Shipwreck: the Edmund Fitzgerald

Image Credit: Edmund Fitzgerald in 1971, by Greenmars, CC 3.0 

 The ship was a bit of a grand lady among her peers on the Great Lakes.

Built to order by the Great Lakes Engineering Works for the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, she boasted several firsts and some luxuries not usually associated with lake freighters.  Some of them included:

• Largest ship on the Great Lakes (at the time she was built)
• First ever built to the maximum size that would fit through the coming St Lawrence Seaway
• First ever ordered and owned completely by an American insurance company
• She had air conditioned crew quarters (a luxury for lake freighters)
• Equipped with "state of the art" nautical and navigation instrumentation
• Deep pile carpets in captain's and crew quarters
• Two dining rooms with fully stocked pantries
• Two staterooms for guests
• Largest ship ever to sink in any of the Great Lakes

 As a carrier of iron ore, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald soon set a record for amount of ore hauled in a single season. Then, she beat her own record, holding the 'seasonal record' an astonishing six times in her seventeen years afloat. Those feats were no doubt what earned her the nickname "Toledo Express."

Begun in August of the previous year, she was named after the president of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Mr. Edmund Fitzgerald. Thousands attended the christening on June 7, 1958.  Perhaps Fitzgerald's wife, Elizabeth, should have put in a bit of practice beforehand.  It took her three swings at the bow to break the champagne bottle.  (Some mariners consider problems with the christening to portend bad luck for the vessel)

And, if that omen wasn't enough . . .

The actual launch following the christening wasn't exactly immediate.  There were problems releasing the blocks holding the keel in place. When they were finally released a half hour later, the ship crashed into a pier upon entering the water.

Did these troubles in this grand ceremony foreshadow the tragic end of the great carrier some seventeen years later?  

People were genuinely fond this steamer - even those who only stood on the banks and watched her sail by. Nicknames often grow out of such fondness.  Here are some of the ones that did:

• Big Fitz

  A term affectionately applied to her by those who crewed her.

• Mighty Fitz

  Another affectionate moniker bestowed by crew members

• Pride of the American Flag

  Made in America, crewed by Americans, sailing American waters - and performing quite admirab;y

• Toledo Express

  Earned by the speed and efficiency with which she carried great loads of ore from Minnesota to Toledo and other steel towns.

• Titanic of the Great Lakes

  Like Titanic, she broke completely in two. Days after the storm, she was found on the bottom, bow and stern widely separated and at an angle to one another. Why she broke is not known, but theories include a rogue wave, structural failure, hold flooding, and extensive damage to her topside.

November 10, 1975

Captain of the Arthur M. Anderson, Bernie Cooper, tells about the night the Fitzgerald Sank.  He was there... or very close by.  The Fitz had been following the Anderson through the gathering storm.

Time passed, the gale was upgraded to a storm.  Ernest McSorley, Big Fitz's last captain, took his quicker vessel ahead of the Anderson. But the two men were in sporadic radio contact.  McSorley lost his instrumentation, and slowed to close the gap between the two ships so that Cooper could keep him on radar.

In the afternoon, ships in the area received a warning to seek safe harbor. The  Anderson began radioing directions to Whitefish Bay, their nearest point of safety.

Winds gusted to hurricane force.  Twenty five foot  waves crashed over the decks of the ships.  They were both in great peril.

Fitzgerald already had a 'bad starboard list.'  Just after 7 pm, Cooper asked how they were doing.  McSorley's reply of "We are holding our own," was the last transmission he ever made.  Minutes later, the ship was simply gone.  Just... completely gone.

The following video is the story from Captain Cooper himself, told in one of the last interviews he ever gave. 

TRIBUTES

The Ship's bell, CC 3.0

 On one of the expeditions to the shipwreck, the ship's bell was recovered. It's been restored, and is now on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Michigan. In a ceremony there held on each anniversary of the shipwreck, the bell rings out in honor of those sleeping in their watery grave.

To honor the 29 lost in 1975, the original bell has been replaced on the shipwreck with a replica. That new one was especially made for the purpose, and has the names of each of the lost crew members engraved on it.

I had planned to list the names of the crew members here, along with their positions and home states, but then I found someone who does a far better job of that than I would have. At S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online, you'll find not only crew names, but profiles, too. There's a whole lot more to explore there, including the story of the bell you see pictured above, but that crew information is a good place to start.

You'll also discover an amazing example of dedication to a task. The young man who runs the site has spent over half his life developing it, and he's not yet even thirty years old! It began as an outgrowth of a school assignment when the young man was a boy of ten. It grew from there, and earned the respect and support of a number of family members of some of the men lost in the tragic sinking.

The beautifully scenic Split Rock Lighthouse has been inactive  for over forty years.  Its light is officially extinguished.  Still, after all these years, that beacon is lit just once each year, and shines again on a special day.

 It shines that one day in honor of the 29 souls who perished on the Mighty Fitz.   

On November 10, a ceremony is help to remember the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  While the lighthouse is open (from noon to 6 pm) that day, there is a special closing at 4:30, when a ship's bell begins tolling, and the names of the lost crewmen are read.  Then, the revolving beacon is lit again for them. At the end of the day, the beacon sleeps again for another year, just as the earthly remains of the twenty-nine still sleep at the dark, cold bottom of Lake Superior.

The  Split Rock lighthouse, in Two Harbors, Minnesota is a national historic landmark. 

At the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit, Michigan, there's an anchor from the Fitzgerald.  It's not from the shipwreck, but an earlier anchor from the ship.

There, you can attend the annual Lost Mariners Remembrance on the 10th of November.  

The program includes a lantern vigil at the anchor.

Advance registration is required, as there is limited seating for the two hour program.  (See website for details.)

Over the years in the lifetimes of those who've landed on this page, many lives have been lost at Sea.  Most recently, the tragic wreck of the Costa Concordia was one of the worst maritime disasters in modern history.  On January 13, 2012, she ran aground off the Isle of Giglio, resulting in 34 fatalities (two of whom are still missing and presumed dead.)

We all feel for those lost at sea, even if they were strangers to us.  

The ceremonies are often very touching, and give attendees a sense of connection with the sea and the souls of those who've gone before them.

If you live any near a coastal community, chances are there is a memorial to those whose lives were claimed by the  might of the ocean at some time during a given year.

Here are several examples:

• A  Lost at Sea Ceremony is held at Murrells Inlet, S.C., each April.
• In Australia, you can visit the Lost Fishermen Memorial at the Port Lincoln Marina.
• Each  December 7, Pearl Harbor Day is commemorated in many places around the U.S.