The ship would bend and flex in sometimes un-natural means and the keel would at times be lifted over two inches above the bottom ofFitzgerald'shull during a violent storm. He and his officers watched the Fitzgerald pass right over the dangerous area of shallow water. I watched those two waves head down the lake towards the Fitzgerald, and I think those were the two that sent her under.. Weather conditions continued to deteriorate. By this point, McSorley knew his ship was in serious trouble and opted to head full steam towards the natural protection of Whitefish Bay to ride out the storm and protect his ship and crew from further damage.By 6:00 PM, the storm had worsened and its likely theFitzgeraldwas riding even lower in the water, due to much larger 35 foot high waves, heavier damage caused by the waves and an even larger amount of water in her hull the pumps seemed unable to cope with. Another wave just like the first one or bigger hit us again. They believe that caribou is the most significant creature to hunt. It was not long after thatFitzgeraldvanished from theAnderson'sradar. George Stegner recalled last year how he was on duty that night: I was on duty this night. The Fitz hull took a fatal blow on a shoal. Never could have found any survivors in that storm but we sure tried hour after hour. The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead Grew up learning about this. But we were talking to him about seven and he said that everything was going fine. Caribou Island is an uninhabited island in the eastern end of Lake Superior, 40 kilometres (25mi) south of Michipicoten Island. Kids & Family, Search Events Part of that fascination, despite the longspan since the foundering of the big ore freighter, results from Gordon Lightfoots monster best-selling recording about the wreck and part likely springs from the inconclusive nature of any facts surrounding the sinking. 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." 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. The misinformation that has been spread by the media then and now is a great example of how clueless the general public is going to continue to be unless they stand up for a full disclosure of information and laws that regulate punish and fine the profiteers of misinformation. "We always had to go down and pump them out.". At some point it all becomes moot, except for the 29 families who remain, and do without bread from their missing bread-winners. Already have an account? ZIP Code by City and State. 888-492-3747, Copyright 2023 | All Rights Reserved | Produced by Pro Web Marketing. The Edmund Fitzgerald was the longest boat on the Great Lakes. 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. Conflicting theories about the cause of the tragedy remain active today. A shallow reef 2.5 miles (4.0km) to the southwest of Caribou Island Lighthouse lies only 11 feet (3.4m) below the lake's surface. 7 Caribou populations naturally fluctuate on 40-70 . 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. Cooper later said he watched the Edmund Fitzgerald pass far too close to Six Fathom Shoal to the north of Caribou Island. Other information comes from an interview witn Captain Bernie Cooper shortly before his death in 1993. Aware of a building November storm entering the Great Lakes from the great plains, Captain McSorley and Captain Cooper agreed to take the northerly course across Lake Superior, where they would be protected by highlands on the Canadian shore. LAKE SUPERIOR -- Nobody really knows what caused the Edmund Fitzgerald to sink, but that sure hasnt stopped people from trying to solve the mystery. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. This theory was supported by a 1976 Canadian hydrographic survey, which disclosed that an unknown shoal ran a mile further east of Six Fathom Shoal than shown on the Canadian charts. Cooper asked "How are you doing?" Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee In 2009, retired naval architect Raymond Ramsey, who helped design the Fitzgerald hull wrote that the maintenance history, increased cargo loading allowances and construction of the Fitzgerald made her unseaworthy the night she went down. Even before her demise, the Fitzgeraldwas a well known icon of the Great Lakes to those that lived along it.). This is 35 feet above the waterline.. The grisliest discovery was of a giant oil slick floating atop the lake's surface. Still remember it after all this time.. I've thought for a long long time the keel problem contributed to a major structural failure through years of metal fatigue. Departing Superior about 2:30 pm, she was soon joined by the Arthur M. Anderson, which had departed Two Harbors, Minnesota under Captain Bernie Cooper. Some theories are nonsense relating to UFOs or a Great Lakes Bermuda Triangle in the area where the ship sank. These tunnel valleys were excavated by subglacial meltwater at the base of the Laurentide Ice Sheet along pre-existing fractures and joints that exist within the bedrock floor of Lake Superior. [9][10], This article is about the island in eastern Lake Superior. Affirmative. [2], According to the available information, Caribou Island consists of a mixture of glacial sediments and Precambrian sandstone. They have persisted where all others have perished. After enough persuasion, Cooper agreed to take theAndersonback out to sea followed by the LakerWilliam Clay Ford. The Coast Guard cited reports of damage to the Fitzgerald's hatches that were planned for winter repair. As the wise man once said, you can't outlaw stupidity nor legislate morality. Only one man has undertaken a scuba dive, using special air mixtures in his tanks. 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. But an hour later, when Anderson First Mate Morgan Clark asked how he was making out with his problems, McSorley assured him, We are holding our own.. By stretching more than 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the island Caribou north point, a dangerous reef is presently known as "Six Fathom Shoal." Another sonar survey was conducted November 22-25. Also, a larger, more powerful tug, the Katmai Bay, is now stationed at Sault Ste. Officers from the Anderson observed that the Fitzgerald sailed through this exact area. Instead, the LCA theorized that the lost freighter had stumbled over the Six-Fathom Shoal at the north end of Caribou Island, sustaining damage that would prove to be fatal to the ship. While EPIRB would not have aided the crew of the Fitzgerald, it would have identified the sunken ship and given searchers a location to start their effort to find survivors. Diving expeditions on the shoals also found no evidence of any recent groundings there by a ship. Within a few years, Loran was rendered obsolete by the pinpoint accuracy of the Global Positioning System (GPS), which uses satellites to answer virtually any navigational question an officer might have. Conditions reported by the late crewmember Ronald Roman, who was aboard theAndersonthat night. Although she had a good safety record, theFitzgerald'shull was, according to the anecdotes of mariners who set foot aboard her and sailed on her, a vessel with a loose keel. 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. 2. Theory 2: Six-Fathom Shoal 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, which nestles off the north end of the island with water as shallow as 26 feet. WHITEFISH POINT 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. Either of these explanations fails to address the fact that the ship had a list, which would not be likely if water were invading the large central cargo hold, but would be if water were leaking into ballast tanks or a tunnel along the side of the hold. Having been a consultant and active member of the original Jacques Cousteau expedition in 1980 along with the raising of the bell 1994 expedition. The studio was, yes, indeed, later torn down and replaced by a parking lot. Ahif you want me to, I can, but Im not going to be making any time; Ill be lucky to make two or three miles an hour going back out that way., Well, youll have to make a decision as to whether you will be hazarding your vessel or not, but youre probably one of the only vessels right now that can get to the scene. Not the same yard, but what if it was rebuilt, same cargo, same shape, same functionality, but a new keel? By late afternoon, the Anderson's captain was noting wind gusts up to 70 knots and waves up to 8 metres. So, what happened? Fullerton Islands Restaurant Fullerton. Forty-four years ago today on Nov. 10, 1975, 18 kilometres off Coppermine Point, and 60 kilometres north of Sault Ste Marie, Ont., the 222-metre iron ore carrier Edmund Fitzgerald, with a crew of 29 aboard, sank. The flooding of the cargo hold took place through ineffective hatch closures as boarding seas rolled along the spar deck.. The ships were nearing Whitefish Bay. The protective visor over the wheelhouse windows has been completely flattened down and there is a lot of similar damage throughout the superstructure of the bow, indicating theEdmund Fitzgeraldmet a very violent and catastrophic end. Instead they consist of bedrock ridges and interfluves that lie between northerly trending bedrock valleys, which are known as tunnel valleys. Captain Cooper tries again. Caribou definition, any of several large, North American deer of the genus Rangifer, related to the reindeer of the Old World. Marie at 7:39 p.m., continued to try to raise radio contact with the big ship. From what I know, the Fitzgerald sank 45 years ago as of posting this comment, soon to be 46. It's a national disgrace. I have read recently that the shoal near the island doesn't exist but it was from a guy who favors the loose hold cover theory. The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board both issued official investigation reports that many dismiss in favor of a theory favored by the Lake Carriers Association. Film, Art & Exhibitions 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 26,116 long tons more than the great iron boat weighed empty. Marie, Michigan, during ferocious northwest winds and seas that washed as high as eight to 12 feet over the ships main deck. ADMINISTRATIVE: * The ship had run aground on a reef during the worst of the storm (likely the reef in question was Six Fathom Shoal near Caribou Island). 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. "It was designed to haul a certain amount and they kept getting the Coast Guard to increase the load line." )As if the aforementioned problems weren't enough, Northwestern Mutual had theFtizgeraldpartially rebuilt in her later years to handle thousands of extra tons of iron ore, which substantially raised the waterline, increasing the maximum draft of the ship, maximum weight of the ship and height of the deck above water. The debate rages to this day. 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); A Great Lakes Information Network partner, 2020 Lake Superior Publishing LLC. US WEATHER BUREAU BUILDING The main deck behind the superstructure, which included the forward cargo hatches appears to have collapsed entirely and the sides of the hull are bending outwards. 3:30 PM Radio transmission between the Fitzgerald and the Anderson The official Coast Guard board of inquiry came to the conclusion that the Edmund Fitzgerald sank as a result of massive flooding of the cargo hold, saying that this likely resulted from ineffective hatch closure. Noting that many of the hatch clamps photographed on the sunken freighter show little or no damage or distortion, the report states that this could result from improper maintenance of the adjustment bolts that put tension on the hatch covers and secured them to the top of the coamings around the hatches. Because of a long fetch on Superior that night, the Fitzgerald and the Anderson were in an area of the lake where huge waves were indeed occurring. My understanding of the dives was showed hatches were closed least belied to be so and was the low ship by full cargo in the water and the sea waves and cargo shift caused her go down- no matter what the cause it's all so tragic- I know not the ship nor any of the crew or families but i can certainly feel their loss- it is a very sad story - and the song very accurate to what is known about the ship wreak- many lost at seas' and many more will- it's just sad. The Anderson was struck by large waves which then travelled in the direction of the Edmond Fitzgerald. A 2012 sonar image shows theFitzgeraldto have deteriorated heavily since 1993. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. After 10:00 PM, Cooper and his crew noticed large and small pieces of floating wreckage from theFitzgeraldwhich didn't make the situation any better.By the morning of November 11, the Coast Guard had managed to arrive at the scene to assist in the search and rescue operation. An unpopulated island at the eastern end of Lake Superior, 40 km south of Michipicoten Island, named Caribou Island. 43 and 1/2 years later the feeling of that morning is still vivid in my mind. I myself and my classmates are without a doubt able to state that is not only a prime example of media misinformation. Looks like he was right on this one. The slow flooding supposedly went unnoticed by the captain and crew until it caused an imperceptible but fatal buoyancy loss and eventually sent the Fitzgerald plunging to the bottom. In the Duluth News-Tribune, another former crew member, Jim Woodard, claims the Fitzgerald was a "wet" ship. [1][3] In addition, exposures of gently dipping, friable Jacobsville Sandstone, have been reported from Caribou Island. The radar signal, or pip of the Fitzgerald kept getting obscured by sea return. However, Northwestern Mutual apparently decided to remedy the problem regardingFitzgerald'sloose keel. Ill give it a try., Do you realize what the conditions are out there?. Furthermore, any chance of using the wreck itself as a means of understanding what happened is next to impossible as the Canadian government has banned all diving operations period to the wreck since the recovery of theFitzgerald'sbell in 1993. it is likely that the world may never know the true ending of theEdmund Fitzgerald. That finding was quickly challenged by the Lake Carriers Association (LCA) and by many seasoned sailors. Also, the Fitzgeralds officers had started two pumps to evacuate water, but those pumps would only remove water from the ballast tanks, not the cargo hold. What if the ship is rebuilt, with more safety features? 109 W. Superior St. #200 Duluth, MN 55802 218-722-5002 edit@LakeSuperior.com. [7], These reefs are not coral reefs. 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. Reporting to the Anderson, the Fitzs Captain Ernest McSorley revealed the list and had activated two large ballast tank pumps to control it. Because of the Great Depression, the island was not restocked and the island was more or less abandoned by the approximately 15 owners-in-common. She was under command of Canadian born and highly experienced ship master Captain Ernest M. McSorely. The modification never took place and the patch plates could be seen at the shipyard a couple of years after theFitzgerald'sdemise.TheEdmund Fitzgeralddeparted on what would be her last voyage the afternoon of November 9, 1975 leaving the iron ore docks of Superior, Wisconsin bound for aZug Island steel foundry near Detroit,Michigan. 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. Ed Peewee Charles Ringwald and the late Terry Clements, a Detroit native who had played guitar for Lightfoot since the early 1970s, came up with the haunting guitar and steel riffs. Captain Cooper of the Anderson mentioned the possibility of a stress fracture in his testimony before the marine board and also included it in his personal story of the wreck in James R. Marshalls Shipwrecks of Lake Superior. On November 14, a U.S. Navy plane equipped with a magnetic anomaly detector located a strong contact 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point. Gale warnings had been issued at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9, upgraded to storm warnings early in the morning of Nov. 10. They said, however, they were inclined to accept that the Fitzgerald passed over the Six Fathom Shoal Area as reported by Cooper. The Anderson turned out to be the primary vessel in the search, taking the lead. You can listen to it here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8LBkYjniTU. But the Coast Guard called Captain Cooper back at 9:00 pm: Anderson, this is Group Soo. He reduced speed to allow the Anderson to close the 17-mile gap between them. During that conversation, he stated that McSorley inadvertently left the microphone on when he said to someone in his pilothouse, Dont allow nobody on deck, also saying something about a vent that Woodard couldnt understand. The first official report on the wreck sparked a flood of second-guessing. Less than 20 minutes later when the Anderson cleared a snow squall, its radars lost contact and the Big Fitz, as seamen called the ship, passed from the land of the living into legend. Marie in 1967. Our Specialties. It lies entirely within the territorial waters of Canada although only about five kilometres from the international border between Canada and the United States. With regards to iron ore shipping on the Great Lakes, it most certainly is still taking place. The Fitzgerald is about 16 miles ahead. Would like to offer any help I can. I then called the William Clay Ford to ask him if my phone was putting out a good signal and also if perhaps the Fitzgerald had rounded the point and was in shelter, after a negative report I called the Soo Coast Guard because I was sure something had happened to the Fitzgerald. what is the real truth to this? They . But it also added time and nautical miles to her course in the middle of shifting, increasing winds and waves -- FROM THE WEST -- behind her. By this point,McSorely was heard over the radio hollering at his crew to stay off the deck and remain inside the vessel. Sault Ste Marie, MI 49783 Cities by ZIP Code. Almost none of the bodies including that of Captain McSorley were ever found. The LCA thinks the Fitzgerald grounded on the poorly-marked Six Fathom Shoal northwest of Caribou Island, causing fatal damage to the hull. I wouldnt be surprised if a hatch cover came off, because I loaded right beside him in Superior on November 9 and the deck crew was still putting on hatch covers when they left the Superior Entry into Lake Superior, Captain Paquette says. Upon reaching Whitefish Bay, theCoast Guard requested that any freighter waiting out the storm in Whitefish Bay go out to search for theFitzgeraldand her 29 man crew as the Coast Guard itself was unable to reach the scene immediately. Since these two large waves struck the trailing Anderson mere minutes before its final radar contact with the Fitzgerald, might they have joined a third rogue wave, overtaken the struggling Fitz 10 or 15 minutes later and overwhelmed the already listing and troubled ship? If the ship had "hogged" upon striking the. What also can be stated with certainty is that sometime between 7:10 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., the Fitzgerald simply disappeared into Lake Superior about 15 miles from the shelter of Whitefish Bay just west of Sault Ste. Was a bad night. Perhaps the real cause of the sinking may never be known for certain. Phantom Fireworks is the leading retailer of consumer fireworks in the U.S. Phantom provides the widest range of consumer fireworks in all categories. Have you checked down?, Fitzgerald, we are about 10 miles behind you, and gaining about 1 1/2 miles per hour. 18335 N. Whitefish Point Road May god rest the souls of the 29 men who perished that fateful night, The iron ore freighter is only about 9 nautical miles from Pancake Bay off highway #17 Ontario Canada, it sits in Canadain waters. And around 7:15 pm, the pip was lost again, but this time, did not reappear. See more. Still later, at about 6 p.m., Woodard called the Fitz to report that the light had just come on at Whitefish Point. Stationed at K.I. The B-side on the single was The House You Live In.. For the island near Thunder Bay, see, Caribou Island (near Michipicoten Island), Caribou Island near the international border. Near-hurricane force winds seemed to pick up strength throughout the day while visibility was greatly reduced. Has anyone ever calculated how much shorter the normal route across Superior would have been had the Fitzgerald not changed course? The Naugatuck arrived at 12:45 pm on November 11, and the Woodrush arrived on November 14, having journeyed all the way from Duluth, Minnesota. The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Captain Jesse Cooper, (J.C.) of the S.S. Arthur M. Anderson watches the Fitzgerald round Caribou Island and comments that the Fitzgerald is much closer to Six Fathom Shoal than he would want to be. But I have to leave the decision up to you., Ill give it a try, but thats all I can do.. Soon after, McSorely on the Fitzgerald reported taking topside damage and a list. While Northwestern Mutual owned both ships (which woud later prove ironic in theFitzgerald'scase), the freighters were leased out to dedicated shipping companies. Theorists have sized upon the permanent lay-up of the Fitzgerald sister ship, the Arthur Homer, in 1980 as indicative of structural deficiency both vessels. Add to Cart. The bow lies mostly buried in the mud upright pointing towards Whitefish Bay. Previously suggested possibilities are that a hatch cover washed off or the heavy deck crane or the spare blade for the propeller broke loose and crashed about. They are the last of their kind exposed to the human development and predation on the mainland. Captain Cooper maintained that 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. All rights reserved. USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the Grindstone Island Cars The Coast Guard conducted an extensive and thorough search. Your comment will appear after being approved. Without direct witnesses or survivors, every explanation about the cause of the wreck is purely theoretical and, from the very beginning, a rash of theories concerning it were postulated. Caribou is located on the North Fork Feather River, 9.5 miles (15.3 km) south of Almanor. He is particularly intrigued by the command that Woodard overheard. Why the Edmund Fitzgerald remains a cultural touchstone, Follow the final journey of the Edmund Fitzgerald, 17 miles to safety: Edmund Fitzgerald by the numbers. There's even a work of Fiction, SCP-1174, titled, and I quote, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". TheAndersonwasn't in much better shape, its engine room leaking consistently and its superstructure often being submerged entirely under water every time a wave hit. Art & Exhibitions The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald lies at the bottom of the southeastern portion of Lake Superior in 530 feet of water. Regis, R.S., Patterson, C.J., Wattrus, N., and Rausch, D., 2003. Had she sailed two days later, empty, for repairs (very good timing, actually) none of this would have happened. Known for the best burgers in Fullerton, Islands also offers delicious tropical cocktails and fries that are fresh cut daily with the skins left on. Crafts No reply from the Coast Guard. The lateral continuity and consistent and parallel direction of the tunnel valleys indicated that they are carved from friable sandstones that underlies the floor of most of eastern Lake Superior. On this voyage,Fitzgeraldwas fully loaded with iron ore. With no visibility in a hurricane-like storm and no radar to guide him, theFitzgeraldwas sailing blinded moving slower with every gallon of water entering her hull. 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). Caribou Island is part of a large glacial moraine that accumulated south of Michipicoten Island. Meantime, northwest winds built massive seas from the starboard quarter (right rear), washing powerful waves completely over the deck as the ship left the eastern lee of Caribou Island. What was eventually found only included destroyed remains of the ships two lifeboats, life preservers and items from the ship's galleys. The Fitzgerald being the faster took the lead, with the distance between the vessels ranging from 10 to 15 miles. "They were killing the boat," he said. Arthur B. Homerwas assigned to the Bethlehem Steel Corporation whileEdmund Fitzgeraldwas assigned to the Columbia Transportation Division of the Oglebay Norton Company and immediately became flagship. 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.. Result: She then sat about nine feet lower in the water than her sisters -- from my observation of their arrivals while fishing for Perch just east of Indiana Harbor, at the southern tip of Lake Michigan. 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. "He and his officers watched the Fitzgerald pass right over the dangerous area of shallow water," Ley wrote. Hinze, W.J., Allen, D.J., Fox, A.J., Sunwood, D., Woelk, T. and Green, A.G., 1992.
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