Bluebelle (ship)
Encyclopedia
The Bluebelle was a 60 feet (18.3 m) ketch
that was the site of brutal murders on November 12, 1961.
The ship was chartered by 41-year-old optometrist Dr. Arthur Duperrault of Green Bay, Wisconsin
, for a trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
, to the Bahamas, departing November 8, 1961. Late one night on the return voyage, the captain, decorated 44-year-old ex-World War II
and Korean War
pilot Julian Harvey, reportedly killed his 34-year-old sixth wife Mary Dene (whom he had married in July) and four members of the Duperrault family – Dr. Duperrault; his 38-year-old wife Jean; and two of their children, 14-year-old Brian and seven-year-old Renee – leaving alive only 11-year-old Terry Jo Duperrault asleep below in a sleeping compartment. Harvey then scuttled
the vessel and prepared to leave in a dinghy
. When Terry Jo was awakened by screams, Harvey made no attempt to kill her outright, merely ordering her to stay below. As the ship filled with water, Terry Jo was able to avoid the captain and untie a 2' x 5' cork float and launch herself onto it just as the ship fell into the depths. The young girl drifted for four days without food or water, and she was unconscious and near death when rescued in the Providence Channel by the Greek freighter Captain Theo. A crewman on the Captain Theo took a picture of her on the float; this photograph was featured on front pages around the world with stories of the "sea waif".
Harvey had been picked up three days earlier in the dinghy along with the dead body of Renee. He told United States Coast Guard
investigators that a squall had brought down the Bluebelles masts, holing the ship's hull, rupturing the auxiliary gas tank, and starting a fire. He claimed that he found Renee floating face down in the water and tried unsuccessfully to revive her. (An autopsy showed that she had died of drowning.) However, after Harvey was informed of Terry Jo's rescue, he left the hearing, checked into a motel under an assumed name, and committed suicide by cutting his body very deeply in many places with a razor blade.
It is believed Harvey planned to kill his wife quietly at night to collect on her $20,000 double indemnity insurance policy, but he was observed by Dr. Duperrault who was killed when he attempted to intervene. Harvey then killed the remaining witnesses, except for Terry Jo. It was later found that he had seemingly miraculously survived a car accident that claimed another of his six wives and her mother, and that his yacht Torbatross and his powerboat Valiant had sunk under suspicious circumstances that yielded large insurance settlements.
Mystery writer Erle Stanley Gardner
and others wondered why Harvey did not kill Terry Jo when he had ample opportunity. Many years later, she stated in a television interview with Matt Lauer
, "I think he probably thought I would go down with the ship". However, Gardner speculated that Harvey may have wanted to be caught and punished. Survival psychologist Richard Logan, who was familiar with Tere and her story, believed that Harvey had intended to kill her but when she accidentally dropped the rope connected to Harvey's escape boat, he was forced to dive overboard in order to prevent it from floating away without him, and thus left her alive on the sinking ship.
In 1967, John D. MacDonald
, author of the Travis McGee
series of thrillers, published a highly fictionalized account of the crime, THE LAST ONE LEFT. It was repeatedly cited by Anthony Boucher in The New York Times as the best mystery novel published that year.
In May 2010, the story of Terry Jo's ordeal and survival, including biographical information about Julian Harvey and an account of Terry Jo's life (she is now Tere Duperrault Fassbender) over the decades since the Bluebelle tragedy and the loss of her family, was published by Titletown Publishing of Green Bay, Wisconsin. The book, entitled Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean, was written by Richard Logan and Tere Duperrault Fassbender herself. It was the first time in nearly fifty years that Duperrault had shared her full story. The book sheds some new light on Harvey's character, and also some new light on the events of the night of death on the Bluebelle, thanks in part to Duperrault's willingness to undergo a sodium amytal injection to aid her recall. Duperrault struggled in many ways for many years after the loss of her family, but by all accounts she managed ultimately to live a full and rich life.
Ketch
A ketch is a sailing craft with two masts: a main mast, and a shorter mizzen mast abaft of the main mast, but forward of the rudder post. Both masts are rigged mainly fore-and-aft. From one to three jibs may be carried forward of the main mast when going to windward...
that was the site of brutal murders on November 12, 1961.
The ship was chartered by 41-year-old optometrist Dr. Arthur Duperrault of Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay, Wisconsin
Green Bay is a city in and the county seat of Brown County in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, located at the head of Green Bay, a sub-basin of Lake Michigan, at the mouth of the Fox River. It has an elevation of above sea level and is located north of Milwaukee. As of the 2010 United States Census,...
, for a trip from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Fort Lauderdale is a city in the U.S. state of Florida, on the Atlantic coast. It is the county seat of Broward County. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 165,521. It is a principal city of the South Florida metropolitan area, which was home to 5,564,635 people at the 2010...
, to the Bahamas, departing November 8, 1961. Late one night on the return voyage, the captain, decorated 44-year-old ex-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
and Korean War
Korean War
The Korean War was a conventional war between South Korea, supported by the United Nations, and North Korea, supported by the People's Republic of China , with military material aid from the Soviet Union...
pilot Julian Harvey, reportedly killed his 34-year-old sixth wife Mary Dene (whom he had married in July) and four members of the Duperrault family – Dr. Duperrault; his 38-year-old wife Jean; and two of their children, 14-year-old Brian and seven-year-old Renee – leaving alive only 11-year-old Terry Jo Duperrault asleep below in a sleeping compartment. Harvey then scuttled
Scuttling
Scuttling is the act of deliberately sinking a ship by allowing water to flow into the hull.This can be achieved in several ways—valves or hatches can be opened to the sea, or holes may be ripped into the hull with brute force or with explosives...
the vessel and prepared to leave in a dinghy
Dinghy
A dinghy is a type of small boat, often carried or towed for use as a ship's boat by a larger vessel. It is a loanword from either Bengali or Urdu. The term can also refer to small racing yachts or recreational open sailing boats. Utility dinghies are usually rowboats or have an outboard motor,...
. When Terry Jo was awakened by screams, Harvey made no attempt to kill her outright, merely ordering her to stay below. As the ship filled with water, Terry Jo was able to avoid the captain and untie a 2' x 5' cork float and launch herself onto it just as the ship fell into the depths. The young girl drifted for four days without food or water, and she was unconscious and near death when rescued in the Providence Channel by the Greek freighter Captain Theo. A crewman on the Captain Theo took a picture of her on the float; this photograph was featured on front pages around the world with stories of the "sea waif".
Harvey had been picked up three days earlier in the dinghy along with the dead body of Renee. He told United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
investigators that a squall had brought down the Bluebelles masts, holing the ship's hull, rupturing the auxiliary gas tank, and starting a fire. He claimed that he found Renee floating face down in the water and tried unsuccessfully to revive her. (An autopsy showed that she had died of drowning.) However, after Harvey was informed of Terry Jo's rescue, he left the hearing, checked into a motel under an assumed name, and committed suicide by cutting his body very deeply in many places with a razor blade.
It is believed Harvey planned to kill his wife quietly at night to collect on her $20,000 double indemnity insurance policy, but he was observed by Dr. Duperrault who was killed when he attempted to intervene. Harvey then killed the remaining witnesses, except for Terry Jo. It was later found that he had seemingly miraculously survived a car accident that claimed another of his six wives and her mother, and that his yacht Torbatross and his powerboat Valiant had sunk under suspicious circumstances that yielded large insurance settlements.
Mystery writer Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner
Erle Stanley Gardner was an American lawyer and author of detective stories, best known for the Perry Mason series, he also published under the pseudonyms A.A. Fair, Kyle Corning, Charles M. Green, Carleton Kendrake, Charles J...
and others wondered why Harvey did not kill Terry Jo when he had ample opportunity. Many years later, she stated in a television interview with Matt Lauer
Matt Lauer
Matthew Todd "Matt" Lauer . is an American television journalist best known as the host of NBC's The Today Show since 1997. He was previously a news anchor in New York and a local talk-show host in Boston, Philadelphia, Providence and Richmond...
, "I think he probably thought I would go down with the ship". However, Gardner speculated that Harvey may have wanted to be caught and punished. Survival psychologist Richard Logan, who was familiar with Tere and her story, believed that Harvey had intended to kill her but when she accidentally dropped the rope connected to Harvey's escape boat, he was forced to dive overboard in order to prevent it from floating away without him, and thus left her alive on the sinking ship.
In 1967, John D. MacDonald
John D. MacDonald
John Dann MacDonald was an American crime and suspense novelist and short story writer.MacDonald was a prolific author of crime and suspense novels, many of them set in his adopted home of Florida...
, author of the Travis McGee
Travis McGee
Travis McGee is a fictional character, created by prolific American mystery writer John D. MacDonald. Unlike most detectives in crime fiction, McGee is neither a police officer nor a licensed private investigator; instead, he is a self-described "salvage consultant" who recovers others' property...
series of thrillers, published a highly fictionalized account of the crime, THE LAST ONE LEFT. It was repeatedly cited by Anthony Boucher in The New York Times as the best mystery novel published that year.
In May 2010, the story of Terry Jo's ordeal and survival, including biographical information about Julian Harvey and an account of Terry Jo's life (she is now Tere Duperrault Fassbender) over the decades since the Bluebelle tragedy and the loss of her family, was published by Titletown Publishing of Green Bay, Wisconsin. The book, entitled Alone: Orphaned on the Ocean, was written by Richard Logan and Tere Duperrault Fassbender herself. It was the first time in nearly fifty years that Duperrault had shared her full story. The book sheds some new light on Harvey's character, and also some new light on the events of the night of death on the Bluebelle, thanks in part to Duperrault's willingness to undergo a sodium amytal injection to aid her recall. Duperrault struggled in many ways for many years after the loss of her family, but by all accounts she managed ultimately to live a full and rich life.