History of The Corinto - Launch Turn Over in Corn Island
This story was told to Wilford C. Downs by Lorna Adela Hodgson on May 30th, 2020
Mr. Herman Hooker was the owner of an engine boat named the Corinto, one of the main vessels used to transport people and cargo between Corn Island, El Bluff and Bluefields in the 1930s.
Charlie Wilson, Lorna Hodgson’s brother-in-law, had arrived early at Brig Bay’s wharf for a scheduled trip to Bluefields. After boarding the Corinto, Charlie realized that he had forgotten his favorite tool: his knife. He rushed back to his home on North End, told the family what had occurred, picked up his knife, and hurried back in time for the departure.
At approximately 10 pm on October 15, 1937, the Corinto set sail towards El Bluff with its “little dori” (canoe), trailing behind on a rope. The boat was overloaded with bananas, plantains and coconut oil. It also held numerous passengers, including men, women and children. In the middle of the voyage, the Corinto encountered bad weather, and, being overloaded and top-heavy, it capsized. Some of the passengers who were on deck found themselves in the ocean looking for the "dori," which was still attached to the overturned vessel. Charlie Wilson, who was an excellent swimmer, and the unrecognized hero of this tragedy, quickly swam towards the “dori” and, with his knife, CUT the rope, freeing the “dori” from the sinking Corinto!
Survivors began to hop into the dori, including the owner, Mr. Hooker. It quickly became apparent that the “dori” was too small for all the survivors, so many just held onto its side with their bodies still in the ocean. Like the Titanic, the survivors watched as the Corinto disappeared and sank to the bottom of the ocean!
Someone decided to start paddling towards Bluefields, but this effort proved to be very slow and exhausting, because of the boatload, and the heavy drag on the “dori,” created by those that were in the water holding on. A struggle ensued between the group inside the “dori” and those who were holding on outside. Survival instincts quickly dominated the group, and someone started using the paddle to smash the hands and faces of those who tried to hold on. This proved effective because the victims could not swim with their injuries. The traumatic struggle for survival continued until everyone outside the “dori” perished. One survivor told Lorna Hodgson that Charlie Wilson was hit in the head during the struggle. Another said that both of his hands were broken with the paddle as he tried to hold on. Either way, both recounted that he went down into the deep with his injuries, and was never seen again! After the last person outside of the “dori” perished, the struggles and screams of those who died were replaced by complete silence! The little “dori” continued its long journey towards El Bluff.
There were no real survivors of the Corinto. The screams and cries for mercy from those holding on, while pleading for their lives, haunted the survivors throughout their entire lives. Many lived for decades thereafter. It is said that before the natural death of the survivors, including O'Neil McCoy, Ben Downs, Edith Quinn and Herman Hooker, they all had confessing stories, recounting their horrible nightmare!
On the same Friday night of October 15th, 1937, another vessel, the Melba (owned by Frank J Miller I, and named after his wife Rumelda Bowden), also left from Corn Island, via the same route, to Bluefields. Even though the Melba left the island hours later, it never encountered any evidence of the tragedy that had occurred earlier. The crew of the Melba arrived at El Bluff on the morning of October 16th and discovered that the Corinto had not arrived. Fearing that something had gone wrong, the crew of Melba quickly unloaded its cargo and returned to sea in search of the missing vessel. That was when the survivors of the Corinto were discovered in their “dori.”
Over the next few days, as the news of the tragedy began to unfold on Corn Island, people gathered at the wharf, in Brigg Bay Harbor, hoping to hear positive news about their loved ones. Unfortunately for most, the news was devastating! Every individual who lived on Corn Island had a family member, a friend, or a loved one that was a victim of this strategy. When survivors of the “dori” returned from Bluefields and began to tell their stories, anger, finger-pointing and deep resentment became the norm on Corn Island. The owner of the Corinto, Herman Hamilton Hooker, found himself at the center of these controversies, as families dealt with their grief. Among those who perished were: Charlie Wilson, Dudley Conrod Quinn I, Alvina Quinn (who was pregnant), and her daughters Minerva Taylor and Adele Taylor, Wilford Q. Downes, Mr. Young (a Chinese merchant), and many others.
Survivors who managed to stay in the dori were: Ben Downs, Charlie Husher, Edith Fermina Quinn (Angus Quinn's sister), Willie Downs (Senovia Quinn’s son), Talton Tucker, and the owner of the Corinto, Mr. Herman Hamilton Hooker.
It is said that Mr. Hooker never spoke much about the incident. However, other survivors did not remain silent. They recounted the psychological trauma of October 15th, 1937 to others, until it became common knowledge to many generations. In fact, Lorna Hodgson's brother, Vertic Emildo Hodgson, and his friend, Peter Lampson III, were deeply moved by what happened. They wrote a song about the tragedy, where they pointed their fingers at Mr. Hooker for the catastrophe. The song is called: Launch Turn Over, Launch Turn Over
Lorna Hodgson, at 97, tried to remember the original lyrics of the song, but only a few words came to her memory. She recited something to the following:
"Launch ton ova, launch ton ova, who made the launch to ova?
Craving Herman Hooker made the launch ton ova.
Where was the Melba when the launch to ova?
in Brig Bay harbor with a load of banana…”
The local politics associated with this song did not sit well with the social elites of the time. Over the years, changes were made to the lyrics to remove some of the controversies, but the melody remained fairly intact. A remake of Launch Turn Over, Launch Turn Over, by an artist from Bluefields named Anthony Mathews, made the tune very popular throughout the country. Ironically, a song about the horrible tragedy of October 15th, 1937 is now embedded in the local culture. It is often sung and choreographed during festivities and celebrations throughout the Atlantic region of Nicaragua.
