Good Men Down

[03:05 Question]

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There was no question in mind Wallace Thompson come down to that day. He was in debt and ice finally broken. He has the Claud W. Somers Bonito less than a year, and he was determined to succeed, it is the embodiment of his dream for a long time for his own dredgeboat own. When the wind picked up and the rest of the oyster fleet headed home, he remained in open water at the mouth of the river Honga, determined to get put in a few licks. Then he goes at random, the small harbor on the island narrows deal he had to leave before dawn that morning in March. could be he was not worried about the weather, but knew as well as anyone how treacherous storms of spring, as they sneak up on you and hammer parts. What he did not know today wind turbine near hurricane force, and that neither he nor his team would never set foot on land.

The people who live on the island Deal still shake their heads about what happened on 4 March 1977. The details differ, that they have a certain degree, because supply many people experienced the event from so many angles, but one thing is certain, they remember the tragedy, as it was yesterday, city nearly 30 years. Some witnesses have since died, but the community of sailors who are still working in the waters of the Strait of Hooper, Tangier Sound and the bay beyond will, has its stories and fabrics in the fabric of island life.

I looked through me when I started questions about the Claud W. Somers. I was in Wenona, Maryland, the harbor at the end of the deal Iceland and home to some of the bay down last active Bonito. I went to the store shortly Arby Holland, next to the dock and chatted with Father Paul Arby’s. Most of Holland had parked at a small table where he had treated other hand solitaire. He told me what he knew about Somerstragedy, but he could not remember the name of the man who had given Wallace tow. “Wait a second. These people know,” he said nodding to crab ST Webster and one of his friends in the parking lot. Both wore white rubber boots and baseball caps work anywhere Schiffer. When they got to get moving boxes for their crabs, passed along Holland: “You remember the young man towed the guys Fellow Wingate there, maybe?”

Webster frowned, and I thought he would say. “? What guys when” But he just knew that meant Holland “Do not remember right, he says,” but I bet that Grant Corbin did not know. “Webster grabbed a packet of biscuits and entered the conversation.” Thompson was a good sailor, a lot of experience. I saw him sailing into the harbor, long time. It is a shame that all he said, reminding us that all but one crew member was Wallace that day

In my quest for the living memory of the connection between the case, I ended up talking to Grant Corbin . I also spoke with Elsworth Hoffman, a retired head of the local MNR, who supervised the search, when the boat is not returned, I long Skipjack Captain said Art Daniels, I spoke with Esther Wallace, widow of Thompson and Kevin Wallace, the son of Thompson said, I Donald Mills, who went into the misty darkness to try after the storm, the men I find Don Simmons, his father said, the DNR officer Jennings Simmons has been called up to the group, and found the bodies, I said Snooks Windsor, Somers increasing the soil has been established, half, sank in 20 feet of water at the mouth of the river Honga, and who were seen as the corpses of the drowned landed at Wingate. I spoke with anyone I could find that had caused no memory of the event, and gradually the story of the Claud W. Somers began.

Wallace Thompson was born and raised on the island deal. It was one of 23 children (yes, 23), children of Robert Waterman and James Wallace Roseana. By all accounts he was affable and well liked and had a vein of the devil. Fear not, they say. And he was ambitious. He had his own view of his own boat one day, set against wind and tide.

Wallace has worked on and around boats all his life. He was a jack of all trades, master of boats and there were many people all boats. His name appears on the list of 1971 Race Chesapeake real appreciation days as captain of the Ida May, by Elbert Gladden heard. When Claud W. Somers has come for sale, Wallace was finally ready to buy. The boat was a mess sorry to be sure. It leaked like a sieve, and the motor on his boat Skiff was at best unreliable. But she was no worse than other boats in the fleet of dredge Deal Iceland, a total of 35 ships at the time. And there was nothing wrong with that Wallace could not fix.

The Somers came from a good family. It was on the east coast of Virginia in 1911 by Tom Young, Thomas Edward Somers, a businessman who built Crisfield order, and the name of his son, Claude Williams Somers. She was 461 / 2 feet long with a beam of 14 feet and fast. With captain then owner Curwin Evans at the helm, they in the saddle the rest of the race whipped cream if dredgeboats 1931-the last before the Second World War Bonito. Over 30 years later, she whipped cream all the time with Captain Linwood Benton Drive.

But when Wallace bought the boat from Parkinson Jack in the spring of 1976, its glory days past. Wallace was brought there for Eldon Willing court an opportunity and went to work. Early in the season of excavators, he became reasonably healthy, at least by his standards, and it was not in the carpentry and repairing boats on the left. It would be almost sank at the dock every morning, but he got rid of the pump, and it would float again soon enough. She was not the real take some water overnight known. In addition, water retention has always been the scourge of old ladies.

Wallace took all their problems to do in buying what he could to the boat if he had the time or money after paying the “mortgage” is not much money was left. He was with the sweat and prayers, for the most part. There were people on the island, who told him to his face that he was a fool to run this decrepit boat, he would drown someone. But there were many others who knew what he was doing and would just as generations of oyster farmers should be done before him.

The winter of 1976-77 was a bad season all over. There were not many oyster MSX launch had begun to devastate oyster beds already in decline. And what is worse, the bay was frozen for two months, bringing the number of days to get the boat people was still to open water. The boatmen of Deal Iceland desperate to get back to work when the ice finally broken in late February while a warm welcome. A few days later, the ice had melted, put the large pile of broken ice floe that was pushed to the shore by wind and tides. Even more welcome was the news that the Queen had extended the oyster season, two weeks after the usual reduction in 15th March from.

It was as Friday morning, 4 March, with a sea of four feet and winds of 15-30 mph gusty. In all likelihood, would make it worse. Wenona boats could “see” the wind, according to Art Daniels, captain of the Bonito from the city of Crisfield. They do not come that day. But chance is to wear away at once to the south, and 55 years, Wallace Thompson got out of his boat in the early hours of the morning and pumped as usual to carry off the victory. His crew muster: his older brother, “Big George” Wallace, 64, and his nephew, Carter Wallace, 20, his wife’s cousin Thomas James, 20, his son Gerald Wallace, 24, and Marine on leave and an independent person, Levin Johnson , 44 Another son, Kevin Wallace, 15, was willing to go on trial when he unexpectedly called their home. “I was there in the dock when they are gone, but for some reason I can not remember, I did not go with them that day, he said today. Another member of the crew Earl White, who died recently had remained at home on this day “is not even out of bed,” he said. He knew Gerald would take his place.

Captain Elsworth Hoffman, Department of Natural Resources police officer Luck, toured the port and did not say Wallace on this day. There were reports of thunderstorms developing later in the afternoon. That was not enough for Wallace to deter. In the darkness before dawn, he started his boat motor skiff and Bonito ease away from the dock. TheSomers from the northern port of Tangier Sound driven chance happened Sharkfin Shoal and along the northern coast of the island Bloodworth, on the road in the area of dredging from Hooper Iceland near the mouth of the river Honga. Every boat that day would have left the dock in the dark , “rock” in the oyster, when the sun rose so do not miss a “lick” the bank’s only legal oysters. As a hunter can not begin Bonito their harvest to the sunrise, but begins at sunrise they do.

Wallace had any wind, as the protection of the port have left struck ready. His team was the mainsail laugh before dark. It is common practice for bonito is always easier to a reef than to one in to give, shake especially on a cold winter morning. Wallace probably the wind sniffed this morning and had them corals three of them. A true is not necessary, but as much wind, take a drag. If it is based too much speed, the Drag bounce off the bottom only. The captain will do gauge the wind and what he needs her mainsail, depending on conditions. Wallace did not need much painting this morning.

was then as now, a real welcome to 150 bushels of oysters to take in a single day, but by the late 1970s, especially in the lower Bay, where MSX was more common, no one was coming to 150 bushels per day. The half would be a wonderful feature for scaling Deal. When the wind really started at noon kick, Wallace had good but not good enough done to leave. The skipjack other work that day goes in, while Wallace was a little more “slots”, the boatswain, the term sweep for a full one. He got more than he had expected. By all accounts, the winds were violent this afternoon. Earthlings clocked at 75 miles per hour. Paul Holland, works as a buyer and oysters in Winona, he said, blowing 80-85 on a high note. Even long before the height of the storm began Wallace home. That’s when the hell has resumed. He began to have problems with this boat Skiff cranky, and could not make room.

Buddy Jones, aboard his boat the tonging Matt Dana, he was for hightailing chance when he Claud W. Somers passed to Detroit Hooper, according to an account in the Times printed SalisburyDaily March 7, 1977. Jones said he looked like Wallace had trouble when he pulled alongside and offered assistance. Wallace was hoping spare battery Jones to get that started to help her yawl boat. If these efforts failed, offered Jones a tow rope Wallace. “I dragged about ten miles in the first two hours,” said the newspaper Jones. “When we reached the Straits of Hooper, we were really in trouble.” He said that until then had the wind reached 70 mph with a sea of 15 feet and the trailer was detached from his boots. Jones closed . but the line to get rid of fear for his own safety, Jones has put his life jacket and said Wallace and his crew to the ship and aboard the Matt Dana abandon Wallace went and said: “.. We will try to save them” Buddy Jones said he would get for her help and turns to look back, he saw that James had put Thomas a life jacket and got into the boat Skiff Bonito, probably in another attempt to get the engine running.
Meanwhile Daniels had seen the art of Somers, but it works was not seen again. He called the DNR and say Wallace could be in trouble. Corporal Walton Webster went in search of the missing boat, but the conditions were so hard He turned his back. When Somers has not come back later in the dock at 17 hours, Elsworth Hoffman, director of the DNR randomly decided to pick themselves. He got out of his boat, but could not run the engine. The conditions s “deteriorated had so much at this time, he recalls, even if he is the boat he was not certain he could treat the open water. Back in his office at sunset, he is a spark from the tractor Interstate was probably the way to Salisbury with a trailer of coal. The tug reported seeing a boat in difficulties in the Hooper Street. From his description, Hoffman thought it was probably the Somers, but he was unable to do anything, and other DNR boats were too far away. He could not wait and hope that the courageous and was able to get Wallace and confident with his boat on the water. Maybe he already had.

The news quickly spread that Wallace was in difficulties. When the time came that could get him, and the Coast Guard and DNR began the search in all directions. Donald Mills, head of the bishops recalled that there was a dense fog of the night. He came on a 55-gallon drum floating in the water, like a true captain allegedly used to transport the gas engine rewinder. “I knew I was not far, and I continued to watch. Saw that the drum, I knew the boat sank, but I thought that some of these boys would be suspended from the mast.” He found nothing.

According to some reports, saw researchers at the Wingate, Maryland, the dinghy boat around 21 clock, he broke with skipjack and was stranded on the beach of runners. A few hours later the body of Thomas James, always a life jacket was found floating between

bishops of the head and the light of Hooper Street, and the rescuers knew the chances of finding tuna or rest of his crew were slim. Between the fog and the visibility was zero darkness. At that time, near midnight, they thought their efforts in the area where the body was found by James, that Wallace Hooper Street had left to run with the wind at the port of concentrated Wingate. Or perhaps he had deliberately tried, in the shallow water, to prevent it from diving when it sank to crush. Helicopter swept the area lights, but still found nothing.

Finally, just before midnight Henry Gootee Golden Hill discovered the boat on his radar, west and north, where they had sought. “They know a good place, you something on the radar that no one there to see,” he said from his office in the Marine Gootee’s Creek Church. He had left his dock clock to 7.30 after I had heard that a boat was in difficulty. In the darkness, his eyes riveted on his radar screen so far is the water. One after the other familiar markers on the screen as he was expected, but something unknown was introduced in the water above the Hooper Street Light. In fact, when he made his way closer and attention could be paid to her, he could see the top of the mast Somers, swings out of the water about 300 yards from Norman Cove. There was no sign of life.

news spread quickly discovered in the morning and gathered up to 50 boats on the site. Captain Ben Parks Cambridge recalls the position of Iceland Hooper with his father aboard the family boat. The company Iceland Hooper Volunteer Fire Department, said he had “body drag” around, and they were always called to use it. Not the product enough to hear him describe. It is a long rod of steel on wheels, hooks accurate results in three parts hung. “It will catch something,” said Parks. He boarded the boat to help police officer Harold Pritchett behind, but they were out of luck. Back and forth, back and forth, you have combed the entire area around the skipjack tuna, to no avail. Only Charles Abbott and some of the men had little chance of skipjack thrown down the bar from the lower than men’s bodies Wallace Levin four and Johnson were found at the mast of the boat. One by one the men were taken aboard the boat police and taken to the public on Kai Wingate.

“I remember the guys are in the police boat like it was yesterday,” said Snooks Windsor, who was on the wharf when the boats did not operate as a marina and train. “It’s not something that you probably forgot.”

Meanwhile, the Claud W. Somers was brought into motion again and towed away to chance. Thirty-three bushels of oysters were on the bridges. In a month she was in DK Bond, who ran out of Chesapeake Beach, Md., sells well, they owned and sailed by fishermen Reedsville museum built one of only a few tuna left Virginia.

No one can say how or why the Somers was found at the mouth of the river, when Honga change of Buddy Jones, the boat was almost on the street Hooper, when he left, to get help. Captain Ed Farley of skipjack HM Krentz Tilghman, the hypothesis that the dinghy boat, with Thomas James on board and try to start the engine must have freed from Somers. Wallace might be tempted to drive the boat to retrieve the boy. The skipjack loaded with oysters and probably under water pumped out faster than anyone could just sank to the ground with its load of oysters always on deck.

Regardless of how or why, the result remains the same. This is part of the work load of the water. Boat sinks, drowning people. Perhaps the history of the Claud W. Somers is still deeply rooted in the collective memory, just because no one can know what really happened. Or maybe the story and narrative of such a story is the first line of defense community, a warning to his children on the whims of nature and the dangers inherent in the work of the water. He is a cautionary tale, and “get on the water” every man, as the islanders would not say it should be to consider the lesson.