Edmund Fitzgerald arriving in Duluth empty
Posted on 05/19/2006 9:12:53 PM PDT by ZGuy
Weather experts have "hindcasted" the storm that sunk the Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior during the November 1975.
Hurricane-force gusts and waves coming from an unexpected angle likely contributed to the disaster immortalized by Gordon Lightfoot in the song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," researchers say.
All 29 crewmembers died.
"During the late afternoon and early evening of Nov. 10, conditions deteriorated rapidly with winds in excess of 69 mph, hurricane-force gusts [over 74 mph] and waves more than 25 feet high," said Thomas Hultquist, science and operations officer at the NOAA National Weather Service forecast office in Negaunee, Mich.
The freighter, thought like the Titanic to be invincible, was heading south. Waves were traveling west-to-east, the new analysis shows. This could have created a hazardous rolling motion. The ship sank about 15 miles from Whitefish Bay.
Lake Superior is the largest of the Great Lakes.
"While high winds on Lake Superior are not rare, it is unusual for the waves to get that high on the lake," said Schwab. "It's unlikely that Captain Ernest McSorley, the skipper of the Edmund Fitzgerald, had ever seen anything like that in his career."
The findings are detailed in the May issue of the Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society.
"On Madeline Island, the season of ice means freedom—freedom from ferry boat schedules and rough seas, and the cost of transportation over to and back from the mainland. Islanders come alive in the winter, for this is the time of the year when they are most free. Only a freedom lover lives on an island to begin with. So, for a short but invigorating period of around two to ten weeks, there is an ice road between Bayfield and the island. It is maintained just like a county highway, which it is, technically. It is plowed clear of snow, making a nifty embankment on either side of the road for the driver to follow. Leftover Christmas trees are planted along this ridge to mark the road. This is especially useful in a storm when the road and sky are white but the Christmas trees are green. It is reassuring to see a tree emerge from a white-out when one is driving blind across a 2.5-mile expanse of frozen Lake Superior."
New York is a state with a history that’s great
But fate, a great history can alter
The skyline was torn in the city one morn’
By the madmen intent to assault her
The Trade Center Towers stood as symbols of power
Like the glistening jewels of a nation
But filled to their brims with Americans
Their fate on that day was destruction
When the first airplane struck, the North tower, it shook
And alarm bells all over were ringin’
But inside they knew, there’d be rescue crews
And were certain that help, they’d be bringin’
While some ran off scared, others looked to the air
And discovered their peril had doubled
When the second plane hit, they all had to admit
That everyone there was in trouble
Emergency teams from Manhattan to Queens
Spread word of the high-rise disaster
The police and the rescue-recovery crews
If they flew, couldn’t get there much faster
At the mountainous towers, the men climbed for an hour
To do battle with the fiery dragons
But emergency crews in the buildings soon knew
It was more than the beasts they were battlin’
After the climb through the smoke and the grime
Came the radio calls of confusion
Then just after ten, the South Tower caved in
With a deafening roar of implosion
At half past ten, the North Tower fell in
Sending thousands of souls to their maker
The dust clouds spread, like a blanket of dread
‘Till each heart in the city was breakin’
When mountains and prayers are collapsed in despair
It leaves families at home disbelievin’
They prayed by their phones, but were never alone
For the country all shared in their grievin’
In the Towers debris, searchers fell on their knees
As they dug up an ash-covered helmet
The words that were prayed by the chaplain that day
Were to everyone there, overwhelmin’
“There’s no greater love that a man hath to show
Than to lay down his own life for innocent souls
Into this Mosaic of Freedom is laid
The last precious piece of an Angels Brigade”
New York is a state with a history that’s great
But with fate, her great history was altered
On September Eleventh the heavens were filled
With the souls of her dearly departed.......
Here's a nice article about a man whose father was the 2nd cook on the Fitzgerald.
>New York is a state with a history that’s great
But fate, a great history can alter
The skyline was torn in the city one morn’
By the madmen intent to assault her...
WOW. I read through your lyrics with the music and melody of the original song in my head, and tears started rolling down my cheeks. Fine work, my FRiend.
"At 7 p.m. the Anderson made radio contact with the Fitzgerald and had her on their radar. When asked how the Fitzgerald was making out they replied "We are holding our own". This was around 7:10 p.m.. Shortly afterwards the Fitzgerald disappeared from the Anderson's radar screen. "
What tipped me off to this was an article in the business section of the NY Times a few years back that told a fascinating story but didn't seem to get very much attention. The article was about the extraordinarly high number of insurance claims filed on ships in the Pacific Ocean over a period of several years -- and the insurance industry's attempt to figure out why so many of these claims involved ore carriers that were sustaining heavy damage on their trans-Pacific routes. They eventually determined that one of the primary causes was the tendency of these ships to take on water in high seas through deck hatches that either weren't sealed properly or couldn't keep the water out.
Thanks.
Thanks
"Not only the rhythm, but, it's haunting in a way that Gorden's voice with the story telling, and music."
I definitely agree. Very haunting song. He seems to have covered all the facets of the wreck particularily with putting in the part of the cathedral in Detroit. Because the song was so good he got away without doing a chorus, using only a few chords, and not changing much of the music. Admittedly a chorus would probably have subtracted from the song.
ARTIST: Gordon Lightfoot
TITLE: Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Lyrics and Chords
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called Gitchee 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
/ Asus2 Em GD Asus2 / :
The ship was the pride of the American side
Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
With a crew and good 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 ship's bell rang
Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'
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
'Twas the witch of November come stealin'
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashin'
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
In the face of a hurricane west wind
When suppertime came, the old cook came on deck
Sayin', "Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya"
At seven p.m., a main hatchway caved in
He said "Fellas, it's been good to know ya"
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when its lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd put 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 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
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 called Gitchee Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early
The first paragraph mentions contact.
"WHITEFISH POINT The last message heard from the Edmund Fitzgerald was received by the ship, the Arthur Anderson, at 7:10 p.m. on November 10, 1975. "We are holding our own," was how Captain Ernest McSorley described the ship's progress through the stormy night. Shortly afterwards, the Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared with all 29 hands aboard."
Then later...
"The majority of the theories are based on the conversations between Captain McSorley and Captain Jessie B. Cooper of the Anderson."
Timeline of Events for the Edmund Fitzgerald
1957
February 1
A contract is signed between the Great Lakes Engineering Works (GLEW) and Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company stipulating that GLEW is to design and build the largest ship on the Great Lakes.
August 7
The keel of hull number 301 (the Edmund Fitzgerald) is laid in River Rouge, Michigan
1958
The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company officially announces they will name the ship for the recently elected chairman of the board, Mr. Edmund Fitzgerald.
June 8
The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald is christened, making it the largest freighter sailing on the Great Lakes.
September 13
Testing of the seaworthiness (sea trials) of the Edmund Fitzgerald begins. Passing these trials will allow the Edmund Fitzgerald to officially begin sailing and carrying cargo under the supervision of a crew.
September 22
Operation of the ship is handed over Oglebay-Norton.
September 24
The Fitzgerald takes her first voyage under Captain Bert Lambert through the Soo Locks. Upon returning, the ship breaks the record for the largest load carried through the Locks.
1959
The Edmund Fitzgerald is assigned a new captain: Captain Larson
1966
Peter P. Pulcer becomes captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald
1969
September 6
Internal and external damage occurs when the Edmund Fitzgerald hits ground near the Soo Locks.
1970
April 30
The Edmund Fitzgerald and the S.S. Hochelaga collide, causing damage for the second time in less than eight months.
September 4
The Edmund Fitzgerald is damaged when it hits a lock wall. This is the third time the Edmund Fitzgerald has been subjected to significant damage in only 12 months.
1971-1972
During winter maintenance in Duluth, Minnesota, the Fitzgerald is converted from running on coal to running on oil.
1972
Captain Ernest McSorley takes command of the Edmund Fitzgerald. McSorley is the last captain the Fitzgerald will sail under.
1973
May
Damage is sustained by hitting a Soo Lock wall.
1974
January 7
The ship loses its bow anchor at about one mile to the west of Belle Isle, on the Detroit River.
June 17
The Edmund Fitzgerald hits a Soo Lock wall, causing additional damage for the second time in one month.
1975
November 9
8:30 AM
The Edmund Fitzgerald is loaded with taconite pellets at Burlington Northern Railroad, Dock 1. The ship is scheduled to transport the cargo to Zug Island on the Detroit River.
2:20 PM
The Fitzgerald departs Lake Superior en route of Detroit with 26,116 tons of taconite pellets.
2:39 PM
The National Weather Service issues gale warnings for the area which the Fitzgerald is sailing in. Captain Cooper on the Anderson radios a freighter (the Edmund Fitzgerald) that he spots.
4:15 PM
The Fitzgerald spots the Arthur M. Anderson some 15 miles behind it.
November 10
1:00 AM
Weather report from the Fitzgerald.
The report from the Fitzgerald shows her to be 20 miles south of Isle Royale. Winds are at 52 knots, with waves ten feet in height.
7:00 AM
Weather report from the Fitzgerald.
Winds are at 35 knots, waves of ten feet. This is the last weather report that the Edmund Fitzgerald will ever make.
3:15 PM
Captain Jesse Cooper, (J.C.) of the S.S. Arthur M. Anderson watches the Fitzgerald round Caribou Island and comments that the Fitzgerald is much closer to Six Fathom Shoal than he would want to be.
3:20 PM
Anderson reports winds coming from the Northwest at 43 knots.
3:30 PM
Radio transmission between the Fitzgerald and the Anderson
Captain McSorley (C.M.) to Captain Cooper (C.C.):
C.M.: "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 til I get to Whitefish?"
C.C.: "Charlie on that Fitzgerald. Do you have your pumps going?"
C.M.: "Yes, both of them
4:10 PM
The Fitzgerald radios the Arthur M. Anderson requesting radar assistance for the remainder of the voyage.
Fitzgerald: "Anderson, this is the Fitzgerald. I have lost both radars. Can you provide me with radar plots till we reach Whitefish Bay?"
Anderson: "Charlie on that, Fitzgerald. We'll keep you advised of position."
About 4:39 PM
The Fitzgerald cannot pick up the Whitefish Point radio beacon. The Fitzgerald radios the Coast Guard station at Grand Marais on Channel 16, the emergency channel.
Between 4:30 and 5:00 PM
The Edmund Fitzgerald calls for any vessel in the Whitefish Point area regarding information about the beacon and light at Whitefish Point. They receive an answer by the saltwater vessel Avafors that the beacon and the light are not operating.
Estimated between 5:30 and 6:00 PM
Radio transmission between the Avafors and the Fitzgerald.
Avafors: "Fitzgerald, this is the Avafors. I have the Whitefish light now but still am receiving no beacon. Over."
Fitzgerald: "I'm very glad to hear it."
Avafors: "The wind is really howling down here. What are the conditions where you are?"
Fitzgerald: (Undiscernable shouts heard by the Avafors.) "DON'T LET NOBODY ON DECK!"
Avafors: "What's that, Fitzgerald? Unclear. Over."
Fitzgerald: "I have a bad list, lost both radars. And am taking heavy seas over the deck. One of the worst seas I've ever been in."
Avafors: "If I'm correct, you have two radars."
Fitzgerald: "They're both gone."
Sometime around 7:00 PM
The Anderson is struck by two huge waves that put water on the ship, 35 feet above the water line. The waves hit with enough force to push the starboard lifeboat down, damaging the bottom.
7:10 PM
Radio transmission between the Anderson and the Fitzgerald.
The Fitzgerald is still being followed by the Arthur M. Anderson. They are about 10 miles behind the Fitzgerald.
Anderson: "Fitzgerald, this is the Anderson. Have you checked down?"
Fitzgerald: "Yes we have."
Anderson: "Fitzgerald, we are about 10 miles behind you, and gaining about 1 1/2 miles per hour. Fitzgerald, there is a target 19 miles ahead of us. So the target would be 9 miles on ahead of you."
Fitzgerald: "Well, am I going to clear?"
Anderson: "Yes. He is going to pass to the west of you."
Fitzgerald: "Well, fine."
Anderson: "By the way, Fitzgerald, how are you making out with your problem?"
Fitzgerald: "We are holding our own."
Anderson: "Okay, fine. I'll be talking to you later."
They never did speak later...The 29 men onboard the Fitzgerald will never again speak with anyone outside of the ship.
Sometime between 7:20 and 7:30 PM
It is estimated that this was the time period when the ship vanished and sank.
7:15 PM
The Fitzgerald enters a squall while still on Lake Superior; the squall obscures the vessel from radar observation by the Anderson; this is normal when in a squall.
7:25 PM
Edmund Fitzgerald disappears from the radar of the S.S. Arthur M. Anderson, prompting a call to the Coast Guard to inform them of the situation.
7:55 PM
The Anderson calls again and informs the Coast Guard that they have lost the Fitzgerald both visually and on radar.
9:00 PM
The Coast Guard, with no available search ships, radios the Arthur M. Anderson requesting assistance.
C.G.: "Anderson, this is Group Soo. What is your present position?"
Anderson: "We're down here, about two miles off Parisienne Island right now... the wind is northwest forty to forty-five miles here in the bay."
C.G.: "Is it calming down at all, do you think?"
Anderson: "In the bay it is, but I heard a couple of the salties talking up there, and they wish they hadn't gone out."
After much more conversation and a request by the Coast Guard to return to search for the ship, reluctant to go out, the S.S. Arthur M. Anderson agrees to "give it a try" but claims that that is "all we can do."
10:53 PM
The first aircraft arrives on the scene from Traverse City, Michigan.
November 11, 1975
around 2:00 AM
William Clay Ford arrives at the scene of the wreck.
November 11, 1975, morning
A Reverend by the name of Richard Ingalls prays in his church and holds a memorial service for the twenty nine men lost. This service becomes an annual service and is mentioned in the song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot.
1976
The song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is released by Gordon Lightfoot to the public commemorating the shipwreck. This song is still performed to this day at his concerts.
May
The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald is OFFICIALLY identified.
1980
Calypso expedition takes place.
1995
The bell of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald is raised, restored, and replaced on the ship by a new bell with the names of the twenty nine men lost. This is the last time the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald will ever again be legally dived upon.
By the shores of Gitchi Gumee,
By the shining Big-Sea-Water,
Stood the wigwam of Nokomis,
Daughter of the Moon,
Nokomis.
--Longfellow
Yeah, may spelling sometimes can bee inacurate. The truble is that I now whut aye want to sey, and aye dunt tek the time 2 chek my spelling. dialogue, smi-alogue, let's just talk politix.
Welcome to FR and thank you for serving.
Eh. I'm actually willing to cut Lightfoot a lot of slack on the rhymes, since the song is -so- good. The first time I heard it was at a party, and I wasn't listening to the words, and found it boring musically. But the first time I listened to it as a heroic poem I was thrilled, and I find now that it always makes me stop and listen, no matter what I'm doing.
The lyrics Vetnet wrote for 9/11 are just as haunting (#82). I wonder if anyone has recorded that version?
A couple of years ago, Gordon Lightfoot was still alive and working out regularly at a club in Toronto. I have a friend who lives in Toronto, and he ran into Lightfoot at a Toronto workout club where Lightfoot worked out regularly.
I love his music, particularly this song.
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