The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald

"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee"

Gitche Gumee translates roughly to 'Big-Sea-Water.'

"The lake it is said never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy"

The reason so few bodies are recovered from off shore drownings in the Great Lakes is because the bodies first tend to sink (or are still on board a vessel), but because of the depth and frigid temperatures, the victims do not naturally decompose. Because of the lack of oxygen producing organisms, the bodies usually remain on the bottom.

"With a load of iron ore 26,000 tons more than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty"

When empty, the Fitzgerald weighed 8,686 net tons (13,632 gross tons). The hold was filled with 26,000 tons of iron ore pellets called taconite.

"That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed when the gales of November came early"

Lake Superior is on average 533 feet deep with an extreme depth of 1333 feet. It is 400 miles long and when the wind blows across it's length, the waves can build to greater heights than found on less dense sea water.

"The ship was the pride of the American side"

The Fitz was named after Mr. Edmund Fitzgerald, Chairman of the Board of Northwestern Mutual Insurance Company of Milwaukee, who retired in 1960. It was built by Great Lakes Engineering in River Rouge, Michigan and launched in June 1958. The owner was Northwestern Mutual and it was operated by the Columbia Transportation division of Oglebay Norton Company.

"Comin' back from some mill in Wisconsin"

Superior, Wisconsin.

"As the big freighters go it was bigger than most"

The ship was 729 feet long, 75 feet wide, 35 feet deep. She was the largest Great Lakes steamer when launched in 1958.

"With a crew and good captain well seasoned"

Captain Ernest R. McSorley had over forty years experience on the Great Lakes. He started sailing as a deckhand on ocean vessels when he was 18 years old. He made his way through the ranks, eventually becoming a Captain.

"Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms when they left fully loaded for Cleveland"

The Fitzgerald was 'downbound' to unload its cargo in Detroit and then continue on to Cleveland to dock for the winter months.

"And later that night when the ship's bell rang could it be the north wind they'd bin feelin' "

The Fitzgerald and the Anderson, a second freighter following close behind, knew of the gale warnings posted by the National Weather Service. They decided to alter their course and head towards the North and East shores of Superior for shelter from the storm.

"The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound and a wave broke over the railing"

The two freighters followed the Canadian shore to the Caribou Island near Six Fathom Shoals. The Anderson's Captain Jesse "Bernie" Cooper, remarked how close the Fitz was to the shoals. The two freighters made a course for Whitefish Bay Michigan. In heavy seas, the Fitzgerald sustained topside damage and radioed the Anderson..."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 till I get to Whitefish?"

"And every man knew as the captain did too, 'twas the witch of November come stealin' "

The Fitzgerald calls on the radio to the Arthur M. Anderson..."Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have lost both radars. Can you provide me with radar plots till we reach Whitefish Bay?" The Anderson replied..."Charlie on that, Fitzgerald. We'll keep you advised of your position."

"The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait when the gales of November came slashin' "

Winds were 40 to 45 knots with waves about 20 ft.

"When afternoon came it was freezin' rain in the face of a hurricane west wind"

The Sault St, Marie Locks report winds of seventy knots, gusts up to eighty-two, about ninety-five mph!

" When suppertime came the old cook came on deck sayin' "fellas it's too rough to feed ya"

Ironically, for health reasons the 'old' cook was unable to make the last voyage.

"At seven p.m. a main hatchway caved in he said "fellas it's been good to know ya"

The Anderson reports being hit by two huge waves which go over the pilot house, 35 feet above the water line.

"The captain wired in he had water comin' in and the good ship and crew was in peril"

Although McSorley told the Anderson he had developed a list and was taking on water, his main concern was that because of the loss of radar and new reports of the Whitefish Bay Lighthouse being down because of a power outage. The Fitzgerald was sailing blind and due to the list, the Fitzgerald was pulling to the left. Around 7:10 PM, the Anderson radioed to ask how they were doing with their problem, McSorley replied..."We are holding our own." That was the last thing heard from the Fitzgerald.

"And later that night when 'is lights went out of sight came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

The Anderson's radar had been showing four blips...the Fitzgerald (10 miles ahead) and three saltwater ships (about 20 miles away). Around 7:25 PM the radar showed only three blips...the three saltwater ships, but no Fitzgerald. In the span of just a few minutes, with no distress call, the Fitzgerald was gone.

"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours"

The Anderson contacted the Coast Guard in Sault St. Marie..."Soo Control, this is the Anderson. I am very concerned about the welfare of the steamer Edmund Fitzgerald. He was right in front of us, experiencing a little difficulty. He was taking on a small amount of water and none of the upbound ships have passed him. I can see no lights as before and I don't have him on radar. I just hope he didn't take a nose dive!"

"The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay if they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'er"

A floating debris field and an oil slick were found the next morning about 13 miles from Whitefish Point. A few days later, small objects were found near the Canadian shore...lifevests and rings, bottles, splintered wood, the largest object being a crumpled life raft with the Fitzgerald's name.

"They might have split up or they might have capsized they may have broke deep and took water"

The wreckage is in two major pieces. The bow section is 276 feet long and upright. The stern section is 253 feet long and upside down. The sections are 170 feet apart. About 200 feet of the midsection has disintegrated. There is no conclusive evidence pointing to what the cause was.

"And all that remains is the faces and the names of the wives and the sons and the daughters"

There have been several exploratory expeditions down to the werckage, but no attempts were made to recover the crew.

"Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings,in the rooms 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"

There is estimated to be more than 6000 commercial shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, and fewer than half of these have been located.

"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 ship went down in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975 with 29 men on board.

"The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee.
Superior they said never gives up her dead when the gales of November come early"