Looks like we got away with violating the Prime Directive again, you pointy eared goblin.
Posted on 11/17/2017 5:30:13 PM PST by nickcarraway
When the Edmund Fitzgerald sank to the bottom of Lake Superior amid a fierce storm on Nov. 10, 1975, the most gut-wrenching loss was its entire crew - all 29 men aboard who went down with the famed freighter.
But the wreck of the 729-foot "laker" was also a $24 million loss of an engineering marvel - a ship considered a Great Lakes workhorse as it racked up seasonal records for its cargo-hauling abilities.
Below are some of the often-forgotten facts about the ship whose demise has become a tragic Lake Superior legend.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was not only an ore-hauling workhorse with nearly 750 round trips to her credit, she was also the largest freighter on The Great Lakes for 13 of her 17 years.
Originally a coal-fired "laker," the Edmund Fitzgerald was later outfitted to burn oil, and had a diesel-powered bow thruster. She was owned by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee.
The big freighter was just 17 miles from safety when she sank with all 29 men aboard. At the time, nearby ships were reporting waves approaching 25 feet and hurricane-force winds blowing across Lake Superior.
Even after the Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared from radar, it took a while to organize a search effort because of the fierce storm pounding Lake Superior. The Arthur M. Anderson, which had been trailing the Fitzgerald for more than a day, was the first to search. By then, the doomed freighter had already plunged to the lake's bottom and had broken in two.
8 facts behind the Edmund Fitzgerald's final hours Posted November 09, 2017 at 07:00 PM | Updated November 09, 2017 at 10:30 PM 3.9k shares 15 Comment
lifevests.JPG Life vests recovered after the Edmund Fitzgerald sinking. (Courtesy | U.S. Coast Guard)
By Tanda Gmiter | tgmiter@mlive.com When the Edmund Fitzgerald sank to the bottom of Lake Superior amid a fierce storm on Nov. 10, 1975, the most gut-wrenching loss was its entire crew - all 29 men aboard who went down with the famed freighter. But the wreck of the 729-foot "laker" was also a $24 million loss of an engineering marvel - a ship considered a Great Lakes workhorse as it racked up seasonal records for its cargo-hauling abilities. Below are some of the often-forgotten facts about the ship whose demise has become a tragic Lake Superior legend. gr1.jpg MLive graphic The Edmund Fitzgerald was not only an ore-hauling workhorse with nearly 750 round trips to her credit, she was also the largest freighter on The Great Lakes for 13 of her 17 years. gr2.jpg MLive graphic Originally a coal-fired "laker," the Edmund Fitzgerald was later outfitted to burn oil, and had a diesel-powered bow thruster. She was owned by Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee. gr3.jpg MLive graphic The big freighter was just 17 miles from safety when she sank with all 29 men aboard. At the time, nearby ships were reporting waves approaching 25 feet and hurricane-force winds blowing across Lake Superior.
MLive graphic Even after the Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared from radar, it took a while to organize a search effort because of the fierce storm pounding Lake Superior. The Arthur M. Anderson, which had been trailing the Fitzgerald for more than a day, was the first to search. By then, the doomed freighter had already plunged to the lake's bottom and had broken in two.
MLive graphic Lake Superior claimed all 29 men aboard the Mighty Fitz, from a young deckhand to its veteran captain: Captain Ernest M. McSorley Michael E. Armagost Fred J. Beetcher Thomas D. Bentsen Edward F. Bindon Thomas D. Borgeson Oliver J. Champeau Nolan S. Church Ransom E. Cundy Thomas E. Edwards Russell G. Haskell George J. Holl Bruce L. Hudson Allen G. Kalmon Gorden Maclellan Joseph Mazes John H. McCarthy Eugene O'Brien Karl A. Peckol John J. Poviach James A. Pratt Robert C. Rafferty Paul M. Rippa John D. Simmons William J. Spengler Mark A. Thomas Ralph G. Walton David E. Weiss Blaine H. Wilhelm
MLive graphic When the U.S. Coast Guard surveyed the Edmund Fitzgerald's wreck site in 1976, it used a U.S. Navy submersible to get video of the ship's two halves on the lake bottom, covered in mud. Artist sketches made from this video are included in the official Marine Casualty Report issued in 1977.
MLive graphic The Edmund Fitzgerald's bell now is displayed at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point. Canadian explorer Joseph MacInnis led a 1995 expedition to recover it. This quest gave the families of the lost crew members a tangible memorial.
Of the 7,000 shipwrecks recorded in The Great Lakes, only 5 percent of them happened in Lake Superior.
I read a theory somewhere, maybe here on FR, that she was so heavily loaded and roller coasting up and down those big 25 foot waves that her bow hit the bottom and it broke her spine.
That theory seemed logical to me considering she is broken in half.
Im not sure how I discovered this but where I worked there were multiple large air handlers that generated a rather loud sort of white noise and I could stand next to someone and hum and they seemingly couldnt hear it. Later they would start humming the same song so I amused myself by humming when I would get close to someone and see how long it took to infect them without them knowing where "that song stuck in my head!" was coming from. I tried all kinds of songs from the 50s to the 80s and for some reason this song would just slip right in.
I have a print of the Fitz in her final moments hanging in my living room
I never get tired of watching and listening to that. I truly believe God’s hand was on Gordon Lightfoot when he wrote that song. It was a sad day so long ago when she went down.
I remember that storm. I was driving from Toronto toward the Beaver Valley and I could hardly keep the car on the road. It was a little Volkswagen bug. I heard all the churches around the lakeshore tolled their bells 29 times. People just sat around TV or the radio when the news came in and said Oh My God over and over.
I remember that show. It seems the Fitzgerald got caught in between two freak waves and slid into the water between them.
At least that is what I remember from the show.
LOL. Usually, I need to go to UTube and play it, but this one slips right into my head.
The waves were 25 to 30 feet but the troughs were also 25 to 30 feet. Making the actual wave height 50 to 60 feet
(wonder if the Fitz might have been one of them)
Remember that night very well.
My late father was GE’s marine sales/service guy out of the Cleveland shop and did some work on the Fitz. He was deeply saddened when she was lost. We all were. My dad passed 2 years later.
The hardest song in the world to pole dance to.
It was a German torpedo from a rogue U-boat.
Nope. Russians.
Looks like we got away with violating the Prime Directive again, you pointy eared goblin.
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead.
Several times. usually the girl starts off well, then she starts listening to the words, then leaves in disgust. Best one was when she heard the opening bar and said”Nope. Not gonna do it “ and tossed my money back to me.
good times. good times.
Mine is hanging in my daughters living room. I had been assisting the Navy League as a reserve officer at the time of the wreak. The NL sponsors Sea Cadets, and one of their cadets had recently been hired as a third mate, and we didn't know which one... it was a very hard night, but we finally learned he was not aboard. Sad.
Sounds like a game I used to play. Guys make life interesting for all involved. just the kind of sport to get warmed up for a game of smiles. Good times turn into great times.
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