Posted on 11/10/2014 6:15:41 AM PST by Cincinatus
It was Nov. 10, 1975, when the Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared in the waters of Lake Superior during a severe storm, taking 29 lives with it.
After nearly 40 years the story of the ship continues to intrigue, with some saying its legend is second only to the Titanic. Several books have been written about it and it famously was memorialized by Gordon Lightfoot's 1976 hit "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".
When the ship was christened on June 8, 1958, it was the largest freighter on the Great Lakes at 729 feet long. It was named after Edmund Fitzgerald, president of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co.
(Excerpt) Read more at cleveland.com ...
Really some of the best lyrics ever written and sung...
“Superior, they say, never gives up her dead.”
I think that's why it affects folks who've never had anything to do with maritime professions, with almost as much impact as much as it does those who have been part of the mariners' scene.
It was simply a news report put to music.
Bobby Sands - IRA hunger striker - used the tune to write “Back Home in Derry”
I knew some old guys who were also out hunting ducks on Lake Winnebago on November 11, 1940. The storm is known as the Armistice Day storm. They were out on an island about a half mile offshore and the storm hit. The lake is so shallow, the wind actually created waves that would've either capsized the boat or they'd have hit bottom with each wave. Again, the temperature dropped about 40 degrees that day and they spent the night on the island underneath their duck boat.
These storms are freaks of nature and when they hit, the weather is so severe you truly need to find shelter or could easily die.
“The Arthur Anderson was not far behind the Fitzgerald during the entire storm...”
Explains a lot. They were probably soliciting bribes.
Huh ?
If you’ve ever seen a Lake Superior seiche, it’s scary.
The Fitz left from Duluth Harbor, so we have a fair bit of ownership in this tale too. And up there, today there is another storm on a 10 November, which probably has the romantics humming Lightfoot.
My old stomping grounds.
The rest of my parodies are on my FR homepage.
"Ceterum censeo 0bama esse delendam."
Garde la Foi, mes amis! Nous nous sommes les sauveurs de la République! Maintenant et Toujours!
(Keep the Faith, my friends! We are the saviors of the Republic! Now and Forever!)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
Speaking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, isn’t it kind of weird timing that an Ed Fitzgerald went down hard last Tuesday in the Ohio gubernatorial contest?
Those are some fascinating stories—and SCARY. The storm that took the Fitz was exactly like that. Cooper described the morning they et sail: warm, sunny, and not a ripple on the water. A perfect Lake Superior day. Once the storm started, the escalation was steady and eventually, violent. The biggest of the waves he described broke over the TOP of his pilot house. As he said, the Anderson was sound, and made it through. But it wasn’t the kind of storm you’d care to weather in a ship with a list, taking on water.
Anyway, props to the guys who survived such a drop in temps underneath their duck boat. They must have been tough hunters. I’m glad they all made it out okay.
Protest post - thought you might be lurking CD .....
Captain Cooper had an unsullied reputation. He was nothing more than an exceptionally good skipper. That is what gives his testimony weight.
comments ping
Well said, Finny. I completely understand the sentiments behind the song and respect them. I get it.
I’ve just heard the song way, way too many times as a kid. I’m sick of it. It’s the audio equivalent of a food I got very sick from eating too much of and will probably never eat again.
Just like pineapple cake, I’ve had my fill of “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.” Hope you understand. :)
Howdy!! I figured I better comment on this before someone (like YOU) pinged me to this. :)
Hope you are well. I don’t post much anymore but I do read FR still.
Gordon Lightfoot has another song about a ship sinking, “The Ballad of the Yarmouth Castle.” Like the song about the “Edmund FitzGerald”, the Yarmouth Castle has a haunting melody.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.