Shipwrecked: Reflections of the Sole Survivor

by Dennis Hale

Dennis Hale has been a survivor his entire life from the moment of his birth to his reckless days as a teenage hitch-hiking across the country. But nothing could prepare him for his tragic ordeal of the steamship Daniel J. Morrell. Ripped in two by gale-force winds, the entire crew was tossed into frigid waters. Dennis and three others made it to a liferaft…only to face 30 foot waves and freezing overnight temperatures. The sole survivor persevered two November nights- clad only in a lifejacket, peacoat and his underwear. This is his story…

Genres: Nonfiction

295 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2010

Reviews

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much of the book focused on his life and his journey to come to grips with his ordeal. I met Dennis at the Shipwreck Museum in Paradise, WI where I bought this book and talked with him. A very nice man who was truly a sole survivor. I was saddened to read of his passing. He is now with his old shipmates.

[Valleri · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The ship made a sound like a dying prehistoric creature, creating a scene that will be with me for the rest of my life."

3.5 Stars

I first found out about this book when I read Purgatory Ridge, by William Kent Krueger. Part of that book was based on the sinking of an ore freighter, the Daniel J. Morrel. I immediately wanted to read about the actual incident. Dennis Hale was the only survivor of the freighter when it sank on Lake Huron in late November 1966. Shipwrecked focuses on the horrific sinking of the freighter, but also the author's early life, and his journey to come to grips with his ordeal. He’s led quite a life and, lucky for readers, he decided to write it all down.

I would have enjoyed the book more had it covered more about the three years Dennis Hale sailed on the Morrel and less about his early life - but that's just me. The writing was a bit rough around the edges but fascinating. (I smiled every time I read where he had written "Whew!" which was pretty often.)

Dennis Hale passed away in 2015 at the age of 75. I wish I could have met him.

[Mike Kirk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Facinating story of Dennis Hale's youth, his experience of a Great Lakes freighter sinking and his surviving on a raft during a November storm in freezing temperatures, and how after many years he was finally able to cope with the emotional trama of being the only survivor of the wreck.

[Wendy Goerl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wonderful story, lousy book layout.

I would have loved to sit and listen to this guy talk, but I was irritated by the bad layout of the book, especially the unnecessary "double spacing" of the text, as if he was afraid he didn't have enough story to fill a book unless he "padded" the layout. (Either that or he knew enough to double-space the manuscript, but didn't know you have to un-doublespace it if you're doing your own book layout.)

[Rachel Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

An honest and raw account of a shipwreck survivor, it was hard to put down until the end. The writing is not superb, but as it was written from the heart, I feel that it adds to the candidness of the book. I enjoyed learning all the technical shipping terms used throughout the book, some I had to look up, and I felt that I learned a bit about ships and sailing as well.

[Mike Miketinac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not that well written. Very choppy. Too much about his childhood and not enough about the ship.
I liked the coast guard findings about the sinking.
Dennis Hale was the only survivor and didn’t really know what happened to the ship he was on.
His survival story is nothing short of amazing though.

[Marieta Grissom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dennis's story is a captivating memoir of the sole survivor of the "Daniel J. Morrell" shipwreck and the struggles he experienced in life both before and after the wreck. It is an easy read but is packed with emotion.

[Alyssa Broekema · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing is a little rough around the edges, but the story is worth the read. Very interesting biography about a story I’ve never heard of.

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a little difficult to go back and forth between his childhood and the wreck. I just wanted to read about the wreck! It was interesting to hear about his experience as the sole survivor.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I would have made time to attend one of his speaking engagements and meet him. I thought about it over the years but now unfortunately it is too late. What an amazing story. I find it interesting that many people with difficult childhoods go on to accomplish extraordinary things

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

Met Dennis recently at a book signing. LOVED THE BOOK.

[Kara Scranton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting because I love Lake Huron and am interested in the history of the shipwrecks but this book explored focused more on his life and all the troubles. I was bored.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing experience thoughtfully woven with reflections from his childhood. The reader joins Dennis as he struggles to figure out "why me?"

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

great storyteller, I just feel that Dennis could have used a better editor, especially for grammatic reasons.

[Care · Rating 4 out of 5]

I met the author at a book signing at the shipwreck museum in Paradise, Michigan. He is a normal person who went through the impossible and lived to tell about it.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow, what a story. Loved his narration, gave you lots to think about