Oct. 22: Anniversary of Edmund Fitzgerald

KSTP 5 news ^ | 10-21-05 | kstp news

[Rakkasan1]

On the 30th anniversary of her famous wreck, Jason Davis and "5 EYEWITNESS NEWS ON THE ROAD" show you how Minnesotans are remembering the Edmund Fitzgerald.

You'll hear how top Twin Cities musicians are paying tribute to her lost crew of 29. We'll also take you on the only voyage families of the victims ever made to the site of the disaster.

[Rakkasan1]

also check out Great Lakes Maritime Institute Remembers the Edmund Fitzgerald on the 30th Anniversary of the Sinking: http://www.glmi.org/event/fitz2005.htm

[quantim]

Gordon Lightfoot wrote:

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.

[Vigilanteman]

I used to play that song on the jukebox in a favorite youthful pizza parlor haunt. It really gave you your money's worth.

[lunarbicep]

Crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald

    

Twenty-nine brave men lost their lives on November 10, 1975.  Their names, ages, occupations, and hometowns are listed below. 

 

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

 

[BipolarBob]

I love that ballad. Thanks

[hsalaw]

Did they ever figure out what caused the loss?

[U S Army EOD]

My understanding is the hatch bungs came loose and they lost tbe main hatch. She started taking water very fast. There was another ship behind her that had her on radar. She just disappeared.

[lunarbicep]

from: http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/wxwise/fitz.html

The ore was loaded through hatchways located top side. On October 31 routine damage was noted during an inspection and were scheduled for repair after the 1975 shipping season. The hatch covers were not sealed properly and were therefore not water tight, thus allowing water to enter the cargo areas. Once water entered it could migrate throughout the hold. There was no way to determine if flooding was occurring in the cargo bay until the ore was saturated, much like a sponge. Throughout the storm the ship was probably taking on water in the cargo hold though the hatches. Increased water loading, and the lower load line, made the ship sit lower in the water, allowing more water to board the ship. Eventually the "bow pitched down and dove into a wall of water and the vessel was unable to recover. Within a matter of seconds, the cargo rushed forward, the bow plowed into the bottom of the lake, and the midship's structure disintegrated, allowing the submerged stern section, now emptied of cargo, to roll over and override the other structure, finally coming to rest upside-down atop the disintegrated middle portion of the ship" (Marine Accident Report SS Edmund Fitzgerald Sinking in Lake Superior). This sequence of events would lead to a rapid sinking, with no time to make a distress call or attempt life-saving operations. The conditions of the recovered lifeboats support this in that they appear to have been torn from their storage racks.

[happyathome]

Sung by a Canuck, no less.

[Just Lori]

It really gave you your money's worth.

In those days, so did the Pizza! =)

[hsalaw]

Many thanks to both of you for the helpful information. I asked because I thought the Edmund Fitzgerald was a Cleveland-Cliffs boat, and my brother was sailing for Cleveland-Cliffs in the 1970s. I heard on the radio that the Edmund Fitzgerald had gone down on the morning of my contracts mid-term exam in law school, promptly called my parents and found out my brother was on another boat, prayed for the lost souls and gave thanks for my brother's safety, and then went to class and took the exam. I can't recall how I did on the exam, but I clearly recall how horrified I was to hear about the Edmund Fitzgerald. November is indeed the most dangerous month on the Great Lakes; the boats all want to get in that one last trip before the season closes down. Sorry to babble on about this - trip down memory lane.

[InvisibleChurch]

Edmund Fitzgerald Kennedy

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Gordon F. MacLellan

30

Wiper [?]

Clearwater, Florida

[Alberta's Child]

Maybe I was wrong about this, but I thought the Edmund Fitzgerald sank on November 10, 1975 -- not October 22.

I'll have to do some research on this and get back here.

[U S Army EOD]

That must been a terrible time you went through. The not knowing.

[MplsSteve]

One theory is that the Fitzgerald had partially grounded itself on Six Fathom Shoal and began taking on water - although it's highly likely that water has coming in already because of loose hatches.

This happened around 3:15PM. The captain of the Arthur M Anderson later testified that he commented (to someone on the bridge) that the Fitzgerald was closer to Six Fathom Shoal than he'd want to be.

There are a number of theories. Here's a link where they're briefly mentioned:

http://www.ssefo.com/info/theories.html

[Alberta's Child]

It was November 10th. I have no idea where the October 22nd date in the article at the top of this thread came from.

[MplsSteve]

You are correct.

It was November 10, 1975 - but Channel 5 is doing a short segment on it on Saturday night at 10:35PM.

[Mrs Zip]

ping