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.
It’s an amazing song...
The Wreck That Is Hillary Clinton
Hillary lives on down in Chappaqua Town
with the big guy known only as “Bubba”.
The Clintons, it is said, left a trail of their dead,
including Chelsea’s Dad, Web Hubbell.
With a rot to the core, 26 scandals & more,
she trudged through the campaign undaunted,
but she was not true, there was something askew,
when the votes of November were counted.
Hillary was the pride of the Democrat side,
as a candidate that was very well “Seasoned”.
As baggage goes, she had way more than most,
and Republicans were quick to cry “Treason”.
Including her term with the Rose Law Firm,
where dealings were known to be “Sleazy”,
and later she learned, that’s the Arkansas norm,
and the lying began to come easy!
Bubba’s Impeachment made a tattle-tale sound
as Hillary wailed “It was tainted”.
But Broaddrick, she knew, as Lewinsky did too,
that the Clintons were morally vacant!
The day finally came, Hillary set out to claim
her “right” to be first woman POTUS.
But as Democrats Cheered, the corruption was clear,
in the emails that WikiLeaks showed us!
Relief finally came when Comet stepped in
saying “Not enough evidence to indict ya”.
But later that year, when the evidence became clear,
Trey Goudy said “It’s been good to know ya”.
Lies about Trump, Hillary made on the stump,
had not put a scratch or a dent on.
And on November 8, it was destined by fate,
came the wreck of Hillary Rodham Clinton!
Does anyone know where Bubba’s love goes,
when a stain on a dress is a pop quiz?
The president, they say, well he tried to make hay,
“Depends on what the definition of IS, is”.
He lied his way through all the scandals, it’s true;
Paula Jones, “Kiss it” and White Water,
and all that remains is the faces and names
of an illegitimate son and a daughter!
With her career on a shelf, Hillary now talks to herself
in the rooms of her ice-cold mansion.
And Bubba, it seems, still has young man dreams
of his sexual excursions now behind him!
And just down the hall, Hillary plays with a ball;
that’s all her “handlers” will allow her!
America will be great as the “Trumpers” celebrate,
with the votes of November, remembered!
The Dems are depressed, Socialism has digressed
as their voter fraud failure starts to sink in...
Stupid has no cure, but there’s one thing for sure,
it;s the end for Hillary Rodham Clinton!
The disgraced lives on down in Chappaqua Town,
in separate bedrooms it’s reported!
The Clintons, it is said, now their marriage is dead,
when the votes of November were sorted
Sorry bout the correction...
Doe anyone know where the Love of God goes...when the waves turn the minutes to hours...
Probably one of the most poetic songs ‘bout the dangers people face..the lyrics fit the story and the musical score has a ghostly, eerie quality. No pun intended.
There are many books and videos made about the disaster.check em out..
Pretty good.
5.56mm
Absolutely - I lived in Massachusetts back then, and it was a huge hit.
If you ever get to the maritime museum in Duluth check out the list of ships lost... Note that most of the dates are sometime in November. It would appear that November is a good time to stay off the lakes. Maybe do some maintenance, training, vacations...
I think the indians around the lake call it “gitchee gumee”....thw witch of november in the song refers to a time in november i think 1913 where a large amount of boats were lost in storms...
...was the witch of November come stealin’..great lyrics..typical of Lightfoot..
There have been numerous inquiries about the wreck..either a hatch cover got loose and water came in and the pumps couldnt handle the load and the ship was too low and a giant “rogue” 35 ft wave came over and swamped it..or the ships twisting in the heavy seas caused a crack and water came in..or the ship scraped bottom at one of the unmapped shoals at nearby islands..either eay..ship running too low...big waves swamp..
“a bone to be chewed”
Great song. Saw Lightfoot perform it live at Nassau Coliseum. His version of Bobby McGee is good, but his Canadian accent ruins it when he sings “ somewhere near Sal eye nas”, not Sal ee nas. His Canadian Railrod Trilogy is long but very well done.
As the Lake freighters go ...
... When the waves turn the minutes to hours ...
It's a Chippewa (Ojibway) phrase. Means "great waters." It's also mentioned in Longfellow's poem "Hiawatha." By the shores of Gitchee Gumee, by the Shining Great Sea Water ..."
A great songwriter, though.
Yeah, not prudent command decisions, at best.
I spent the first half of my life at sea on large and small vessels. Have seen some memorably nasty weather and seas on both large and small.
I never feared to put to sea on a good vessel with competent command. On two occasions I had the unfortunate opportunity to put to sea with incompetent command and once on a vessel that proved not very seaworthy. Those events stay with you and inform future decisions.
26,000 tons
I was a USAF barracks chief at Keesler AFB, Mississippi and the song resonated with the men in my barracks. Two of the airmen were from the area where the Edmund Fitzgerald sailed and knew several of the men lost on it. It was quite eerie. Whenever I hear the song I think of those boys from Michigan.
Heading to the Matchbox factory, it was?
“Monotonous”? Some have called the tune “relentless.” Like the waves. “The Cremation of Sam McGee” is relentless in the same way.
In the opening it shows an actual news report about the wreck, some actual footage of the ship at the beginning, (not sure about the film in the middle showing a ship in heavy seas, of what ship and where and when that is from) but then real video of the ship’s discovery, radio recordings, and at the end, all the names, ages, occupations and home towns and photos of the 29 men lost. : (
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