1978 Whippoorwill tornado

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 mi, struck a tourist boat called the Whippoorwill, causing it to capsize and drowning 16 out of the 58 passengers and crew. In the United States, the 1978 Whippoorwill tornado is the deadliest F1 rated tornado on the Fujita scale.

Storm history
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.

Impact
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.

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. In total, 16 people were killed in the incident, including three faculty members from the Emporia State University School of Library and Information Management.

Aftermath
After the disaster, the owners of the ship closed down their dinner theater a few years after the disaster. 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. 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.

HHS-Host of Sparrows name
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 mission
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.