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.
At 5pm the old cook came on deck saying ‘’Fellas it’s too rough to feed ya’’. At 7pm the main hatchway gave in he said “boys it’s been good to know ya’’.
“All of those facts were in the song!”
Except that the hatches were properly secured and were stoved in rather than the original lyric portrayed. There was NOT slipshod malpractice on part of the crew. This was all verified as deepwater technologies have greatly improved over the years which have clarified the images of the site. Lightfoot was contacted by a surviving family member and told of the validated findings to which Lightfoot took action and corrected his error and the folklore behind the wreck of the Fitzgerald.
Gordon Lightfoot has subsequently & personally apologized to the surviving family members and makes a point at his concerts to correct the audience in their belief in the original lyric.
Lightfoot has also changed the lyric to accurately reflect that it was not the fault of crew that the hatches gave way.
There are interviews on YouTube with Lightfoot and he explains. He’s also very proactive with the surviving family members and knows them personally as his song has had a great impact on their lives. He indicated in his interviews that the family members were very grateful that after improved Technologies allowed for the truth to be visually validated that Lightfoot personally in short order made those changes and contacted each surviving family member and personally reached out which they responded with great relief and thankfulness.
I lived in Green Bay and knew schoolmates whose fathers were crewmen on Great Lakes freighters. We were told that the worst storms and highest waves occurred on Lake Superior because it was the largest lake and on the map it looked like an angry wolf.
Amazed to learn how few lives were lost there.
I read theories about Fitz being taken down by the 3 sisters, three big waves one right after the other, then the bow slammed into the lake bed, and she cracked up. The captain reported they were listing, so, probably taking on water at the time too. That last wave just swamped the ship. You would think there would be a lot of damage to the bow because of all of that weight from carrying ore.
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Thank you for the link.
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