A deep-trolling expedition for lake trout on Lake Superior, initiated in Munising Bay, Michigan, took a perilous turn on July 3rd when an unforecasted tornado directly impacted the thirty-foot vessel, the Roamer, according to a survivor’s account on www.outdoorlife.com. What began as a leisurely Fourth of July outing, with a brisk morning wind having died down to a light breeze, quickly escalated into a life-threatening ordeal for the nine individuals aboard, including skipper Capt. Fred Lukowski and fourteen-year-old helper Donald Martin.
The party of seven passengers, comprised of six novices and the experienced narrator, had planned a day of deep-trolling for lake trout on reefs seven to eight miles offshore of Grand Island. Despite favorable weather conditions—light wind and calm water—the fishing proved exceptionally poor, yielding no strikes over two to three hours. It was amidst this lull that a sudden, distant roll of thunder from the southeast heralded a rapidly growing, "odd black cloud" above the Munising hills.
Initially dismissed as a squall by Capt. Lukowski, the Roamer immediately altered course for the lee of the channel between Grand Island and Wood Island. While two other nearby trolling boats, also heading for shelter, found some reprieve as the storm’s force was broken by the island’s leeward side, the Roamer continued to confront the full brunt of the approaching system. Unbeknownst to those aboard at the time, this was no mere squall but a tornado that had already wrought havoc ashore, wrecking docks and tearing roofs in Munising, and even lifting and destroying a cottage on Grand Island.
The compact black cloud, described as bearing down "like a live thing," wheeled unexpectedly from the northwest into the southwest, driven by a screaming westerly wind. The crew scrambled for life jackets, which were inconveniently stored, as the core of the storm struck. The impact was likened to a "gigantic sledge hammer," unleashing a solid wall of wind, rain, and monstrous seas. Caught broadside, the Roamer was engulfed in towering waves.
A second massive wave swept Maurice Johnson, the sole non-swimmer in the party, overboard. Fortuitously, a following sea slewed the boat's stern, allowing him to grab a post and be pulled back aboard. Moments later, the Roamer succumbed to the tempest, going down like a stone and submerging almost entirely. As the narrator surfaced amidst the roaring confusion, a quick count revealed seven heads, including the narrator's, but Charlie Lea was conspicuously missing, believed to still be within the sunken vessel.
