The SS Edmund Fitzgerald in the St. Mary's River during May 1975.
It was 35 years ago today that the SS Edmond Fitzgerald was shipwrecked in Lake Superior back on November 10th 1975. I was a young man when this Gordon Lightfoot song came out. It is a haunting song about the wreck of the SS Edmond Fitzgerald. Here is what another website describes what happened on that fateful day on Lake Superior:
On November 10, 1975 the Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconsin carrying 26,000 tons of iron ore pellets, boundfor Detroit. Though the day was bright, in her path lay a terrible storm with 60 MPH winds and waves in excess of 15 feet. As the storm built, her experienced Captain Ernest McSorley bore north across Lake Superior, seeking the relative shelter of the Canadian shore and Whitefish Bay.
Luck was not with the ship or the crew. The radar system and its backup failed. The storm took out the power to Whitefish Point's light and radio beacon. Though the light was brought back on line, the radio beacon was not. TheArthur M. Anderson, another ship within 10 miles of the Fitzgerald, received reports that the ship was listing to the starboard and of other structural damages to the vessel. At 7:10 PM, Captain McSorley delivered what was to be his final message: "We're holding our own." The Arthur M. Anderson lost the Fitzgerald's image on its radar screensat 7:25 PM. The ship and crew of 29 men, sank to the bottom of Lake Superior.
Image via Wikipedia
1 comment:
It's great song!
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