The Edmund Fitzgerald

[johnhens]

36 years ago today, the Edmund Fitzgerald went down in a nor'easter on Lake Superior. All 29 crew members perished in the storm.
The Fitz came to rest 17 miles NNW from Whitefish Pt in Eastern Lake Superior.
The Bell from the Fitz sits in the Greatlakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Pt. http://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/
More info:
http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/wxwise/fitz.html
There is quite a bit of memorablilia at The Anchor bar in Superior, WI too.

[Midwest Ed]

You bring back chilling memories for me. I lived in Houghton then. The continuous winds were so strong that day I remember walking at a near 45 degree angle into the wind. I lived above the bakery on Sheldon Ave across the street from the Dog House. The bakery's huge smoke stack came crashing through the roof like a literal "ton of bricks" and onto the floor of the apartment directly above mine. No one was injured but it was scary times. Later after hearing of the Fitzgerald we were all in shock but it wasn't hard to believe.

~Ed

[Ingo]

Have wanted to visit the shipwreck museum for some time now, but haven't made it yet.

[johnhens]

Have wanted to visit the shipwreck museum for some time now, but haven't made it yet.

We went a few years ago, I wanted to see the bell. Good exhibit on the Fitz.

[Midwest Ed]

Many years ago (maybe more than 20 or so) I was in Superior/Duluth and toured a maritime museum there that was located in a retired "Laker". On deck they had two mangled aluminum life boats from the "Fitz". Are they still located there or were they consolidated at the latest museum?

[egraetze]

Are you sure you aren't thinking about the Valley Camp in Sault Ste. Marie? They had one of the lifeboats. That was a very interesting museum to visit, and I thought more worthwhile than the one at Whitefish Point.

[Midwest Ed]

Are you sure you aren't thinking about the Valley Camp in Sault Ste. Marie? They had one of the lifeboats. That was a very interesting museum to visit, and I thought more worthwhile than the one at Whitefish Point.

That was it. Thanks for helping reconnect the proper neurons and get my synapses firing again after my senior moment.

Standing next to those mangled and crumpled aluminum life boats made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. That part I DO remember.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steamship_Valley_Camp

[johnhens]

http://attic.areavoices.com/2014/11/09/ ... itzgerald/

[hooky]

The video set to Gordon Lightfoot's song in John's link is pretty powerful. Hard to watch that and not feel for those families today.

[johnhens]

Interview with a Captain who went out to look for the Fitz.
http://www.glmi.org/webcast/archive/fit ... bcasta.htm

[johnhens]

One of the most comprehensive articles about the Fitz and what happened.

http://www.lakesuperior.com/the-lake/ma ... 25feature/

[johnhens]

40 years ago today, 11/10/75, I was a junior in high school. The next morning I heard about the Fitz being missing. I followed closely the search for her and the followup of the cause of her going down. To this day, I am still a Fitz follower. I hope with science and technology that the cause of her going down will be determined. I am going to an event at the Maitime Museum in South Haven, MI this evening to listen to a talk about the Fitz. I had hoped to go to the ceremony at Whitefish Point, did not work out. I think of the 29 who went missing and their families. I hope they have found Peace on this day.

[tree rattt]

Pretty interesting stuff! I hadn't put 2 and 2 together, I was wondering why the local radio station kept playing such a great song

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

[johnhens]

I went to the presentation last night (10/11/15) in South Haven, MI on the Fitz. While I did not learn anything new about the sinking of the Fitz, there was a gentleman there who worked on the Fitz in the early 60's who was interesting to talk to. There was also a man who as a child, was present for the launching of the Fitz. His grandfather was a welder in the yard where the Fitz was built. I found out that Gordon Lightfoot, when performing The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald live, has changed the lyrics to reflect the Fitz was on its way to Detroit not Cleveland and that the Fitz did not sink as a result of the hatches failing. I would like to go to Split Rock Lighthouse some year and Whitefish Point for their ceremonies. I did not know that the light at Split Rock is turned on once a year, 11/10, for the Fitz.
The location of the Caribou Shoal was marked incorrectly on the chart at the time.