On November 10, 1975, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald broke in half and sunk in Lake Superior. It was designed to carry taconite pellets (a type of iron ore) from mines near Duluth to iron works in Detroit . [50], McSorley was known as a "heavy weather captain"[167] who "'beat hell' out of the Edmund Fitzgerald and 'very seldom ever hauled up for weather'". [31] The original lyrics of the song show a degree of artistic license compared to the events of the actual sinking: it states the destination as Cleveland instead of Detroit. He said that he commonly sailed in fine weather using the minimum number of clamps necessary to secure the hatch covers.[115]. He concluded that the topside damage Edmund Fitzgerald experienced at 3:30p.m. on November 10, compounded by the heavy seas, was the most obvious explanation for why she sank. Unfortunately, the final words transmitted from the Edmund Fitzgerald during the early evening of November 10, 1975 inaccurately assessed how the freighter was managing a terrifying storm. She set seasonal haul records six different times. This tragic accident points out the need for all persons involved in Great Lakes shipping to foster increased awareness of the hazards which exist. [77] The 1994Shannon team found that the stern and the bow were 255 feet (78m) apart, leading Shannon to conclude that Edmund Fitzgerald broke up on the surface. Shortly after 7:10p.m., Edmund Fitzgerald suddenly sank in Canadian (Ontario) waters 530 feet (88 fathoms; 160m) deep, about 17 miles (15 nautical miles; 27 kilometers) from Whitefish Bay near the twin cities of Sault Ste. Packed to the brim with ore pellets, the ship headed out to a steel mill on Zug Island near Detroit, Michigan. However, the event didn't go as smoothly as anyone hoped. [165], On the fateful evening of November 10, 1975, McSorley reported he had never seen bigger seas in his life. [44] After 1:50p.m., when Arthur M. Anderson logged winds of 50 knots (93km/h; 58mph), wind speeds again picked up rapidly, and it began to snow at 2:45p.m., reducing visibility; Arthur M. Anderson lost sight of Edmund Fitzgerald, which was about 16 miles (26km) ahead at the time. [19], By ore freighter standards, the interior of Edmund Fitzgerald was luxurious. [126] Hainault's hypothesis held that this seiche contributed to Edmund Fitzgerald shoaling 200 feet (61m) of her hull on Superior Shoal, causing the hull to be punctured mid-body. Also, in light of new evidence about what happened, Lightfoot has modified one line for live performances, the original stanza being: When suppertime came the old cook came on deck, [7] Her nicknames included "Fitz", "Pride of the American Side",[28] "Mighty Fitz", "Toledo Express",[29] "Big Fitz",[30] and the "Titanic of the Great Lakes". [211] Memorabilia on sale include Christmas ornaments, T-shirts, coffee mugs, Edmund Fitzgerald Porter, videos, and other items commemorating the vessel and its loss. For 17years, Edmund Fitzgerald carried taconite iron ore from mines near Duluth, Minnesota, to iron works in Detroit, Michigan; Toledo, Ohio; and other Great Lakes ports. A series of 16consecutive hatch cover clamps were observed on the No. The USCG sent a buoy tender, Woodrush, from Duluth, Minnesota, but it took two and a half hours to launch and a day to travel to the search area. [116], The NTSB conducted computer studies,[117] testing and analysis to determine the forces necessary to collapse the hatch covers[118] and concluded that Edmund Fitzgerald sank suddenly from flooding of the cargo hold "due to the collapse of one or more of the hatch covers under the weight of giant boarding seas" instead of flooding gradually due to ineffective hatch closures. [73] The dive was brief, and although the dive team drew no final conclusions, they speculated that Edmund Fitzgerald had broken up on the surface. Her destination was Zug Island on the Detroit River. Since the ship was heading east-southeastward, it is likely that the waves caused Edmund Fitzgerald to roll heavily. [2] The report concluded that these devices failed to prevent waves from inundating the cargo hold. "[178] The company paid compensation to surviving families about 12months in advance of official findings of the probable cause and on condition of imposed confidentiality agreements. The NTSB made the following observations based on the CURV-III survey: The No. [132], When Bethlehem Steel Corporation permanently laid up Edmund Fitzgerald's sister ship, SS Arthur B. Homer, just five years after going to considerable expense to lengthen her, questions were raised as to whether both ships had the same structural problems. "[148] Thereafter, at the request of the Marine Board and the Commander of the USCG Ninth District, the Canadian Hydrographic Service conducted a survey of the area surrounding Michipicoten Island and Caribou Island in 1976. 7 and 8 and both coamings were fractured and severely distorted. . [48] In a broadcast shortly afterward, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) warned all shipping that the Soo Locks had been closed and they should seek safe anchorage. 1966 the "Daniel J. Morrell" sank in another horrific storm in Lake Huron (which so injured the "Morrell's" sister ship, the "Edward Y. Townsend" that it sank . 138. Today in Great Lake news, well history lesson of Great Lakes, I should say :) The Arthur B Homer, or the sister ship of the Edmund Fitzgerald, which I have given a history on before, entered service on April 20, 1960. [121], Paul Hainault, a retired professor of mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University, promoted a hypothesis that began as a student class project. [21], Edmund Fitzgerald was a record-setting workhorse, often beating her own milestones. [3][4] GLEW laid the first keel plate on August 7 the same year. [86][87] The life jacket had deteriorated canvas and "what is thought to be six rectangular cork blocks clearly visible. During 1974, she lost her original bow anchor in the Detroit River. [84] Shannon determined that based on GPS coordinates from the 1994 Deepquest expedition, "at least one-third of the two acres of immediate wreckage containing the two major portions of the vessel is in U.S. waters because of an error in the position of the U.S.Canada boundary line shown on official lake charts. "[62], Lacking appropriate search-and-rescue vessels to respond to Edmund Fitzgerald's disaster,[62] at approximately 9:00p.m., the USCG asked Arthur M. Anderson to turn around and look for survivors. The event was plagued by misfortunes. Other questions were raised as to why the USCG did not discover and take corrective action in its pre-November 1975 inspection of Edmund Fitzgerald, given that her hatch coamings, gaskets, and clamps were poorly maintained. Frederick Stonehouse wrote: Stewards treated the guests to the entire VIP routine. "[10] The ship's value at that time was $7 million (equivalent to $52.4million in 2021[11]). [83] Prior to conducting the dives, Shannon studied NOAA navigational charts and found that the international boundary had changed three times before its publication by NOAA in 1976. . [51], For a time, Arthur M. Anderson directed Edmund Fitzgerald toward the relative safety of Whitefish Bay; then, at 4:39p.m., McSorley contacted the USCG station in Grand Marais, Michigan, to inquire whether the Whitefish Point light and navigation beacon were operational. However, no distress signals were sent before she sank; Captain McSorley's last (7:10p.m.) message to Arthur M. Anderson was, "We are holding our own." 5 was missing. Edmund Fitzgerald's bow hooked to one side or the other in heavy seas without recovering and made a groaning sound not heard on other ships. The sinking led to changes in Great Lakes shipping regulations and practices that included mandatory survival suits, depth finders, positioning systems, increased freeboard, and more frequent inspection of vessels. [56] Arthur M. Anderson logged sustained winds as high as 58 knots (107km/h; 67mph) at 4:52p.m.,[50] while waves increased to as high as 25 feet (7.6m) by 6:00p.m.[57] Arthur M. Anderson was also struck by 70-to-75-knot (130 to 139km/h; 81 to 86mph) gusts[56] and rogue waves as high as 35 feet (11m). A round trip between Superior, Wisconsin, and Detroit, Michigan, usually took her five days and she averaged 47similar trips per season. The USCG took the position that only the captain could decide when it was safe to sail.[172]. Marie, Michigan, with 1 foot (0.3m) of water. On November 10, 1975, SS Edmund Fitzgerald and its crew of 29 men sank in Lake Superior. The Edmund Fitzgerald is loaded with taconite pellets at Burlington Northern Railroad, Dock 1. Hudson Company-designed furnishings[20] included deep pile carpeting, tiled bathrooms, drapes over the portholes, and leather swivel chairs in the guest lounge. Her belly is heavy, loaded down with twenty-six thousand tons of taconite pellets. But it's nothing but a motorized barge! An underwater camera gives a view into the pilot house of the wrecked Great Lakes ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald. What happened on that fateful night to the ship and the entire 29-man crew? Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty. [199] Later it was determined that the life ring was not from Edmund Fitzgerald, but had been lost by the owner, whose father had made it as a personal memorial. While it is true that sailing conditions are good during the summer season, changes can occur abruptly, with severe storms and extreme weather and sea conditions arising rapidly. . Former Second Mate Richard Orgel, who served on Edmund Fitzgerald in 1972 and 1973, testified that "the ship had a tendency to bend and spring during storms 'like a diving board after somebody has jumped off. [25] On September 22, 1958, Edmund Fitzgerald completed nine days of sea trials. One of the most famous ships ever to sail on the Great Lakes, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was built in 1957 and early 1958 by Great Lakes Engineering Works of Ecorse, Michigan. For data concerning Canadian areas, Canadian authorities have been consulted. Gordon Lightfoot made it the subject of his 1976hit song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" after reading an article, "The Cruelest Month", in the November 24, 1975, issue of Newsweek. [190] The church continued to hold an annual memorial, reading the names of the crewmen and ringing the church bell, until 2006 when the church broadened its memorial ceremony to commemorate all lives lost on the Great Lakes. [176] With a value of $24million, Edmund Fitzgerald's financial loss was the greatest in Great Lakes sailing history. They found that the Canadian 1973navigational chart for the Six Fathom Shoal area was based on Canadian surveys from 1916 and 1919 and that the 1973U.S. Lake Survey Chart No. Ex-Fitzgerald crew member George Burgner claimed in a deposition that unrepaired cracks and weakened metal on the ship caused the loss, according . A delay of 36 minutes followed while the shipyard crew struggled to release the keel blocks. Edmund Fitzgerald may have been swamped, suffered structural failure or topside damage, grounded on a shoal, or suffered from a combination of these. Edmund Fitzgerald's Three Sisters Essay. From the outset, he chose a route that took advantage of the protection offered by the lake's north shore to avoid the worst effects of the storm. Once each trip, the captain held a candlelight dinner for the guests, complete with mess-jacketed stewards and special "clamdigger" punch. The Gerald C. 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