Wreck of S/S Edmund Fitzgerald

USA / Michigan / Newberry /
 place with historical importance, shipwreck
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald, nicknamed "Mighty Fitz," "The Fitz," or "The Big Fitz," was an American lake freighter, launched on June 8, 1958. Until the 1970s, she was the largest freighter on the Great Lakes.

Out of Superior and bound for Detroit carrying a full load of taconite pellets, the Fitzgerald departed on the 9th of November at 715pm local time, charting a Northerly course to keep the ship in the lee of the Canadian shoreline in advance of a forecast storm. With the storm in full force the following day, the Fitzgerald and the S/S Arthur M. Anderson labored through mounting seas and increasing winds as they passed Michipicoten Island shortly after 1am on November 10th. By this time, the forecast storm had grown tremendously and moved over the two ships, bringing Southeasterly winds which built tremendous seas over a fetch of the lake which spread from Black Bay towards Whitefish Point. Now steaming South-southeast towards Whitefish Bay, both the Fitzgerald and Anderson were lashed by winds in excess of exceeding 45 knots and quartering seas which were topping 23-25 feet in height.

The first signs of trouble aboard the Fitzgerald came at 330pm local time when Capt. Ernest McSorley reported that the heavy seas had knocked down a fence rail, several topside vents had been ripped off and that his vessel had developed a list. At 410hrs McSorley reported that his radars were out, and advised that he was slowing down to allow the Anderson to close the distance between the two ships. The two ships continued towards Whitefish Bay through mounting seas and winds, with gusts being clocked as high as 75 knots and rouge waves topping 35 feet being logged shortly after sundown around 6pm. Roughly an hour later and in a position roughly 17 miles outside of the safety of Whitefish Bay, McSorely reported that he had "a bad list", was "taking heavy seas over the deck" and that all of the ships dewatering pumps were running at capacity, but in a radio call at 710pm stated "We are holding our own.".

Roughly ten minutes after her last transmission the Edmund Fitzgerald disappeared from the radar screens of the Arthur M. Anderson, and all subsequent efforts to locate the vessel or raise her by radio failed. Attempting to alert the US Coast Guard at 739pm but unable to do so due to shoreside radio system damage, Captain Jesse B. "Bernie" Cooper aboard the Anderson contacted the nearby vessel S/S Nanfri and requested they keep an eye out for the Fitzgerald as well, Cooper finally managed to reach the US Coast Guard at 754pm to alert them of the situation, but it was not until the Anderson made it into the safe waters of Whitefish Bay at 903pm and did not sight the Fitzgerald that the ship was officially reported as missing.

Despite the efforts of the crew aboard the Anderson and the S/S William Clay Ford who went back out into the storm to search for survivors, neither they nor any subsequent search carried out by the US Coast Guard were able to locate survivors from the ship. With confirmation of the wrecks location coming on November 14th, the reality that the S/S Edmund Fitzgerald had been lost with all 29 hands became final.

The wreck today lies in two pieces on the floor of Lake Superior in 530 feet (162 m) of water at 46°59.9′N, 85°06.6′W, in Canadian territorial waters approximately 17 miles from the entrance to Whitefish Bay. The incident is the most famous disaster in the history of Great Lakes shipping, and is the subject of Gordon Lightfoot's hit song, "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald."

Crew List:
1.) Armagost, Michael E. - Third Mate, 37 (Iron River, Wisconsin)
2.) Beetcher, Fred J. - Porter, 56 (Superior, Wisconsin)
3.) Bentsen, Thomas D. - Oiler, 23 (St. Joseph, Michigan)
4.) Bindon, Edward F. - First Assistant Engineer, 47 (Fairport Harbor, Ohio)
5.) Borgeson, Thomas D. - Maintenance Man, 41 (Duluth, Minnesota)
6.) Champeau, Oliver J. - Third Assistant Engineer, 41 (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
7.) Church, Nolan S. - Porter, 55 (Silver Bay, Minnesota)
8.) Cundy, Ransom E. - Watchman, 53 (Superior, Wisconsin)
9.) Edwards, Thomas E. - Second Assistant Engineer, 50 (Oregon, Ohio)
10.) Haskell, Russell G. - Second Assistant Engineer, 40 (Millbury, Ohio)
11.) Holl, George J. - Chief Engineer, 60 (Cabot, Pennsylvania)
12.) Hudson, Bruce L. - Deck Hand, 22 (North Olmsted, Ohio)
13.) Kalmon, Allen G. - Second Cook, 43 (Washburn, Wisconsin)
14.) MacLellan, Gordon F. - Wiper, 30 (Clearwater, Florida)
15.) Mazes, Joseph W. - Special Maintenance Man, 59 (Ashland, Wisconsin)
16.) McCarthy, John H. - First Mate, 62 (Bay Village, Ohio)
17.) McSorley, Ernest M. - Captain, 63 (Toledo, Ohio)
18.) O'Brien, Eugene W. - Wheelsman, 50 (Toledo, Ohio)
19.) Peckol, Karl A. - Watchman, 20 (Ashtabula, Ohio)
20.) Poviach, John J. - Wheelsman, 59 (Bradenton, Florida)
21.) Pratt, James A. - Second Mate, 44 (Lakewood, Ohio)
22.) Rafferty, Robert C. - Steward, 62 (Toledo, Ohio)
23.) Rippa, Paul M. - Deck Hand, 22 (Ashtabula, Ohio)
24.) Simmons, John D. - Wheelsman, 63 (Ashland, Wisconsin)
25.) Spengler, William J. - Watchman, 59 (Toledo, Ohio)
26.) Thomas, Mark A. - Deck Hand, 21 (Richmond Heights, Ohio)
27.) Walton, Ralph G. - Oiler, 58 (Fremont, Ohio)
28.) Weiss, David E. - Cadet, 22 (Agoura, California)
29.) Wilhelm, Blaine H. - Oiler, 52 (Moquah, Wisconsin)

The Maritime Sailors Cathedral in Detroit:
wikimapia.org/#lat=42.3292114&lon=-83.0420414&z=20&l=0...

The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Historic Whitefish Point:
wikimapia.org/#lat=46.7703212&lon=-84.9583912&z=14&l=0...

Books on the subject:
www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b?url=search-alias%3Dstripbo...

"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot


www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vST6hVRj2A
Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Edmund_Fitzgerald
Nearby cities:
Coordinates:   46°59'54"N   85°6'38"W

Comments

  • I was going to add the same location, but you beat me too it! May the sailors of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald rest in peace.
  • From what I understand, the ship is laying on the bottom in two pieces.
  • May the sailors of the Fitzgerald R.I.P.
This article was last modified 4 years ago