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 ...
All I know it is a bad sign when the old cook says it is too rough to feed you...
think we loaded up enough iron ore, there Butch?
It’s incredibly long for a hit that isn’t heavier rock.
that song came out when i was but a lad and creeped me out every time it came on
I hope we don’t have to hear that stupid song about it....
I always pictured Lightfoot swinging a cat and using a gong for that song.
This is a good documentary we watched awhile ago. It has lots of historical footage and explains one theory of why the boat split in two.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q3uOnnIv5Qs
“....bummer.”
They’re coming early this year too
That crazy song used to be on the jukebox in a restaurant that I was the assistant manager of. I got so tired of hearing Gordon Lightfoot. I finally replaced the 45 with REO Riding The Storm Out and didn’t tell the Jukebox Company guy. People complained I just gave them back their quarter. :)
I was in Duluth this past summer and visited all the local tourist spots. Saw many a freighter pass under the aerial lift bridge. Those boats are the size of a football field! It was impressive. I learned a lot about the Fitzgerald on the trip.
Now, today we are expected to get a foot of snow and the gales are blowing in the Twin Cities metro. It reminds me of the Fitzgerald and how cruel November can be in this part of the world.
Yes. You MUST hear it. I command you to hear it.
My head might explode....
Welcome to S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online
http://www.ssefo.com/
The Arthur Anderson was not far behind the Fitzgerald during the entire storm. They were in radio contact through the point where the Fitz went down. Captain Cooper, of the Anderson, gave quite a long talk about it for the Wisconsin Maritime Society. It’s difficult to get a copy of the presentation these days.
There is a very, very short version of his analysis online. It’s interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VXY6tuZ5eU
[The biggest piece of info this abbreviated version leaves out is Cooper’s opinion of when the Fitz bottomed out. They sailed overly close to a known/marked shoal, and Cooper’s first-mate remarked on the fact. Cooper’s reply was, ‘They went a lot closer than we’re going to go.’
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