SS Carl D. Bradley was an American self-unloading Great Lakes freighter that sank in a Lake Michigan storm on November 18, 1958. Of the 35 crew members, 33 died in the sinking. Twenty-three were from the port town of Rogers City, Michigan, United States. Her sinking was likely caused by structural failure from the brittle steel used in her construction as well as extensive use throughout her 31-year career.
SS Carl D. Bradley
Carl D. Bradley unloading in a hopper at Michigan Limestone in 1958
Carl D. Bradley(1) and Myron C. Taylor at Michigan Limestone
Carl D. Bradley's pilot house door in 2007
Lake freighters, or lakers, are bulk carrier vessels operating on the Great Lakes of North America. These vessels are traditionally called boats, although classified as ships. Freighters typically have a long, narrow hull, a raised pilothouse, and the engine located at the rear of the ship.
SS Arthur M. Anderson, with pilothouse forward and engine room astern, also equipped with a self-unloading boom.
R. J. Hackett, the first modern Great Lakes bulk freighter
Whaleback Joseph L. Colby
Cason J. Callaway laid up in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. (2021)