"The Mary Ellen Carter" is a song written and first recorded by Stan Rogers in 1979. It tells the story of a heroic effort to salvage a sunken ship, the eponymous Mary Ellen Carter, by members of her crew. Original version The song chronicles the efforts to salvage the ship, implying that it will be raised on the following day: The song ends with an inspirational message to people "to whom adversity has dealt the final blow": Never give up, and, "like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again!" The song appears on three of Rogers' albums: Between the Breaks...Live! Home In Halifax The Very Best of Stan Rogers Cover versions by notable artists Jim Post began performing the song in the 1980s Makem and Clancy began performing the song in the 1980s, recording it on their 1986 album We've Come a Long Way The English a cappella trio Artisan popularised their harmony version in UK folk circles throughout the 1980s and 1990s Portland, Maine based folk group Schooner Fare recorded the song on their 1983 album Alive!. Ian Robb recorded it with the other members of Finest Kind on his album From Different Angels. It was recorded by the seven piece Newfoundland band The Irish Descendants as part of the tribute album Remembering Stan Rogers: An East Coast Tribute, performed by various artists at Rogers' favorite venue in Halifax, Dalhousie University The song was covered by Alex Beaton and featured on his Live in Concert album, released in 2012. The song was covered by American folk-punk band Mischief Brew on a 7-inch split released in 2013. The Bristolian folk group The Longest Johns released a rendition of the song in 2020. Legacy As a tribute to Stan Rogers, "The Mary Ellen Carter" has been sung to close the annual Winnipeg Folk Festival every year since his death. During the finale of the Annual Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival held in Owen Sound, Ontario, "The Mary Ellen Carter" is sung together by many of the weekend festival's performers and the audience in tribute to Stan Rogers, who was one of the festival's original supporters and after whom the main stage was named. Connection to the sinking of the Marine Electric On February 12, 1983 the ship Marine Electric was carrying a load of coal from Norfolk, Virginia to a power station in Somerset, Massachusetts. The worst storm in forty years blew