A very interesting shipwreck named after a very small town. She's also the fleetmate of the SS Carl D Bradley, the ship we named our first blend after!

The Cedarville departed Calcite in Rogers City on May 7th, 1965. She headed to Gary, IN with 14,411 tons of limestone and a crew of 35. A thick fog rolled in as the ship approached the Straits of Mackinac. The Cedarville was approaching the Norwegian vessel MV Topdalsfjord, and the two ships negotiated directional changes that should have resulted in them passing each other. However, a miscommunication between the ships caused the Topdalsfjord to collide with the Cedarville on her port side cutting a deep gash between the seventh and eight hatch.

After briefly dropping anchor to consider the situation, the SS Cedarville developed a list on her starboard side. To avoid sinking in open water, the ship's captain attempted to ground the ship near Mackinaw City. Unfortunately, while still several miles offshore, at 10:25 am the SS Cedarville suddenly rolled over to starboard and sank in 105 feet of water about 3.5 Miles SE of the Mackinac Bridge south tower. Twenty-five crewmen were recovered alive from the cold lake, along with two others that succumbed due to exposure, and eight others went down with the ship.  All but one of the crewmen were recovered.

An investigation by the US Coastguard found the Cedarville's captain at fault for the sinking, and he received a license suspension for one year.

The Cedarville lies in the Straits of Mackinac Shipwreck Preserve. Her hull is around 35 feet below the surface and the cabins are around 75 feet deep, making her a very popular spot for divers to visit. As a result there are numerous incredible photos of the wreck, including some excellent 3D models.

The Cedarville's sinking played a crucial part in the increased safety protocols that were implemented in Great Lakes shipping. As a part of their report, the Coast Guared specifically noted "Great Lakes bulk carriers are not generally capable of withstanding unrestricted flooding of any main cargo space. When the collision occured and the flooding could not be controlled the vessel was in danger of eventual sinking." These ships usually had big empty bellies, and when they began to flood, nothing could prevent them from sinking.

This coffee is a 3-way blend of our Peru, Costa Rica, and Kenya. Functionally it's not much different from the City of Bangor blend, but with the Peru replacing our Guatemala it made sense to introduce this as a new blend. Basically, if you loved the last blend you'll love this one!

Learn more about, and see some really cool photos of the SS Cedarville at https://www.straitspreserve.com/shipwrecks/cedarville/. 

The City of Bangor is one of my favorite shipwrecks. 

She was built by Frank Wheeler's West Bay City Shipbuilding Company in 1896 to carry ore on the Great Lakes, but was converted to a automobile carrier in 1925. On the night of November 30th, 1926, with 248 Chrysler cars headed from Detroit to Duluth, a severe storm threw her onto the rocks on the Keweenaw Peninsula. 18 cars were thrown from her deck and were lost in Lake Superior. 

The following morning the crew was able to free the lifeboats and make it ashore. They tried to walk to Copper Harbor, but a 15 mile hike without proper equipment in a Keweenaw winter is a dangerous undertaking. They built a fire and huddled around it for the night. No shelter, no food, and improper clothing. It's a miracle they survived. 

The next day the coastguard was driving along the Keweenaw (carrying the crew from another shipwreck) and spotted Bangor's crew. After rescue several of the men were hospitalized with frostbite, but had survived their shipwreck.

Most of the Chryslers were stored below deck, and it was determined that they were all generally in good shape. The water that continued to splash on the side of the ship allowed the recovery team to build an ice ramp and drive the cars off the ship and on to the ice. A team drove the cars over the icy banks of the Keweenaw and in to port in Copper Harbor. During the winter, the roads are closed between Copper Harbor and Calumet, so they were stored for the winter and driven to Calumet in the Spring. From there, the cars were loaded on to a train and shipped back to Detroit for repair and re-sale. 

The City of Bangor was considered a total loss, and sat untouched until 1942, when her hull was scrapped and materials were salvaged during WWII.

Several residents of the Keweenaw purchased Chryslers that were transported on the City of Bangor, and swore up and down they were the best cars you could buy.

This is a 3-way blend of our Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Kenya. The dark Guatemala, with it's bold and robust bittersweetness builds this coffee's foundation. The Kenya, with its delicate acidity gives a lovely juicy peak to the coffee, and  the nutty sweetness of the Costa Rica provides a wonderful, easy drinking coffee that we absolutely love.

Learn more about the City of Bangor at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/City_of_Bangor_(ship)

The MV Lee A. Tregurtha is not a shipwreck, but I chose to name our second blend after this magnificent freighter because of her interesting past. 

A keen eye will notice her campaign ribbons on the forward cabin of the ship. The MV Lee A. Tregurtha began her life in 1942 as the USS Chiwawa, a T3 Oil Tanker who served in WWII. Her purpose was to provide fuel to ships serving on the Pacific Front, which she did faithfully until the end of the war in 1945. 

From there she made a few runs fueling  ships off Bermuda, Guantanamo Bay, and Argentina until she entered the Norfolk Navy Yard for overhaul. She finished her straight decking in 1946 and entered civilian service as the SS Walter A. Sterling for the Cleveland Cliffs Steamship Company.

She sailed under the ownership of the Ford Motor Company for a few years too, but eventually ended up sailing for the Interlake Steamship Company and got the name Lee A. Tregurtha.

I named our second blend after her because of her mixed-use history. Her performance as a Navy oiler and a Great Lakes freighter proves she can do both, just like this coffee.

This Black and Tan is our Ethiopia Dry Process Mansur Aba Hikam, half roasted light, half roasted medium. It retains the incredible sweetness and rustic fruit notes from the lighter roast, wrapping it in a velvety bittersweet body from the darker roast.

Learn more about the MV Lee A. Tregurtha (USS Chiwawa) at http://www.navsource.org/archives/09/19/19068.htm.

The SS Carl D. Bradley was a purpose-built ship that hauled limestone from Calcite Mine in Rogers City, MI to various ports in the Great Lakes. Calcite, as the largest limestone mine in the world, owned seven freighters through their subsidiary, the Bradley Transportation Company.

As the flagship of their fleet, the Carl D. Bradley frequently carried exceutives and high profile guests in her staterooms. Bradley Transportation paid special attention to the SS Carl D. Bradley, always keeping her paint fresh, her decks freshly hosed, and providing her a larger crew than necessary. 

The SS Carl D. Bradley made her final voyage on November 18th, 1958. Roland Bryan, her captain, had a reputation for his ability to deliver his cargo on time no matter the weather. On her way back to Rogers City from Gary, IN, she encountered a devastating storm. 50-65 MPH winds and record-setting snow falls made for a nearly impassible voyage. At 5:35 PM she suddenly broke in two, and the crew attempted to move quickly as they could to the life rafts. Only 4 of the 35 crew members made it to a raft, and after being repeatedly tossed around in the devastating, storm, only two men survived.

The Christian Sartori (a German freighter) was 4 miles south of the Carl D. Bradley and saw the wreckage through binoculars. They witnessed the lights go out on the fore of the ship while the aft remained lit. After all lights vanished, they heard an explosion and saw a red, yellow, and white column of flame shoot in to the air. They concluded that the ship exploded.

The ship now rests 380 feet below the surface, approximately 12 miles southwest of Gull Island in Lake Michigan. A memorial remembering the lives of the 33 victims was installed at Rogers City's Lakeside Park in 1997, and an Emmy winning PBS documentary about the SS Carl D. Bradley aired in 2008.

Read more about the Carl D. Bradley here. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Carl_D._Bradley

The coffee is a 3-way blend of our Honduras, Brazil, and Kenya. The dark Honduras provides a sturdy, bittersweet foundation for the cup, while the chocolate and walnut in the Brazil provides a delicious balance. The Kenya, with it's pronounced acidity, tops the whole blend off with a fruited finish that's sure to please.