Today In History - November 10, 1975 - Edmund Fitzgeral sinks in Lake Superior storm

S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online ^ | 11/10/06

[MplsSteve]

Welcome to S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online, the most complete and thorough source of information on the internet regarding the ship.

S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online is dedicated to informing others about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which took the lives of twenty-nine men 30 years ago, affecting dozens of families and a countless number of friends and comrades of the shipping industry. The Edmund Fitzgerald is lost, but not forgotten.

[MplsSteve]

On November 10, 1975, the taconite carrier Edmund Fizgerald sank in a terrific storm miles away from the relative safety of Whitefish Bay.

The ship sank so quickly that no distress call was received. the entire crew was lost and no bodies were recovered.

Over the years, many theories have been tossed about as to why a large ship like this sank. Adding to the mystery and legend of this disaster was Gordon Lightfoot's song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". I'm sure we've all heard it.

Here are a couple of great links where you can read more about this disaster:

http://www.startribune.com/static/fitzgerald/

http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com

Wikipedia.org has a great entry too.

This subject always brings up much Freeper interest.

Comments or opinions - anyone?

[Non-Sequitur]

About the only song Gordon Lightfoot did that I didn't like.

[kinoxi]

About the only song Gordon Lightfoot did that I didn't like.

About the only he did that I've ever heard of.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

More info here including some midi's of the song.

[CitadelArmyJag]

Gordon is Gold!

[Retired Chemist]

My easy listening station plays the song an awful lot.

[LdSentinal]

Not even 'Sundown'?

[dfwgator]

Not even 'Sundown'?

Now that's a great tune.

[Non-Sequitur]

My easy listening station plays the song an awful lot.

Which is probably why I can't stand it, it got played to death. Same with Sundown. And I say that as a huge Gordon Lightfoot fan, too.

[HEY4QDEMS]

Why is easy listening music so hard to listen to??????

[Non-Sequitur]

Why is easy listening music so hard to listen to??????

One reason might be that one of the local Kansas City easy listening stations has been playing nothing but Christmas carols for 10 days now.

[kinoxi]

No. I'll check out 'Sundown' if you recommend it. My taste is music is rather eclectic and I have missed good ones because of it.

[Sans-Culotte]

About the only song Gordon Lightfoot did that I didn't like.

I'm sure the actual sinking occurred in far less time than it takes to listen to the song.

[MplsSteve]

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LET ME KNOW IF YOU WANT ON OR OFF THIS LIST!!!

[alisasny]

I think the ship got caught between two waves totally consuming her.

[Non-Sequitur]

Lightfoot came out of the folk music scene in Canada back in the 60's. I like him a lot, but I liked a lot of the folk music back then. He may or may not be to your tastes.

[rhombus]

Why is easy listening music so hard to listen to??????

It has no spice.

[Minnesocold]

A sad day in history, indeed.

[Alberta's Child]

The ship sank quickly, but I think the factors related to the sinking took a while to unfold . . . 1) water infiltrating the cargo hold during the storm, weighing the ship down more than usual; 2) wave action lifts the ship and tilts the bow downward into a trough between two large waves; and 3) all those tons of taconite pellets in the cargo hold -- "lubricated" by the water that has leaked into the hold -- suddenly shift forward in the hold toward the front of the ship, driving the bow downward.

[verum ago]

wow ... this thread got hijacked by Gordon Lightfoot debaters ... what a shame.

the Edmund Fitzgerald mystery is a relavant one because something like it could happen today -- ships are larger now, but the Fitzgerald's size is what may have done it in according to the current theories about it plunging in between two waves.