Posted on 11/10/2020 6:38:17 PM PST by Ciaphas Cain
It was forty-five years ago tonight that the Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship plying the Great Lakes, sank and took 29 good men to the bottom of Lake Superior.
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot. With photos of the vessel and her crew.
Yes....that line is haunting.
I’m watching Duluth as well. The Arthur M. Anderson has been scheduled to come in through the canal and to port just about now. They keep moving it back. But, I’m wondering if she’ll anchor near the Aujaq, because of the fog, and come in tomorrow. Actually the Anderson right now appears to be heading back onto the Lake.
Poignant thanks from Minnesota. 4-5 inches of snow tonight.
And it had been in the 60s on Sunday.
Best looking pic of Pelosi ever
“Does anyone know where the love of God goes When the waves turn the minutes to hours…”
If You Could Read My Mind is one of my favorite songs. Just amazing.
LOL, not the song, the ship
Always remember it, because we were at the Marine Corps Ball that night. And we moved to the Detroit area in ‘79.
Rick Beato (pronounced “bee A toe”) broke down why that song is so great. If you search YT for “Rick Beato if you could read my mind” the correct episode of Rick’s series will appear- episode 94.
I also like his break down of Boston’s “Hitch A Ride” and “More Than A Feeling”.
Or when they come around Algiers Point IN NOLA. But I don’t know how any pilot steers the Mississippi !!
I saw something not too long ago where someone was taking a look at the theories and comparing it to evidence. Now I dont remember much in the way of specifics but they had figured out the trough in the waves and a number of other things and developed simulations...anyway, what they determined was that after comparing the length of the ship to the height of the waves and her draft and everything that she nosed into a trough and almost directly into the bottom and as soon as she snapped and hit the bottom the lake closed over her.
It wasn’t any ordinary lake. It was Superior.
Just type the song title and “lyrics” into a search engine and they should pop up. I often hear part of a song and want the title, so type in some lyrics and the title and lyrics pop up.
Yes, I understand!
It just seems to me that the accident would be older than 45 years because this song seems to be about 19 7475
Song came out fall of 76, the Florida DJ said he thought it must be from an 1800s wreck.
Grew up on Detroit River about half mile across from shipping channel. I love freighters and their lines.
Was 17 getting ready for school when first heard about it. Very eerie feeling. Duck hunting friends got stranded due to water level dropping so fast from strong NW wind.
Read many Great Lakes wreck stories. Think of this one when you’re trying to fall asleep: The sole survivor of a 50s or 60s night wreck on Lake Michigan saw a black silhouette coming toward him in the distance. The freighter’s stern was still afloat and under power.
Mystery Science Theater had a two line parody of Lightfoot’s song in a wharf scene...ending with ‘they went into town and got supper’.
Are you crazy? That song is a masterpiece — beautifully written and totally captures the tragedy.
I would listen to Gordon Lightfoot over any of the crap out there today. Amazing talent. How many artists sing, play their own instruments and write their own music out there today?
Gord’s Gold is one of his greatest hits albums, but doesn’t have “Wreck....” on it.
Apparently, he was very close to his uncle and the loss hit him very hard. I was shocked when I read this very small paragraph in the book.
His wife confirmed it was indeed his uncle and out of respect, I’ve never brought it up to him.
The funny thing is I came across the information because the author appeared on a local TV show and had a copy of the galley proof for the book. We talked about the loss of the Fitz and he gave me the proof to read. Somewhere, I still have it packed away.
I read many years ago that Gordon was dealing with heart problems. He turns 82 next week.
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