John Maynard the Helmsman (Song)

The song retells the story of the ballad "John Maynard".
John Maynard is one of the most famous ballads by Theodor Fontane.
The ballad honors John Maynard, the helmsman of the passenger ship Schwalbe on Lake Erie, where a fire breaks out near the end of a journey from Detroit to Buffalo. John Maynard remains “amidst smoke and flames” at his post until the ship reaches the shore, thereby saving everyone at the cost of his own life.