined for Owen Sound, the Arlington departed present-day Thunder Bay on April 30, 1940. The ship’s first mate set out a course to stay along the Canadian shoreline for protection from snow and wind, but Captain Frederick “Tatey Bug” Burke decided to head out into the lake despite Superior’s reputation for sending vessels to a watery grave during bad weather. When T.J. Carson, the captain of the freighter Collingwood, saw the direction the Arlington was heading, he chose to follow behind in case disaster struck.
Around 4:30 a.m. on May 1, the Arlington started sinking. With no orders coming from Burke, the 16 crew members loaded into a lifeboat and were rescued by the Collingwood 10 minutes after the ship rolled over. Witnesses recalled that Burke stayed close to the pilothouse as the ship sank and waved mysteriously to the crew as they escaped. To this day, nobody knows why Burke didn’t leave the ship when he had plenty of time to do so.
Newspaper reports hailed Burke as a hero who played into the stereotypes surrounding captains who went down with their ship. Two months later, an inquiry ruled that Burke may not have been aware of how much danger the Arlington was in, especially in its engine room. The report theorized that Burke’s final wave to the crew as he stood by the lifeboat might have been a sign to wait for him while he went back to his cabin to grab safety equipment, ship papers, or personal items, though modern researchers wonder if he was waving goodbye.
Burke may not have been the only victim of the sinking. When Carson died in October 1940, reports suggested the strain of the rescue and the death of Burke, who had been a childhood friend, were key contributors to his fatal illness.
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