Shipwreck That Claimed Captain’s Life in 1940 Finally Found, But Why He Went Down with Ship Remains a Mystery

"There was plenty of time for that captain to get out of his pilothouse and be part of that crew that was going to be rescued," said one expert

A ship that sank over eight decades ago (along with its captain) was just uncovered on the floor of Lake Superior.

In the evening of April 30, 1940, the World War II-era bulk carrier, the SS Arlington, left from an Ontario port loaded up with wheat, its crew unaware of the ship’s unfortunate fate, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society shared in a press release on Monday.

Shortly after its departure, the vessel was caught in a storm and its captain, Frederick "Tatey Bug" Burke, made a decision that still baffles historians.

Confusing his crew and directly defying his first mate — who suggested taking some cover with a safer, shore-hugging route — Captain Burke ordered the 244-foot ship to stay its course across the open water, per the historical society.

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The ship was battered in the storm, and on May 1, the crew woke up in the early hours of the morning to a blaring horn. The Arlington was sinking, and its chief engineer had sounded the alarm.

Fearing for their lives, Burke’s crew did not wait around, and began fleeing the vessel without orders from the veteran captain. Every single person made it safely to the Collingwood, a nearby ship — except the captain.

Just minutes before the SS Arlington went down, Burke was seen near the ship's pilothouse waving at the Collingwood, according to reports from the time of the wreck.

The crew was confused about why he was waving, though some theorized he was sick or had fallen, Bruce Lynn, the executive director of the historical society, told The New York Times.

"The stereotype is that the captain goes down with the ship,” Lynn told the outlet. “But there was plenty of time for that captain to get out of his pilothouse and be part of that crew that was going to be rescued.”

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To this day, there is no explanation for the captain’s odd behavior, the historical society says.

But now, nearly 84 years after the bulk carrier went down, its wreckage has been discovered — and it may offer some answers.

What remains of the SS Arlington was discovered about 650 feet below the lake’s surface about 35 miles north of Michigan’s Keweenaw Peninsula, the historical society announced along with shipwreck researcher Dan Fountain on Monday.

After searching for wrecks in Lake Superior for years, Fountain came across “a particularly deep anomaly," which he believed could be a shipwreck, and contacted the historical society for help.

Last year, Fountain joined forces with the society’s director of marine operations, Darryl Ertel, and the crew of research vessel David Boyd to sonar over the area, and they determined it was, in fact, a wreck. Shortly after, they identified it as the SS Arlington.

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Last year, Fountain joined forces with the society’s director of marine operations, Darryl Ertel, and the crew of research vessel David Boyd to sonar over the area, and they determined it was, in fact, a wreck. Shortly after, they identified it as the SS Arlington.

In the press release, Fountain said it was “exciting to solve just one more of Lake Superior’s many mysteries.”

“Finding Arlington so far out in the lake, I hope this final chapter in her story can provide some measure of closure to the family of Captain Burke,” he added.

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