Topic: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald 40 Year Anniversary

[Magnum]

I was in High School when the "Big Fitz" sunk. Hard to believe it was 40 Years ago today. Many theories banded about. I tend to believe what Captain Bernie Cooper theorizes  about the sinking.

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As a kid we would go to Duluth to see the ore ships come and go and to think something this big and powerful could sink intrigued me. The song by Gordon Lightfoot also lead to my fascination with the sinking.

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In the 1990's the discovery channel had a good documentary on the the sinking and every year since then I remember the families and crew that was effected by this maritime disaster.

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To be honest I like this version of the song better. I know I am sacrilegious.

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Even to this day I still love to go up to Duluth and watch the huge ore ships come and go.

Prayers for the loved ones and in remembrance of the ship and crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald. 
 

 

[Libertas]

I heard a little about this on AM1500 yesterday, Soucheray said if asked by a Laker to enjoy a free trip from Duluth to Sault Ste Marie he would ask "When are you leaving?" the Skipper said "November 9th" he would say "I'll pass".

November is typically a nasty month.

I think the AM1500 guys were going to be talking more about it today given the anniversary of the sinking.

The winds can be nasty on the Great Lakes, especially Superior and Michigan in that northern confluence area, I think the rogue wave theory (large waves over 20 feet are often witnessed) and we all know the "three sisters" story, which cannot be discounted.  Most people who have looked at this seem to indicate a surface event led to the sinking.  Shoaling seems unlikely to me given the evidence thus far as does Structural or errors in seamanship, though the hatch issue cannot be proven one way or the other, so it may have aided the flooding and churning a rogue waves could wreak. 

The Lightfoot song more than anything kept this story alive, anybody remember any other famous wrecks memorialized in song or prose?  Michigan, Superior and Ontario have had a lot.

I too like watching the ships going through the lift bridge in Duluth, you can also get a good view from Bayfront Park too.

 

[AlanS]

I was in High School when the "Big Fitz" sunk. Hard to believe it was 40 Years ago today. Many theories banded about. I tend to believe what Captain Bernie Cooper theorizes  about the sinking.

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I've never seen that interview. Thanks.

And we'll continue to keep the families in our prayers.

Did they recover the bodies? I don't seem to remember.

[rustybayonet]

The song - enjoy --- Will say though, as well known here before, I was in a sea going service - been on the Pacific, the Atlantic, and 4 of the five Great Lakes - not Ontario.  Ships and boats 35 foot to over 600.  Each when calm as glass and having huge swells that made many sea sick.  Both oceans the swells can be huge, but Superior ain't no fun either because those swells are closer together and can tear apart ships just as fast as the oceans, and it's almost as cold as the north Atlantic or the Bering Sea.

https://youtu.be/Q0DqPSF2fyo?t=6

[Magnum]

I was in High School when the "Big Fitz" sunk. Hard to believe it was 40 Years ago today. Many theories banded about. I tend to believe what Captain Bernie Cooper theorizes  about the sinking.

! No longer available

I've never seen that interview. Thanks.

And we'll continue to keep the families in our prayers.

Did they recover the bodies? I don't seem to remember.

! No longer available

After this the families objected and wanting to keep the site sacred the Canadian Government closed the site unless a licence is procured for research only.

[Libertas]

I understand that.  If I had family down there I would want it undisturbed too.  I would be OK with visits if of a view-only nature and nothing is disturbed...kind of the same standard one would have for visitors to a grave site in a cemetery, there is a commonly understood level of respectable behavior to abide by.