The Edmund Fitzgerald

[johnhens]

Some interesting info from the Marquette, MI NWS on the sinking of the Fitz.
https://www.weather.gov/mqt/fitz_fitz

[dcclark]

It looks like the gales of November have been coming early this year as well. NMU canceled classes today with up to a foot of snow predicted by the end of the day.

[johnhens]

In depth report on the weather when the fitz went down.
https://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltex ... 060016.pdf

[Midwest Ed]

The Edmund Fitzgerald sinking has always been personal for me. I was going to Michigan Tech that Autumn. I remember vividly everyone walking at a 45 degree angle into 75 MPH winds. I lived in a downtown Houghton apartment above what was at the time the Crown Bakery, overlooking the roof of the Library Bar. (Since we could party on the Library roof that location generated all sorts of different kinds of stories. ) I mention the apartment because the the people that lived on the top floor, directly above us, were almost killed that afternoon. The huge bakery chimney was toppled and tons of bricks crashed through the roof and their ceiling. You can still see the repaired damage in this photo I took last year. The original chimney extended substantially higher.

Houghton Apartment

[johnhens]

More on the Fitz including the possibility of waves considerably larger than 30'.
https://www.mlive.com/weather/2015/11/r ... Jh-xTVVJNw

[chief54]

I was stationed aboard the USCGC Woodrush which assisted in search for the Fitz. I reported aboard after the sinking but there was still a lot of the crew that was onboard at the time and had some great stories. I spent 8 years in the Coast Guard aboard various cutters on the east/west coasts along with Lake Superior and spent years in the Merchant Marine and have sailed in all the worlds oceans. I was only scared twice at sea. Once was in the North Atlantic in 60 foot seas with many larger in 70+knot winds and once on Lake Superior in 20 footers with 40+ knot winds and I have doubled Cape Horn in 60 foot seas but that was a piece of cake compared to the North Atlantic and Superior.

[johnhens]

I was stationed aboard the USCGC Woodrush which assisted in search for the Fitz. I reported aboard after the sinking but there was still a lot of the crew that was onboard at the time and had some great stories. I spent 8 years in the Coast Guard aboard various cutters on the east/west coasts along with Lake Superior and spent years in the Merchant Marine and have sailed in all the worlds oceans. I was only scared twice at sea. Once was in the North Atlantic in 60 foot seas with many larger in 70+knot winds and once on Lake Superior in 20 footers with 40+ knot winds and I have doubled Cape Horn in 60 foot seas but that was a piece of cake compared to the North Atlantic and Superior.

Thanks for your service. Quite a testament to the Superior conditions. I read a comparison between Great Lakes waves, which tend to be close together and steep vs ocean waves which are further apart and not as steep.