The most famous sinking on the Great Lakes was that of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Nov. 10, 1975. The freighter made its maiden voyage on June 7, 1958 as the largest ship ever on the Great Lakes up until then. It was 729 feet long. It is still the largest ship wreck on the lakes. On June 9, it left from Superior, Wisconsin with a 26,000 ton load of iron ore. The ship set tonnage records. There was a predicted winter storm, but it was not supposed to cross its path. Capt. Ernest McSorley was in contact with another ship, but did not communicate that his vessel was in dire straits. He did mention that the ship was listing and his radar was out. His last message was: “We are holding our own.” Not long after that, the other ship lost sight of the Edmund Fitzgerald and feared the worst. The ship went down with the loss of all 29 of the crew. None of the bodies were recovered.
It is still not clear what caused the wreck. Both ships reported high seas with up to 35 foot waves and gale winds up to 70 mph. The Coast Guard attributed the tragedy to faulty hatches that allowed flooding of the hold. Another possibility is that with his radar out, McSorley passed over a shoal that caused significant structural damage. Some experts blame the large waves swamping the ship. There is a phenomenon known as “the three sisters”. These are three consecutive rogue waves. The ship might not have been able to survive the combination. Or it could be that the ship was not capable of surviving such a storm. Blame has not been placed on McSorley. He had over 40 years of experience on the Great Lakes and oceans. He was well-respected in the maritime community. Since it was not determined to be human error, new regulations were implemented on the Great Lakes such as survival suits, depth finders, and more inspections.
The wreck was largely forgotten until Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot had a huge hit with “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” in1976. The song reached #2. Lightfoot was inspired to write the song after reading a Newsweek magazine article that spelled the name of the ship as “Edmond”. He was also offended by the brevity of the article. He was upset that the crew were being dishonored. He didn’t want the men to be forgotten. Mission accomplished. The song was supposedly recorded in one take.
Lyrics
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called 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 twenty-six thousand 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 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 [actually Detroit]
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 tattle-tale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the captain did too
T’was 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 PM, 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 his lights went outta sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Does any one 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 twenty-nine times
For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee
Superior, they said, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald
https://shipwreckmuseum.com/the-fateful-journey/
https://www.jsonline.com/story/life/green-sheet/2023/05/03/what-to-know-about-the-edmund-fitzgerald-whose-wreck-inspired-song/70174467007/
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