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. A 2010 television episode of Dive Detectives simulated the effect of a 56-foot wave on a scale model of the Fitzgerald. 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. Fullerton - Islands Restaurants All were lost to the depths of Lake Superior. Another explanation offered from the many undamaged hatch clamps is that the clamps were never latched in the first place. 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. 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. He could clearly see the ship and the beacon on Caribou on his radar set and could measure the distance between them. When the skies of November turn gloomy.. The Anderson turned out to be the primary vessel in the search, taking the lead. US WEATHER BUREAU BUILDING Winter 2023 NMU School of Art & Design Senior Exhibition Reception, Edmund Fitzgerald: Decades of Speculation, Fascination and Grieving. If you think you can safely go back up to the area, I would request that you do so. I watched those two waves head down the lake towards the Fitzgerald, and I think those were the two that sent her under.. Stones laid in V-shaped formations and simple lanes mark the most extensive hunting. At the time of her launch in 1958, the SS Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest freighter on the Great Lakes. Others overlap in some ways. U.S. Coast Guard rescue vessel Woodrush took 21 hours to arrive on scene from the Duluth port. Canadian flag on the bow, American flag at stern, the Edmund Fitzgerald was a frequent site on the Great Lakes during its almost two decades of service before it sank with the loss of all 29 crew members. Not the same yard, but what if it was rebuilt, same cargo, same shape, same functionality, but a new keel? After enough persuasion, Cooper agreed to take theAndersonback out to sea followed by the LakerWilliam Clay Ford. 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. Instead they consist of bedrock ridges and interfluves that lie between northerly trending bedrock valleys, which are known as tunnel valleys. In Canadian ships alone there are at least one hundred ships that haul iron ore to this day. In the Duluth News-Tribune, another former crew member, Jim Woodard, claims the Fitzgerald was a "wet" ship. it be nice if they stopped talking about White Fish Bay which is 15 (N) miles from where it went down. Officers from the Anderson observed that the Fitzgerald sailed through this exact area. See more. Her track along the north shore was standard in inclement weather -- to shelter a bit from north winds. Edmund Fitzgerald - "Touching Bottom At Six Fathom Shoal" Coast Guard aircraft were on the scene by 10:55 p.m. Commercial vessels in the protective waters of Whitefish Bay were requested to form a search effort and several, including the Anderson, did venture out of shelter to search the storm-tossed seas for survivors. ADMINISTRATIVE: 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? That would likely mean that it was at the forward end of the weather deck. 18335 N. Whitefish Point Road That's what underwriters do. Stationed at K.I. Tweets by @lakesuperiormag !function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],p=/^http:/.test(d.location)? The shoaling hypothesis suggests that the most probable cause of the Edmund Fitzgerald's wreckage was her shoaling or grounding in the Six Fathom Shoal northwest of Caribou Island when the crew was unable to use the Whitefish Point Light as a navigational aid. This is futher indicated by the stern which lies completely upside down beside the bow; all superstructure buried deep into the mud. Edmund Fitzgerald: Decades of Speculation, Fascination and Grieving No. They would later make a turn to the southeast to eventually reach the shelter of Whitefish Point. 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. Marie in 1967. 1. 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. 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. She was under command of Canadian born and highly experienced ship master Captain Ernest M. McSorely. Captain Cooper maintained that he watched the Edmund Fitzgerald pass far too close to Six Fathom Shoal to the north of Caribou Island. Capt. A real eye opening view from the man who was the last person to ever speak to theEdmund Fitzgerald's crew. I am from Sault Ste Marie Michigan and a former student of the founder of the great lakes shipwreck historical society Tom Farnquist. 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. On this voyage, Fitzgerald was fully loaded with iron ore. NARA microfilm publication M1931, Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1930 Census (7 rolls) reproduces a 57-volume typescript index to selected city streets and enumeration districts of the Fifteenth Census of the United States taken in 1930. "She took on water all the time and her tunnels flooded out on her," Woodward said. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB) are now standard equipment on lakes vessels, allowing instantaneous identification of the area where a vessel founders. 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. This theory is the thought that the Fitzgerald hit the bottom near Caribou Island, ripping a hole in the ship. FAQs. Theories - THE EDMUND FITZGERALD The bow lies mostly buried in the mud upright pointing towards Whitefish Bay. It was considered a private hunting preserve through the early 1900s. TheFitzgeraldoften held records for excellent safety and broke records for most tonnage hauled during a single shipping season. A more serious issue was determined by poor construction and design. Beyond that, Captain Bernie Cooper of the Anderson commented in testimony that his radar showed the Fitz to be closer to the shoal than he wanted his ship to be. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald lies at the bottom of the southeastern portion of Lake Superior in 530 feet of water. Since then, there have been about a half dozen dives to the wreck using deep-diving equipment. 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. From the time of its first voyage on Sept. 24, 1958, the ship set six records by carrying heavier and heavier loads. What sank the Edmund Fitzgerald? : r/UnresolvedMysteries - Reddit Caribou (formerly Cariboo) is a census-designated place located in Plumas County, California, United States. It is rumored that the light house keepers poached caribou and beaver. The popular misconception is that non of the crewmembers bodies were never discovered. Caribou Definition & Meaning | Dictionary.com The mainland caribou are extremely important for their genetics. It was originally discovered by sonar shortly after the sinking in 1975 and first documented by several expeditions in 1976 including one by Jean Michel Cousteau, son of famous oceanographer Jaques Cousteau. The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead The Fitz hull took a fatal blow on a shoal. Bernie Cooper. Captain Cooper asked McSorley if he had his pumps going, and McSorley said, Yes, both of them.. Until 1959,Edmund Fitzgeraldheld the record for the longest ship on the Great Lakes. By its last voyage, the freighter had made about 748 round trips. Captain Jessie B. They believe that caribou is the most significant creature to hunt. 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. Minor incidents included groundings and collisions between 1969 and 1974. Just to late for the 29. 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. Contacts were strong enough to bring in the U.S. Navys CURV III controlled underwater recovery vehicle, operating from Woodrush. He is particularly intrigued by the command that Woodard overheard. Gale warnings had been issued at 7 pm on November 9, upgraded to storm warnings early in the morning of November 10. The light at Whitefish Point was out temporarily on the night the Fitz went down. SS Edmund Fitzgerald - Wreck Location Map & GPS Coordinates - Shipwreck 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. Tom Farnquist is also notably the foremost expert on the wreck of the S.S. Edmunds Fitzgerald. Arthur M. Anderson - Shipwatcher News Great Lakes Ships Perhaps the real cause of the sinking may never be known for certain. In addition to taking on water after *potentially* hitting bottom near Six fathom Shoals earlier this afternoon, the. In 2000, author Hugh Bishop pushed the "Three Sisters" theory about a trio of rogue waves that overwhelmed the Fitzgerald in quick succession. When originally built, it was visible for 16 miles (26km) and operated on a 30-second revolving cycle. I was a student of Tom's in 85 7th grade science at Sault jr high. But the questions surrounding the cause of the wreck kept mounting and continue to do so. If the ship had "hogged" upon striking the. At about 5:20 pm the crest of a wave smashed the Andersons starboard lifeboat, making it unusable. Capt. A bit later, McSorley reported that his radars werent working and requested that the Anderson keep track of his route and give him navigational aid. The lifeboats recovered were unused. Enter the text you see in the image below. But the Arthur M. Anderson survived and the Fitzgerald did not. What is your present position?, Were down here, about two miles off Parisienne Island right nowthe wind is northwest forty to forty-five miles here in the bay., Is it calming down at all, do you think?, In the bay it is, but I heard a couple of the salties talking up there, and they wish they hadnt gone out., Do you think there is any possibility and you couldahcome about and go back there and do any searching?, AhGod, I dont knowahthatthat sea out there is tremendously large. [2], According to the available information, Caribou Island consists of a mixture of glacial sediments and Precambrian sandstone. The last dive in 1993 indicated that zebra and cuaga muscles were begginning to grow on her metal superstructure and that rusting had gotten worse. 11 Things to Know About Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Awesome Mitten 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. By the way, Fitzgerald, how are you making out with your problems? asked Clark. The Great Lakes Ore Carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald, Known to Lake Mariners as "The Mighty Fitz". She was already moving slow and was listing as well. At some point it all becomes moot, except for the 29 families who remain, and do without bread from their missing bread-winners. 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. Your comment will appear after being approved. Looks like he was right on this one. Six-Fathom Shoal Updates During a taped conversation with his office, which was made a part of the record, the ANDERSON's master stated that the FITZGERALD "passed right over that 6-fathom spot." The.
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