Nine men of the United States Coast Guard Steamer Morrill were drowned near Shelbourne, Nova Scotia in November 1925 while en route from the Great Lakes to Boston. They were returning to the Morrill in a small boat when the accident occurred. The men were in a 26 foot sail boat which capsized in the storm lashed waters of the harbor half a mile from shore. One of the men, C . Taylor, an engineer second class, managed to reach shore three hours after the accident.
Taylor’s account of the fight for life waged on the overturned craft described how five of the men were able to pull themselves out of the water and cling to the vessel’s slippery keel. The upturned craft was constantly washed by huge waves. He also told of how others of the men, too weak to pull themselves up, clung to the edge of the boat and held on as long as they could. One by one the sailors lost their strength and were forced to let go. They disappeared quickly in the darkness and were not seen again. All the time the wind was carrying the wreck ashore but at an almost imperceptible rate of speed. It was dark when the accident occurred and no one witnessed the accident from shore or heard the cries of the victims which did not carry far in the gale blowing over the harbor.
At nine o clock the drifting craft had reached a point 50 yards off shore. Taylor was the only one of the ten men left. Half crazed over the loss of his nine companions and fearing his own ability to retain his hold on the boat until help reached him, he decided to strike out for land. Being a strong swimmer, Taylor finally succeeded in reaching the shore at a wooded spot. Unable to walk, he cried out for help and a small boy living nearby heard him. In a short time he was taken to shelter and soon recovered.
The ten members of the crew in the sailboat had been on shore leave. Efforts to notify the Morrill by signal of the tragedy failed and because she was lying in such turbulent water no small boat could put out to her. Therefore the news of the accident did not reach the Captain until several hours afterward.
| Name | Rating | Duty Station | Date |
| Lundgren, C. | BOSN | USCGC Morrill | 11/16/1925 |
| Kingsbury, H. L. | Pay Clerk | USCGC Morrill | 11/16/1925 |
| Wilson, H. K. | OffSt1 | USCGC Morrill | 11/16/1925 |
| Mcmurdo, H. | CY | USCGC Morrill | 11/16/1925 |
| Brackett, I. J. | Cox | USCGC Morrill | 11/16/1925 |
| Stivers, J. H. | S2 | USCGC Morrill | 11/16/1925 |
| Saltysack, J. L. | S1 | USCGC Morrill | 11/16/1925 |
| Shea, J. R. | CBM | USCGC Morrill | 11/16/1925 |
Source: The Daily Illini, Student Newspaper of the University of Illinois