Short Stuff: Mystery of the Sarah Jo
In this episode of Stuff You Should Know, the bizarre case of the Sarah Joe and its missing crew is explored. The podcast delves into the ill-fated 1979 fishing trip that went awry, leading to the vessel's mysterious disappearance and a frantic but fruitless search and rescue effort. Nearly a decade later, the boat was discovered on a remote atoll in the Marshall Islands, with human remains identified as one of the crew members.
The Sarah Joe's story raises intriguing questions about the fates of the remaining crew members and the circumstances surrounding the boat's drift over the years before its rediscovery. While some aspects of the case are illuminated, the episode leaves listeners pondering the enduring mysteries around the timeline of events and the sailors' harrowing final days.
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1-Page Summary
The ill-fated fishing trip and disappearance of the Sarah Joe
A routine fishing trip turned deadly in 1979.
In 1979, Scott Morman and four construction workers from Hawaii decided to go fishing on a 17-foot Boston Whaler, the Sarah Joe, according to the summary. Despite calm conditions, a sudden gale hit within two hours, and the Sarah Joe vanished without a trace.
The Sarah Joe remained missing for nearly a decade.
Despite extensive searches by the Coast Guard and friends, no evidence of the boat or crew emerged, leaving families without closure and a community with lingering questions for almost ten years.
The discovery of the boat and remains years later
Over a decade later, a marine biologist stumbled upon the Sarah Joe.
In 1988, John Naughton, a marine biologist, discovered the Sarah Joe in the uninhabited Ta'angi Atoll in the Marshall Islands, recognizing its Hawaiian registry from the decade-old disappearance.
Naughton found remains later identified as Scott Morman's.
Near the boat, Naughton discovered a makeshift grave with a driftwood cross and burned papers resembling Chinese funeral customs. The remains were confirmed as Scott Morman's.
The burial suggested the boat may have drifted for years.
Authorities theorize that the boat drifted for several years before Morman's body washed ashore, possibly discovered and buried by Chinese fishermen based on the grave's details.
Theories and unanswered questions surrounding the fate of the crew
Morman's remains provided few answers about the other crew.
While Morman's identity and burial were confirmed, his cause of death and the fate of the other four crew members remain unclear.
The exact timeline and crew's fate remain a mystery.
Determining when events occurred is challenging due to a six-year window when Morman could have come ashore. With no additional remains or evidence, many questions linger about what ultimately happened to the Sarah Joe and her ill-fated crew.
1-Page Summary
Additional Materials
Actionables
- You can enhance your personal safety on trips by creating a detailed travel plan and sharing it with friends or family. Before embarking on any journey, especially to remote areas, write down your intended route, expected check-in times, and emergency contacts. This plan can be left with a trusted person who can alert authorities if you don't check in as planned, potentially reducing the time it takes to initiate a search if something goes wrong.
- Develop an interest in amateur weather forecasting to better prepare for unexpected weather conditions during outdoor activities. Start by observing local weather patterns, using simple tools like barometers or wind vanes, and comparing your observations with official forecasts. Over time, you'll become more adept at predicting sudden weather changes, which can help you avoid dangerous situations similar to the sudden gale that impacted the Sarah Joe.
- Create a personal emergency kit tailored to your environment and keep it with you during adventures. This kit should include items like a GPS beacon, water purification tablets, a compact emergency shelter, and a first aid kit. Having these items can increase your chances of survival and being found in case you encounter a disaster similar to the Sarah Joe's disappearance.
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The ill-fated fishing trip and disappearance of the Sarah Joe
A routine fishing trip turned into a decades-long mystery after the sudden disappearance of the Sarah Joe and her crew near Maui in 1979.
A group of five construction workers from Hawaii decided to go fishing instead of going to work one day in 1979.
In 1979, Scott Morman, a 27-year-old from California living in Hawaii, and four other construction workers decided to skip work to go fishing. They set out on a 17-foot Boston Whaler, the Sarah Joe, owned by Ralph Malaiakini's brother. The men weren't seasoned fishermen, but they knew the sea and boats sufficiently to embark on such an adventure.
The men, led by 27-year-old Scott Morman, set out on a 17-foot Boston Whaler named the Sarah Joe from Hana, Maui.
Departing from Hana, Maui, the sea appeared calm, akin to a lake. But the day took an ominous turn.
Despite the seemingly calm sea conditions, the boat encountered a sudden gale within a couple hours, and the Sarah Joe and its crew vanished without a trace.
Within two hours of departure, a swift and severe gale hit, and the Sarah Joe, along with its crew, disappeared without a trace, marking the beginning of a longstanding enigma.
The Coast Guard conducted an extensive search for the missing boat and crew, but found no evidence of their fate.
The Coast Guard launched an extensive search operatio ...
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The ill-fated fishing trip and disappearance of the Sarah Joe
Additional Materials
Actionables
- You can create a safety checklist for small boat excursions to ensure you're prepared for sudden weather changes. Start by researching common weather patterns and emergency protocols for the area you plan to visit. Include items like life jackets, a waterproof VHF radio, flares, and a first-aid kit. Share this checklist with friends and family who enjoy boating to promote safety awareness.
- Develop a personal protocol for informing someone about your travel plans, especially for activities that involve some risk. Choose a reliable person and provide them with details like your destination, expected return time, and who you're with. This practice can be applied to various scenarios, from hiking to road trips, ensuring that someone is aware of your whereabouts in case of an emergency.
- Engage in a basic weather education course online to bette ...
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The discovery of the boat and remains years later
More than a decade after a small boat named the Sarah Joe vanished mysteriously, a marine biologist inadvertently uncovers its fate, sparking more questions than answers.
In 1988, a marine biologist named John Naughton was conducting research on the uninhabited Ta'angi Atoll in the Marshall Islands when he discovered the Sarah Joe.
Marine biologist John Naughton stumbled upon the Sarah Joe in 1988, while on an expedition in the uninhabited Ta'angi Atoll. He immediately recognized the boat's Hawaiian registry, linking it to the vessel that had disappeared 10 years earlier. The discovery was both startling and perplexing, marking the end of a long mystery about the boat's whereabouts.
Naughton recognized the boat's Hawaiian registry and realized it was the same vessel that had gone missing 10 years earlier.
In a twist of fate, Naughton, who had participated in the search for the Sarah Joe shortly after it went missing, found the small vessel a decade later, far from its last known location.
Near the boat, Naughton found a burial mound with a driftwood cross and a partially burned stack of papers with a foil lining, suggesting a Chinese funeral custom.
Intriguingly, near the Sarah Joe, a makeshift grave marked by a driftwood cross was found. It included an odd stack of partially burned papers with foil—a detail some believe to resemble Joss paper, used in Chinese funeral rites. This has led to speculation that perhaps Chinese fishermen had found and buried the deceased crew member.
Examination of the remains found at the site confirmed the identity of one of the missing crew members, Scott Morman.
The remnants discovered at the impromptu gravesite revealed a personal and heartbreaking detail of the enigmatic journey: they were the remains of Scott Morman, one of the Sarah Joe's lost crew. His final resting place on a distant atoll hinted at a story yet fully untold.
Authorities were unable to determine the cause or exact t ...
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The discovery of the boat and remains years later
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Actionables
- You can explore the power of storytelling by writing a short story inspired by the Sarah Joe mystery, focusing on the themes of adventure and the unknown. This activity taps into your creative side and can be a therapeutic way to process the intriguing elements of the story. For example, imagine the journey of the Sarah Joe from the perspective of an inanimate object on the boat, like a compass or a fishing net, giving it a voice and a narrative arc that intertwines with historical facts.
- Start a hobby in amateur sleuthing by researching unsolved mysteries and creating a digital scrapbook of your findings. Use free online tools like Evernote or Google Docs to compile information, images, and your own theories. For instance, you could delve into the history of maritime mysteries, document different cases, and compare them to the Sarah Joe incident, looking for patterns or unique differences.
- Engage with your local communi ...
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Theories and unanswered questions surrounding the fate of the crew
The mysterious case of the Sarah Joe and the fate of its crew continues to be a subject of speculation and investigation.
The discovery of Morman's remains alone did not provide clear answers about what happened to the other four crew members.
Despite the finding of Morman's remains, the circumstances regarding the rest of the crew remain uncertain. There are theories suggesting that Morman may have died at sea and became attached to the drifting boat, or that he may have survived for some time before ultimately perishing on the remote atoll. Another speculation could point towards an encounter with Chinese fishermen who found the boat and Morman's body. Possibly involved in illegal fishing activities, the fishermen might have buried Morman without reporting the incident to avoid drawing attention to themselves.
The exact timeline of events and the fate of the other four crew members remain a mystery.
Determining when Morman died or how long the boat had been adrift before it washed ashore is challenging. A ...
Here’s what you’ll find in our full summary
Theories and unanswered questions surrounding the fate of the crew
Additional Materials
Actionables
- You can enhance your problem-solving skills by practicing the reconstruction of events based on limited information, similar to piecing together the fate of the Sarah Joe crew. Start by reading historical mysteries or cold cases and try to map out what might have happened using the known facts. This can improve your critical thinking and deduction abilities.
- Develop a better understanding of uncertainty and how to deal with it by starting a journal where you document daily decisions made under uncertain conditions. Reflect on these entries to see how you cope with not having all the answers, which can help you manage ambiguity in your personal and professional life.
- Improve your research ...
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