The Edmund Fitzgerald

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Today is the anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I thought it would be fitting to remember the lost lives of that dreadful accident.

The SS Edmund Fitzgerald (nicknamed "Mighty Fitz," "The Fitz," or "The Big Fitz") was an American Great Lakes freighter launched on June 8, 1958. Until 1971 she was the largest ship on the Great Lakes.

Although she had reported having some difficulties during a gale on Lake Superior, the Fitzgerald sank suddenly on November 10, 1975 in 530 feet (162 m) of water without sending any distress signals. The site of the loss is: 46°59.9′N 85°06.6′W / 46.9983°N 85.11°W / 46.9983; -85.11, in Canadian waters approximately 17 miles (15 nmi; 27 km) from the entrance to Whitefish Bay. All 29 hands in the crew perished, presumably by drowning. The incident is the most famous disaster in the history of Great Lakes shipping, and is the subject of Gordon Lightfoot's hit song, "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald."

Over 15,000 people attended the Fitzgerald's launch. The event was troublesome. When Mrs. Edmund Fitzgerald christened the boat by smashing a champagne bottle over the bow, it took her three swings to break the bottle. The launch was delayed 36 minutes while the shipyard crew struggled to release the keel blocks. Upon launching sideways into the water, the boat crashed violently into a dock.

The SS Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconsin on the afternoon of Sunday, November 9, 1975 under Captain Ernest M. McSorley. She was enroute to the steel mill on Zug Island, near Detroit, Michigan, with a full cargo of taconite. 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.

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 (58 mph; 93 km/h) and waves as high as 35 feet (10 m). Because of the storm, the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie were closed. The freighters altered their courses northward, seeking shelter along the Canadian coast. Later, they would cross to Whitefish Bay to approach the locks.

Late in the afternoon of Monday, November 10, sustained winds of 50 knots were observed across eastern Lake Superior. Anderson was struck by a 75-knot hurricane-force gust. At 3:30 pm Fitzgerald radioed Anderson to report a minor list developing and top-side damage including the loss of radar. Visibility was poor due to heavy snow, and the Coast Guard warned all ships to find safe harbor. Two of the "Fitzgerald's" six bilge pumps were running continuously to discharge shipped water. The lighthouse and navigational radio beacon at Whitefish Point had also been knocked out by the storm. Fitzgerald was ahead of Anderson at the time, effectively blind; therefore, she slowed to come within 10 miles range so she could receive radar guidance from the other ship.

For a time Anderson directed the Fitzgerald toward the relative safety of Whitefish Bay. At 5:45 pm, Captain McSorley radioed another ship, Avafors, to report that Fitzgerald was suffering a bad list, had lost her radars, and had seas washing over her decks. McSorley described the situation as, "One of the worst seas I've ever been in."

The last communication from the doomed ship came at approximately 7:10 pm, when Anderson notified Fitzgerald of an upbound ship and asked how she was doing. McSorley reported, "We are holding our own." A few minutes later, she apparently sank; no distress signal was received. Ten minutes later Anderson could neither raise Fitzgerald by radio, nor detect her on radar. At 8:32 pm, Anderson informed the U.S. Coast Guard of its concern for the ship.

Once Anderson noted the loss of Fitzgerald, a search was launched for survivors. The initial search consisted of the Arthur M. 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.

The loss of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald has been attritubted to a rogue wave. Reports show three large waves were detected, two of which were reported by the Anderson. As per the investigation, it was theorized that the Fitzgerald was badly battered by the first two waves, further damaging the hatch covers. It was surmised ultimately that the Fitzgerald took on water through the damaged cargo hold covers, which flooded the ore cargo and severely stressed the ship's hull, and was then overwhelmed by the third wave that snapped the weakened ship in half.

The day after the wreck, Mariners' Church in Detroit rang its bell 30 times; once for each life lost, and a 30th ring for all other sailors lost in previous voyages of all other U.S. ships. The church continues to hold an annual memorial, reading the names of the crewmen and ringing the church bell. On the 12th of November 2006, two days after the 31st anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the church broadened its memorial ceremony to include 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.

Edmund Fitzgerald's crew of 29 on her final voyage included:

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 Sturgeon Bay, 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
Rippa, Paul M. Deck Hand 22 Ashtabula, Ohio
Simmons, John D. Wheelsman 62 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

To read the entire article, visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald