The Edmund Fitzgerald disaster (50 year anniversary)

[Jolly Blue Giant]

I am fascinated with the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship to ever sail the Great Lakes and the worst maritime disaster of an American ship since the sinking of the Titanic. The ship sank in 1975, and was immortalized by Gordon Lightfoot in the song by the same name. It also happens to be one of the few songs I can play on my guitar and sing along with it. Maybe that's where my fascination comes from, I don't know

I'm somewhat confused about a few things because of it. First off, the Edmund Fitzgerald ported at Milwaukee, and in fact, the city name was emblazoned across its stern. As the story goes, it was headed with a 26,000-ton load of iron ore and headed to Cleveland. If you look at a map, there's little reason for the ship to be anywhere near Lake Superior where it sunk. And since it sunk in Canadian waters, it only makes sense that it left Minnesota, not Wisconsin 



Secondly, I am also confused by a poem my dad used to quote in cadence (he was a huge Longfellow fan and could quote much of his works). When he started quoting "The Song of Hiawatha", it starts with, "From the shores of Gichee Gumee...", in which my father would always stop and say, "you know what Gichee Gumee is Richard?", and I'd reply, "Lake Superior" because he only asked me that dozens of times throughout my life (I really miss my Dad). So in Lightfoot's song, it starts with, "The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down - Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee". Okay, there's two times I've heard the Native American term, "Gitche Gumee". As someone I admire as much as Longfellow, I wonder how Hiawatha could stand along the shores of Gitche Gumee when Hiawatha lived in the area now known as Syracuse, NY (nowhere near Lake Superior) as he was chief of the Onondagas and the founder of the Iroquois Confederacy, and had nothing to do with the Chippewa people that lived along the shores of Lake Superior. But I digress

Families of the sailors who died (the entire crew died) wanted their loved one's bodies to be recovered for a proper burial. But the ship when down just a short distance to the other side of the US/Canadian border, and it's the law of Canada that anyone who dies in the lake cannot be recovered and must be their permanent grave

Regardless, it's a rather fascinating story, but a little on the gloomy side. Gordon Lightfoot (may he RIP) called it his greatest song, to which I agree. He had a great baritone voice and a great musician

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Captain Darrell Walton, whose uncle Grant Walton went down on the Edmund Fitzgerald in a Lake Superior storm, reveals why the ship was destined for disaster long before it sank. A couple of highlights from his research: The hatches were not battened, nor could they be, allowing water from the 25' waves to enter the internal bays. Also, the structure of the ship broke upon its launch because the ship was too large and heavy to launch where it did, smashing into the bedrock below since the water was too shallow. The damage was never corrected. On a side note, it took three hits with the champagne bottle to break when it was christened...and old sailor tales claim that is a sign the ship is doomed

[GIANTS1]

Jolly Blue the Fitz was coming from an ore dock in Superior Wisconsin located in the very northwest corner of Wisconsin right next to Duluth Minnesota.  The home port was Milwaukee as it was owned by the Northwestern Life Insurance company headquartered in Milwaukee.

[Jolly Blue Giant]

Jolly Blue the Fitz was coming from an ore dock in Superior Wisconsin located in the very northwest corner of Wisconsin right next to Duluth Minnesota.  The home port was Milwaukee as it was owned by the Northwestern Life Insurance company headquartered in Milwaukee.

Thanks for pointing that out. I went back to my pal "Google" to see the path the ship took and "bingo", launched right over by Duluth. Now my question is, "why did they stay so close to the Canadian side of the lake instead of a shorter route closer to the U.S. side?" The water is deep enough for a much shorter route, and deep water is less rough than shallow water; hence, the reason Lake Erie can be so treacherous when the wind comes up. Erie is a very shallow lake compared to the four other Great Lakes. Imagine an inch of water in a bath tub with a fan on one end, then imagine the same with the bath tub filled. Large, shallow lakes are dangerous...at least for smaller vessels. It's why Oneida Lake (avg depth only 20 ft) near where I live is dangerous and a slight wind coming out of nowhere is a signal to get off the lake. Anyway, just thinking out loud

[Jolly Blue Giant]

As a sidenote, you might want to remember this little tidbit if you are ever on a trivia team, the state of Michigan is bordered by every Great Lake but Lake Ontario, including Lake St. Clair, which some believe should be included with the Great Lakes as it was formed at the same time by the same historical event...I did not know that before starting this thread 

[GIANTS1]

hello Jolly Blue. I cant answer why the Fitz took the route it did so close to Canada. The storm possibly. I  looked up normal shipping lanes an when they pass the far northern tip of Michigans upper peninsula they are very close to shore. My parents lived there an ive been up there my whole life. when they are heading west they are empty an run really close to shore. they are a little farther out when loaded but very easy to see with naked eye. the map i saw they proceed more directly to the soo locks than the route it took that nite. sorry not savvy enough to post that map.