Correct. I worked on Great Lakes freighters in the 1970’s and witnessed first hand very bad storms on the Great Lakes.
The captains I sailed with would have found a safe anchorage
rather than find the pounding waves of Lake Superior.
I read this ship left Florida on Tuesday of last week and sailed right into a hurricane they had to know about.
There is something not right in this story.
According to what I’ve heard, the New Jersey company OKed the trip, but left the final decision in the Capt’s hands - stating that they believed the ship and crew were more than capable of plowing through. But then they did not allow for propulsion loss in that heavy sea state. Nor did the Capt.
Once long ago there was a large run of early reds and I needed the money badly. However there was also a strong westerly gale which would drive the fish against Whidbey Island western beach. Easy picking and a lot of guys made some serious money that night. I, on the other hand, after untying and heading out, had second thoughts about something I had seen in the engine compartment while changing the oil filter.
There was time, so I turned back and tied up in my slip just as the wind hit 50 knots. Fine, if you were already out in it, but not so fine bucking into it to get there.
Open the engine compartment and looking around, my eye was caught by the salt water intake valve. As I checked it, the hose above the valve broke - I closed the valve immediately. Had I been in the storm, a strong wave could well have broken the hose while I was on deck setting the gear, and before I could even get to the radio to call for help the battery would have been shorted out.
Who knows but the Capt could have3 been under enormous financial pressure, as I was ... pressure from his superiors in NJ and just went with it. Perhaps: down in the engine room, the transmission gear case, having cracked some time back, leaked the last of its oil and froze, leaving the ship without propulsion ... No crew skills can recover a top heavy ship, shipping water into the #3 hold with out ship’s power to keep the pumps while heaving around in a very heavy sea and wind state.