Fun fact: One guy lived through this sinking, and he credits Stan Rogers’ ballad “The Mary Ellen Carter” as what saved him. He began singing the lyrics between waves to keep himself motivated and awake, specifically the chorus. Sample lyrics (the final chorus’ refrain): “Rise again, rise again!/Though yer heart, it be broken, or life about to end!/No matter what you’ve lost: Be it a home, a love, a friend/Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!” Rogers became a close friend of this guy and was writing a song about the Marine Electric when he died from smoke inhalation helping other passengers escape Air Canada Flight 797 as it burned on the runway following an emergency landing. Sad this isn’t more well-known tbh
0:27 if you don’t what that ship that is next to Marine Electric it is Theodora. Marine Electric was contacted by the United States Coast Guard to turn back to assist a fishing vessel, the Theodora, that was taking on water. But Theodora eventually recovered and proceeded on its westerly course back to Virginia; the Marine Electric turned north to resume its original route until it sank in the early hours. In addition SS Marine Electric was unworthy when it left port. They also found gaping holes in the deck plating and hatch covers. These had been noted at multiple points by surviving Chief Mate Bob Cusick, who testified that no repairs had been made by MTL to rectify the issues. The holes were indeed to be a big issues since without them the cargo hood would be flooding and cause the ship to be dragged underwater.
Just looking at pictures of the Marine Electric before her sinking made me wonder how in the *bloody blue Hell* could anyone call that ship seaworthy. Even if MTL faked the inspection papers, the fact that no one raised the alarm that "hey, maybe this ship is ready for the scrapyard or a major overhaul" is somewhat astouding.
This guy on my favorite ship forum worked at Port of Baltimore in 1980's where Marine Electric loaded coal sometimes - said that by the early 80's she was a rusty, awful looking ship. And MTL's subsidiary also lost the Marine Sulphur Queen several years before ..... 39 men dead and no survivors...also said to be in bad shape before sinking.
Be glad you weren’t. Only one man survived the sinking of Marine Electric, by sheer luck and willpower: he credits his singing Stan Rogers’ “The Mary Ellen Carter” in between the waves with giving him the strength to keep his head above the water.
