My dad Gerald R Lange was captain of the Fitz for a few years. He had to get off for Medical Reasons and that is why McSorley was there. My dad was so sad when the fitz sunk. Kevin thank you for this video, it brought back many memories of my dad and the Fitz and my brother and I taking trips on her.
@@gingerdog1958 Wow, Toni ... I would LOVE to hear what you or your dad thought about the mystery of the EF .. How or why you/he thought it went down? I didn't and still don't believe the theory that the hatch covers weren't dogged down properly. That theory too conveniently places the blame directly on the men and gives the company an easy escape route, instead of owning up to putting the EF through years of abusive stresses with overloading, and having to continually re-weld her keel to the keelsons every couple of years... It's said that her 'skin was too big for her'. The EF wasn't without flaws - in fact McSorley even said the ship scared him at times when she did "this wriggling thing". He wasn't just referring to normal hog and sag, but to an abnormal twist from bow to stern as well. One possibility that had crossed my mind is that perhaps the two forwardmost hatch covers (the two directly behind the pilot house) did cave inwards as you can see in some photos of the wreck ... the hatch covers on both of those 2 hatches are INSIDE the hull, and are beaten into 'V' shapes. Water has incredible power and can do equally incredible damage - just one cubic metre (1m3) weighs a full metric ton, and Cptn of the Anderson (Bernie Cooper ) said those two 35' rollers that hit his boat and would have to catch up on the rear of the EF too ... They could easily have smashed them in. But that still would have taken SOME time to fill with water, enough to give them time to send out a distress call..but there was none. Cooper said they were two of the biggest seas he'd ever seen, but that the Anderson's buoyancy meant it could shake off those rollers "like a shaggy old dog". However, he believes that the EF could not. The EF was listing heavily, and riding so low in the water. It was taking 4 hours for the old girl to sink after McSorley noticed at 3:10pm that his railing was down, and she already had a prominent list to starboard - both indications of catastrophic hull damage. I believe Captain Cooper's assessment of the situation .. that she either suffered a stress fracture or that she'd bottomed out on Six Fathom Shoal. Either way she was sinking from that moment on due to hull damage. McSorley's maps were 100 yrs old and marked the shoal one mile further to the East than they actually were - and he was sailing blind in whiteout conditions, and Cptn Cooper said he could see the EF on his own working radar far too close to the Shoals. He said she was practically right on top of it. (please note that I'm aware that Six Fathom Shoals as well as the upturned 200' section of the stern were examined for signs of it bottoming out - but the damage of such an occurrence may well be hidden deep in the mud on the remaining 529' feet of the wreck which can never be examined). But by the time those two 35' rollers Cptn Cooper spoke of caught up to the EF from behind, and with her riding so low in the water, they would have rolled right up her spar deck, perhaps smashing those two hatches inwards when thousands of metric tons of water were forced back onto them off the pilot house .. and without buoyancy to shake it off as the Anderson had, it very likely pushed the bow under one final time, sending the EF into an unrecoverable nose-dive - straight into the rocky bottom of the Big Lake some 530' below - in a matter of seconds. And if that were the case, remember that the EF was 200' longer in length than that depth of 530' - so her stern would have been high out of the water while that mighy powerhouse was still spinning that massive 19.5' propeller in mid-air (which might explain why some of the crew of the Anderson said they saw lights for a good 10 seconds where there shouldn't have been any .. ABOVE the horizon in the vicinity of where the EF would have been - as her ass stood 200' out of the water). The weight of the stern hull alone, much less fully loaded, would have done the job of breaking EF off at that level, and the powerhouse which was still driving the propellor & shaft would theorically have provided enough sheer torque to turn it upside down as it broke away - explaining how it was found on the bottom - and also explains the piles of taconite between the upturned aft section, and the damage to the bow where it ploughed into the rock lake bed. There's a few theories, and of course no one knows which is the correct one - because we weren't there. But Bernie Cooper was, and I both respect and trust his judgement and his vast experience. He also said it was sudden, and catastrophic. But I'd still like to hear yours and your father's points of view on plausible possibilities - or from anyone else who personally KNEW the EF (i.e. actually sailed on her as a crew member). Either way, however it actually happened, it was a terrible tragedy and an awful way for 29 brave sailors to die..although I do believe it was over very quickly for all, particularly those in the bow section..they would have had only a split second of understanding.. a mere second or two of recognition that they weren't coming up again this time - although we know that someone even made it to the door of the pilot house because it was, and still is, opened. But a split moment later the freezing water would have burst through every window in the pilot house as the pressure rapidly increased as it plunged to the bottom..and I doubt that anyone would have suffered another moment after the first 150 feet of descent at that pressure, and and that speed. I know it's dreadful to think about - and it would have been horrific for all those who realised that they weren't coming back up this time. But I hope that loved ones can take solace in the knowledge that it was very quick. So, as we approach yet another anniversary of those lost..I do sincerely feel so very sad for the families and friends who all lost so much on 10th November 1975 - and for those who lost everything. May each one rest in eternal peace. Amen. It's been a while so I hope you get this notification : )
VERY COOL👍my dad was friends with Ernie McSorley. Obviously he was VERY UPSET when the MIGHTY FITZ went down. THE GAILS OF NOVEMBER CAME EARLY. R.I.P. Capt & Crew🙏🙏🙏🙏😔😔😔
For the record, it is almost certain after recent surveys that it did NOT break apart on the surface, but took on a lot of water and dove down at a steep angle at full power. The bow made a 250 foot trench before being stopped at which time the ship collapsed onto itself, so this video turned out to be almost certainly correct. The music in this video is absolutely beautiful, I've always loved scandinavian singing voices.
I agree the Fitz didn't break up at the surface..if she would have broken up at the surface..McSorley would have had time to call for a mayday call from both radios..the one right next to him or the emergency battery powered radio a few steps away. She struck the bottom alright but she was going full speed..McSorley told the Anderson she was checking down...but the Fitz did hit bottom and break...the plow marks on the bottom and her bow is roughly 26 feet in the mud proves she did.
@@insertnamehere313As the bow plowed into the bottom, the aft was possibly still above the surface. The torque caused by the twisting of the hull as the bow hit bottom caused torque which caused the hull to separate into two parts, and the stern to land upside-down.
@@daddydeadlo9675 I am not a fan of tattoos for myself(to each his or her own), but I think the fact that you have those lines memorialized on your arm is cool.
Thank you for the simulation. My husband and I had a friend that went down on the Edmund Fitzgerald, and it has haunted me ever since. I've read a lot of the comments, negatively criticizing, and to them I say, we should all probably be grateful the simulation isn't 100% realistic; if that ship tossed and twisted apart, many of the crew had probably already perished long before it sank. God bless each of the crew and their families.
Susan Celmer I love the Fitzgerald because I was 15 when she went down I love her so much she was the best one out here so if you are happy for her same me or say go Fitzgerald ok 😭😢😞😞
I was in attendance at Mich Tech, and I heard that the Mighty Mac was closed. (10/9) A journey home for Thanksgiving, instead of being a 500 mile journey, now became a 700 mile trek, down through Chicago, then Gary IN, then home, should the bridge remain closed. Thanksgiving barely a half month away. The next mourning I heard of the terror 29 contemporaries of mine experienced till their DEATH!
Very cool simulator, gives a whole new perspective of what it may have been like at that moment. A couple years ago I was on vacation watching boats come off Superior in Duluth MN, and to my amazement one the ships coming in to reload was the Arthur M Anderson, I could not believe my eyes that I would be at that place and time to see the survivor ship of that fateful trip.
The Arthur M. Anderson was only a few miles away from the Edmund Fitzgerald. Her good fortune came in that her somewhat more shielded position adjacent to Whitefish Bay caused Superior's waves to be lower and less destructive where she was at.
"The Captain wired in he had water coming in and the good ship and crew was in peril. And later that night when his lights went out of sight came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." G. Lightfoot 1976
I sailed with the chief cook who was on the Arthur Anderson that night.he hated to be in any rough seas .we were on the Joe block .when ever we got into even the usual storms ,he would go down in the engine room with his survival suit and sleep.i guess I'd be scared after that night.
Capt Cooper stated that Mcsorley was closer to 6 fathom shoal than he would have wanted to be in an interview .a simulator doesn't do real justice to the hellish seas both vessels sustained that night .I sailed for 25 years those storms and that kind of sea would put the fear of God into you real quick believe me .
Cant imagine the feelings in the pilothouse when she was up out of the water on those monster waves and the bow would plow down into a oncoming 30 ft wave and the entire pilothouse would be underwater with the crew whiteknuckled at the helm praying it came back up. God almighty they must have been terrified beyong belief.
I get anxiety just watching this, but to have been there... Unbelievable. Like you said, just waiting to come back up out of the waves and that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realize you're not going to... Just so sad.
@@railsofthenorthland1181 there wasn't a song written about any other Great Lakes tragedy. That's really the only reason people remember the Fitzgerald.
@@jacksonlarson6099 it's easy to misinterpret a person's words when in person, more or less over the internet. With that said, yes the song helped to draw attention to the deadliness of the Great Lakes, however it isn't the only or main reason. Have a nice day!
@@railsofthenorthland1181 Michigander here, and I have never heard of the "great lakes 'white hurricane' of 1913". Went and read about it on google. Thanks for teaching me something new today!
I have worked jobs with many horrible conditions...but the courage and steadfastness of the men who do this kind of work is almost beyond comprehension. My thanks and appreciation to you all.
Yes, & 1,500 people died with the Titanic. What's worse is that 1: it didn't have to happen (poor design, shoddy materials, a power hungry manager & a captain wanting to go out with a bang caused Titanic's demise. 2: it was mostly crew & the poor who died with Titanic. 3: Titanic's death could have been prevented. 4: you NEVER say "God himself couldn't"....anything. 5: the Fitz guys was too heavily loaded for such bad weather. 6: They should've not tried to "make White Fish" in that weather. 7: this song is a thinly veiled RIP off of Celine Dion's song, "My Heart Will Go On". Sheesh...this woulda been better with the song actually written for & titled for The Fitz.
Ginger Peters 1503 died on the titanic 9000 died on the Wilhelm Gustloff And how many poor souls had their fate sealed on the bulk carrier? A type of freighter, obviously they don’t carry passengers, it’s all cargo and crew.
What I wonder is:Do these ships still go out there in November?Are they better equipped?If it is so dangerous to go out there in November (obviously it is)why not do it a month earlier when the water is not that turbulent?
This video gives me chills. I can’t even imagine how terrifying it must have been for those 29 crew members. I wonder if they were all together in the same part of the ship when EF went down. The song that goes with this video is haunting. Gordon Lightfoot’s song about the wreck always makes me sad, but this video sure puts it in a different perspective. Thanks for sharing it!
You would have had men in the bow section in the front, and you would have had men in the very rear of the boat in the engineering and engine room sections.
I can almost hear the last cries for help from the 29 crew members, as they were swallowed by the lake before they knew what hit them. After reading about the Fitz for years, I’ve concluded she went under within seconds, the force of the water so powerful, it ripped the stern clean off. Aside from the bridge crew, I’d estimate that all the crew were still alive when the ship hit the bottom. There’s no way she could have filled with water that fast, but her massive displacement combined with her cargo of iron ore made her sink like a stone once one of the hatches was blown open (or forced open). As you can tell from my name, I live in Toronto, I was born here in 1968, I had left my entire life here on the shores of Lake Ontario, and I’ve been to every great lake as they are all interconnected, and I’ve seen how incredibly fast these storms can seemingly come out of nowhere. I mentioned this once before in another video, but a dear friend of mine always dreamed of owning his own yacht, to sail the worlds oceans, and make it his permanent home. So, after finishing medical school (he worked 3 jobs to pay for it), he saved every penny he could, always keeping his dream alive. Finally, after 20 years of working practically every day, doing 12 hour shifts (not just for his dream, but for his other passion of helping the sick and injured, a very dedicated physician), never splurging on anything, he had saved up over $2 million to have his dream become a reality. He designed it himself, and had a very reputable company build it to his specifications. She was absolutely beautiful, with every luxury and refinement you could imagine…and keep in mind, we grew up together, in near poverty, he truly deserved everything he had. I was one of the lucky few he invited for her maiden voyage from Toronto, down the St. Lawrence seaway, to the Atlantic ocean, and then down to Miami. That was the plan, but that wasn’t natures plan. He waiting for the perfect weather, not a cloud in the sky, and a perfectly clear and sunny forecast in July, but is anyone who’s ever lived on the great lakes knows, incredibly violent thunderstorms can appear out of nowhere, and cause immense damage on shore, or on the water. We were only 10 km away from Toronto when this black cloud suddenly appeared as if it was magic, moments before it was hot and sunny, and all the sudden we’re facing black and green clouds, all the calling cards of a vicious storm, or possibly tornadic conditions. She was over 120 feet long, eight decks, capable I’m doing 45 knots, and accommodating up to 100 people, and because it was her maiden voyage, they were actually a few more than that. It seems that it took only seconds for calm water to become whitecaps mountains of water, the Coast Guard estimated they were at least 30 feet high. Luckily we had a very experienced crew a board, that my friend had hired to sail his yacht, so he could truly enjoy the trip with his friends and family aboard (he is a fully licensed captain, with credentials that allow him to navigate any size ship anywhere in the world). The crew he hired immediately headed for shore, but when you have 30 foot waves crashing against the hull, and winds in excess of 100km/h, it was a terrifying ride back. It did extensive damage to hid brand new ship…we all felt so bad for him, because he worked so hard for this, sacrificing everything for over a decades, but I think we were all just grateful to have survived, as the same storm sunk two other ships in the region more then 3 times the size of his boat. At one point, the entire ship was completed underwater, and I thought we were all as good as dead, but thankfully, every hatch , every door, and every conceivable weakness, was built to be water tight. Almost every window was smashed to pieces by the waves, but he had watertight doors behind every single window, essentially turning it into a temporary submarine! I’d never been that terrified in my life..I actually found myself crying like a little kid from fear, certain we were doomed..if only Mike would have told us he designed his ship to survive anything, it wouldn’t have been as scary, but he was too busy on then ridge helping/instructing his hired crew. Not sure of it was the ship, the crew, or Mike that saved our lives that day, but I very quickly developed an entirely new respect for the open water, be it the ocean, or the Great Lakes. Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt, as he had chairs all throughout the ship with 5 point restraints (now I know why). In total, the storm cause over $500k in damages to his brand new toy, but the insurance covered all of it, and one fixed, we finally got the chance to get back out there, and sailed right into the port of Miami. Bottom line? NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE WATER, and ALWASY have a great deal of respect for it…we were so lucky that day, but sadly, the other ships I mentioned earlier lost a total of 11 crew members to the gales of Lake Ontario.may god be with them, and their families 😰
Wonderful story my friend,,and now I know um nuts for taking my 24ft deep v fiberglass to Ontario lake back in 1995 but I did diligence in having the best radar and weather reporting devices at the time and would never go out unless it was nice and sunny 🌞 with seas no bigger than 4ft I grew up in Massachusetts coastal waters and know what its like to try to outrun a violent storm in a single inboard boat that can only travel at 40 knots and the storm behind you is comming up your back at 60knots and your 50 miles offshore pushing your old boat for all shes worth hoping the glass hull dont split on the next breaker 😀 👍 ahhhh what it was like to be fearless and young ,,or was it the beer,lol, boats are a Richman game nowadays, so I just stick with my little 24 footers and the many lakes of nh and just pretend um on the ocean my family is to precious to me to risk there lives on the ocean nowadays in a old boat,
Wow,that is some story....thank you. The stories that really hit me when I was younger and then later on when I met older men who were in the Navy was in WW2 during the war in the Pacific during gales and typhoons. The sailors exploits of being on destroyers and DE's,destroyer escorts during these storms. I really don't understand how these class ships stayed afloat in these seas. I built every battleship,carrier,cruiser,destroyer,sub in the Revel, Lindgerg,Hasengawa,Monogram,Tamaya lines and the beams and keels on destroyers and DE's were not wide. Halseys Third Fleet got tons of damage from a typhoon. Takes exceptional men to go through this on board. Geez....I've been thru some rough seas fishing off the Jersey Shore and Cape Hatteras....but NOTHING like you're story.
@@rebelbaron7003 wow, impressive background! I always knew storms can hit pretty fast on the Great Lakes, but the one I mentioned took everyone by surprise. Normally, we get enough warning to get to shore before the worst hits, but this was just plain bizarre! I’m not exaggerating when I say it just came out of nowhere. After we got back to shore and my friend contacted his insurance company to get his yacht fixed, they contacted environment Canada, specifically the department that watches the great lakes, and even they were taken off guard by the storm. It apparently broke a record, and as far as I know still holds that record to this day. I will never ever forget that day as long as I live, it truly scared the hell out of all of us, but we are just so grateful that we made it back, because for a while there, I didn’t think we would. I’ve crossed the Atlantic in the middle of a gale with winds up to 100 knots. I’m sure you’ve seen the movie “the perfect storm“?, I experienced waves like that in the Atlantic, but that time we were on a huge cruise ship (but was still damn scary), never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined encountering similar conditions on the great lakes, I never knew it was possible to have waves that huge in freshwater, I just pray to God I never experience anything like that ever again.
I read your story completely ... it's very interesting. I'm in the Crimea, but the storms we had in January impressed me, I can't imagine your hurricanes on the great lakes. But from the story, I was shocked. Thank you.
+_JMS_ _JMS_ I think this is very fitting and hauntingly beautiful. Gordon's is also. What song is this? May these and all other sea dogs rest in peace.
My uncle was a merchant marine for 30 years about and he was on the ship trailing the Edmund Fitzgerald, it was there one moment and the next, just gone.
Don't believe everything Wikipedia says, the Anderson wasn't the only boat around the Fitz at the time, there were around 5 boats with in 15 miles of it but the Anderson was only the closest behind by 10 miles. The Anderson only beat the the boat my father was on by 5 mins, they made up the distance by sailing with the northeastern wind after turning around to join the search. My dad's boat left superior 2 days before the Fitz, made it stop and then started journey back to two harbors that night. The life ring that was found was retrieved by my dad's bunk mate and him and even doing that was nearly deadly when his mate fell over board trying to through a line. The cook was also my dad's neighbor in superior.
To add sadness to this terrible tragedy, this was the last trip before retirement for the Captain and Chief Engineer. I still remember the news and the song. R.I.P. all the crew.
Great video. A sad loss of 29 souls on board. I have lost a Grandfather on the lakes around the turn of the century, lost without a trace. To this day, we have no idea what happened to his boat knowing only it was lost with all hands. The big Fitz has always fascinated me. God bless them.
I remember hearing about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on our local channel 7 news out of Detroit on November 10 1975. It was a very said day indeed for the State of Michigan and around the Great Lakes. Rest in Peace the Edmund Fitzgeralds 29 crew members.
Gary VanDecar u know that was my fav ship the 29men are still rembered they put ups helluva fight with the storm RIP the 29 men they will be greatly missed
For those who consistently complain about the pitching and rolling of the model, keep in mind this is a computer-generated simulator, not real life. And just so you all know, I am the one who created this particular model. So any blame should fall on me, as the creator. If you wish to address me one-on-one on this subject, please feel free to do so. Now, to fully address the pitching/rolling issues: The way Vehicle Sim and Virtual Sailor work, though created by the same individual, handle models a bit differently between each other. This same model in Virtual Sailor doesn't pitch/roll as much as in Vehicle Sim. I based the values for the pitch/roll off other similar-sized/weight models that others have created, and work just fine in Virtual Sailor. Also, it was mentioned that this model is still a BETA copy, meaning this is a pre-release version, which requires more tweaks and more modeling before I call it finished. There were many many hours of research done before I even attempted to create this model. I am aware of it's size and weight and, yes, that it broke in 2 on that horrific night. However, this Sim doesn't allow ships to break in half when sinking. The only way to illustrate that accurately, is through the use of 3D modeling programs like the one I used to create this. It requires careful planning and tweaking, often taking many many hours to illustrate. Now, for those who didn't post hateful, slamming remarks, I am most grateful! I don't mind critiques of the model IF it's done in a positive way. Constructive criticism is good, in my book. And for those who like to be trolls and slam the author of this video, I challenge you to do better. Feel free to download my model from my original video posted to my account and do with it what you want. It's free. The file can easily be converted to whichever format you require. If any of you actually are 3D modeling experts and would like to create an animation with the correct pitch/roll and/or sinking, please do so and post it in reply to my original video. Just keep in mind, if any of it is abusive or inappropriate, I will report your post to the youtube webmasters. In defense of Kevin Wright, with the limited tools available to him, I think this is a great tribute to the 29 men who lost their lives that November night. Thanks for downloading the model and creating this video. Your video has way more views than my original one, to which I give you credit for! Take care, everyone, and God bless the 29 men of the Edmund Fitzgerald and their families.
Well...I sure enjoyed it. It seemed to make the gradual build up and swamping seem quite realistic. I remember a trip we took to the Isle Royale across Lake Superior from Copper Harbor MI that started out quite easy and half way out we were in major waves and tornado could be seen off in the distance. There were waves breaking over the side of our ferry and getting inside. People were puking and scared. I think the people criticizing it here are a little bombastic, and think it should look like some sort of Hollywood movie.Very good job, IMHO.
anyone complaining about the pitching and rolling has never been in a heavily loaded, slow moving boat in rough water. Personally I think the simulation was great. I remember listening to this song on the school bus when I was seven years old. To the brave crew, RIP. Condolences to the families and friends.
Even though I'm not a sailor and I'm only 12 years old. I salute the 29 brave souls that perised that night . May they all rest in peace and let's celabrate their lives.
Hey everyone how bout u just sit back and enjoy it this guy made this on a simulator it ain't like he had a huge budget to make it very realistic I thought it was pretty cool all things considered
@@jackwilliams303 ? Well, it's certainly not the exact experience of being a live human being stuck in a ship during a raging storm, being battered about, remembering loved ones, being drenched, confused, unconscious, praying, focusing solely on tasks at hand, or whatever people were doing by the time the waves were dwarfing their vessel- but the title does mention "simulation." If you have something in mind that hasn't been done, but which you feel would do the subject greater justice, I'd say, Go for it! (This is a year later, so maybe you already have!) ~ OR: Were you one of the Survivors? You were, weren't you- and that's why you're angry about this. My apologies for not acknowledging the obvious.
@@jackwilliams303 uh shit song ur far off this song is so beautiful to listen to and just because its not excactly about the Fitzgerald doesn't mean u can call it shit so calm urself
My father-in-law was sailing on the Anderson as a 1st Engineer. Two boats went out that night Anderson and the Fitzgerald. very worried until we got word. Our prayers as a family go out to those lost on the Fitzgerald. My father-in-law knew some of the crew. God Bless them all!
Please tell your father in law thank you for going back out to search for the Edmund Fitzgerald even after making it through that violent storm a first time...😔💗 God Bless all of the men who risked their own lives and went out in that storm to search for the Edmund Fitzgerald even though it had already gone down and no one survived...😔💗 What does your father in law remember the most about that night??
It had would have been tragic for the crew of "the fitz" to be sinking and know that there would be no rescue, and yet you can see the lights of the shore not very far away. Salvation so near and yet, it was not to be. A salute to the Great Lakes sailors! How many cars I've driven that you guys moved the material to manufacture I don't really know... but we couldn't have done it without you!
Thanks for creating and posting this video. I used to teach SCUBA diving in the Twin Saults, and the story of this boat's sinking was always a feature of both the Open Water, and the Wreck Diver courses. I wish I'd had this video to show my classes at the time. It really drives home the idea that most shipwrecks are actually graves, and should be treated as such. Again, many thanks.
THank you for creating this simulation. It has really helped me get a feeling of what the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald the Hero's that operated that ship went through during that final voyage. I now understand better how quickly such a ship would sink. There was no way for them to abandon ship. The ship was just to big and too heavy. All the power all the steel all the greatest construction they can build can never defeat mother nature.
I've read a lot about the Edmund Fitzgerald. I've watched a lot of documentaries. I've fished the shipping channels and seen the ships. I've been to Whitefish Point. But this animation gives me high anxiety. Seriously, while watching it. I know the rendering is not exact, but it still gives a visual perspective of what kind of conditions the Fitzgerald went through when she sank.
Lake Superior is also the deepest of the Great Lakes at 1,335 feet and averages approx 500 feet deep. It is an extremely cold lake and the Northeastern winds in Fall with the rain and wind have caused many shipwrecks in this lake. Approximately 750 ship wrecks!!!...Rest in Peace to the entire crew on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
This is the most frightening animation that I have ever seen and that music was beyond haunting...Gordon would totally approve of that music....but that animation would break his heart.... awesome Kevin!
I was raised in New England, with the cold, fierce, black-deep waters of the North Atlantic crashing off the coast. Until I studied up on the Edmund Fitzgerald and what happened to her, I always thought that fresh water lake storms and waves were nothing compared to what went on on the salt seas. I had no idea things got that fierce or deadly in the relatively shallow waters of the Great Lakes. I've since changed my tune. How terrifying for those crew members. I wonder if they knew they were going to die.
I think in the waters of the lakes and small seas you can get waves reflecting of the shores thereby increasing the risk of effects like constructive interference - producing massive rogue waves etc ... in the Atlantic there is more "room". I believe places like the North Sea. Irish Sea and Bay of Biscay can also have very bad storms.
My Wife's family lived in Grand Haven. I have had many a vacation to the lower and upper peninsula of Michigan. Been to Mackinac island, Mackinac bridge, the Locks and to White fish bay to the museum. I have seen the bell of the Fitzgerald. I have a lithograph of the Edmund Fitzgerald. That I bought there. Also been to Marquette, Michigan too. Michigan is a great state to travel for Vacation! Learned what up bound and down bound meant in shipping terms. Shawn
Wow. Crazy. (And quite frankly it made me seasick just watching it!) Having sailed on the ocean for years and having experienced 20+ knots and decent sized waves in boats no bigger than 40 feet, I am totally blown away at the forces a boat this size must have experienced in winds and waves this size. I found this after searching for more, here on the anniversary of the sinking. Well done.
I know from being a sailor for 14 years and being on the open sea on several deployments and being tossed about always wondering if it could happen like that that rogue wave we all fear and know can happen but a lake that turned to a literal hell for those boys wow this was even tough to watch as a simulator you really felt for the brave crew being tossed about and no where to go.
Great sim, however, do something with that soundtrack! I felt like I was on the Fitz with the sim. From one modeler to another, you did a great job! I was on Lake Erie during my honeymoon riding a sight seeing boat when the weather got heavy. There was a young boy who was very scared and he was with his grandmother. SHe was also afraid. My wife and I kept with them until we were back at the dock. Let me tell ya, I'm an experienced boater, but the captain of the boat or the pilot during the heave weather was awesome. You could hear the engine speed up slow down as the screws rose out of the water then back down and the rocking of the boat. My wife and I were frieghtened needless to say too, but comforting a few people on board gave us strength and seeing how the boat was piloted helped too. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ANY BODY OF WATER! It can get nasty very fast and unexpectedly. The rolling and porpoising of the Fitz seemed very genuine in this simulation. Good stuff!
Just imagine this. Massive flooding, radars knocked out, heavy list to port, huge waves crashing down. And in all that chaos a lot of the crew probably relized at the end they were going to die a terrible death
I have been to the memorial sight in the upper peninsula. For those who have never been to Lake Superior, let me say, it looks threatening. I have been to all the Great Lakes. Superior just looks powerful. If you have never seen the Great Lakes , add to your bucket list. They are beautiful.
Lake Superior is sort of like a little Gulf of Mexico; she can be quiet, flat and beautiful, but in just a couple hours she can turn as wicked as any of the world's oceans.
Yooper here! If any of y’all come to da U.P. take my advice and take the Glassbottom shipwreck tour. You get to see what a sample of what Gucci Gumme can do. Also has some of the biggest freshwater fish you’ll ever catch
Interesting simulator. I was wondering if Fitz would bottom out like was suspected in the investigation, but the violent tossing would have thrown the load off and caused her to founder. Great work with the simulator! It's something I know I couldn't do! 👍🏻
"When we last made contact with him at 1910 7:10 he was coming around the point. He said he was holding his own. He had developed a list his fence rails where down and was missing a vent." Quote of Bernie Cooper caption of the Arthur M. Anderson. To the US Coast gaurd.
@Melissa Schmidt exactly 16 miles west of Canada's line. I don't understand why they want to lay claim to an American ship, American crew that lost their lives tragically. Is it the cargo that means more to them?
@Melissa Schmidt Wrong. From Wiki- A U.S. Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft, piloted by Lt. George Conner and equipped to detect magnetic anomalies usually associated with submarines, found the wreck on November 14, 1975. Edmund Fitzgerald lay about 15 miles (13 nmi; 24 km) west of Deadman's Cove, Ontario, 17 miles (15 nmi; 27 km) from the entrance to Whitefish Bay to the southeast, in Canadian waters close to the international boundary at a depth of 530 feet (160 m).[50] A further November 14-16 survey by the USCG using a side scan sonar revealed two large objects lying close together on the lake floor. The U.S. Navy also contracted Seaward, Inc., to conduct a second survey between November 22 and 25.[68]
I have to say, that was pretty interesting. "Coming back from some Mill in Wisconsin (I live in Milwaukee Wisconsin)! I cant imagine what the crew must have felt knowing they were about to die. That no help was coming. The water to cold to survive in. May you all rest in peace!
Jim Burow They had to know they were going to die! The ship was taking on water. There were 30 foot waves crashing down on them. I firmly believe that they rode one of those big waves and they came crashing down and they just drove down to the bottom of the lake. That’s why there was no debris, nobody floating in the water. Yeah, I think they all had that sick feeling inside them that they were going to die. A truly horrific experience they all must’ve been going through. Knowing they were never going to see their loved ones their children again. I was a little boy when this happened.
@@jimburow706 I remember hearing somewhere that during one of the last dives to the Fitzgerald wreck site, a remote submersible was sent into the pilot house, and it was discovered that the Chadburn (the lever used to send messages to the engine room) was in the STOP position, one of the pilot house doors was latched open, and the general alarm button on the main console had been depressed. Does make you wonder if the captain realized they were about to go down and sounded the order to abandon ship, but it happened so quickly that they never got out a distress call.
A powerful beautiful presentation. Although a tragedy at the time this gives those who have not been on the high seas in a storm some inkling of the love the mariner has for the open water. Thank you a blessing for those who went down with the Edmund Fitzgerald. the music.... beautiful
I agree 100%...but the family members probably won't allow it... ut it sure would be great to have a movie made about it. I love Gordon litefoot...when I heard this particular song for the first time it brought tears to my eyes..he tells the story so vividly..the song Kevin used was absolutely beautiful I have it in my playlist...Gordon's song too.
Wow!! Incredible simulation of what may have happened! Love the music, very haunting! Especially when the Fitz goes under, it goes quiet. Awesome film making here! Who ever did this put something together that's just a love story shy of being James Cameron worthy!
What mostly likely happened to the Eddie Fitz was that she hoggled on a shoal and started to take on heavy amounts of water. In addition, the open vents allowed more water to enter the cargo hold. The Fitzgerald gradually sat lower and lower in the water. The continuous waves weakened her middle section. A rogue wave mostly likely hit her from the front, a phenomenon commonly reported on the Great Lakes is called the Sisters in which three rogue waves 35-50 feet high strike a ship in rapid succession. This most likely struck the Fitzgerald in her bow, the weight pulling her down. Her bow flooded and took a dive. She sank nearly to the bottom, the force of the water imploded her middle section. Her bow hit the bottom and her stern separated and capzized.
Very interesting. This is a very nice job, Kevin. I realize it's difficult to make this completely realistic, but I think the important question is whether the size of the seas are accurate? I think seeing how a hull of her size and weight responds to seas of the correct size, would be very helpful to observe. The official (and many unofficial) stories say that she initially grounded on a shoal off Caribou Island, which cracked the hull, allowing water to enter for over an hour, causing her to ride lower in the water. Captain McSorley was running his pumps, suggesting that they knew they were taking on water. As she turned more and more southward in her run for the safety Whitefish Bay, she was pounded by huge following seas kicked up by 75 mph winds from the NNW. These seas lifted her stern to a high enough angle that the tons of water allowed in by the crack to essentially rush forward. This shifted her center of gravity forward, pushing her bow down to a point where the cargo also shifted forward. These two factors created enough of a shift in balance that her bow finally lost buoyancy and dove to the bottom at a 45-degree angle. When her bow struck the bottom, the stern simply snapped off, rotating and eventually coming to rest nearby. The speed of these last events are why there was no distress call, and why none of the lifeboats were deployed. The crew had essentially no warning. They were sailing along (albeit in a horrific storm), and then in the blink of an eye, they weren't. Viewers should keep this in mind. And Kevin: If you can show a loss of freeboard as she took on water, and how this would have affected her handling in those huge seas, that would be really interesting. Thank you for posting! Nice work!
Dave Thompson The USCG's official report is that the hatch clamps weren't fully secured. I think it hit a shoal. The chart they were using showed Caribou Shoal a mile off it's actual location. She also had her radar mast destroyed and was speaking by radio with the Arthur Anderson and relying on them for their own coordinates. At the same time, whitefish point light was down because of the storm and no working generator backup.
Ringkingpin: I know the story and the investigation very well, and you are correct. I only dispute the finding that "loose hatch covers" caused the sinking. I believe the vast majority of the water came in through a cracked hull after she struck the shoal.
Dave Thompson Yes, I agree with you, I don't think it was hatch covers. The covers alone weighed nearly 8,000lbs! I didn't know this until after watching the documentary but I agree that the coast guards "official" findings were incorrect.
Back in the 90s, I ordered a copy of the official Coast Guard report, and I spent hours in the Milwaukee Public Library researching media coverage, detailed weather forecasts and reports from 11/8/75 through 11/11/75. I also read the "minority report" from the investigation. Based on all of that research, I came to the conclusion that because of the huge seas that day, the poorly marked shoal off Caribou Island, and the overfull load the ship was carrying, the most likely scenario is that she bottomed on the shoal and began taking on water from that point forward. It's the most realistic conclusion f you ask me. A decent sized hole ripped in the hull could have easily let the hundreds of thousands of water in -- especially since it went unnoticed until the ship went down. I'm certain that Captain McSorley would have at LEAST reported to the Andersen that he had lost a hatch cover. This is also realistic if you conclude that a rogue wave hit her from behind. This could have caused both the cargo and the water in the hold to rapidly shift forward, creating a bow down attitude that could have driven her straight to the bottom. The heavy stern section would have only been supported by the relatively weak walls of the steel cargo hold. The weight and the momentum could have torn the stern from the bow and center section. That's my conclusion.
I've been showing this to my students for the past couple years. Very engaging. Who ever is complaining, post your computer generated model for everyone to judge and we'll check it out, too.
Great simulation with the program you had to work with. With some imagination it's possible to get a feel for the dreadful rolling of the EF laying so low in the water with 26,000 tons of ore pellets rolling around inside her like marbles ... It must have been incredibly terrifying for the 29 crew who didn't survive. I feel for their families who will never bury their loved ones nor visit their graves. RIP EF crew.
I always knew Lake Superior was big...but didn’t realize just how big until I saw its shape superimposed over the Mid-Atlantic seaboard states. Really puts it into perspective. It’s length reaches from Boston to Washington DC, width from the Jersey coast to 1/3 of the way across Pennsylvania, covering all of New Jersey, New York State, Delaware, and at least 2/3 of Maryland. That is one big lake!
I can't imagine being in that wheel house as it dove under and came back up over and over except that last dive and realizing she wasn't coming back up this time. Such a helpless situation and at the total mercy of the weather and the strength of the over loaded boat
I personally loaded the Arthur Anderson MANY times in the 90’s/early 2k’s and got to know the crew fairly well (along with logistics ppl of Oglebay Norton) but the Fitz was well before my time. Much respect and reverence for this fine men. RIP ✝️
I have camped and swam many times in whitefish bay and always feel eerie knowing the Fitz is just under the same water I am swimming. I truly believe it sank extremely fast went down once and never came back up.
@@terabytetv803 me personally I think her hull may have hit the bottom and started a chain of events that caused her to split in two before they sank completely, given that the pieces were quite some distance from one another. I think the stern section sank first followed by the bow section shortly after. That's just my personal opinion on the matter though.
Kevin Wright saw that man in concert, even at about 75 (when I saw him) he has a great singing voice. It’s a beaut of a song and it is one of my favourite ballad.
collengineer Thank you I didn t know that this Lake so big waves has as the See.Why? I am living in Luzern /Switzerland and we have the biggest Shiptsflotte from Europe because we have a big Lake.Sometimes it happens storms in another lakes between the Mountains .It is due an atmosferic fenomen that calls "Föhn".Wind that comes from the Mountains. Bye
One of the theories, that I think happened was the waves hit just right and actually snapped the ship in half on the surface. This is why it went down so fast they didnt even have time to yell something over the radio. The ship is in half on the bottom, but no one knows if it happened first or after it went under. Either way, whatever happened was incredibly violent and fast.
Even though I never saw the edmund fitzgerald it's way more cooler than the titanic, I love this video, I will subscribe to you because I just love love love the edmund fitzgerald so much, eek, in memory of the edmund fitzgerald, may it rest with its 29 men in the bottom of the icy cold death superior lake
I believe if the Captain took his normal route to whitefish point they would have made it. Going way north and along the Island took a lot of time and its also possible they hit bottom by the Island and that's when the chain railing broke.
My dad Gerald R Lange was captain of the Fitz for a few years. He had to get off for Medical Reasons and that is why McSorley was there. My dad was so sad when the fitz sunk. Kevin thank you for this video, it brought back many memories of my dad and the Fitz and my brother and I taking trips on her.
This article above is under my husband's name but I'm Toni L Lange/Eral
Wow, very interesting, and anytime, glad you loved the video and i'm sure your dad commanded the ship well!
@@gingerdog1958
Wow, Toni ... I would LOVE to hear what you or your dad thought about the mystery of the EF .. How or why you/he thought it went down? I didn't and still don't believe the theory that the hatch covers weren't dogged down properly. That theory too conveniently places the blame directly on the men and gives the company an easy escape route, instead of owning up to putting the EF through years of abusive stresses with overloading, and having to continually re-weld her keel to the keelsons every couple of years... It's said that her 'skin was too big for her'. The EF wasn't without flaws - in fact McSorley even said the ship scared him at times when she did "this wriggling thing". He wasn't just referring to normal hog and sag, but to an abnormal twist from bow to stern as well. One possibility that had crossed my mind is that perhaps the two forwardmost hatch covers (the two directly behind the pilot house) did cave inwards as you can see in some photos of the wreck ... the hatch covers on both of those 2 hatches are INSIDE the hull, and are beaten into 'V' shapes. Water has incredible power and can do equally incredible damage - just one cubic metre (1m3) weighs a full metric ton, and Cptn of the Anderson (Bernie Cooper ) said those two 35' rollers that hit his boat and would have to catch up on the rear of the EF too ... They could easily have smashed them in. But that still would have taken SOME time to fill with water, enough to give them time to send out a distress call..but there was none. Cooper said they were two of the biggest seas he'd ever seen, but that the Anderson's buoyancy meant it could shake off those rollers "like a shaggy old dog". However, he believes that the EF could not. The EF was listing heavily, and riding so low in the water. It was taking 4 hours for the old girl to sink after McSorley noticed at 3:10pm that his railing was down, and she already had a prominent list to starboard - both indications of catastrophic hull damage. I believe Captain Cooper's assessment of the situation .. that she either suffered a stress fracture or that she'd bottomed out on Six Fathom Shoal. Either way she was sinking from that moment on due to hull damage. McSorley's maps were 100 yrs old and marked the shoal one mile further to the East than they actually were - and he was sailing blind in whiteout conditions, and Cptn Cooper said he could see the EF on his own working radar far too close to the Shoals. He said she was practically right on top of it. (please note that I'm aware that Six Fathom Shoals as well as the upturned 200' section of the stern were examined for signs of it bottoming out - but the damage of such an occurrence may well be hidden deep in the mud on the remaining 529' feet of the wreck which can never be examined). But by the time those two 35' rollers Cptn Cooper spoke of caught up to the EF from behind, and with her riding so low in the water, they would have rolled right up her spar deck, perhaps smashing those two hatches inwards when thousands of metric tons of water were forced back onto them off the pilot house .. and without buoyancy to shake it off as the Anderson had, it very likely pushed the bow under one final time, sending the EF into an unrecoverable nose-dive - straight into the rocky bottom of the Big Lake some 530' below - in a matter of seconds. And if that were the case, remember that the EF was 200' longer in length than that depth of 530' - so her stern would have been high out of the water while that mighy powerhouse was still spinning that massive 19.5' propeller in mid-air (which might explain why some of the crew of the Anderson said they saw lights for a good 10 seconds where there shouldn't have been any .. ABOVE the horizon in the vicinity of where the EF would have been - as her ass stood 200' out of the water). The weight of the stern hull alone, much less fully loaded, would have done the job of breaking EF off at that level, and the powerhouse which was still driving the propellor & shaft would theorically have provided enough sheer torque to turn it upside down as it broke away - explaining how it was found on the bottom - and also explains the piles of taconite between the upturned aft section, and the damage to the bow where it ploughed into the rock lake bed.
There's a few theories, and of course no one knows which is the correct one - because we weren't there. But Bernie Cooper was, and I both respect and trust his judgement and his vast experience. He also said it was sudden, and catastrophic. But I'd still like to hear yours and your father's points of view on plausible possibilities - or from anyone else who personally KNEW the EF (i.e. actually sailed on her as a crew member).
Either way, however it actually happened, it was a terrible tragedy and an awful way for 29 brave sailors to die..although I do believe it was over very quickly for all, particularly those in the bow section..they would have had only a split second of understanding.. a mere second or two of recognition that they weren't coming up again this time - although we know that someone even made it to the door of the pilot house because it was, and still is, opened. But a split moment later the freezing water would have burst through every window in the pilot house as the pressure rapidly increased as it plunged to the bottom..and I doubt that anyone would have suffered another moment after the first 150 feet of descent at that pressure, and and that speed. I know it's dreadful to think about - and it would have been horrific for all those who realised that they weren't coming back up this time. But I hope that loved ones can take solace in the knowledge that it was very quick.
So, as we approach yet another anniversary of those lost..I do sincerely feel so very sad for the families and friends who all lost so much on 10th November 1975 - and for those who lost everything. May each one rest in eternal peace. Amen.
It's been a while so I hope you get this notification : )
VERY COOL👍my dad was friends with Ernie McSorley. Obviously he was VERY UPSET when the MIGHTY FITZ went down. THE GAILS OF NOVEMBER CAME EARLY. R.I.P. Capt & Crew🙏🙏🙏🙏😔😔😔
Charles Earl i would like you to read my post and just tell me what you think,happened,good post,,,D
I get a really eerie feeling watching this. I can't imagine how terrifying it was to be on the Edmund in its final moments
@RoyKidman3
I don't think that any pun was intended. But well spotted
I work on sportfishing boats and my stomach sank watching that. No pun intended.
@RoyKidman3 not lake erie, he ment eerie like as in, spooly and mysterious
@@danielfletcher1595 exactly sheesh😩
For the record, it is almost certain after recent surveys that it did NOT break apart on the surface, but took on a lot of water and dove down at a steep angle at full power. The bow made a 250 foot trench before being stopped at which time the ship collapsed onto itself, so this video turned out to be almost certainly correct. The music in this video is absolutely beautiful, I've always loved scandinavian singing voices.
I agree the Fitz didn't break up at the surface..if she would have broken up at the surface..McSorley would have had time to call for a mayday call from both radios..the one right next to him or the emergency battery powered radio a few steps away.
She struck the bottom alright but she was going full speed..McSorley told the Anderson she was checking down...but the Fitz did hit bottom and break...the plow marks on the bottom and her bow is roughly 26 feet in the mud proves she did.
@@insertnamehere313As the bow plowed into the bottom, the aft was possibly still above the surface. The torque caused by the twisting of the hull as the bow hit bottom caused torque which caused the hull to separate into two parts, and the stern to land upside-down.
@@David-lx4yb Agreed.
It sank because all the bulkheads weren't tightened down properly from what I understand.
@@The1966dolphins They came to the conclusion that it wasn't from the hatches.
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
Robert Austin the searchers all say they’d of made whitefish bay if they put fifteen more miles behind her.
Robert Austin.....
The most haunting lines of Mr. Lightfoot's very poignant song.
I have that tatted on my left arm 32 btw love ships to death
@@daddydeadlo9675
I am not a fan of tattoos for myself(to each his or her own), but I think the fact that you have those lines memorialized on your arm is cool.
Anyone who has been in heavy seas with the boat flexing in the swells understands fully what that means.
Thank you for the simulation. My husband and I had a friend that went down on the Edmund Fitzgerald, and it has haunted me ever since. I've read a lot of the comments, negatively criticizing, and to them I say, we should all probably be grateful the simulation isn't 100% realistic; if that ship tossed and twisted apart, many of the crew had probably already perished long before it sank. God bless each of the crew and their families.
Thank you for that and wow, I bet it does haunt you. :(
Hi Susan. My prayers and condolences go out to you and your friend and his family.
Susan Celmer I love the Fitzgerald because I was 15 when she went down I love her so much she was the best one out here so if you are happy for her same me or say go Fitzgerald ok 😭😢😞😞
Who was your friend?
I was in attendance at Mich Tech, and I heard that the Mighty Mac was closed. (10/9) A journey home for Thanksgiving, instead of being a 500 mile journey, now became a 700 mile trek, down through Chicago, then Gary IN, then home, should the bridge remain closed. Thanksgiving barely a half month away. The next mourning I heard of the terror 29 contemporaries of mine experienced till their DEATH!
Very cool simulator, gives a whole new perspective of what it may have been like at that moment. A couple years ago I was on vacation watching boats come off Superior in Duluth MN, and to my amazement one the ships coming in to reload was the Arthur M Anderson, I could not believe my eyes that I would be at that place and time to see the survivor ship of that fateful trip.
The Arthur M. Anderson was only a few miles away from the Edmund Fitzgerald. Her good fortune came in that her somewhat more shielded position adjacent to Whitefish Bay caused Superior's waves to be lower and less destructive where she was at.
"The Captain wired in he had water coming in and the good ship and crew was in peril. And later that night when his lights went out of sight came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." G. Lightfoot 1976
I sailed with the chief cook who was on the Arthur Anderson that night.he hated to be in any rough seas .we were on the Joe block .when ever we got into even the usual storms ,he would go down in the engine room with his survival suit and sleep.i guess I'd be scared after that night.
Capt Cooper stated that Mcsorley was closer to 6 fathom shoal than he would have wanted to be in an interview .a simulator doesn't do real justice to the hellish seas both vessels sustained that night .I sailed for 25 years those storms and that kind of sea would put the fear of God into you real quick believe me .
@@MrAndyBearJr the Anderson was 1o miles ahead of the Fitz.
Cant imagine the feelings in the pilothouse when she was up out of the water on those monster waves and the bow would plow down into a oncoming 30 ft wave and the entire pilothouse would be underwater with the crew whiteknuckled at the helm praying it came back up. God almighty they must have been terrified beyong belief.
I get anxiety just watching this, but to have been there... Unbelievable. Like you said, just waiting to come back up out of the waves and that awful feeling in the pit of your stomach when you realize you're not going to... Just so sad.
@@railsofthenorthland1181 there wasn't a song written about any other Great Lakes tragedy. That's really the only reason people remember the Fitzgerald.
@@jacksonlarson6099 it's easy to misinterpret a person's words when in person, more or less over the internet. With that said, yes the song helped to draw attention to the deadliness of the Great Lakes, however it isn't the only or main reason. Have a nice day!
:'-(
@@railsofthenorthland1181 Michigander here, and I have never heard of the "great lakes 'white hurricane' of 1913". Went and read about it on google. Thanks for teaching me something new today!
Scariest part to remember that this was on a Lake and not the ocean... Pretty friggin scary how big the storms can get on those Great Lakes.
I have worked jobs with many horrible conditions...but the courage and steadfastness of the men who do this kind of work is almost beyond comprehension. My thanks and appreciation to you all.
This left me feeling depressed 😫🙏🏼
Those poor men who lost their lives in such a cold and tragic manner is bone chilling !
You heard of the titanic
Yes, & 1,500 people died with the Titanic. What's worse is that 1: it didn't have to happen (poor design, shoddy materials, a power hungry manager & a captain wanting to go out with a bang caused Titanic's demise. 2: it was mostly crew & the poor who died with Titanic.
3: Titanic's death could have been prevented.
4: you NEVER say "God himself couldn't"....anything.
5: the Fitz guys was too heavily loaded for such bad weather.
6: They should've not tried to "make White Fish" in that weather.
7: this song is a thinly veiled RIP off of Celine Dion's song, "My Heart Will Go On". Sheesh...this woulda been better with the song actually written for & titled for The Fitz.
Ginger Peters 1503 died on the titanic
9000 died on the Wilhelm Gustloff
And how many poor souls had their fate sealed on the bulk carrier? A type of freighter, obviously they don’t carry passengers, it’s all cargo and crew.
What I wonder is:Do these ships still go out there in November?Are they better equipped?If it is so dangerous to go out there in November (obviously it is)why not do it a month earlier when the water is not that turbulent?
Thunderbird, why shouldn't she voice her viewpoint. Got a problem logic? Personally, I agree with everything she said.
This video gives me chills. I can’t even imagine how terrifying it must have been for those 29 crew members. I wonder if they were all together in the same part of the ship when EF went down. The song that goes with this video is haunting. Gordon Lightfoot’s song about the wreck always makes me sad, but this video sure puts it in a different perspective. Thanks for sharing it!
You would have had men in the bow section in the front, and you would have had men in the very rear of the boat in the engineering and engine room sections.
@@richardbullwood5941 another thing also, if she did hit a rouge wave the nose would have been at the bottom while the stern was still out of water.
I can almost hear the last cries for help from the 29 crew members, as they were swallowed by the lake before they knew what hit them. After reading about the Fitz for years, I’ve concluded she went under within seconds, the force of the water so powerful, it ripped the stern clean off. Aside from the bridge crew, I’d estimate that all the crew were still alive when the ship hit the bottom. There’s no way she could have filled with water that fast, but her massive displacement combined with her cargo of iron ore made her sink like a stone once one of the hatches was blown open (or forced open). As you can tell from my name, I live in Toronto, I was born here in 1968, I had left my entire life here on the shores of Lake Ontario, and I’ve been to every great lake as they are all interconnected, and I’ve seen how incredibly fast these storms can seemingly come out of nowhere. I mentioned this once before in another video, but a dear friend of mine always dreamed of owning his own yacht, to sail the worlds oceans, and make it his permanent home. So, after finishing medical school (he worked 3 jobs to pay for it), he saved every penny he could, always keeping his dream alive. Finally, after 20 years of working practically every day, doing 12 hour shifts (not just for his dream, but for his other passion of helping the sick and injured, a very dedicated physician), never splurging on anything, he had saved up over $2 million to have his dream become a reality. He designed it himself, and had a very reputable company build it to his specifications. She was absolutely beautiful, with every luxury and refinement you could imagine…and keep in mind, we grew up together, in near poverty, he truly deserved everything he had. I was one of the lucky few he invited for her maiden voyage from Toronto, down the St. Lawrence seaway, to the Atlantic ocean, and then down to Miami. That was the plan, but that wasn’t natures plan. He waiting for the perfect weather, not a cloud in the sky, and a perfectly clear and sunny forecast in July, but is anyone who’s ever lived on the great lakes knows, incredibly violent thunderstorms can appear out of nowhere, and cause immense damage on shore, or on the water. We were only 10 km away from Toronto when this black cloud suddenly appeared as if it was magic, moments before it was hot and sunny, and all the sudden we’re facing black and green clouds, all the calling cards of a vicious storm, or possibly tornadic conditions. She was over 120 feet long, eight decks, capable I’m doing 45 knots, and accommodating up to 100 people, and because it was her maiden voyage, they were actually a few more than that. It seems that it took only seconds for calm water to become whitecaps mountains of water, the Coast Guard estimated they were at least 30 feet high. Luckily we had a very experienced crew a board, that my friend had hired to sail his yacht, so he could truly enjoy the trip with his friends and family aboard (he is a fully licensed captain, with credentials that allow him to navigate any size ship anywhere in the world). The crew he hired immediately headed for shore, but when you have 30 foot waves crashing against the hull, and winds in excess of 100km/h, it was a terrifying ride back. It did extensive damage to hid brand new ship…we all felt so bad for him, because he worked so hard for this, sacrificing everything for over a decades, but I think we were all just grateful to have survived, as the same storm sunk two other ships in the region more then 3 times the size of his boat. At one point, the entire ship was completed underwater, and I thought we were all as good as dead, but thankfully, every hatch , every door, and every conceivable weakness, was built to be water tight. Almost every window was smashed to pieces by the waves, but he had watertight doors behind every single window, essentially turning it into a temporary submarine! I’d never been that terrified in my life..I actually found myself crying like a little kid from fear, certain we were doomed..if only Mike would have told us he designed his ship to survive anything, it wouldn’t have been as scary, but he was too busy on then ridge helping/instructing his hired crew. Not sure of it was the ship, the crew, or Mike that saved our lives that day, but I very quickly developed an entirely new respect for the open water, be it the ocean, or the Great Lakes. Amazingly, no one was seriously hurt, as he had chairs all throughout the ship with 5 point restraints (now I know why). In total, the storm cause over $500k in damages to his brand new toy, but the insurance covered all of it, and one fixed, we finally got the chance to get back out there, and sailed right into the port of Miami. Bottom line? NEVER TURN YOUR BACK ON THE WATER, and ALWASY have a great deal of respect for it…we were so lucky that day, but sadly, the other ships I mentioned earlier lost a total of 11 crew members to the gales of Lake Ontario.may god be with them, and their families 😰
Wonderful story my friend,,and now I know um nuts for taking my 24ft deep v fiberglass to Ontario lake back in 1995 but I did diligence in having the best radar and weather reporting devices at the time and would never go out unless it was nice and sunny 🌞 with seas no bigger than 4ft I grew up in Massachusetts coastal waters and know what its like to try to outrun a violent storm in a single inboard boat that can only travel at 40 knots and the storm behind you is comming up your back at 60knots and your 50 miles offshore pushing your old boat for all shes worth hoping the glass hull dont split on the next breaker 😀 👍 ahhhh what it was like to be fearless and young ,,or was it the beer,lol, boats are a Richman game nowadays, so I just stick with my little 24 footers and the many lakes of nh and just pretend um on the ocean my family is to precious to me to risk there lives on the ocean nowadays in a old boat,
Wow,that is some story....thank you.
The stories that really hit me when I was younger and then later on when I met older men who were in the Navy was in WW2 during the war in the Pacific during gales and typhoons.
The sailors exploits of being on destroyers and DE's,destroyer escorts during these storms.
I really don't understand how these class ships stayed afloat in these seas.
I built every battleship,carrier,cruiser,destroyer,sub in the Revel, Lindgerg,Hasengawa,Monogram,Tamaya lines and the beams and keels on destroyers and DE's were not wide.
Halseys Third Fleet got tons of damage from a typhoon.
Takes exceptional men to go through this on board.
Geez....I've been thru some rough seas fishing off the Jersey Shore and Cape Hatteras....but NOTHING like you're story.
@@rebelbaron7003 wow, impressive background! I always knew storms can hit pretty fast on the Great Lakes, but the one I mentioned took everyone by surprise. Normally, we get enough warning to get to shore before the worst hits, but this was just plain bizarre! I’m not exaggerating when I say it just came out of nowhere. After we got back to shore and my friend contacted his insurance company to get his yacht fixed, they contacted environment Canada, specifically the department that watches the great lakes, and even they were taken off guard by the storm. It apparently broke a record, and as far as I know still holds that record to this day. I will never ever forget that day as long as I live, it truly scared the hell out of all of us, but we are just so grateful that we made it back, because for a while there, I didn’t think we would. I’ve crossed the Atlantic in the middle of a gale with winds up to 100 knots. I’m sure you’ve seen the movie “the perfect storm“?, I experienced waves like that in the Atlantic, but that time we were on a huge cruise ship (but was still damn scary), never in my wildest dreams could I have ever imagined encountering similar conditions on the great lakes, I never knew it was possible to have waves that huge in freshwater, I just pray to God I never experience anything like that ever again.
crazy weather for sure, what name is the vessel
I read your story completely ... it's very interesting. I'm in the Crimea, but the storms we had in January impressed me, I can't imagine your hurricanes on the great lakes. But from the story, I was shocked. Thank you.
You should have Played "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" By Gordon Lightfoot instead.
+_JMS_ _JMS_ I think this is very fitting and hauntingly beautiful. Gordon's is also. What song is this? May these and all other sea dogs rest in peace.
+Tom Boots Sleeping Sun- Nightwish 1999 version
Thank you!
+_JMS_ _JMS_ no, I like this celtic tribute--nice alternative
This isn't Celtic, this is actually a song by the band "Nightwish" the singer's name is Tarja Turunen. She's Finish.
My uncle was a merchant marine for 30 years about and he was on the ship trailing the Edmund Fitzgerald, it was there one moment and the next, just gone.
the arthur m anderson i think
The sea can make you feel small. Puts things in perspective.
@@WilliamJones-Halibut-vq1fs especially when the sea is a lake.
Don't believe everything Wikipedia says, the Anderson wasn't the only boat around the Fitz at the time, there were around 5 boats with in 15 miles of it but the Anderson was only the closest behind by 10 miles. The Anderson only beat the the boat my father was on by 5 mins, they made up the distance by sailing with the northeastern wind after turning around to join the search. My dad's boat left superior 2 days before the Fitz, made it stop and then started journey back to two harbors that night. The life ring that was found was retrieved by my dad's bunk mate and him and even doing that was nearly deadly when his mate fell over board trying to through a line. The cook was also my dad's neighbor in superior.
My neighbor was on that ship too
To add sadness to this terrible tragedy, this was the last trip before retirement for the Captain and Chief Engineer. I still remember the news and the song. R.I.P. all the crew.
Can't imagine how scary that would have been.
Great video. A sad loss of 29 souls on board. I have lost a Grandfather on the lakes around the turn of the century, lost without a trace. To this day, we have no idea what happened to his boat knowing only it was lost with all hands. The big Fitz has always fascinated me. God bless them.
I remember hearing about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on our local channel 7 news out of Detroit on November 10 1975. It was a very said day indeed for the State of Michigan and around the Great Lakes. Rest in Peace the Edmund Fitzgeralds 29 crew members.
Let the church bells chime 29 time for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald! on 10/10/2016
Gary VanDecar
it sank on my 15 the birthday
Gary VanDecar u know that was my fav ship the 29men are still rembered they put ups helluva fight with the storm RIP the 29 men they will be greatly missed
Thank you I never knew it happened the very day I was born
very said
"...And later that night when his light's went outta sight, came the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". RIP, Big Fitz and crew.
"The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy"
I came back to this after a few years, why all the dislikes
The Legend Lives On From The Chippewa On Down, Of The Big Lake They Call Gitche Gumee.
For those who consistently complain about the pitching and rolling of the model, keep in mind this is a computer-generated simulator, not real life. And just so you all know, I am the one who created this particular model. So any blame should fall on me, as the creator. If you wish to address me one-on-one on this subject, please feel free to do so.
Now, to fully address the pitching/rolling issues: The way Vehicle Sim and Virtual Sailor work, though created by the same individual, handle models a bit differently between each other. This same model in Virtual Sailor doesn't pitch/roll as much as in Vehicle Sim. I based the values for the pitch/roll off other similar-sized/weight models that others have created, and work just fine in Virtual Sailor.
Also, it was mentioned that this model is still a BETA copy, meaning this is a pre-release version, which requires more tweaks and more modeling before I call it finished. There were many many hours of research done before I even attempted to create this model. I am aware of it's size and weight and, yes, that it broke in 2 on that horrific night. However, this Sim doesn't allow ships to break in half when sinking. The only way to illustrate that accurately, is through the use of 3D modeling programs like the one I used to create this. It requires careful planning and tweaking, often taking many many hours to illustrate.
Now, for those who didn't post hateful, slamming remarks, I am most grateful! I don't mind critiques of the model IF it's done in a positive way. Constructive criticism is good, in my book.
And for those who like to be trolls and slam the author of this video, I challenge you to do better. Feel free to download my model from my original video posted to my account and do with it what you want. It's free. The file can easily be converted to whichever format you require. If any of you actually are 3D modeling experts and would like to create an animation with the correct pitch/roll and/or sinking, please do so and post it in reply to my original video. Just keep in mind, if any of it is abusive or inappropriate, I will report your post to the youtube webmasters.
In defense of Kevin Wright, with the limited tools available to him, I think this is a great tribute to the 29 men who lost their lives that November night. Thanks for downloading the model and creating this video. Your video has way more views than my original one, to which I give you credit for! Take care, everyone, and God bless the 29 men of the Edmund Fitzgerald and their families.
Did you create a 3D model of the E. Fitzgerald?
Then why make the damn thing?
Well...I sure enjoyed it. It seemed to make the gradual build up and swamping seem quite realistic. I remember a trip we took to the Isle Royale across Lake Superior from Copper Harbor MI that started out quite easy and half way out we were in major waves and tornado could be seen off in the distance. There were waves breaking over the side of our ferry and getting inside. People were puking and scared. I think the people criticizing it here are a little bombastic, and think it should look like some sort of Hollywood movie.Very good job, IMHO.
Awesome recreation, you are an extremely gifted artist!!
anyone complaining about the pitching and rolling has never been in a heavily loaded, slow moving boat in rough water. Personally I think the simulation was great. I remember listening to this song on the school bus when I was seven years old. To the brave crew, RIP. Condolences to the families and friends.
Such realized finality when Gordon Lightfoot sings
"Fellows it's been good to know ya." 😥
Must have been terrifying.
Jeff Fraley Ole Cookie had a way with words.
Even though I'm not a sailor and I'm only 12 years old.
I salute the 29 brave souls that perised that night . May they all rest in peace and let's celabrate their lives.
Your 16 now.
How are you doing? I'm currently trying to come merchant marine myself
I thought this ship broke in two like the titanic. Pretty sure I saw underwater documentary that showed that.
It did, but this is just a rough simulation.
It did not split on the surface like the titanic.
Stigmatrix like at 7:30? I’d imagine that should have torn the ship in half right there.
I believe it broke in half when the bow was touching the bottom cause of all the stress.
You might be thinking of the Bradley?
Hey everyone how bout u just sit back and enjoy it this guy made this on a simulator it ain't like he had a huge budget to make it very realistic I thought it was pretty cool all things considered
tommy gray
"Enjoy" is the wrong word. So so tragic!!!
No offense
Very sad story. Haunting.
This is no where close to accurate. This is a boat riding waves and falling into water while a shit song plays in the background
@@jackwilliams303 ? Well, it's certainly not the exact experience of being a live human being stuck in a ship during a raging storm, being battered about, remembering loved ones, being drenched, confused, unconscious, praying, focusing solely on tasks at hand, or whatever people were doing by the time the waves were dwarfing their vessel- but the title does mention "simulation." If you have something in mind that hasn't been done, but which you feel would do the subject greater justice, I'd say, Go for it! (This is a year later, so maybe you already have!) ~ OR: Were you one of the Survivors? You were, weren't you- and that's why you're angry about this. My apologies for not acknowledging the obvious.
@@jackwilliams303 LOL
@@jackwilliams303 uh shit song ur far off this song is so beautiful to listen to and just because its not excactly about the Fitzgerald doesn't mean u can call it shit so calm urself
My father-in-law was sailing on the Anderson as a 1st Engineer. Two boats went out that night Anderson and the Fitzgerald. very worried until we got word. Our prayers as a family go out to those lost on the Fitzgerald. My father-in-law knew some of the crew. God Bless them all!
Harry Kubarek sorry for his loss we may never know what hapned but the lives will be know 29 men😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 the titanic of the grat lakes
Please tell your father in law thank you for going back out to search for the Edmund Fitzgerald even after making it through that violent storm a first time...😔💗
God Bless all of the men who risked their own lives and went out in that storm to search for the Edmund Fitzgerald even though it had already gone down and no one survived...😔💗
What does your father in law remember the most about that night??
My uncle went down on the Ocean Ranger in Newfoundland. These videos give me chills.
Sorry to hear that. RIP to your uncle. 🙁
It had would have been tragic for the crew of "the fitz" to be sinking and know that there would be no rescue, and yet you can see the lights of the shore not very far away.
Salvation so near and yet, it was not to be.
A salute to the Great Lakes sailors! How many cars I've driven that you guys moved the material to manufacture I don't really know... but we couldn't have done it without you!
Thanks for creating and posting this video. I used to teach SCUBA diving in the Twin Saults, and the story of this boat's sinking was always a feature of both the Open Water, and the Wreck Diver courses. I wish I'd had this video to show my classes at the time. It really drives home the idea that most shipwrecks are actually graves, and should be treated as such. Again, many thanks.
THank you for creating this simulation. It has really helped me get a feeling of what the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald the Hero's that operated that ship went through during that final voyage. I now understand better how quickly such a ship would sink. There was no way for them to abandon ship. The ship was just to big and too heavy. All the power all the steel all the greatest construction they can build can never defeat mother nature.
I've read a lot about the Edmund Fitzgerald. I've watched a lot of documentaries. I've fished the shipping channels and seen the ships. I've been to Whitefish Point.
But this animation gives me high anxiety. Seriously, while watching it. I know the rendering is not exact, but it still gives a visual perspective of what kind of conditions the Fitzgerald went through when she sank.
Lake Superior is also the deepest of the Great Lakes at 1,335 feet and averages approx 500 feet deep. It is an extremely cold lake and the Northeastern winds in Fall with the rain and wind have caused many shipwrecks in this lake. Approximately 750 ship wrecks!!!...Rest in Peace to the entire crew on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
This is the most frightening animation that I have ever seen and that music was beyond haunting...Gordon would totally approve of that music....but that animation would break his heart.... awesome Kevin!
+Al Mason very very well done. the music goes very well with the video. scary indeed, no Gordon Lightfoot Needed.
I was raised in New England, with the cold, fierce, black-deep waters of the North Atlantic crashing off the coast. Until I studied up on the Edmund Fitzgerald and what happened to her, I always thought that fresh water lake storms and waves were nothing compared to what went on on the salt seas. I had no idea things got that fierce or deadly in the relatively shallow waters of the Great Lakes. I've since changed my tune. How terrifying for those crew members. I wonder if they knew they were going to die.
One always knows death arrives, in a disaster. And a disaster, it was! The TERROR!
I think in the waters of the lakes and small seas you can get waves reflecting of the shores thereby increasing the risk of effects like constructive interference - producing massive rogue waves etc ... in the Atlantic there is more "room". I believe places like the North Sea. Irish Sea and Bay of Biscay can also have very bad storms.
P)
BadtemperedandGrumpy
Pop.?
Kevin loves to block out the haters, Good job Kevin as always
My Wife's family lived in Grand Haven. I have had many a vacation to the lower and upper peninsula of Michigan. Been to Mackinac island, Mackinac bridge, the Locks and to White fish bay to the museum. I have seen the bell of the Fitzgerald. I have a lithograph of the Edmund Fitzgerald. That I bought there. Also been to Marquette, Michigan too. Michigan is a great state to travel for Vacation! Learned what up bound and down bound meant in shipping terms. Shawn
Wow. Crazy. (And quite frankly it made me seasick just watching it!) Having sailed on the ocean for years and having experienced 20+ knots and decent sized waves in boats no bigger than 40 feet, I am totally blown away at the forces a boat this size must have experienced in winds and waves this size. I found this after searching for more, here on the anniversary of the sinking. Well done.
I know from being a sailor for 14 years and being on the open sea on several deployments and being tossed about always wondering if it could happen like that that rogue wave we all fear and know can happen but a lake that turned to a literal hell for those boys wow this was even tough to watch as a simulator you really felt for the brave crew being tossed about and no where to go.
I thought pulser was the captain before mcsorley
I suspect they all thought they'd be fine; till they knew they wouldn't, then darkness and silence and death - quickly.
Absolutely true words.
I felt as if I were aboard the vessel feeling the intense motion of those brutal waves, well done 👍
Would have been horrific being on that ship. RIP poor souls
Every time I listen to Gordon Lightfoot's song, it sends chills down my spine.
I get chills and I cry
Great sim, however, do something with that soundtrack! I felt like I was on the Fitz with the sim. From one modeler to another, you did a great job! I was on Lake Erie during my honeymoon riding a sight seeing boat when the weather got heavy. There was a young boy who was very scared and he was with his grandmother. SHe was also afraid. My wife and I kept with them until we were back at the dock. Let me tell ya, I'm an experienced boater, but the captain of the boat or the pilot during the heave weather was awesome. You could hear the engine speed up slow down as the screws rose out of the water then back down and the rocking of the boat. My wife and I were frieghtened needless to say too, but comforting a few people on board gave us strength and seeing how the boat was piloted helped too. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ANY BODY OF WATER! It can get nasty very fast and unexpectedly. The rolling and porpoising of the Fitz seemed very genuine in this simulation. Good stuff!
Just imagine this. Massive flooding, radars knocked out, heavy list to port, huge waves crashing down. And in all that chaos a lot of the crew probably relized at the end they were going to die a terrible death
Thank you, it gives some insight into this tragedy and the loss of 29 souls RIP
I have been to the memorial sight in the upper peninsula. For those who have never been to Lake Superior, let me say, it looks threatening. I have been to all the Great Lakes. Superior just looks powerful. If you have never seen the Great Lakes , add to your bucket list. They are beautiful.
The Big Lake called Gitche Gumee truly does NOTt give up her dead!
Lake Superior is sort of like a little Gulf of Mexico; she can be quiet, flat and beautiful, but in just a couple hours she can turn as wicked as any of the world's oceans.
I am a fellow Michigander, and every summer, we go up to the lakes. Recently, we were at Lake Michigan.
Yooper here! If any of y’all come to da U.P. take my advice and take the Glassbottom shipwreck tour. You get to see what a sample of what Gucci Gumme can do. Also has some of the biggest freshwater fish you’ll ever catch
Paul Hauk Exactly, she never pooches up any dead.
cool video you put a lot of work into it thank you. R.I.P the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Really “enjoyed” this, if you can say enjoy. Very emotional-great choice of music. Haunting.Great job!
Don't know how accurate this is but it can't be far off. Absolutely terrifying!
Interesting simulator. I was wondering if Fitz would bottom out like was suspected in the investigation, but the violent tossing would have thrown the load off and caused her to founder. Great work with the simulator! It's something I know I couldn't do! 👍🏻
Thank you! I appreciate your work and the music you chose, it brought me to tears, very powerful song.
🎶🎶🎶❤️
"When we last made contact with him at 1910 7:10 he was coming around the point. He said he was holding his own. He had developed a list his fence rails where down and was missing a vent." Quote of Bernie Cooper caption of the Arthur M. Anderson. To the US Coast gaurd.
Arthur F Anderson: 7:10pm "By the way, how are you making out with your problems??"
Edmund Fitzgerald: "we're holding our own"
The Fitz is Michigan's Titanic
And she lay to rest in Canadian waters.
@@billyboy4797 If you live in Michigan its such a prominent part of our history. I learned about it in 3rd grade as apart of the curriculum
@Melissa Schmidt exactly 16 miles west of Canada's line. I don't understand why they want to lay claim to an American ship, American crew that lost their lives tragically. Is it the cargo that means more to them?
@@Dawnsdelightsart Its classed as a Canadian Shipwreck so. Not sure why you're so butthurt.
@Melissa Schmidt Wrong. From Wiki- A U.S. Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft, piloted by Lt. George Conner and equipped to detect magnetic anomalies usually associated with submarines, found the wreck on November 14, 1975. Edmund Fitzgerald lay about 15 miles (13 nmi; 24 km) west of Deadman's Cove, Ontario, 17 miles (15 nmi; 27 km) from the entrance to Whitefish Bay to the southeast, in Canadian waters close to the international boundary at a depth of 530 feet (160 m).[50] A further November 14-16 survey by the USCG using a side scan sonar revealed two large objects lying close together on the lake floor. The U.S. Navy also contracted Seaward, Inc., to conduct a second survey between November 22 and 25.[68]
I have to say, that was pretty interesting. "Coming back from some Mill in Wisconsin (I live in Milwaukee Wisconsin)! I cant imagine what the crew must have felt knowing they were about to die. That no help was coming. The water to cold to survive in. May you all rest in peace!
Do you think they knew? I always wondered since there was no distress call.
Jim Burow They had to know they were going to die! The ship was taking on water. There were 30 foot waves crashing down on them. I firmly believe that they rode one of those big waves and they came crashing down and they just drove down to the bottom of the lake. That’s why there was no debris, nobody floating in the water. Yeah, I think they all had that sick feeling inside them that they were going to die. A truly horrific experience they all must’ve been going through. Knowing they were never going to see their loved ones their children again. I was a little boy when this happened.
@@jimburow706 I remember hearing somewhere that during one of the last dives to the Fitzgerald wreck site, a remote submersible was sent into the pilot house, and it was discovered that the Chadburn (the lever used to send messages to the engine room) was in the STOP position, one of the pilot house doors was latched open, and the general alarm button on the main console had been depressed. Does make you wonder if the captain realized they were about to go down and sounded the order to abandon ship, but it happened so quickly that they never got out a distress call.
@@lonewolf9390 wow. Had never heard that before
@@jdj946 I was 8 when this happened. I remember hearing The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald every November after that on the radio.
I’m scarred watching a recreation I can’t imagine how the crew felt god rest their souls
i just sometimes listen to the song and think, how scared they were when the ship sank, at least its over now :(
Appreciate you making this for us.
A powerful beautiful presentation.
Although a tragedy at the time this gives those who have not been on the high seas in a storm some inkling of the love the mariner has for the open water.
Thank you a blessing for those who went down with the Edmund Fitzgerald.
the music.... beautiful
They should make a movie about the Fitzgerald. Her and Captain and Crew deserve to have their story told.
THIS.
Tom Hanks as Capt. McSorley?
I agree 100%...but the family members probably won't allow it... ut it sure would be great to have a movie made about it. I love Gordon litefoot...when I heard this particular song for the first time it brought tears to my eyes..he tells the story so vividly..the song Kevin used was absolutely beautiful I have it in my playlist...Gordon's song too.
@@brianmatyas4114 he would make a excellent captain he knows how to take charge..hes a natural at it
Heck yes! They definitely need to make a movie about this and the crew!
I would so watch it!!
Wow!! Incredible simulation of what may have happened! Love the music, very haunting! Especially when the Fitz goes under, it goes quiet. Awesome film making here! Who ever did this put something together that's just a love story shy of being James Cameron worthy!
The horror of this chills my soul. God bless the sailors and their families.
Just wow.. I can't imagine what it was like on that ship when it went down.. May all who were lost rest in peace.
What mostly likely happened to the Eddie Fitz was that she hoggled on a shoal and started to take on heavy amounts of water. In addition, the open vents allowed more water to enter the cargo hold. The Fitzgerald gradually sat lower and lower in the water. The continuous waves weakened her middle section. A rogue wave mostly likely hit her from the front, a phenomenon commonly reported on the Great Lakes is called the Sisters in which three rogue waves 35-50 feet high strike a ship in rapid succession. This most likely struck the Fitzgerald in her bow, the weight pulling her down. Her bow flooded and took a dive. She sank nearly to the bottom, the force of the water imploded her middle section. Her bow hit the bottom and her stern separated and capzized.
The shoals broke her back critically then time took over
very cool. would be neat to see a few of these done based on the 3 or 4 main theories of what happened. thanks for sharing.
for about several second I thought each tip would be the last.
Very interesting. This is a very nice job, Kevin. I realize it's difficult to make this completely realistic, but I think the important question is whether the size of the seas are accurate? I think seeing how a hull of her size and weight responds to seas of the correct size, would be very helpful to observe.
The official (and many unofficial) stories say that she initially grounded on a shoal off Caribou Island, which cracked the hull, allowing water to enter for over an hour, causing her to ride lower in the water. Captain McSorley was running his pumps, suggesting that they knew they were taking on water.
As she turned more and more southward in her run for the safety Whitefish Bay, she was pounded by huge following seas kicked up by 75 mph winds from the NNW. These seas lifted her stern to a high enough angle that the tons of water allowed in by the crack to essentially rush forward. This shifted her center of gravity forward, pushing her bow down to a point where the cargo also shifted forward.
These two factors created enough of a shift in balance that her bow finally lost buoyancy and dove to the bottom at a 45-degree angle. When her bow struck the bottom, the stern simply snapped off, rotating and eventually coming to rest nearby. The speed of these last events are why there was no distress call, and why none of the lifeboats were deployed. The crew had essentially no warning. They were sailing along (albeit in a horrific storm), and then in the blink of an eye, they weren't.
Viewers should keep this in mind. And Kevin: If you can show a loss of freeboard as she took on water, and how this would have affected her handling in those huge seas, that would be really interesting.
Thank you for posting! Nice work!
Dave Thompson The USCG's official report is that the hatch clamps weren't fully secured. I think it hit a shoal. The chart they were using showed Caribou Shoal a mile off it's actual location. She also had her radar mast destroyed and was speaking by radio with the Arthur Anderson and relying on them for their own coordinates. At the same time, whitefish point light was down because of the storm and no working generator backup.
Ringkingpin: I know the story and the investigation very well, and you are correct. I only dispute the finding that "loose hatch covers" caused the sinking. I believe the vast majority of the water came in through a cracked hull after she struck the shoal.
Dave Thompson Yes, I agree with you, I don't think it was hatch covers. The covers alone weighed nearly 8,000lbs! I didn't know this until after watching the documentary but I agree that the coast guards "official" findings were incorrect.
Back in the 90s, I ordered a copy of the official Coast Guard report, and I spent hours in the Milwaukee Public Library researching media coverage, detailed weather forecasts and reports from 11/8/75 through 11/11/75. I also read the "minority report" from the investigation.
Based on all of that research, I came to the conclusion that because of the huge seas that day, the poorly marked shoal off Caribou Island, and the overfull load the ship was carrying, the most likely scenario is that she bottomed on the shoal and began taking on water from that point forward.
It's the most realistic conclusion f you ask me. A decent sized hole ripped in the hull could have easily let the hundreds of thousands of water in -- especially since it went unnoticed until the ship went down. I'm certain that Captain McSorley would have at LEAST reported to the Andersen that he had lost a hatch cover.
This is also realistic if you conclude that a rogue wave hit her from behind. This could have caused both the cargo and the water in the hold to rapidly shift forward, creating a bow down attitude that could have driven her straight to the bottom.
The heavy stern section would have only been supported by the relatively weak walls of the steel cargo hold. The weight and the momentum could have torn the stern from the bow and center section.
That's my conclusion.
Dave Thompson what about the evidence she broke up on the surface?
I've been showing this to my students for the past couple years. Very engaging. Who ever is complaining, post your computer generated model for everyone to judge and we'll check it out, too.
Wow, thank you I truly appreciate it! I'm truly glad that you and your students enjoy this video! :)
Kudos to the hard work that went into your production.
Great simulation with the program you had to work with. With some imagination it's possible to get a feel for the dreadful rolling of the EF laying so low in the water with 26,000 tons of ore pellets rolling around inside her like marbles ... It must have been incredibly terrifying for the 29 crew who didn't survive. I feel for their families who will never bury their loved ones nor visit their graves. RIP EF crew.
I watched one documentary that one of the theories is Edmond Frizgerald was over her limit on the ore pellets.
@@collettekensinger3803
There's many stories about the EF being constantly overloaded. But on the trip when she sank she was carrying 26,116 tons.
That cargo alone weighed more than that ship did when it was empty. It was overloaded.
RIP everyone on the Edmund Fitzgerald😔
I always knew Lake Superior was big...but didn’t realize just how big until I saw its shape superimposed over the Mid-Atlantic seaboard states. Really puts it into perspective. It’s length reaches from Boston to Washington DC, width from the Jersey coast to 1/3 of the way across Pennsylvania, covering all of New Jersey, New York State, Delaware, and at least 2/3 of Maryland. That is one big lake!
Proof you don't need $200 mil. To make an effective display of a tragic event. My mind did the rest. Heartbreaking song. R.I.P.
My step dad sailed on the great lakes as an oiler for a brief time and went aboard the Anderson to visit the cook who was his uncle
very emotional ,powerful music . Gordon Lightfoot great also .
The music choice sounds like it actually fits...it creates almost an eerie feeling as the ship heads into a Lake Superior storm to its doom...
I can't imagine being in that wheel house as it dove under and came back up over and over except that last dive and realizing she wasn't coming back up this time. Such a helpless situation and at the total mercy of the weather and the strength of the over loaded boat
you should have put the edmund fitzgerald music insted of sleeping sun
ikr
Unless its Copy righted
The_Nerd_You_Know :3 :3 :3 it isn't IV seem lots of videos have it
true this is not britannic
What’s the song from anyway? I’ve heard it before over other ship-sinking simulators, so I can only assume it was used in a film about a ship sinking.
Let them rest in peace now
You know there's always going to be some smart I sit out there but I think you did a great job
Very moving simulation; tastefully done. Subscribed. RIP to those lost
29 people died that day sad rip
Holy crap those waves are hugh
Lake Superior is actually very beautiful but also extremely terrifying she doesn’t give up her dead
I personally loaded the Arthur Anderson MANY times in the 90’s/early 2k’s and got to know the crew fairly well (along with logistics ppl of Oglebay Norton) but the Fitz was well before my time. Much respect and reverence for this fine men. RIP ✝️
Always haunts me and how awful it must have been for the crew and how terrible they died. Such a tragedy
The Fitzgerald was ripped in half, it didn't sink whole.
not necessarily. It could have been driven straight to the bottom (it's longer than the depth) and then the boat broke in half.
Andrew Fay wring you thinks it is the tintanc
No, the bow hit the lake floor and the stresses caused the ship to break.
its a simulation not a 100% accurate depiction of the wreck of the edmund fitzgerald.
I have camped and swam many times in whitefish bay and always feel eerie knowing the Fitz is just under the same water I am swimming. I truly believe it sank extremely fast went down once and never came back up.
that is creepy and eerie.
Water.... such an amazing thing... you need it to survive but yet enough of it can just toss any ship like it’s nothing... so sad but great video!
it was interesting but they found the ship in two pieces.
most likely ship simulator doesnt allow such actions to take place sadly.
Well personally I think it snapped after it went underwater.
It couldn’t of had because it was separated father than if it broke underwater
@@terabytetv803 me personally I think her hull may have hit the bottom and started a chain of events that caused her to split in two before they sank completely, given that the pieces were quite some distance from one another. I think the stern section sank first followed by the bow section shortly after. That's just my personal opinion on the matter though.
Why not use the song by light foot? Great vid though
did not think about it at the time.
+Kevin Wright those look like a hurricane west wind waves to me
Kevin Wright saw that man in concert, even at about 75 (when I saw him) he has a great singing voice. It’s a beaut of a song and it is one of my favourite ballad.
collengineer
Thank you
I didn t know that this Lake so big waves has as the See.Why?
I am living in Luzern /Switzerland and we have the biggest Shiptsflotte from Europe because we have a big Lake.Sometimes it happens storms in another lakes between the Mountains .It is due an atmosferic fenomen that calls "Föhn".Wind that comes from the Mountains.
Bye
@@anam.o.schroder4235 looks like an ocean
Great vid, the music is so appropriate for the drama the simulator depicts...
One of the theories, that I think happened was the waves hit just right and actually snapped the ship in half on the surface. This is why it went down so fast they didnt even have time to yell something over the radio. The ship is in half on the bottom, but no one knows if it happened first or after it went under. Either way, whatever happened was incredibly violent and fast.
Anyone familiar with the Fitzgerald storm knows she was in a following sea, not taking waves on her beam and heeling like that.
Even though I never saw the edmund fitzgerald it's way more cooler than the titanic, I love this video, I will subscribe to you because I just love love love the edmund fitzgerald so much, eek, in memory of the edmund fitzgerald, may it rest with its 29 men in the bottom of the icy cold death superior lake
I too love the ship! Heard the song two nights ago and now I'm hooked on it!!
+kameron billins me too
The scale of the depth of the water is pretty good. The Edmund Fitzgerald was 729 feet long and sank in waters to a depth of 530 feet.
I believe if the Captain took his normal route to whitefish point they would have made it. Going way north and along the Island took a lot of time and its also possible they hit bottom by the Island and that's when the chain railing broke.
RIP EDMUND FITZGERALD
It was good, but she broke in half.
Not a the bottom in one piece. Thanks.
Wow. Got my pulse going just imagining the terror.