History. [82] He said: This placement does not support the hypothesis that the ship plunged to the bottom in one piece, breaking apart when it struck bottom. '"[189], The day after the wreck, Mariners' Church in Detroit rang its bell 29times; once for each life lost. [173], Mark Thompson countered that "the Coast Guard laid bare [its] own complacency" by blaming the sinking of Edmund Fitzgerald on industry-wide complacency since it had inspected Edmund Fitzgerald just two weeks before she sank. Edmund Fitzgerald reported winds of 52 knots (96km/h; 60mph) and waves 10 feet (3.0m) high. [169], The NTSB investigation noted that Great Lakes cargo vessels could normally avoid severe storms and called for the establishment of a limiting sea state applicable to Great Lakes bulk cargo vessels. Namesake of ill-fated Edmund Fitzgerald to get his due. It took six minutes to reach the wreck, six minutes to survey it, and three hours to resurface to avoid decompression sickness, also known as "the bends. "[123] Author Bishop reported that Captain Paquette of Wilfred Sykes argued that through their support for the shoaling explanation, the LCA represented the shipping company's interests by advocating a hypothesis that held LCA member companies, the American Bureau of Shipping, and the U.S. Coast Guard Service blameless. The flooding occurred gradually and probably imperceptibly throughout the final day, finally resulting in a fatal loss of buoyancy and stability. [146] It was also alleged that when compared to Edmund Fitzgerald's previous captain (Peter Pulcer), McSorley did not keep up with routine maintenance and did not confront the mates about getting the requisite work done. . [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. The final voyage of Edmund Fitzgerald, that commenced on November 9th, 1975, and its subsequent disappearance, are extremely mysterious. Fitzgerald's own grandfather and all great uncles had themselves been lake captains,[22] and his father owned the Milwaukee Drydock Company, which built and repaired ships. [134], NTSB investigators noted that Edmund Fitzgerald's prior groundings could have caused undetected damage that led to major structural failure during the storm, since Great Lakes vessels were normally drydocked for inspection only once every five years. Captain Ernest M. McSorley commanded the enormous vessel during what was meant to be his last trip before retirement. Frederick Stonehouse wrote: Stewards treated the guests to the entire VIP routine. The Edmund Fitzgerald was launched June 8, 1958 at River Rouge, Michigan. [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. Marie, Ontarioa distance Edmund Fitzgerald could have covered in just over an hour at her top speed. Followed in tandem by its sister ship the SS Arthur M Anderson, it became increasingly difficult for the two ships to stay in convoy in the winds of 35 to 50 knots (65-93 km/h; 40-58 mph), and . [4] For 17 years, Edmund Fitzgerald carried taconite from Minnesota's Iron Range mines near Duluth, Minnesota, to iron works in Detroit, Toledo, and other ports. At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in, 6 hatch was open and a hatch cover was standing on end vertically in the hatch. [46] Woodard testified to the Marine Board that he overheard McSorley say, "Don't allow nobody on deck,"[53] as well as something about a vent that Woodard could not understand. This is perfect for the lake boat enthusiast, modeler or historian. The No. [134] After August B. Herbel Jr., president of the American Society for Testing and Materials, examined photographs of the welds on Edmund Fitzgerald, he stated, "the hull was just being held together with patching plates." He further noted that USCG rescue vessels were unlikely to reach the scene of an incident on Lake Superior or Lake Huron within 6to 12hours of its occurrence. Despite repeated attempts to raise the USCG, Cooper was not successful until 7:54p.m. when the officer on duty asked him to keep watch for a 16-foot (4.9m) boat lost in the area. SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29 men. She was loaded with 26,116 tons of taconite pellets at the Burlington Northern Railroad, Dock #1. He skippered two of the Anderson's three sister ships, the Philip J . . Edmund Fitzgerald. Despite the passage of time, the story of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald continues to fascinate the residents of the Great Lakes state and beyond. Sections of the coaming in way of the No. Whitefish Point is the site of the Whitefish Point Light Station and Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The Edmund Fitzgerald was a "Laker" type iron ore bulk freighter launched on June 7, 1958 by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rogue, Michigan for the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company one year after its near sister ship Arthur B. Homer. [47], Shortly after 3:30p.m., Captain McSorley radioed Arthur M. Anderson to report that Edmund Fitzgerald was taking on water and had lost two vent covers and a fence railing. In contrast to the NWS forecast, Captain Dudley J. Paquette of Wilfred Sykes predicted that a major storm would directly cross Lake Superior. [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. [79] MacInnis concluded that the notes and video obtained during the dives did not provide an explanation why Edmund Fitzgerald sank. "[92], Under the Ontario Heritage Act, activities on registered archeological sites require a license. The first wave introduces an abnormally large amount of water onto the deck. She was located in deep water on November 14, 1975, by a U.S. Navy aircraft detecting magnetic anomalies, and found soon afterwards to be in two large pieces. Officers from Arthur M. Anderson observed that Edmund Fitzgerald sailed through this exact area. Of this series, the first and eighth were distorted or broken. [109], The July 26, 1977, USCG Marine Casualty Report suggested that the accident was caused by ineffective hatch closures. For data concerning Canadian areas, Canadian authorities have been consulted. The stern section acted as an anchor and caused Edmund Fitzgerald to come to a full stop, causing everything to go forward. [76] The GLSHS used part of the five hours of video footage produced during the dives in a documentary and the National Geographic Society used a segment in a broadcast. [135] The two vessels were built in the same shipyard using welded joints instead of the riveted joints used in older ore freighters. Ex-Fitzgerald crew member George Burgner claimed in a deposition that unrepaired cracks and weakened metal on the ship caused the loss, according . [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. An event of interest to all Great Lakes historians occurred on June 7th of this year. She is famous for being the last ship to be in contact with SS Edmund Fitzgerald before she sank on November 10, 1975. [170] One concern was that shipping companies pressured the captains to deliver cargo as quickly and cheaply as possible regardless of bad weather. It puts into perspective the sheer power of . The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. However, none has been as famous as Edmund Fitzgerald. "[55], By late in the afternoon of November 10, sustained winds of over 50 knots (93km/h; 58mph) were recorded by ships and observation points across eastern Lake Superior. The cuisine was reportedly excellent and snacks were always available in the lounge. [209] A "cottage industry"[210] has evolved across the Great Lakes region from Two Harbors, Minnesota, to Whitefish Point, the incident's "ground zero". The bow section would have had to right itself and the stern portion would have had to capsize before coming to rest on the bottom. Paquette said he was stunned to later hear McSorley, who was not known for turning aside or slowing down, state that "we're going to try for some lee from Isle Royale. As a workhorse, she set seasonal haul records six times, often breaking her own record. "[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 Fitzgerald departs Lake Superior en route of Detroit with 26,116 tons of taconite pellets. The primary objective was to record 3-D videotape for use in museum educational programs and the production of documentaries. [16] Oglebay Norton immediately designated Edmund Fitzgerald the flagship of its Columbia Transportation fleet. [140] Ramsay noted that Edmund Fitzgerald's hull was built with an all-welded (instead of riveted) modular fabrication method,[141] which was used for the first time in the GLEW shipyard. 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. [121], Paul Hainault, a retired professor of mechanical engineering from Michigan Technological University, promoted a hypothesis that began as a student class project. [134] Paquette held the opinion that negligence caused Edmund Fitzgerald to founder. All of the 14other clamps were undamaged and in the open position. [165], On the fateful evening of November 10, 1975, McSorley reported he had never seen bigger seas in his life. Since the ship was heading east-southeastward, it is likely that the waves caused Edmund Fitzgerald to roll heavily. [162], The USCG increased Edmund Fitzgerald's load line in 1969, 1971, and 1973 to allow 3feet 3.25inches (997mm) less minimum freeboard than Edmund Fitzgerald's original design allowed in 1958. The USCG Marine Board found that flooding of the hold could not have been assessed until the water reached the top of the taconite cargo. Captain McSorley said he did not like the action of a ship he described as a "wiggling thing" that scared him. 1 hatch and showed indications of buckling from external loading. "[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. [29] By November 1975, Edmund Fitzgerald had logged an estimated 748round trips on the Great Lakes and covered more than a million miles, "a distance roughly equivalent to 44trips around the world."[33]. It's the unsafest commercial vessel afloat. The USCG, NTSB, and proponents of alternative theories have all named multiple possible contributing factors to the foundering of Edmund Fitzgerald. The SS Fitzgerald carried taconite iron ore from the mines near Duluth, Minnesota to the ironworks in Detroit, . Captain Ernest M. McSorley had loaded her with 26,116 long tons of taconite pellets, made of processed iron ore, heated and rolled into marble-size balls. No distress signal was received, and ten minutes later, Arthur M. Anderson lost the ability either to reach Edmund Fitzgerald by radio or to detect her on radar. Navy estimates put the length of the bow section at 276 feet (84m) and that of the stern section at 253 feet (77m). Loaded with iron ore like so many other runs this vessel makes. Other authors have concluded that Edmund Fitzgerald most likely broke in two on the surface before sinking due to the intense waves, like the ore carriers SSCarl D. Bradley and SSDaniel J. 2 hatch cover was missing and the coaming on the No. The journey ended about 17 miles north-northwest of . [119] Conjecture by proponents of the Six Fathom Shoal hypothesis concluded that Edmund Fitzgerald's downed fence rail reported by McSorley could occur only if the ship "hogged" during shoaling, with the bow and stern bent downward and the midsection raised by the shoal, pulling the railing tight until the cables dislodged or tore under the strain. Of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee. [94], An April 2005 amendment to the Ontario Heritage Act allows the Ontario government to impose a license requirement on dives, the operation of submersibles, side scan sonars or underwater cameras within a designated radius around protected sites. [19], By ore freighter standards, the interior of Edmund Fitzgerald was luxurious. The sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald - November 10, 1975 The SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior 20 years ago. The hypothesis contended that the wave action continued to damage the hull, until the middle third dropped out like a box, leaving the ship held together by the center deck. 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. Both the Homer and Fitzgerald were the largest iron ore carriers built on the Great Lakes. [68], Edmund Fitzgerald is among the largest and best-known vessels lost on the Great Lakes,[69] but she is not alone on the Lake Superior seabed in that area. By the next day, the two ships were caught in a severe storm on Lake Superior, with near-hurricane-force winds and waves up to 35 feet (11m) high. A total of 29 lives lost; no bodies were ever recovered. 1. "[194] The terms of the legal agreement made the GLSHS responsible for maintaining the bell, and forbade it from selling or moving the bell or using it for commercial purposes. The National Weather Service issues . [106] The analysis further showed that the maximum sustained winds reached near hurricane force of about 70mph (61kn; 110km/h) with gusts to 86 miles per hour (75kn; 138km/h) at the time and location where Edmund Fitzgerald sank. the family didn't tell Brabon's sister, who . [97] On the basis of the amended law, to protect wreck sites considered "watery graves", the Ontario government issued updated regulations in January 2006, including an area with a 500-meter (1,640ft) radius around Edmund Fitzgerald and other specifically designated marine archeological sites. On the Great Lakes of North America, she took the record as the largest ship. The NWS long-range forecast on November 9, 1975, predicted that a storm would pass just south of Lake Superior and over the Keweenaw Peninsula, extending into the Lake from Michigan's Upper Peninsula. The large cargo vessels that roamed the five Great Lakes were known as lakers, and the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was, at the . The Edmund Fitzgerald's final voyage. She was en route to the steel mill on Zug Island, near Detroit, Michigan,[38] with a cargo of 26,116 long tons (29,250 short tons; 26,535t) of taconite ore pellets and soon reached her full speed of 16.3 miles per hour (14.2kn; 26.2km/h). But it's nothing but a motorized barge! A Historic Iron Ore Freighter. [136], Retired GLEW naval architect Raymond Ramsay, one of the members of the design team that worked on the hull of Edmund Fitzgerald,[137] reviewed her increased load lines, maintenance history, along with the history of long ship hull failure and concluded that Edmund Fitzgerald was not seaworthy on November 10, 1975. This week marks 40 years since the Fitzgerald and its 29 crew members went down in Lake Superior. When Bethlehem Steel Corporation permanently laid up Edmund Fitzgerald's sister ship, SS Arthur B. Homer, . 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. On November 10, 1975, the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald broke in half and sunk in Lake Superior. The board was resolute, and Edmund abstained from voting; the 36 board members voted unanimously to name her the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. The pair are the only people known to have touched the Edmund Fitzgerald wreck. "[196] As of 2005[update], the bell is on display in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point near Paradise, Michigan.[197]. Air conditioning extended to the crew quarters, which featured more amenities than usual. The Birth Of The Largest Ship Plying The Great Lakes. [153], After Edmund Fitzgerald foundered, Great Lakes shipping companies were accused of valuing cargo payloads more than human life,[154] since the vessel's cargo hold of 860,950 cubic feet (24,379m3) had been divided by two non-watertight traverse "screen" bulkheads. 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