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'SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald''' (nicknamed "Mighty Fitz," "The Fitz" or "The Big Fitz") was a lake freighter that sank suddenly during a gale storm on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. The ship went down without a distress signal in 530 feet (162 m) of water at , in Canadian waters about 17 miles (15 nm; 27 km) from the entrance to Whitefish Bay. All 29 members of the crew perished. Gordon Lightfoot's hit song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", helped make the incident the most famous disaster in the history of Great Lakes shipping.

Contents

The boat

The last voyage

Search

Underwater survey

Cause and controversy

Memorials

Crew members

Statistics

References

External links

The boat

On February 1, 1957, Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin contracted Great Lakes Engineering Works (GLEW), of River Rouge, Michigan, to design and build an ore bulk carrier laker for Northwestern. The contract contained the stipulation that the boat be the largest on the Great Lakes. GLEW laid the keel on August 7th of that year, and some time between then and her christening and launch on June 8, 1958, Northwestern announced their decision to name the boat for their President and Chairman of the Board, Edmund Fitzgerald, whose father had been a lake captain.^[1][2]
The completed vessel had a capacity of 26,600 tons (24,131 tonnes). Her large cargo hold loaded through twenty-one watertight hatches, each measuring 11'-7" by 54' of 5/16" steel (3.53 m by 16.5 m of 8 mm steel). The boat's engines were originally coal-fired, but would be converted to burn oil during the 1971-72 winter layup. With a length of 729' (222 m), she met the demanding stipulation of the contract and was the largest boat on the Great Lakes, a record she held until the 1970s, when 1000' lakers first appeared.
''Fitzgerald's'' christening and launch proved troublesome, and some believe that bad luck dogged the boat from the beginning. When Mrs. Fitzgerald went to christen the boat by breaking a champagne bottle over the bow, it took her three swings to break the bottle. Upon launching the vessel in the water, the boat was slightly damaged as she hit the dock, and finally, at the ceremony one of the onlookers suffered a heart attack.
Sea trials for the ''Fitzgerald'' began on September 13, 1958, and Northwestern handed the operation of the boat to the Columbia Transportation Division of the Oglebay Norton Corporation one week later. For the next 17 years ''Fitzgerald'' carried taconite from mines near Duluth, Minnesota to iron works in Detroit, Toledo and other ports. Prior to the events of November 9, 1975, she suffered five collisions, running aground in 1969, colliding with the S.S. Hochelaga in 1970 and then striking the wall of a lock later in the same year, hitting a lock's wall again in 1973, and then again the following year. She also lost her bow anchor in the Detroit River in 1974.^[2]

The last voyage

''Fitzgerald'' left Superior, Wisconsin on the afternoon of November 9 1975 under Captain Ernest M. McSorley. She was ''en route'' to the steel mill on Zug Island, near Detroit, Michigan, with a full cargo of taconite.^[4] A second freighter, ''Arthur M. Anderson'', destined for Gary, Indiana out of Two Harbors, Minnesota, joined up with ''Fitzgerald''. ''Fitzgerald'', being the faster ship, took the lead while ''Anderson'' trailed not far behind.^[5]
Crossing Lake Superior at about 13 knots (15 mph, 24 km/h), the boats encountered a massive winter storm, reporting winds in excess of 50 knots (90 km/h) and waves as high as 35 feet (10 m). Because of the storm, the Soo Locks were closed. The freighters altered their courses northward, seeking shelter along the Canadian coast. Later, they would cross to Whitefish Bay and approach the Sault Ste. Marie locks.
On the afternoon of November 10, ''Fitzgerald'' reported a minor list developing and top-side damage including the loss of radar, but did not indicate a serious problem. She slowed to come within range of receiving ''Anderson'''s radar data and for a time ''Anderson'' guided the ''Fitzgerald'' toward the relative safety of Whitefish Bay. The last communication from the boat came at approximately 19:10 (7:10 PM), when ''Anderson'' notified ''Fitzgerald'' of being hit by rogue waves or perhaps seiche waves large enough to be caught on radar, that were heading ''Fitzgerald'''s way and asked how she was doing. McSorley reported, "We are holding our own." A few minutes later, she suddenly sank – no distress signal was received. A short ten minutes later ''Anderson'' could neither raise ''Fitzgerald'' nor detect her on radar. At 20:32, ''Anderson'' informed the U.S. Coast Guard of their concern for the boat.

Search

Once ''Anderson'' noted the loss of ''Fitzgerald'', a search was launched for survivors. The initial search consisted of ''Anderson'', and a second freighter, SS ''William Clay Ford''. The efforts of a third freighter, the Canadian vessel ''Hilda Marjanne'', were foiled by the weather. The U.S. Coast Guard launched three aircraft, but could not mobilize any ships. A Coast Guard buoy tender, ''Woodrush'', was able to launch within two and a half hours, but took a day to arrive. The search recovered debris, including lifeboats and rafts, but no survivors.

Underwater survey

The wreck was first located by a U.S. Navy aircraft with on-board magnetic anomaly detector equipment, normally used to detect submarines. The wreck was further surveyed using side scan sonar on November 14 through 16 by the Coast Guard. The sonar revealed two large objects lying close together on the lake floor. A second survey took place from November 22 through 25 by a private contractor, Seaward, Inc.
In 1976, from May 20 through 28, an unmanned U.S. Navy submersible photographed the wreck. This submersible, CURV III, consisted of an underwater vehicle connected via umbilical control to a surface support ship. On-board imaging equipment included one 35 mm still and two black-and-white video cameras. It found ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' lying in two large pieces in 530 feet (160 m) of water. The bow section, approximately 276 feet (84 m) long, lay upright in the mud. The stern section lay 170 feet (52 m) away, inverted (face down), at a 50-degree angle from the bow. Metal and taconite heaps between the bow and stern composed the remnants of the mid-section.

Cause and controversy

When ''Fitzgerald'' first vanished, it was widely believed the boat had snapped in half on the lake surface owing to storm action. Similar surface breakups in the past suggested bow and stern sections would be found miles apart on the lake floor. When underwater surveys revealed these sections were just yards from each other, it was concluded that ''Fitzgerald'' had instead broken upon hitting the lake floor.
A Coast Guard investigation postulated that the accident was caused by ineffective hatch closures. These devices were unable to prevent waves from inundating the cargo hold. The flooding occurred gradually and probably imperceptibly throughout the final day, and finally resulted in a fatal loss of buoyancy and stability. As a result, the boat plummeted to the bottom without warning.
The Coast Guard report proved controversial. The most common alternative theory contends that inoperative radar forced the crew to rely on inaccurate charts. As a result, ''Fitzgerald'' briefly ran aground or scraped a shoal near Caribou Island without the crew being aware of it. Consequently, she received bottom damage, which caused her to gradually take on water until she sank so suddenly in the deep water that none of her crew had time to react. The ship, pile-driving into the lake bottom, snapped in half, and its stern landed upside-down on the bottom. This theory is supported by final radio communications between ''Anderson'' and ''Fitzgerald''; ''Anderson'' had been struck by two large waves that were heading toward ''Fitzgerald''. If the hull had indeed been breached, it would be difficult to prove. ''Fitzgerald'' has settled in mud up to her load marks, making it impossible to inspect for damage.
A documentary created and aired by the Discovery Channel investigated a large "fold" found in the hull plating. Previous defects with cargo hold covers and clamps as well as cracking issues were also addressed. Through the use of wave tanks and computer simulation, the Discovery Channel team concluded the loss of the SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' was due to a freak wave. Reports show three large waves were detected, two of which were reported by the ''Edmund Fitzgerald''. As per the investigation, it was theorized that the SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' was badly battered by the first two waves, further damaging the dual radar (which shared a common antenna) and the hatch covers. It is surmised that the SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' took on water through the damaged cargo hold covers and was then overwhelmed by the third wave.

Memorials

The ship's bell was recovered from the wreck on July 4, 1995 and is now in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point near Paradise, Michigan. An anchor from ''Fitzgerald'' lost on an earlier trip was recovered from the Detroit River and is on display at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit, Michigan. Some other artifacts may be found at the museum that is the Steamship Valley Camp in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. These include Lifeboat #2 (shredded like paper) and some photos, a movie on the Fitz and commerative models and paintings.
The day after the wreck, Mariners' Church in Detroit rang its bell 29 times, once for each life lost. The church continues to hold an annual memorial, which includes reading the names of the crewmen and ringing the church bell. On November 12, 2006, two days after the 31st anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the church broadened its scope to remember all of the more than 6,000 lives lost on the Great Lakes. In 2006, the bell at Mariners' Church tolled eight times, not the usual 29: five times for the 5 Great Lakes, a sixth time for the St. Clair and Detroit rivers, a seventh for the St. Lawrence Seaway and an eighth time for military personnel whose lives were lost.^[6]
Although it is the latest vessel lost, and the largest, ''Fitzgerald'' is not alone on the bottom. The Great Lakes have a long history of nautical disaster; nearly 6,000 shipwrecks have occurred since 1878, with about a quarter of those being listed as total losses. Some ships and crews simply vanished in storms. A number of diveable marine preserves have been established that contain multiple sunken ships.
Every November 10, Split Rock Lighthouse in Silver Bay, Minnesota emits a light in honor of the "Edmund Fitzgerald".
In 2005, efforts were underway to establish in Washington, D.C. a memorial remembering all lost Great Lakes mariners. A campaign to establish November 10 as "Great Lakes Mariners Day" fell short when in 1994, the House of Representatives ended the practice of annual Congressional recognition days.
In 1976, Canadian singer-songwriter Gordon Lightfoot released ''The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'', commemorating the events surrounding the sinking of the ship.
In 2005, Michigan based Northern-Rock band Great Lakes Myth Society, included audio samples of transmissions from the ''Anderson'' relaying the suspected loss of the ''Fitzgerald'' to the Coast Guard in their song ''Lake Effect.''
The concerto ''The Edmund Fitzgerald'', written by American composer Geoffrey Peterson [1] in 2002, was premiered by the Sault Symphony Orchestra in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada for the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the shipwreck in November, 2005. The concerto for piano and string orchestra chronicles the tragic final voyage of the ''Fitzgerald''. Composed in four movements, Embarkment, The Gales, Six-Fathom Shoal (“We’re holding our own.”) and Entombment-Dirge, the concerto paints a vivid and haunting portrait of the legendary and mysterious shipwreck. The concerto incorporates several musical quotes. The first is Spanish Ladies, an English sea chantey, the other, the funeral march from Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica”. The work is housed in the Edwin A. Fleisher Collection of Orchestral Music^[7] in Philadelphia, PA.
In 1986, writer Steven Dietz and songwriter/lyricist Eric Peltoniemi wrote the musical Ten November in memory of ''Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking. In 2005, the musical was re-edited into a new musical called The Gales of November, which opened on the 30th anniversary of the sinking at the Fitzgerald Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota, narrated by Kevin Kling, performed by the singers Prudence Johnson, Ruth MacKenzie, and Claudia Schmidt, and backed by Peter Ostroushko (Violin and Mandolin), Dan Chouinard (Accordion and Piano), Eric Peltoniemi (Acoustic Guitar), and Jeff Willkomm (Electric Bass Guitar).
Coast Guard Cutter ''Woodrush'' was replaced by a brand new buoy tender in 2001, USCGC ''Maple''. On her maiden voyage, the ''Maple'' visited the final resting place of the ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' and dropped the last ''Woodrush'' life ring down to the wreck.
Great Lakes Brewing Company, a Cleveland-based brewing company, produces a porter-style beer named "Edmund Fitzgerald." Cleveland, Ohio was a common port of call for the boat.
On August 8th, 2007, a Michigan family discovered a lone life saving ring from the E.F. in a provincial park along the shores of Lake Superior. It is considered a hoax because there are considerable differences in the markings of proven rings found at the wreck site. Another theory is that the recently discovered ring was a "marker" or plaque placed in position to commerorate the 50 year anniversary since the building of the freighter, and was mistakenly found and shown to be an original piece. The origin and authenticity of the ring is still under investigation.
A recent Associated Press article published August 20, 2007 confirms that the life ring was indeed a hoax.^[8]

Crew members

''Edmund Fitzgerald's crew on her final voyage included (listed by name, age, position, hometown):^[9]

Last, First	Position	Age	Hometown
Armagost, Michael E.	Third Mate	37	Iron River, Wisconsin
Beetcher, Fred J.	Porter	56	Superior, Wisconsin
Bentsen, Thomas D.	Oiler	23	St. Joseph, Michigan
Bindon, Edward F.	First Assistant Engineer	47	Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Borgeson, Thomas D.	Maintenance Man	41	Duluth, Minnesota
Champeau, Oliver J.	Third Assistant Engineer	41	Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Church, Nolan S.	Porter	55	Silver Bay, Minnesota
Cundy, Ransom E.	Watchman	53	Superior, Wisconsin
Edwards, Thomas E.	Second Assistant Engineer	50	Oregon, Ohio
Haskell, Russell G.	Second Assistant Engineer	40	Millbury, Ohio
Holl, George J.	Chief Engineer	60	Cabot, Pennsylvania
Hudson, Bruce L.	Deck Hand	22	North Olmsted, Ohio
Kalmon, Allen G.	Second Cook	43	Washburn, Wisconsin
MacLellan, Gordon F.	Wiper	30	Clearwater, Florida
Mazes, Joseph W.	Special Maintenance Man	59	Ashland, Wisconsin
McCarthy, John H.	First Mate	62	Bay Village, Ohio
McSorley, Ernest M.	Captain	63	Toledo, Ohio
O'Brien, Eugene W.	Wheelsman	50	Toledo, Ohio
Peckol, Karl A.	Watchman	20	Ashtabula, Ohio
Poviach, John J.	Wheelsman	59	Bradenton, Florida
Pratt, James A.	Second Mate	44	Lakewood, Ohio
Rafferty, Robert C.	Steward	62	Toledo, Ohio
Riippa, Paul M.	Deck Hand	22	Ashtabula, Ohio
Simmons, John D.	Wheelsman	63	Ashland, Wisconsin
Spengler, William J.	Watchman	59	Toledo, Ohio
Thomas, Mark A.	Deck Hand	21	Richmond Heights, Ohio
Walton, Ralph G.	Oiler	58	Fremont, Ohio
Weiss, David E.	Cadet	22	Agoura, California
Wilhelm, Blaine H.	Oiler	52	Moquah, Wisconsin

Statistics

The metrics of the vessel are as follows: Historic Fleet Gallery Feature - Edmund Fitzgerald

★ Length: 729 feet (222.2 m) oa

★ Beam: 75 feet (22.7 m)

★ Depth ('D'): 39 feet (11.9 m)

★ Net Register Tonnage ('NRT'): 8686

★ Gross Register Tonnage ('GRT'): 13,632

★ Deadweight tons ('dwt') (capacity): 26,660 tons

★ Rated speed: 14 knots

★ Fuel: 72,000 gallons (273 m³) fuel oil

★ Builder: Great Lakes Engineering Works (River Rouge, Michigan)

References

1. Graeme Zielinski, "Shipwreck overshadowed Fitzgerald's legacy," Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Nov. 10, 2005.
2. McCall, Timothy. "Timeline of Events for the Edmund Fitzgerald". ''S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online''. n.d. Retrieved October 7 2006.
3. McCall, Timothy. "Timeline of Events for the Edmund Fitzgerald". ''S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online''. n.d. Retrieved October 7 2006.
4. The Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald (on the website of the National Weather Service Forecasting Office for Marquette, MI)
5. National Transportation Safety Board, "Marine Accident Report SS ''EDMUND FITZGERALD'' Sinking in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975," May 4, 1978.
6. CNN. Bell tolls for Edmund Fitzgerald. November 13, 2006.
7. [2]
8. [3]
9. Jenny Nolan. The Detroit News. The fateful voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Retrieved April 13, 2007.

External links

★ SS Edmund Fitzgerald Online

★ Fathom Five National Marine Park of Canada

★ Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum

★ U.S. Coast Guard Report (PDF)

★ Story of the Edmund Fitgerald from the Detroit News

★ The sinking of the SS ''Edmund Fitzgerald'' - November 10, 1975

★ Yesterday's News - November 11, 1975: Edmund Fitzgerald reported missing

★ Mariners' Church of Detroit

★ NOAA Scientists Re-Analyze Weather Conditions During Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

★ Interactive Exhibit at the Minneapolis Star Tribune about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald

★ Museum Ship SS Valley Camp