The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.
With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early
The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconson
As the big freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the Captain well seasoned.
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.
The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane West Wind
When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.
The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the words turn the minutes to hours
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd fifteen more miles behind her.
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.
Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the ruins of her ice water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.
--Gordon Lightfoot
==========================================
By Tanda Gmiter | tgmiter@mlive.com
LAKE SUPERIOR, MI - It was 44 years ago today that the Edmund Fitzgerald was being loaded with 26,000 tons of iron ore, prepped for what would become her doomed final voyage.
Once the largest ship on the Great Lakes, the 728-foot Fitzgerald left Superior, Wis. at 2:15 p.m. on Nov. 9, 1975. Her crew planned to cross Lake Superior to deliver the load at Detroit's Zug Island.
But a day later, she was gone, broken in two and lying on the lake's bottom in 530 feet of water, all 29 souls aboard lost.
Gordon Lightfoot's poignant song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" helps keep alive the memory of what's become the Great Lakes' most famous shipwreck.
But her captain and crew were also sons, brothers, husbands and fathers. They hailed from Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and beyond.
As we remember them, here are the highlights of the Fitzgerald’s final trip and the fierce, hurricane-like storm that sank her.
Investigators would later say that in the big freighter’s last hour, she battled sustained winds of 60 mph, and waves higher than 25 feet. She may have even encountered “The Three Sisters” - a trio of rapidly-hitting waves that are higher than the others around them.
One thing the marine experts agree on: The Fitzgerald was in the “worst possible place” as she tried to make for the shelter of Michigan’s Whitefish Bay.
NOV. 9, 1975
2:15 p.m. The Edmund Fitzgerald, captained by Ernest McSorley, finishes loading 26,116 tons of taconite in Superior, Wis., and departs for Detroit's Zug Island. The storm that would sink the ship is gathering force over Kansas and is on a path toward Lake Superior.
5 p.m. Fitzgerald encounters Arthur M. Anderson, captained by Jesse Cooper, and the two ships proceed east on similar courses, separated by about 10 to 20 miles. Three hours later, the National Weather Service issues a Gale Warning for all of Lake Superior.
NOV. 10, 1975
1 a.m. Fitzgerald passes approximately 20 miles due south of Isle Royale.
2 a.m. Fitzgerald and Anderson agree to take northern route across the lake for protection from the gale. NWS upgrades forecast to a Storm Warning, predicting northeast winds 35 to 50 knots and waves 8 to 15 feet.
7 a.m. Fitzgerald calls company office to report a delayed arrival due to worsening weather conditions. Ship is approximately 35 miles north of Copper Harbor.
1 p.m. Fitzgerald is 11 miles NW of Michipicoten Island. Anderson is approximately 20 miles northwest of the island, reporting 20-knot winds and 12 foot waves.
1:40 p.m. Fitzgerald radios Anderson to talk weather and course changes. Capt. McSorley reports his ship is "rolling some." Fitzgerald cuts closer to Michipicoten Island while Anderson cuts west a bit to take rising seas from astern.
2:45 p.m. Anderson changes course to avoid Six Fathom Shoal area north of Caribou Island. Fitzgerald is about 16 miles ahead. Heavy snow begins to fall and the Fitzgerald is lost from sight. It's the last time the ship would be seen by human eyes.
3:20 p.m. Anderson records 43-knot winds and 12 to 16 foot waves.
3:30 p.m. Fitzgerald calls Anderson to report damage and say the ship would slow to let Anderson catch up. Minutes later, Coast Guard issues directions for all ships to find safe anchorage because the Soo Locks have been closed.
McSorley: "Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have sustained some topside damage. I have a fence rail laid down, two vents lost or damaged, and a list. I'm checking down. Will you stay by me til I get to Whitefish?" Cooper: "Charlie on that Fitzgerald. Do you have your pumps going?" McSorley: "Yes, both of them."
4:10 p.m. Fitzgerald radios Anderson to request navigational help.
4:30 p.m. Fitzgerald passes 3 to 5 miles east of Caribou Island. Many theorize the ship unknowingly struck the poorly marked 6 Fathom Shoal on the island's north side, but that has never been conclusively proven. The debate rages to this day.
4:39 p.m. NWS revises forecast again, predicting northwest winds 38 to 52 knots with gusts to 60 knots and waves 8 to 16 feet.
5:30 p.m. Fitzgerald is advised by Swedish ship Avafors the Whitefish Point beacon and light are disabled by power failure.
Avafors: "Fitzgerald, this is the Avafors. I have the Whitefish light now but still am receiving no beacon. Over." Fitzgerald: "I'm very glad to hear it." Avafors: "The wind is really howling down here. What are the conditions where you are?" Fitzgerald: (Undiscernable shouts overheard) "DON'T LET NOBODY ON DECK!" Avafors: "What's that, Fitzgerald? Unclear. Over." Fitzgerald: "I have a bad list, lost both radars. And am taking heavy seas over the deck. One of the worst seas I've ever been in." Avafors: "If I'm correct, you have two radars." Fitzgerald: "They're both gone."
https://www.mlive.com/news/2018/11/...VuYJJX9xQjHrEWQorzTCTzRMxLZ0STCfO2LOqzHJwSqH8
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy.
With a load of iron ore - 26,000 tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the gales of November came early
The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconson
As the big freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the Captain well seasoned.
Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
When they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.
The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane West Wind
When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.
The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the words turn the minutes to hours
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd fifteen more miles behind her.
They might have split up or they might have capsized
They may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.
Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
In the ruins of her ice water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams,
The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario
Takes in what Lake Erie can send her
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
With the gales of November remembered.
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed
In the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed, 'til it rang 29 times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee
Superior, they say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.
--Gordon Lightfoot
==========================================
By Tanda Gmiter | tgmiter@mlive.com
LAKE SUPERIOR, MI - It was 44 years ago today that the Edmund Fitzgerald was being loaded with 26,000 tons of iron ore, prepped for what would become her doomed final voyage.
Once the largest ship on the Great Lakes, the 728-foot Fitzgerald left Superior, Wis. at 2:15 p.m. on Nov. 9, 1975. Her crew planned to cross Lake Superior to deliver the load at Detroit's Zug Island.
But a day later, she was gone, broken in two and lying on the lake's bottom in 530 feet of water, all 29 souls aboard lost.
Gordon Lightfoot's poignant song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" helps keep alive the memory of what's become the Great Lakes' most famous shipwreck.
But her captain and crew were also sons, brothers, husbands and fathers. They hailed from Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, Minnesota and beyond.
As we remember them, here are the highlights of the Fitzgerald’s final trip and the fierce, hurricane-like storm that sank her.
Investigators would later say that in the big freighter’s last hour, she battled sustained winds of 60 mph, and waves higher than 25 feet. She may have even encountered “The Three Sisters” - a trio of rapidly-hitting waves that are higher than the others around them.
One thing the marine experts agree on: The Fitzgerald was in the “worst possible place” as she tried to make for the shelter of Michigan’s Whitefish Bay.
NOV. 9, 1975
2:15 p.m. The Edmund Fitzgerald, captained by Ernest McSorley, finishes loading 26,116 tons of taconite in Superior, Wis., and departs for Detroit's Zug Island. The storm that would sink the ship is gathering force over Kansas and is on a path toward Lake Superior.
5 p.m. Fitzgerald encounters Arthur M. Anderson, captained by Jesse Cooper, and the two ships proceed east on similar courses, separated by about 10 to 20 miles. Three hours later, the National Weather Service issues a Gale Warning for all of Lake Superior.
NOV. 10, 1975
1 a.m. Fitzgerald passes approximately 20 miles due south of Isle Royale.
2 a.m. Fitzgerald and Anderson agree to take northern route across the lake for protection from the gale. NWS upgrades forecast to a Storm Warning, predicting northeast winds 35 to 50 knots and waves 8 to 15 feet.
7 a.m. Fitzgerald calls company office to report a delayed arrival due to worsening weather conditions. Ship is approximately 35 miles north of Copper Harbor.
1 p.m. Fitzgerald is 11 miles NW of Michipicoten Island. Anderson is approximately 20 miles northwest of the island, reporting 20-knot winds and 12 foot waves.
1:40 p.m. Fitzgerald radios Anderson to talk weather and course changes. Capt. McSorley reports his ship is "rolling some." Fitzgerald cuts closer to Michipicoten Island while Anderson cuts west a bit to take rising seas from astern.
2:45 p.m. Anderson changes course to avoid Six Fathom Shoal area north of Caribou Island. Fitzgerald is about 16 miles ahead. Heavy snow begins to fall and the Fitzgerald is lost from sight. It's the last time the ship would be seen by human eyes.
3:20 p.m. Anderson records 43-knot winds and 12 to 16 foot waves.
3:30 p.m. Fitzgerald calls Anderson to report damage and say the ship would slow to let Anderson catch up. Minutes later, Coast Guard issues directions for all ships to find safe anchorage because the Soo Locks have been closed.
McSorley: "Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have sustained some topside damage. I have a fence rail laid down, two vents lost or damaged, and a list. I'm checking down. Will you stay by me til I get to Whitefish?" Cooper: "Charlie on that Fitzgerald. Do you have your pumps going?" McSorley: "Yes, both of them."
4:10 p.m. Fitzgerald radios Anderson to request navigational help.
4:30 p.m. Fitzgerald passes 3 to 5 miles east of Caribou Island. Many theorize the ship unknowingly struck the poorly marked 6 Fathom Shoal on the island's north side, but that has never been conclusively proven. The debate rages to this day.
4:39 p.m. NWS revises forecast again, predicting northwest winds 38 to 52 knots with gusts to 60 knots and waves 8 to 16 feet.
5:30 p.m. Fitzgerald is advised by Swedish ship Avafors the Whitefish Point beacon and light are disabled by power failure.
Avafors: "Fitzgerald, this is the Avafors. I have the Whitefish light now but still am receiving no beacon. Over." Fitzgerald: "I'm very glad to hear it." Avafors: "The wind is really howling down here. What are the conditions where you are?" Fitzgerald: (Undiscernable shouts overheard) "DON'T LET NOBODY ON DECK!" Avafors: "What's that, Fitzgerald? Unclear. Over." Fitzgerald: "I have a bad list, lost both radars. And am taking heavy seas over the deck. One of the worst seas I've ever been in." Avafors: "If I'm correct, you have two radars." Fitzgerald: "They're both gone."
https://www.mlive.com/news/2018/11/...VuYJJX9xQjHrEWQorzTCTzRMxLZ0STCfO2LOqzHJwSqH8
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