A few posts ago I showed a photo of Old Woman's Bay on Lake Superior which is one of the 5, and most notorious of the Great Lakes. It is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area and is the world's third largest freshwater lake by volume. Lake Superior has a surface area of 31,820 square miles (82,413 km2), which is approximately the size of South Carolina, USA. There is enough water in Lake Superior to cover the entire landmass of North and South America with 1 foot (30 cm) of water.
Annual storms on Lake Superior regularly record wave heights of over 20 feet (6 m). Waves well over 30 feet (9 m) have been recorded. I alway think of the Edmund Fitzgerald when I think of Superior due to the song about the disaster, the subject of Gordon Lightfoots 1976 hit song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".
SS Edmund Fitzgerald (nicknamed "Mighty Fitz," "The Fitz," or "The Big Fitz") was an American Great Lakes freighter launched on June 8, 1958. At the time of her launching, she was one of the first boats to be at or near maximum St. Lawrence Seaway size which was 730 feet (220 m) long and 75 feet (23 m) wide. From her launching in 1958 until 1971 the Fitzgerald continued to be one of the largest boats on the Great Lakes.
On November 10, 1975, while traveling on Lake Superior during a gale , the
Fitzgerald sank suddenly in Canadian waters approximately 17 miles (15 nmi; 27 km) from the entrance of Whitefish Bay at a depth of 530 feet (160 m) The sinking of the
Edmund Fitzgerald is the most famous disaster in the history of Great Lakes shipping.
Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconson on the afternoon of Sunday, November 9, 1975 under the command of Captain Ernest . McSorely. She was
en route to the steel mill on Zug Island, near Detroit, Michigan, with a full cargo of taconite A second freighter, Arthur M. Anderson , destined for Gary Indiana out ofTwo Harbours, Minnesota, joined up with
Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald, being the faster ship, took the lead while
Anderson trailed not far behindCrossing Lake Superior at about 13 knots (24 km/h; 15 mph), the boats encountered a massive winter storm, reporting winds in excess of 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph) and waves as high as 35 feet (11 m). Because of the storm, the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie were closed. The freighters altered their courses northward, seeking shelter along the Canadian coast. Later, they would cross to Whitefish Bay to approach the locks.
Late in the afternoon of Monday, November 10, sustained winds of 50 knots were observed across eastern Lake Superior.
Anderson was struck by a 75-knot (139 km/h; 86 mph) hurricane-force gust. At 3:30 pm
Fitzgerald radioed
Anderson to report a minor list developing and top-side damage including the loss of radar. Visibility was poor due to heavy snow, and the Coast Guard warned all ships to find safe harbor. Two of the
Fitzgerald's six bilge pumps were running continuously to discharge shipped water. The lighthouse and navigational radio beacon at Whitefish Point had also been knocked out by the storm.
Fitzgerald was ahead of
Anderson at the time, effectively blind; therefore, she slowed to come within 10 miles (16 km) range so she could receive radar guidance from the other ship The Anderson was soon after notified by the Coast Guard that the Soo Locks were closed due to the storm and all ships were advised to find safe anchorage.
For a time
Anderson directed the
Fitzgerald toward the relative safety of Whitefish Bay. At 5:45 pm, Captain McSorley radioed another ship,
Avafors, to report that
Fitzgerald was suffering a bad list, had lost her radars, and had seas washing over her decks. McSorley described the situation as, "One of the worst seas I've ever been inThe last communication from the doomed ship came at approximately 7:10 pm, when
Anderson notified
Fitzgerald of an upbound ship and asked how she was doing. McSorley reported, "We are holding our own." A few minutes later, she apparently sank; no distress signal was received. Ten minutes later
Anderson could neither raise
Fitzgerald by radio, nor detect her on radar . At 8:32 pm,
Anderson was finally able to convince the U. S. Coast Guard that the Fitzgerald had gone missing. Up until that time, the Coast Guard was looking for a 16 foot outboard lost in the area. The United States Coast Guard finally took Captain of the
Anderson, Jesse "Bernie" Cooper, seriously shortly after 8:30 PM. The Coast Guard then asked the
Anderson to turn around and look for survivors.
Once
Anderson noted the loss of
Fitzgerald, a search was launched for survivors. The initial search consisted of the
Arthur M. Anderson, and a second freighter, SS William Clay Ford . The efforts of a third freighter, the Canadian vessel Hilda Marjanne , were foiled by the weather. The U.S. Coast Guard launched three aircraft, but could not mobilize any ship. Her crew of 29 perished in the sinking with no bodies being recovered. When the wreck was found, it was discovered that the Fitzgerald had broken in two.
