The 1978 Whippoorwill tornado, also known as the Whippoorwill Disaster was a tornado that struck Osage County, Kansas on June 17, 1978. The tornado, which was on the ground for 8 miles (13 km), struck a tourist boat called the Whippoorwill, causing it to capsize and drowning 16 out of the 58 passengers and crew.[2] In the United States, the 1978 Whippoorwill tornado is the deadliest F1 rated tornado on the Fujita scale.[3]
The tornado formed at 7 p.m. (CST) and moved erratically eastward for 8 miles before dissipating near the small town of Michigan Valley. The tornado was too small to be detected on radar, and eyewitnesses stated that the tornado was only 150 yards wide but had a multiple vortex structure. Some reported another tornado in the area although it was not confirmed by the National Weather Service.[2][4]
Impactedit
At the time of the tornado, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Franklin County, Kansas. At the same time, the showboat, Whippoorwill left its mooring at Pomona Lake carrying 58 passengers and crew. Eyewitnesses of the disaster stated that they saw the tornado forming at the west end of the lake. The tornado strengthened as it raced toward the boat. The tornado struck the boat and capsized it before moving on to land.[5]
After the tornado moved away, rescuers began to pick survivors off from the hull of the capsized ship. One rescuer, the owner of Lighthouse Bay Marina, and diver, Lawrence Stadel, dove under the boat and found two more survivors, trapped in air pockets. The tornado that capsized the boat later caused minimal damage to mobile homes before dissipating.[2][5] In total, 16 people were killed in the incident, including three faculty members from the Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management.[6]
Aftermathedit
After the disaster, the owners of the ship closed down their dinner theater a few years after the disaster.[5] The Whippoorwill itself was repaired and converted into a houseboat dubbed Georgia May. In 2005, while docked in shallow water, a small fire caused the boat to sink. It was then towed to a spot near Vassar, Kansas and left to rust. The boat was sold in 2016 to two brothers, Matt and Josh Abramovitz, who intended to repair it and put it back into service by offering day cruises.[7] The boat was sold again in 2022 to Innovative Technology Services, Inc. and rechristened as the "HHS-Host of Sparrows". It is currently in dry dock at the Lake Perry Reservoir undergoing remodel to have safety features added and become a Pirate themed commercial charter boat to be launched in Spring of 2024.[8]
HHS-Host of Sparrows nameedit
Sailors, back in the days of pirate ships, believed that sparrows guided their souls to Heaven when they died. Many would get Sparrow tattoos, in order for the Sparrows to find them should they ever be lost at sea. Since this boat has had 16 souls pass while onboard, it has surely been the Host of many Sparrows.
HHS-Host of Sparrows missionedit
The HHS-Host of Sparrows’ mission will be to preserve, commemorate and assuage the tragedy that has occurred aboard this historic yet heartbreaking piece of KS history, as a monument of honor and respect towards the lives lost and the families and communities impacted by this disastrous loss. In that spirit and as a memorial to the 4 teachers (3 Emporia State University faculty and one elementary school teacher) that lost their lives, its secondary mission is to spark interest in education and reading though bringing to life some of the most interesting characters in literature via live plays and skits performed upon the boat while underway. Additionally, the boat will be conducting charitable activities for terminally ill children and their families.
^ abcNational Weather Service (2006). "1978 WHIPPOORWILL TORNADO DISASTER". NOAA. from the original on 8 January 2007. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
^"F1 Tornado - Fujita Scale". factsjustforkids.com. Retrieved June 20, 2019.
^. Thinkquest. Archived from the original on 7 November 2006. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
^ abcCleon Rickel. "Pomona Lake tornado resulted in tragedy". Ottawa Herald. Archived from the original on 2006-10-17. Retrieved 2006-12-04.
^"ESU SLIM department plants tree in memory of Zubaida Isa after Whippoorwill boating tragedy". KVOE. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
^Hrenchir, Tim. "'Whippoorwill' paddle boat to cruise again". The Topeka Capital-Journal. Retrieved 2022-08-25.
^Mead, Barclay. "'Whippoorwill' to become the "HHS-Host of Sparrows"". HHS-Host of Sparrows. Retrieved 2023-05-27.
December 02, 2023
1978, whippoorwill, tornado, also, known, whippoorwill, disaster, tornado, that, struck, osage, county, kansas, june, 1978, tornado, which, ground, miles, struck, tourist, boat, called, whippoorwill, causing, capsize, drowning, passengers, crew, united, states. The 1978 Whippoorwill tornado also known as the Whippoorwill Disaster was a tornado that struck Osage County Kansas on June 17 1978 The tornado which was on the ground for 8 miles 13 km struck a tourist boat called the Whippoorwill causing it to capsize and drowning 16 out of the 58 passengers and crew 2 In the United States the 1978 Whippoorwill tornado is the deadliest F1 rated tornado on the Fujita scale 3 1978 Whippoorwill TornadoF1 tornadoTypeTornado outbreakDurationJune 17 1978Tornadoesconfirmed1Max rating1F1 tornadoFatalities16 fatalities 3 injuriesDamage 250 000 1 1Most severe tornado damage see Fujita scale Contents 1 Storm history 2 Impact 3 Aftermath 4 HHS Host of Sparrows name 5 HHS Host of Sparrows mission 6 See also 7 ReferencesStorm history editThe tornado formed at 7 p m CST and moved erratically eastward for 8 miles before dissipating near the small town of Michigan Valley The tornado was too small to be detected on radar and eyewitnesses stated that the tornado was only 150 yards wide but had a multiple vortex structure Some reported another tornado in the area although it was not confirmed by the National Weather Service 2 4 Impact editAt the time of the tornado the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm watch for Franklin County Kansas At the same time the showboat Whippoorwill left its mooring at Pomona Lake carrying 58 passengers and crew Eyewitnesses of the disaster stated that they saw the tornado forming at the west end of the lake The tornado strengthened as it raced toward the boat The tornado struck the boat and capsized it before moving on to land 5 After the tornado moved away rescuers began to pick survivors off from the hull of the capsized ship One rescuer the owner of Lighthouse Bay Marina and diver Lawrence Stadel dove under the boat and found two more survivors trapped in air pockets The tornado that capsized the boat later caused minimal damage to mobile homes before dissipating 2 5 In total 16 people were killed in the incident including three faculty members from the Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management 6 Aftermath editAfter the disaster the owners of the ship closed down their dinner theater a few years after the disaster 5 The Whippoorwill itself was repaired and converted into a houseboat dubbed Georgia May In 2005 while docked in shallow water a small fire caused the boat to sink It was then towed to a spot near Vassar Kansas and left to rust The boat was sold in 2016 to two brothers Matt and Josh Abramovitz who intended to repair it and put it back into service by offering day cruises 7 The boat was sold again in 2022 to Innovative Technology Services Inc and rechristened as the HHS Host of Sparrows It is currently in dry dock at the Lake Perry Reservoir undergoing remodel to have safety features added and become a Pirate themed commercial charter boat to be launched in Spring of 2024 8 HHS Host of Sparrows name editSailors back in the days of pirate ships believed that sparrows guided their souls to Heaven when they died Many would get Sparrow tattoos in order for the Sparrows to find them should they ever be lost at sea Since this boat has had 16 souls pass while onboard it has surely been the Host of many Sparrows HHS Host of Sparrows mission editThe HHS Host of Sparrows mission will be to preserve commemorate and assuage the tragedy that has occurred aboard this historic yet heartbreaking piece of KS history as a monument of honor and respect towards the lives lost and the families and communities impacted by this disastrous loss In that spirit and as a memorial to the 4 teachers 3 Emporia State University faculty and one elementary school teacher that lost their lives its secondary mission is to spark interest in education and reading though bringing to life some of the most interesting characters in literature via live plays and skits performed upon the boat while underway Additionally the boat will be conducting charitable activities for terminally ill children and their families See also editTornado List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks Tornadoes of 1978References edit Kansas Event Report F1 Tornado National Climatic Data Center a b c National Weather Service 2006 1978 WHIPPOORWILL TORNADO DISASTER NOAA Archived from the original on 8 January 2007 Retrieved 2006 12 04 F1 Tornado Fujita Scale factsjustforkids com Retrieved June 20 2019 Tornadoes Case Studies Thinkquest Archived from the original on 7 November 2006 Retrieved 2006 12 04 a b c Cleon Rickel Pomona Lake tornado resulted in tragedy Ottawa Herald Archived from the original on 2006 10 17 Retrieved 2006 12 04 ESU SLIM department plants tree in memory of Zubaida Isa after Whippoorwill boating tragedy KVOE Retrieved 2022 08 25 Hrenchir Tim Whippoorwill paddle boat to cruise again The Topeka Capital Journal Retrieved 2022 08 25 Mead Barclay Whippoorwill to become the HHS Host of Sparrows HHS Host of Sparrows Retrieved 2023 05 27 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title 1978 Whippoorwill tornado amp oldid 1176124229, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
