Posted on 11/10/2005 2:50:56 PM PST by Diana in Wisconsin
WHITEFISH POINT, Mich. (AP) - Relatives of the 29 mariners lost with the Edmund Fitzgerald were honouring their memory Thursday, 30 years after the ore carrier sank in a vicious Lake Superior storm.
Hundreds of people were expected to gather Thursday evening for a memorial service at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, the nearest spot on land to the Fitzgerald gravesite 27 kilometres northwest.
Members of the crewmen's families and survivors of other shipwrecks were among those invited to ring the Fitzgerald bell during the ceremony. The bell was recovered by divers in 1995 and is on display at the museum.
The service was among many 30th-anniversary observances taking place in the Great Lakes region, where the Fitzgerald is the most famous of more than 6,000 known shipwrecks.
"The legend still seems to be growing," said Tom Farnquist, executive director of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society, which operates the museum. "I'm surprised the Fitzgerald is still as popular as it is."
The Fitzgerald, a 222-metre freighter, was caught in a catastrophic gale Nov. 10, 1975, after taking on a load of taconite iron ore at Superior, Wis. Gusts exceeding 145 kilometres an hour kicked up nine-metre waves as the ship struggled toward the safety of Whitefish Bay, in the lake's southeastern corner.
Ernest McSorley, the ship's captain, radioed a trailing freighter, the Arthur M. Anderson, that the Fitzgerald had topside damage and was listing.
At 7:10 p.m., he told the Anderson's first mate, "We are holding our own."
It was the last anyone heard from the Fitzgerald.
The ship plunged to the bottom, 162 metres down. Diving expeditions later determined the freighter had broken into two large sections, its cargo strewn along the lake floor. No bodies have been recovered.
The cause of the sinking is still debated.
The official coast guard report said improperly fastened hatch covers may have enabled water to flood the cargo hold, weighing down the ship and eventually causing it to nosedive into a huge wave.
Others speculate that the Fitzgerald ventured too close to the Caribou Island shoal and scraped the bottom. Another theory: The ship broke apart on the surface.
The uncertainty is one reason for the story's lingering appeal, Farnquist said. Another is the Gordon Lightfoot ballad, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which made the tragedy a pop culture icon.
"There were modern aids to navigation, good weather forecasting . . . and yet a 729-foot ship disappears without a cry for help or survivors," Farnquist said. "The mystery prevails today, even after numerous dives have been conducted to explore for an answer."
No! That can't be true. They've been down to visit the wreck numerous times. They recovered her bell in 1995. Their loved ones would've demanded those bodies brought back, had that been the case. They're long gone by now. Sturgeon food.
Besides, the ship split in two, so everyone was probably thrown hither and yon.
Anyone know about this rumor? See why this is still so interesting 30 years later? ;)
Our local Weatherman just did his schtick, and he showed the winds on the night she was sunk. We had 45-50 mph winds here just last night, and he showed how they traveled from southern WI up to Lake Superior, then there was a shift in the weather and it was actually another burst of wind from Canada that supposedly sunk her.
That's 'Gary The Weatherman's' theory, anyway. ;)
The Kamloops wreck from the 1920's still has bodies in it as well. There are pictures of the Kamloops crew members.
The water is very cold and there is not much oxygen at that depth and temperature. So no critters and no decay.
How'd they recover the bell in 1995?
bttt
Silly girl, there's solid land under a lake or ocean, you just don't fall as fast as you do from a plane or chopper.
:-))
I definately did NOT inherit my father's Navy Genes, LOL! Who knows, he was away a lot of the time. Maybe 'The Mailman' was a Landlubber? I'll go ask Mom. ;)
Yes:
"Nothing remains but the faces and names
of the wives and the sons and the daughters.."
ping
I had to have the song go through my head all day....
*useless-but-interesting trivia:
DID YOU KNOW...that the Edmund Fitzgerald was named after the Milwaukee harbormaster?
I did not know that! Remind me not to play 'Trivial Pursuit' with you, LOL!
I do remember that the Edmund Fitzgerald was found over 500 feet down. That is pretty deep for scuba divers to go. It can be done but it is risky.
I do remember that shortly after it was found it was dived by a couple of divers and they might have taken souvenirs. I do remember that the families were pretty upset about it and a law was passed that put the wreck off limits.
But bringing up a bell which is pretty big and solid is far different from bringing up a human body which is pretty small and squishy.
"Nothing remains but the faces and names of the wives and the sons and the daughters.."
I wonder if the Navy Hymn wouldn't be appropriate here.
"But bringing up a bell which is pretty big and solid is far different from bringing up a human body which is pretty small and squishy."
LOL! Well, we're all going to go "squishy" at some point, so I guess you have a good point there. ;)
Aw, shucks! Not another one! (I can't get anyone to play 'Trivial Pursuit' with me NOW!)
Hint: Listen to what Normally Boring Radio Guy has to say, then Google it, lol!
See videos and pictures at this web site:
www.ssedmundfitzgerald.com
or www.tv17.org
thanks
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.