The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Whitefish Point, Michigan
“…Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours…”
It’s a 6 1/2 minute song by Gordon Lightfoot but it tells the story, with only a little artistic license, of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald.
The ship was built in 1958 and at the time was the largest ship on the Great Lakes, at a length of 729 ft. She faithfully carried her load of iron ore from the mines of Wisconsin and Minnesota to the industrial towns of Detroit and Toledo.
She left Superior, Wisconsin bound for Detroit on November 9, 1975 in calm weather, but that changed quickly. A storm that had been forecast to pass south of Lake Superior began tracking north, and by the early morning of November 10th, a major storm had centered over Lake Superior with increasing wind and waves. By evening the winds had increased to 80 m.p.h. and 25 ft. seas. The Edmund Fitzgerald, having topside damage and taking on water, went down about 7:15 p.m. with her crew of 29 and never a distress call. Efforts to investigate the wreckage have only seemed to lead to more questions than answers.
Artist’s rendition of the wreck of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, 17 miles north of Whitefish Point, Michigan in Canadian waters at a depth of 530 ft.
The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point, Michigan, has become ground zero for the investigation and preservation of artifacts from the Edmund Fitzgerald. They have been involved in research and ultimately helped fund the raising of the ship’s bell, and they have a beautiful display that tells the story.
It’s obvious that the storm brought the ship down, but why and how?
The official report from the Coast Gaurd says that the crew failed to secure the cargo hatches leaving port. When the storm struck, the loose hatches caused the ship to take on water from the waves, and ultimately caused her to lose buoyancy. That report is heavily disputed.
The NTSB says that water entered the cargo hold through non-watertight hatches, heavy seas caused topside damage, and subsequently flooded the cargo area which ultimately sank the ship in heavy seas.
Other theories are:
The Fitzgerald took a route that came dangerously close to Six Fathom Shoal, and in the waves some theorize that it scraped bottom and compromised the hull, which began filling with water and eventually broke in half because of the high seas. The captain of the Fitzgerald reported that the pumps were running and it was taking on water faster than it could pump it out.
The Arthur Anderson, traveling about 10 miles behind the Fitzgerald, reported at least two “rogue” waves, some estimate at 35 feet, that would have completely swamped the Fitzgerald at about the same time they lost contact with her. With the ship already taking on water, the bow would have plowed into the wave, irrecoverably, and it nosedived to the bottom. This terminology was used by the captain of the Anderson when communicating its concern for the Fitzgerald to the Coast Guard.
In the end, the story of what actually happened went down with the crew. In order to memorialize the crew, the ship’s bell was retrieved in 1995. A replica was placed back on the deck of the Edmund Fitzgerald with the names of the 29 crew who were lost. This was a significant moment for the families of the crew, who were never able to have any closure to this event since none of the crewmembers were ever recovered.
The actual bell from the Edmund Fitzgerald, a very solemn memorial to the 29 lives lost on November 10, 1975.
The shipwreck lies on the Canadian side of the border through Lake Superior and has been surveyed extensively, however the site is now protected by the Ontario Heritage Act which prohibits diving, surveys, scanning and visits to the site. Their intention is to preserve it as a watery grave.
Resources:
SS Edmund Fitzgerald - Wikipedia
Great video tribute with news and radio footage from the event. (6:38)
Discovery Channel video from 1995 (48:31)
The Fateful Journey, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Lost radio chatter from 1975, Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
Comprehensive collection of video and interviews about the Edmund Fitzgerald
NTSB report May 4, 1978
US Coast Gaurd Report July 26, 1977