MUSKEGON, Mich. (WZZM) - On Monday, Nov. 30, the Lakeshore Museum Center and Michigan Shipwreck Research Association came together for an outdoor memorial. That memorial was held at a lakeshore Coast Guard facility for the people aboard the Henry Cort and the men who conducted a rescue on November 30, 1934.
It's a day many will never forget. Violent waves threw a steamer, known as Henry Cort, onto the rocks of the Muskegon channel.
Lake Michigan's violent waves were too much for the Henry Cort, tossing the ship around the Muskegon channel. The Coast Guardsmen were able to rescue the 25 men aboard but lost one of their own.
"Unfortunately, with Jack Dipert losing his life that night probably saved the lives of many Coast Guardsmen that came after him," said Tim Rafter, an executive petty officer with the U.S. Coast Guard.
"Jack was only 22; almost 23 at the time when this happened, and he wasn't married and of course had no children," said Kristie Clegg, who traveled to Muskegon from Port St. Lucie, Fla., to pay her respects to the Pentwater, Mich., native.
Clegg, who is Dipert's only living relative, says her family is no stranger to the West Michigan area.
"Our family moved to Pentwater in 1884. Jack's father joined the Coast Guard in 1908 and actually served 30 years in the Coast Guard."
Sarah Cashwell, a Macon, Ga., native and U.S. Coast Guard seaman in Muskegon, researched what happened 75 years ago.
"The Henry Cort, a freighter that hauled iron ore back and forth, was trying to come to the Muskegon Channel," Cashwell said. "So it was in 60, 60 knot gale winds, so it was a very treacherous journey to say the least."
The 75th anniversary will offer a chance for the Coast Guard to formally pay tribute to Dipert and his sacrifice.
David Solano
In your voice
