In August 1955, the Chesapeake ram schooner Levin J. Marvel sought shelter in Herring Bay from the winds of Hurricane Connie. As winds battered the anchored ship, the schooner broke apart, and 14 of the 27 people on board lost their lives in spite of heroic efforts from local residents and responders. Part sea story, part courtroom drama, in this talk author Kathy Bergren Smith will recount the story of the most deadly shipwreck on the Chesapeake, as well as the courtroom and legislative fall-out from the event, pulling together illustrations from newspapers, a recovered diary, and the photos of A. Aubrey Bodine.

Staff program lead: Jill Ferris, jferris@cbmm.org, 410-745-4986.