That would likely mean that it was at the forward end of the weather deck. $45.00. They therefore have the best genetics for surviving in this area. However, divers found no recent damage to the shoal after the wreck and the ship's exact course could only be estimated because the Fitzgerald radars were inoperable and the Anderson kept inexact course records during the journey. Will you stay by me till I get to Whitefish? McSorley was checking down his speed to allow the Anderson to close the distance for safety. Ten miles ahead, Captain McSorley learned from Captain Cedric Woodard, a U.S. pilot aboard the Swedish-flagged Avafors, that neither the light nor directional radio beacon at Whitefish Point were working. Conjecture by proponents of the Six Fathom Shoal theory concluded that Fitzgerald ' s downed fence rail reported by McSorley could occur only if the ship "hogged" during shoaling, . Cities by ZIP Code. Diving expeditions on the shoals also found no evidence of any recent groundings there by a ship. Clark called the Fitzgerald again at about 7:22 pm. Perhaps the most widely accepted of the several theories about the loss of the Fitzgerald is that the ship crossed Caribou Island's Six-Fathom Shoal, with water as shallow as 26 feet.. Soon after, McSorely on the Fitzgerald reported taking topside damage and a list. ZIP Code by City and State. The suits are also equipped with flashing lights and radio position beacons. The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald was released as a 7-inch 45 rpm A-side single in August 1976, taken from Lightfoots album Summertime Dream released that July. The Anderson was just approaching Michipicoten, about three miles off the West End Light. Hinze, W.J., Allen, D.J., Fox, A.J., Sunwood, D., Woelk, T. and Green, A.G., 1992. Already have an account? Our Specialties. An entire generation now has no active memory of November 10, 1975, but the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald continues to fascinate, mystify and preoccupy young and old. Captain Jessie B. This took them between Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula. "He and his officers watched the Fitzgerald pass right over the dangerous area of shallow water," Ley wrote. [3][8][9] Samples dredged from a shoal northwest of Caribou Island and close to one of these valleys resemble Jacobsville Sandstone. Only one other vessel, the William Clay Ford, was able to leave the safety of Whitefish Bay to join in the search at the time. He again voiced grave concern that the Fitzgerald was missing at 8:32 p.m. Search and rescue efforts started immediately after Coopers second call, but the nearest Coast Guard vessel that could sail in the huge seas was the Woodrush, stationed 300 miles away in Duluth, Minnesota. Looks like he was right on this one. The LCA thinks the Fitzgerald grounded on the poorly-marked Six Fathom Shoal northwest of Caribou Island, causing fatal damage to the hull. FAQs. In Canadian ships alone there are at least one hundred ships that haul iron ore to this day. It's still not completely agreed upon whether the Fitzgerald broke in half on the surface or underwater. What is known is that 29 men lost their lives in the cold waters of Lake Superior and that their families continue to mourn in private amid the celebrity of the shipwreck. The Fitzgerald suffered from structural problems, Ex-Fitzgerald crew member George Burgner claimed in a deposition that unrepaired cracks and weakened metal on the ship caused the loss, according to the "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" by Fred Stonehouse. The theories include structural failure, rouge waves and the possibility the ship bottomed out while passing over Six Fathom Shoal thereby causing the hull to fracture. However, the Westlake, Ohio-based Lake Carriers Association, representing U.S.-flag vessel operators on the Great Lakes, responded in a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board in September 1977 disagreeing with the Coast Guards suggestion that the lack of attention to properly closing the hatch covers by the crew was responsible for the disaster. One winter, in the 1920s, the caribou walked off the island when the lake froze over. The flooding of the cargo hold took place through ineffective hatch closures as boarding seas rolled along the spar deck.. With the ship pounding and rolling badly, the crew of the Anderson discovered the Fitzgeralds two lifeboats and other debris but no sign of survivors. The now unmanned lighthouse which is owned by the Canadian Coast Guard is located on a tiny adjacent island called Lighthouse Island a few hundred feet across and positioned 1 mile (1.6km) west of the southern tip of the island. Join us at Islands Restaurant in Fullerton on Malvern Avenue. In the Duluth News-Tribune, another former crew member, Jim Woodard, claims the Fitzgerald was a "wet" ship. This week, Minnesota tugboat captain Bob Hom, who sailed with McSorley before the man became captain of the Fitzgerald, claims McSorley once told him five years before the sinking he'd hate to be on the Fitzgerald in a big storm because 'They got it all worn out from years of overloading,'" Hom told the Duluth News-Tribune. According to Captain Cooper, about 6:55 pm, he and the men in the Andersons pilothouse felt a bump, felt the ship lurch, and then turned to see a monstrous wave engulfing their entire vessel from astern. George Stegner recalled last year how he was on duty that night: I was on duty this night. The Anderson was just approaching Michipicoten, about three miles off the West End Light. In 1977, the U.S Coast Guard pinned the sinking on massive flooding of the cargo hold caused by faulty or poorly fastened hatch covers. The light at Whitefish Point was out temporarily on the night the Fitz went down. However, the Lake Carriers Association vigorously disagreed with the Coast Guards suggestion that the lack of attention to properly closing the hatch covers by the crew was responsible for the disaster. No sailors in life vests were found. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram. Recovered, means retrieved from the depths. Sault Ste Marie, MI 49783 First mate Clark spoke to the Fitzgerald one last time, about 7:10 pm: Fitzgerald, this is the Anderson. As the wise man once said, you can't outlaw stupidity nor legislate morality. Photo Credit: Greenmars (Wikimedia Commons: Link) ZIP Code by Address. 906-635-1742 | 800-635-1742, GREAT LAKES SHIPWRECK MUSEUM By late autumn, writes Sproule (http://www.ontarioparks.com/parksblog/edmund-fitzgerald-40-years-later/), the Gales of November have usually set in on Superior, creating hazardous conditions for even large modern ships. Her owners wanted her to maximize revenue, but "The Lake it is said, never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy." Captains challenge high waves with he bow, not the stern. They issued a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board in September, 1977. In the more than 40 years since the ship went down, a cottage industry of shipwreck theorists have tried in vain to solve the sinking of the Fitzgerald, which rests in two pieces in 530 feet of water on the lake bottom 17 miles north of Whitefish Bay. Significantly, within a few minutes of passing the shoal, the Fitzs Captain Ernest McSorley reported a starboard list, missing vents and a fence rail down. The first official report on the wreck sparked a flood of second-guessing. The Fitzgerald is about 16 miles ahead. Captain Cooper reported winds from the NW x W (305 ) at a steady 58 knots with gusts to 70 knots, and seas of 18 to 25 feet. In fact, the Fitzgerald -- known as a workhorse ship that set numerous cargo hauling records -- was allowed by 1975 to sit a touch over 3 feet deeper in the water when laden with cargo than originally intended when the ship was launched in 1958. Water intrusion came less than 30 minutes later. Sawyer AFB in the UP of Michigan, crew member on a rescue helo. Many theorize the ship unknowingly struck the poorly marked 6 Fathom Shoal on the island's north side, but that has never been conclusively proven. By this time, snow and rising spray had obscured the Fitzgerald from sight, visible 17 miles ahead on radar. She would be travelling in tandem with the ore freighter Arthur M. Anderson under command of Captain Bernie Cooperto the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. As with all of the other theories, it may well be that we will never know the total story of this wreck - leaving each theory, for now, as good as any other. 109 W. Superior St. #200 Duluth, MN 55802 218-722-5002 edit@LakeSuperior.com. Captain Cooper observed the Fitzgerald passing very close to the dangerous Six Fathom Shoal near Caribou Island on the east side of the lake at around 1520 on November 10. Photo by user "Greenmars" on Wikimedia Commons. As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of 0. in 1980, Jacques Cousteau's famous Calypso arrived for the first manned dive inside an underwater vessel to the site. If the ship had "hogged" upon striking the shoal, it could have caused the topside damage reported by Fitzgerald captain Ernest McSorley in the hours before the sinking. Caribou (formerly Cariboo) is a census-designated place located in Plumas County, California, United States. Cooper later said he watched the Edmund Fitzgerald pass far too close to Six Fathom Shoal to the north of Caribou Island. The steel and iron plates still sat on the dock two years later. At 3:30 PM, Captain McSorely reported to Captain Cooper aboard theAndersonthat theFitzgeraldwas taking on water and had a reported list of 20 degrees towards starboard. Your comment will appear after being approved. Much of the information not commonly seen in other articles is courtesy of an interview with a tugboat captain on Lake Superior called "Tugboat Jim" who was close friends with a late crewmember of theArthur M. Andersoncrewmember Ronnie Roman, who was aboard theAndersonthe night Fitzgerald sank. Turning to Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking, the above article lets us in on several 'dots', which, when connected, tells why The Pride of the American Side met an avoidable, but preordained death. Marie in 1967. The laker, the pride of the American side, was still bigger than most, and had been the largest freighter to sail the Great Lakes when it was launched in 1958. [9][10], This article is about the island in eastern Lake Superior. By late afternoon, the Anderson's captain was noting wind gusts up to 70 knots and waves up to 8 metres. Both ships crews could feel the effects.Around 3:00 in the afternoon, both ships had passed Caribou Island, Ontario, home of the notorious Six Fathom Shoal, a sharpy rocky outcropping more than capable of tearing into the hull of a deep draft vessel in stormy weather. Had she sailed two days later, empty, for repairs (very good timing, actually) none of this would have happened. This island was considered an emergency landing airport (YCI) during World War II. Bernie Cooper. The CURV III unit took 43,000 feet of video tape and 900 photographs of the wreck. He reduced speed to allow the Anderson to close the 17-mile gap between them. Tom Farnquist is also notably the foremost expert on the wreck of the S.S. Edmunds Fitzgerald. The final voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald began Nov. 9, 1975 at the Burlington Northern Railroad Dock No.1 in Superior, Wisconsin, Sean Ley, a development officer at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point Light Station in Whitefish Point on the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan, wrote in a blog post for the museum titled The Fateful Journey (https://www.shipwreckmuseum.com/edmund-fitzgerald/the-fateful-journey/?fbclid=IwAR33M-6_G0X15ab73z4KkAIM3owr3GaVpRsHdaE5n_OIbSP3PzX7_FTMIGo). There is no conspiracy or disinformation campaign on that fact. Hull no. Some theories are nonsense relating to UFOs or a Great Lakes Bermuda Triangle in the area where the ship sank. He could clearly see the ship and the beacon on Caribou on his radar set and could measure the distance between them. Several of the lakes are maintained by beavers and all are several feet above Lake Superior. The debate rages to this day. Sad story. Images of the Fitz's 1958 construction and launch. and Johnson, T.C., 1982. Understandably the footage was edited out of respect for the dead and the families. Cooper radioed theFitzgerald at 7:10 PMuknown to him that it would be the final communication with McSorley. Then the Anderson just raised up and shook herself off of all that water barrooff just like a big dog. In that sense, the Fitzgerald met her fate on the path she took to avoid it. Add to Cart. The last radio communication between the Fitzgerald and the Anderson was at 7:10 pm. They believe that caribou is the most significant creature to hunt. The island was acquired completely by the Roys A. Ellis family in the 1960s and was transferred to the Mellon Conservancy Trust of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation in the early 1980s to never be developed. He could clearly see the ship and the beacon on Caribou on his radar set and could measure the distance between them. Cooper asked McSorley how they were doing. From everything we know and remembering that they were not required at the time, neither survival suits nor EPIRB would have helped the crew of the Fitzgerald because the ship sank so suddenly, Stonehouse points out. From the time of its first voyage on Sept. 24, 1958, the ship set six records by carrying heavier and heavier loads. This contact or a near miss would damage the hull and allow water to begin accumulating inside the affected ballast tanks. Bernie Cooper of the Anderson reported his concern for the Fitzgerald to the Coast Guard station in Sault Ste. Stationed at K.I. GLSHS three expeditions to the wreck revealed that it is likely she submarined bow first into an enormous sea, as damage forward is indicative of a powerful, quick force to the superstructure. Captain Cooper maintained that he watched the Edmund Fitzgerald pass far too close to Six Fathom Shoal to the north of Caribou Island. U.S. Coast Guard rescue vessel Woodrush took 21 hours to arrive on scene from the Duluth port. "They were killing the boat," he said. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Having been a consultant and active member of the original Jacques Cousteau expedition in 1980 along with the raising of the bell 1994 expedition. Kids & Family, Search Events The weather had cleared dramatically. Were going to try to contact those saltwater vessels and see if they cant possibly come about and possibly come back alsothings look pretty bad right now; it looks like she may have split apart at the seams like the Morrell did a few years back., Well, thats what I been thinking. Their only hope was the safety of White Fish Bay, where maybe they could be rescued off or near the ship. The popular misconception is that non of the crewmembers bodies were never discovered. While conditions were bad, with winds gusting to 50 knots and seas 12 to 16 feet, both Captains had often piloted their vessels in similar conditions. 4:10 PM - Nov. 10th, 1975 - Eastern Lake Superior, southeast of Caribou Island. Captain Cooper contacted the other ships in the area by radio asking if anyone had seen or heard from the Fitzgerald. Let's not forget about the structural failure of the Carl D. Bradley on Lake Michigan in 1958. In 2003, the herd was estimated to have 490,000 individuals, 6 and in 2016, the herd count decreased to 201,000. Conditions only grew worse; at 3:15 p.m., the Captain of the Anderson watched the Fitzgerald round Caribou Island, where it seemed to skirt close to Six Fathom Shoal. Because the ship had no depth sounding technology, the crew had no way of knowing that incoming water was pushing the ship lower in the water until the flooding exceeded the height of the iron ore in the holds. The LCA stated that the patented steel hatch covers had been in continuous use for more than 30 years and had proven to be effective hatch closures in all weather conditions throughout that period. Almost none of the bodies including that of Captain McSorley were ever found. The studio was, yes, indeed, later torn down and replaced by a parking lot. "She took on water all the time and her tunnels flooded out on her," Woodward said. I've thought for a long long time the keel problem contributed to a major structural failure through years of metal fatigue. They . So the target would be 9 miles on ahead of you., Well, answered Captain McSorley, Am I going to clear?, Yes, he is going to pass to the west of you.. Still remember it after all this time.. It is rumored that the light house keepers poached caribou and beaver. Captain Ernest M. McSorley had loaded her with 26,116 long tons of taconite pellets, made of processed iron ore, heated and rolled into marble-size balls. Between 1959 and 1975, the life of theEdmund Fitzgeraldwas routineand mostly uneventful, clocking nearly 750 succesful round trips, though was occasionally greeted by positive and negative events. The owners knew of the EF's structural problem, and had the steel already cut to effect yet another repair. A more serious issue was determined by poor construction and design. He is particularly intrigued by the command that Woodard overheard. (Edmund Fitzgeraldin her early years as a coal firedsteel hulled steamship. What's obvious is that wind and waves played a big role in the sinking. Its usual route was from Superior, Wisconsin, to Toledo, Ohio, although the destination varied. Todays captain, however, has much more accurate and immediate information than did those sailing in 1975, when the Fitzgerald was virtually blind and wallowing in huge seas and heavy winds on its way from Caribou Island to its final resting place. Of course, the Lake Carriers Association (LCA) blamed grounding on the not-well-marked Six Fathom Shoal northwest of Caribou Island. Caribou Island was considered for an emergency landing airport (YCI) during World War II but it was never built because of the proximity of the twin cities of Sault Ste. Was a bad night. Could these have contributed to the sudden disappearance of the ship? On May 20, 1976, the words Edmund Fitzgerald were clearly seen on the stern, upside down, 535 feet below the surface of the lake. Captain Woodard, who was acquainted with McSorley and had talked with him many times previously, said in testimony that he didnt recognize the voice when first they spoke and that McSorley sounded strange.