The Edmund Fitzgerald in 1975

On November 10, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald ran into weather on Lake Superior.
What happene3d that day is a testament to the power and fury of water and nature on this fragile planet.
Michigan can have some fierce storms, with gale force winds, snow rain and ice.




Even today, the wreck is commemorated at, over 40 years later.

"We tend to think of the natural beauty of the lakes rather (than) the natural turmoil they can cause," says the Rev. Jeffrey Hubbard, pastor of the 179-year-old Mariners' Church. "They can turn fast, and they can wreak havoc. Our service reminds people of the lakes' potential treachery while at the same time commemorating the lives of sailors lost."

www.mprnews.org...

On this 46th year since the the sinking of the freighter Edmund Fitzgerald, Split Rock Lighthouse is commemorating that event with a beacon lighting and ceremony. They say it is also a time to reflect on the memory of all lives lost in Great Lakes shipwrecks.

www.audacy.com...


Let's take a moment to remember those who perished that day.
And those who died elsewhere working the waters on this planet for us.

You didn't mention the song by Gordon Lightfoot .
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

originally posted by: Gothmog
You didn't mention the song by Gordon Lightfoot .
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

This version is better

Growing up on the lakes, if you have never seen them you have no idea how big they are. Years ago I read a book about the wreck, another ocean going vessel had passed up into lake Huron when the storm was coming. The captain of the ship had to give way to a lake pilot, who suggested they put into port for the storm. The ships captain was like, we just crossed the ocean, keep going.... afterwards, acknowledged, pretty big lake...

This version is better

The best version starts with a news clip of a black and white clip of a news guy... maybe Walter Cronkite?

originally posted by: FunshineCD
Growing up on the lakes, if you have never seen them you have no idea how big they are. Years ago I read a book about the wreck, another ocean going vessel had passed up into lake Huron when the storm was coming. The captain of the ship had to give way to a lake pilot, who suggested they put into port for the storm. The ships captain was like, we just crossed the ocean, keep going.... afterwards, acknowledged, pretty big lake...

My mom was so shocked. There are portions of Lake Michigan that look very ocean like, with clear turquoise colored water and nice sand. Locals keep certain places very secret!

originally posted by: Gothmog
You didn't mention the song by Gordon Lightfoot .
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

LOL
You didn't watch the video.

a reply to: FunshineCD

The lakes are...well, words almost aren't enough.
When there is a hundred or more miles to the other shore, when it takes hours to cross by ferry from Michigan to Wisconsin, and when you have five of these big lakes of various sizes and depths.....
I mean, Michigan has its own weather due to the Lakes microcosm.

a reply to: Akragon

I gave it to about a minute in. That is horrible.

Gordon Lightfoot for the win.

One of the problems was a depth marked on the charts was marked on a contour line and looked deeper than it actually was. Thay still don’t know if it hit bottom on the 6 fathom shoal or not but it was very close to it.

I've been on a carrier in the North Atlantic. I've been on a ship in Lake Michigan. Rather be in the North Atlantic. Waves form when water energy start to bottom out. In the ocean that is usually near land. In the Great Lakes, you are never too far from land. When the pitch between waves is shorter than the length of the vessel, you have problems. In the ocean that rarely happens. On the lakes it is normal. Two waves hitting a ship at the same time is like breaking a stick of wood over your knee. The waves lift the ship while the space between them is your knee reversed.

originally posted by: Gothmog
You didn't mention the song by Gordon Lightfoot .
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Growing up On Lake Erie, that song got a lot of play when I was a kid. I still remember my father playing it and explaining to me what happened on Lake Superior when it sunk.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

One of my favorite folk songs.

Today also marks the anniversary of the 1979 mississauga derailment. Where the entire city of mississauga was evacuated due to chemical leaks.

en.m.wikipedia.org...

Today seems to be cursed!

Good documentary on the ship

Largest on the Great Lakes at time of launching, 1' to spare in the Soo Locks

a reply to: strongfp
Certainly a great song even without the history.
Lightfoot is immensely talented.

I hadn't heard about the Mississauga derailment.
A miracle no one died.

I you liked the Gordy song, listen to this by Stan Rogers:

www.youtube.com...

"The Mary Ellen Carter" is my favorite inspirational song...

originally posted by: BlueJacket

originally posted by: Gothmog
You didn't mention the song by Gordon Lightfoot .
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Growing up On Lake Erie, that song got a lot of play when I was a kid. I still remember my father playing it and explaining to me what happened on Lake Superior when it sunk.

It got a lot of play time here in Georgia.

originally posted by: DontTreadOnMe

originally posted by: Gothmog
You didn't mention the song by Gordon Lightfoot .
The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

LOL
You didn't watch the video.

Don't do YouTube , remember .

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I was at the shipwreck museum at white fish point in august.
The ships bell was the centerpiece of the display.
The museum was extremely busy which kinda surprised me.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Great post!

I spend my first 2 years of college at SUNY Oswego. The campus sits right on the shore of Lake Ontario. Really beautiful in the late spring and the fall. But the rest of the year is various levels of misery.

It never just snowed in Oswego. It came in horizontally on a 20+ mph wind and the drifts were something to see. We had 10 foot drifts during one storm....it was ridiculous.

With all that said, Lake Ontario was beautiful to swim in during nice/warm weather and I always marveled at how the lake had waves at the shoreline just like the ocean. No sandy beaches though...just a lot of very round, smooth rocks.

In the winter the lake would freeze solid for a few miles from the shoreline out into the lake but it never totally froze over. The center held.

I haven't thought of all that in years. Thanks for the memory goose.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Thank-you for the OP/Thread. Brings back a lot of memories, both fond and tragic, of my many Salmon and Perch fishing trips into Lake Michigan on our family fishing boat.

Lake Superior, where the Edmund Fitzgerald went down, can have waves that dwarf even those in Lake Michigan, from what I hear.

S&F in appreciation, DTOM.