The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

[hhsrat]

Growing up in Michigan (albeit inland), it was not uncommon to hear stories about the Great Lakes, both good and bad. On November 10, 1975, a freighter loaded with iron got caught in a storm, and sank.

If you walk through the Canada area of the World Showcase, you can still hear, as part of the background music loop, the haunting song that was written by Gordon Lightfoot.

Rest in Peace, Captain McSorely, and the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

[quote="Gordon Lightfoot"]The legend lives on from the chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called 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 twenty-six thousand 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 wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good 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 theyd been feelin?
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too,
Twas the witch of november come stealin.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of november came slashin.
When afternoon came it was freezin rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind.

When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck sayin.
Fellas, its too rough to feed ya.
At seven p.m. a main hatchway caved in, he said
Fellas, its been good tknow ya
The captain wired in he had water comin in
And the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the edmund fitzgerald.

Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searches all say theyd have made whitefish bay
If theyd put fifteen more miles behind her.
They might have split up or they might have capsized]

[felinefan]

I thought they found the wreck some time ago, and answered the question as to how she sank.

I also saw a program on an older shipwreck, but this was a ship that crossed the lakes to bring Christmas trees to a small town. The ship's captain and his wife enjoyed playing Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus, and were very good people to all. But one late November, the ship's launch after cutting the trees and putting them aboard was delayed by weather--harder to get to the trees, cut them down, and bring them to the ship--and the extra time taken made the difference in what happened. The Christmas Tree ship also hit a bad storm and went down with all hands. Later searches located the ship because all the remains of the trees acted as an identifier. I think the weight of the trees made the ship topheavy and a wave knocked her over. That may have been what took the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Anyway, I always did like that song.

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

I remember when the song came out!! good for a while, but then got tedious.

(Also, in the Navy, a song about shipwreks is not all that good!)

[BRWombat]

(Also, in the Navy, a song about shipwreks is not all that good!)

Kind of like my first Disney cruise, when I found that Titanic was among the DVD's available for check-out!

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Kind of like my first Disney cruise, when I found that Titanic was among the DVD's available for check-out!

Hmmm, just how far north DID it go?? hehehehehehe

At least it wasn't the Posiden adventure!

(I could never figure out why the called it an "adventure")

[DisneyMom]

Hmmm, just how far north DID it go?? hehehehehehe

At least it wasn't the Posiden adventure!

(I could never figure out why the called it an "adventure")

Because Topsy-Turvey Boat was too cute! ;)

[GRUMPY PIRATE]

Because Topsy-Turvey Boat was too cute! ;)

Wasn't that from "Hunchback?"

hehehehhehe


RUM?

[HarryFromMarydelDE]

I thought they found the wreck some time ago, and answered the question as to how she sank.

The wreck was located right away (the Arthur M. Anderson caught the sinking on radar, so the location was known). The Coast Guard ruled that the sinking was caused by loose hatch closures, but their report has always been controversial especially with the families of the crew since the Fitzgerald had one of the Great Lakes' top crews. The most common alternative theory is that she very briefly ran aground on a shoal, causing minor damage and slow flooding that the crew was unable to detect in the storm until it was too late. When she hit the bottom she plowed into the mud up to her waterline so investigators were unable to check the bottom of her hull for damage. The Discovery Channel or the Science Channel did their own investigation and they thought the ship had already suffered some flooding (the Captain had reported a list the the Anderson over the radio) and was then broken in half by two large waves that hit the Anderson and then headed towards the Fitzgerald. (The Anderson had warned the Fitzgerald of these waves shortly before she disappeared from the radar.)

If there are any Due South fans here you are probably familiar with the fantastic song ""Robert MacKenzie" from the episode "Mounty on the Bounty". The original intent had been to use "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald", but Gordon Lightfoot refused to give them the rights to use the song unless they got the approval of the survivors' families. Paul Gross was so emotionally distraught after talking to the first few families he contacted that he gave up the plan the use "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and instead wrote "Robert MacKenzie" since a song about a fictional wreck wouldn't have real survivors to contact.

-Harry