Many of us who live in the
southeast followed the plight of the Golden Ray, a car carrier that capsized in St. Simons
Sound just off the coast of Georgia in September of 2019. Miraculously, there
were no casualties as all the ship’s crew was rescued by the Coast Guard.
Environmental concerns were high
because the seventeen-story high ship carried 4200 cars, each of which held gas
or diesel, as well as antifreeze. The ship’s fuel tanks contained 320,000 gallons of
fuel.
There are several theories why
the ship capsized including a data entry error that controlled the ballast and
incorrect loading.
I first saw the ship in November
that year—a mammoth mass of steel sitting out there in the
sound. As I sat on a bench on the water’s edge near the Saint Simons pier, you could
almost hear the saltwater corroding the cars. How in the world would anyone
figure out a way to get all that metal out of the ocean? It seemed impossible.
The ship
had already been declared a total loss in October—eighty million for the ship
and eighty million for its contents.
But despite
my sense that the task was impossible, a contract was issued to T and T Salvage
to remove the ship, which would involve cutting it into pieces for scrap.
Procedures
to mitigate harm to wildlife were continually being evaluated and put in place
and the fuel from the ship was drained.
Then a
global pandemic struck in 2020. The salvage company needed housing for their
workers to keep them in a bubble so that the work would not be interrupted. For
this, they struck a deal with Epworth by The Sea, a Methodist retreat center on
St. Simons Island. Epworth supplied rooms and twenty-four-hour meal service for
the 115 salvors who came and worked shifts around the clock.
For
Epworth, this was an important contract. The pandemic had put retreat centers
in crisis. Large gatherings were at a
standstill. The arrival of the T and T salvors enabled Epworth to bring back
their staff.
Ministry continued
at the retreat center as well. When the workers arrived, they were able to log
into chapel services, and the center offered spiritual guidance to any who
requested it. The salvors could leave prayer requests at Epworth, and there
were those who would pray over them.
These
people who came to dismantle a wreck walked paths under moss draped oaks and heard
chimes playing hymns. At the Epworth Frederica River Pier, when they boarded
their ship each day that carried them to the Golden Ray, they walked by a
cross.
I can’t
imagine a more beautiful place to spend fifteen months, which was how long it
took to dismantle the ship.
Over
the course of the worker’s Epworth stay, thirty-seven of these workers gave
their lives to Jesus.
We were
back at the retreat center recently for a conference, and Jerry heard the
director give this firsthand report.
I haven’t
been able to get this story off my mind. A 160-million-dollar loss, and yet out
of it, the future of a conference center engaged in ministry for nearly seventy
years was secured. And most importantly, the eternal destiny of thirty-seven
people changed. This was the golden ray in the Golden Ray.
A tribute
to the salvors of the Golden Ray has been erected at Epworth by the Sea. It
includes a link of the chain used to cut the ship into pieces and sits beside
the Frederica River pier that the sailors used.
On it is
written Philippians 4:13. “I can do all things through Him who gives me
strength.” A perfect verse for those who did what seemed an impossible task.
This is a powerful lesson for all of us that out of the biggest shipwrecks in our lives, God can bring miracles. And when you face one, as we all do, remember Philippians 4:13 and what God did in the lives of the salvors of the Golden Ray.
Beverly Varnado is the author of several small town romances from Anaiah Press including her latest, A Season for Everything. All are available at Amazon. A memoir, Faith in the Fashion District, from Crosslink Publishing is also available as well as her other books, Give My Love to the Chestnut Trees and Home to Currahee. She also has an Etsy Shop, Beverly Varnado Art.
To explore the web version of One Ringing Bell, please visit bev-oneringingbell.blogspot.com
Beverly Varnado copyright 2022