Forty two years ago yesterday, the Edmund Fitzgerald left Superior Wisconsin loaded with 26 tons of iron ore – enough to build 75 thousand cars – on it’s way to Zug Island in Detroit. As infamously memorialized in song, it never arrived. Posted on 11/11/2017 6:17:12 AM PST by NOBO2012
Sailing directly into one of the Great Lakes most ferocious storms, she was no match for the lake’s fury which created sustained winds of hurricane force and 25 foot waves with troughs twice that. A mere 15 miles away from safe harbor it split in two and went down with its entire 29 member crew. Such are the fates. Such are the gales of November. Such is the force of nature. Map of the fateful voyage
Until then the worst storm documented on the Great Lakes was a 3 day blow from November 7-10, 1913, over a hundred years ago now, that claimed 19 ships and took 250 lives. I rerun this story every year not because it is such a heart-stopping saga but because it is a reminder that in the scheme of things we are really quite powerless. Man did not create climate change; Somebody else did that for us.
So raise a glass to the memory of the good men who served on the Edmund Fitzgerald that fateful day; to the men who sail into the storm not knowing what their fate might be, knowing full well they may not reach safe harbor.
A proper drink would be a Dark ‘n Stormy made with Gosling’s black rum and ginger beer although in the Great Lakes we use Vernors. But if, like our president you don’t imbibe, just enjoy a glass of Vernors - because “that’s what we drink around here.”
And what would a memorial to the Edmund Fitzgerald be without the sea chanty?
Posted from: MOTUS A.D.
I’ll be humming that tune for the rest of the day, now.
pong
One of my favorite songs of all time. I was a deejay when it came out and I played the heck out of it.
A ship in front was in radio contact with Captain Mcsorley when all of a sudden communication stopped and the blip on the radar disappeared. When they found the ship years later it was broken in two. The fore and aft hit high waves with a deep trough in between. Like the song says “she broke deep”.
While in the Navy in the early 70s I fell in love with Lightfoot’s version of Me And Bobby McGee. Had to wait until payday to buy the album so I hid it under the “Z’s” until I could go back and buy it.
Yes, I saw that on SCTV in the early 1980s.
Typo. It was 26 THOUSAND tons of iron ore. One of the biggest ships on the Great Lakes.
The event and song were known to me in the 70s in Kansas City and surrounding area.
In 1990 when I took a Boy Scout Troop to Moose Lake (C. Summers Canoe Base) we stopped a Split Rock Light House and its great museum or all the Superior shipping, storms and ship wrecks. That is worth a trip in and of itself.
If you ever take a cruise and Gordon Lightfoot’s on the dock asking what the name of your boat is.....I’d suggest taking a bus instead.
“does anyone know
where the love of God goes
When the gales of November come early?”
Haunting song.
Prayers up, for all those who go into the face of danger.
I grew up in Eastern Washington and the song was huge. We only had rock music on one a.m. station (960 KALE) at the time. Still one of my favorite songs to this day and my favorite Gordon Lightfoot song.
It depends on what you thought of the song. Miss marmelstein's brother thinks it's just fine. (see post 16)
I think the song hit #2 on pop charts.Used to think it was a song about a long ago incident then found out the sinking took place the year before. “The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they call Gitchee Gumee”. The legend is about the lake, not the sinking.
Roy Firestone once sang Star Spangled banner to the start of the song melody, imitating Canadian Lightfoot:”Oh say can you see byyy the dawn’s early light...”
LOL! He sure did. He had an animus against folk songs. I greatly admire the song although the tune is monotonous.
That size vessel should be able to handle 25’ seas. Problem is that those lake ships are not built well and it should have never been out in that storm.
I was a teenager at that time (late 70s) and worked on party fishing and commercial boats out of Central Florida. That song was on the jukebox at the restaurant/bar at the marina and played numerous times daily.
It does grab you. :) Song that I bought on 8track (yes that long ago)
I’ve always loathed the song, but that’s one of those events where I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when I first got the news.
I’m stealin’ this one, excellent!
It’s better to get it by buying the album “ SummertimeDream.”
That was a good album which hholds up well even after all these years.
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