The Edmund Fitzgerald: A 40 Year Legend
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- Опубліковано 30 жов 2024
- The Edmund Fitzgerald: A 40 Year Legend
There are many theories about what sent the Edmund Fitzgerald and 29 men to the bottom of Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. None of them matter much now to the families and mariners who lost fathers, sons, brothers and friends. We learn more about the men lost, the storm that doomed the ship, and the harrowing effort to find survivors. Using rarely heard recordings from that night, experience the gut-wrenching decisions made by other captains, and see where the legend stands 40 years later.
This documentary was produced by 9&10 News to mark the 40th year of the tragedy. This originally aired on 11-10-2015.
The quote that got me right in the beginning is that these are the men who build America. Not politicians or lawyers, red blooded working class Americans build America. R.I.P. to those great men may they never be forgotten
Damn straight
Great comment, indeed they built the real America
That tore my heart apart ♥️
Made America great.
When men were Men !!!!!
I have been haunted by this story and the hit record since the 70s so brave of Captain Cooper to go back out and search for the Edmund Fitzgerald...respect to him and his men.
you got to give it to the captain and the crew of the anderson even tho they were scared shitless seeing the worst storm in their careers they still turned and searched.
and in one of the calls to the Coast Guard, Bernie said 'I'm gonna try" but it sounded like he was saying "I'm gonna cry"
Agreed. Only true heros would even think about attempting something like that. Poor guys. Had I have been there I would still have nightmares. Have a great/day night guys and gals.
Don't forget about the crew of the William Clay Ford
I think the Anderson was mothballed a year ago? its amazing that it was still in service.
My cousin by marriage was on the fitz. Rip Jim pratt
Never to be forgotten. Gordon Lightfoot made sure of it.
G. Anderson true. The song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald...brought me here! But, really I've been singin' this tune since 8th grade, w/reverence.😔
It's still the largest ship to have sunk in the Great Lakes
Zelda Williams - me, too. It gets no less haunting with age: real people facing their real situations. Sometimes things come out favorably, other times not so much.
His incredible testiment will assure the crew and ship will never be forgotten.
Best folk song ever.
Never forget all these brave men. Our Company lost the München 3 years later nearly in the same way. 28 hands were lost. Till today they don't know we're it lays on the sea bed. The Darbyshire a bulker suffer the same fate. Honour all seamen.
Captian Copper you have brass balls. Rest in peace good sir.
Captain Cooper and his crew had the grace of God to bring them in safely. Thank you for your bravery.
Well said they risked it all to go back and check.
I grew up in SouthWest Michigan. We were taught about the wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald and the crew of 29 all through school. R.I.P.
Same here. I'm from superior Wisconsin
They left Superior WI, at BNSF taconite facility. My dad ended up working for BN for 30 years, his main office that taconite facility. They tore down the dock wheee the fitz loaded, but the pictures in the office are amazing. My grandpa was on the ship.
I still remember when the bell was recovered, it was rang 29 times for all the crew. They will not be forgotten R.I.P.
It was rang 29 times for the crew and a 30th time for all those previously lost in other shipwrecks.
Amazing story, I am a tough burly man, and my eyes well up when I think of this event... Regular men doing their job...heroes
They're not heroes.Men doing a dangerous job who pushed their luck a little too often and it caught up to them.They coulda sat it out and waited but they rolled the dice and lost.You gotta have respect for mother nature cuz she plays no favorites and shows no mercy.Brave men die every day doing dangerous jobs .The edmund crew was no better or worse than any of the men who died doing tough jobs.
Yep, the men on the E.F. were very brave, and had to be even on routine travels.
@@tomwolak3362 Captain Cooper said, "Don't make them martyrs. They were men doing their jobs." But I'm sorry we lost them.
@@tomwolak3362 When you have a dangerous job, you know what your job entails and it does take courage knowing what might happen, especially when you are dealing with Mother nature (like you said). But unfortunately there were only a couple of people who are in charge who have to make the tough decisions. All the others are obligated to follow those decisions, whether they agree with them or not, because that is their job. And it takes courage just knowing that you are at the mercy of natural disasters as well as the decisions that those in charge have to make.
Who are the 38 people who disliked this video! You have no compassion and no heart! You can’t helped to be moved by this ❤️
Linda Wallace - People who dislike everything are trolls. They want people to complain about it.
Linda Wallace I feel like not all of them are trolls for some people death is something that scares them and they don’t like it so maybe this video made them feel uncomfortable
A lot of the down thumbs are from people who don’t enjoy this kind of content and want to influence the algorithm not to send it to them. I don’t think it’s personal... how could it be
@@Vader4Life77 Then they ought not have watched it! It's a video! Man the hell up!
Trolls
(Inspired by "The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald" by Gordon Lightfoot)
'Neath the wind and waves
Are many mariners' graves
Where lost souls forever are buried
On board that great ship
Till the sea loosed each man's grip
Not one of them even seemed worried
But November's tempest
That great vessel did test
None of its crew were survivors
By waves men were tossed
And all hands on deck lost
Their graves one day found by deep sea divers
Not many prevail
'gainst a furious gale
That keeps all the sailors a fearing
Save for a sturdy cape
There could be no escape
From sailors and ships disappearing
She listed to port
And then she came up short
As the lake sought right then to claim her
The crew fought all night
To set the ship right
From the unwelcome waters to drain her
But no matter how they fought
Their efforts were for naught
As there could be only one winner
The bow soon was full
Drawn down by gravity's pull
That spared neither saint nor sinner
It was already too late
When The Anderson's first mate
Phoned the captain of the vessel now sinking
"We're holding our own"
But his fate was unknown
As his ship the sea water was drinking
Brave men met their doom
With their great ship now entombed
On the cruel lake's rocky bottom
Sailors nine and one score
Suddenly were no more
For the witch of November had got 'em
I'm not sure if they prayed
Or what price they would have paid
To see another day dawning
But for them the bell did toll
As they sank in the shoal
While the angry sea was still yawning
It's been forty years
And an ocean of tears
Since that stormy night in November
To those brave men who are gone
We sing this mournful song
But in our hearts we shall always remember
© 2017 - 2018
myp410up beautifully written.
The legend lives on...
How beautiful, thank you.
Woah
@Trey Lewis Thank you so much!
My father spent most of his adult life on the seas and Great Lakes. Fishing as a kid/young adult, a deep sea salvage diver for the army corps of engineers, then later as a tug deckhand. But he was much more than that. He maintained the engines and told the captain how to make the tows (they always asked him how to do this, that, etc) So he was the deckhand, engineer, and captain, unofficially. We lived in SE Michigan, within distance to hear the freighters horns from the Detroit River. He would say "that was the Anderson passing the Cimcoe". He could identify the ships by their horns about a mile away from the Detroit River/McClouth steel plant. I remember one cold November morning, eating my hot cereal next to the heat duct and not wanting to go to 5th grade class. He had this radio he would turn on to some AM station on top of the refrigerator to get the news every morning. He solemnly told me, like he had some compulsion to talk about it and there was nobody around, "the Fitz went down". I didn't realize the significance of that back in 1975, I was more focused on how I could piss my teachers off and stuff like that. So that is the where were you when you heard the news answer. My dad always maintained that the Fitz bottomed out. The first culprit was 6 fathom shoal but if the ore carrier did in fact scrape bottom, it was more likely after passing Caribou shoal. The Fitz reported a starboard list and a fence rail down not long after passing Caribou Island. Yet the upside down stern section shows no evidence of scraping or scratching, and the bow is buried on the bottom. Other stories of having a rotten keel or flawed design circulate. Living in that area (SE Michigan) I knew 2 men that worked at the plant where she was built swear that defective welds were passed off during and after construction. Whatever the case, the ship took on water, either through shoals or stress fractures. With a skin that was too big, those 25-30 foot waves twisted at the "arm" of the ship, and she broke apart like a green stick fracture. Right around the time those 2 50 foot waves that the Anderson reported caught up to the Fitz, she disappeared off radar. So the ship was water logged and slowly sinking, water may have came in through the hatch covers, and those 2 massive waves drove the bow under, so fast that a distress call was not possible.
Thank you for your very interesting story. We might never know the exact reason(s) this ship went down…but this immense tragedy is both intriguing and humbling.
Just goes to show just how dangerous the big lakes can be.
I salute all the people who risk their lives every day working on the great lakes
I’ve heard Skippers that have sailed Freighters on both the Atlantic Ocean & The Great Lakes. Every single one has said the Storms of the Great Lakes are far worse than anything the Atlantic can spew. Because the Atlantic’s all open. You don’t have to worry about a blow back wave the way you do on the Lakes due to just how shallow they are compared to the Ocean. In fact, it’s actually blow back wave after blow back wave after blow back wave over & over again on the Great Lakes during those Storms
I was born & raised in the Sudbury/Manitoulin Island area. I’ve seen what Lake Huron/Georgian Bay can do when she gets angry & it’s nothing I ever want to experience on her when it’s happening. I have the greatest of respect for that Water & also Lake Superior. Even on a gorgeous calm day, Superior is a truly majestic place. The Men who sail these Lakes area are among the bravest of the brave.
May those resting at the bottom of them be at Peace.
Our ship was mortally wounded twice. Coast Guard told us, "NO CHANCE of RESCUE ". I know what it is like to be on a sinking ship. I saw Captain Robert Marshal tied into the Captains Chair for the ride to the bottom. WE had 6 compartments flooded forward. The Bridge was flooded and we were constantly broaching, and going deep. not cresting the waves. The bridge became dark green each time, and more water pored in 40 feet above the waterline. The seas were at 70 feet breaking over the signal bridge..., in an F5 Hurricane. The Captain suggested "we all pray". God, Captain, and crew pulled it off. The USS HARWOOD, DD861 survived the rest of the storm in the eye of the Hurricane, in the summer of 1970 , off the North Coast of Africa.
Rodney Caupp Holy Crap! my hat goes off to you sir Im sure you must have been terrified out of your mind!
I salute you!
Tied to the captains chair?
Sounds like plagarism from a book.
huh? There was plenty of technology back in 1970 to alert ships to stay away from the path of a hurricane. Besides north of Africa? That's the Mediterranean? Hurricanes in the Med? Something sounds fishy with this story.
Though I live 1,000's of miles away from the great Lakes I do remember the night I heard the terrible news of the sinking Edmund Fitzgerald I/we can only imagine what the crew went through that cold night on Nov. 10 1975
R.I.P. ...... The Gordon Lightfoot song brought me here to this video.
We will always remember her and her 29 forever.
Amen!
We were called out to rescue a fishing vessel in a terrible storm. We were a 210 foot Coast Guard cutter. Once we were sea bound I noticed the screw of the ship was coming out of the water whenever we hit a big wave. The bow of the ship was engulfed in water at each that came over. I estimated the seas at 10-20 feet in a wind of at least 90 knots. A huge wave hit our ship from the port side knocking us over on a 90 degree lie. I could reach out of the bridge and feel the ocean water. Then the call went out that there were 4 men overboard. We managed to get a passing merchant ship pick up the crew of the fishing vessel while we stayed and looked for our shipmates. We stayed there 24 hours and never found anything. I'll never forget that night.
This vessel and it's unexplained sudden sinking and breaking into two sections is something I find incredibly fascinating and utterly tragic in equal measure!
The horrific end the crew faced is absolutely nightmarish, and must be truly appalling for their loved ones and fellow Mariners to have to come to terms with.
I can only imagine the devastating effects this had on the crew of her sister ship, following on behind when she suddenly vanished!
Like Titanic, this ship and her 29 crew will never be forgotten, certainly not by me.
Thank you for producing this excellent and memorable video to honour the lost crew and the vessel they called home.
If feel bad for those who lost their lives on the Fitzgerald and of course....their families. The crew of the A Anderson were/are beyond brave and true heros in my eyes. Thank you for this documentary. I had never seen this one before.
All I can do is cry, when I see the men who perished.
It is very sad indeed. They had to face danger and the possibility of natural disasters every time they report for work.
On a side note, my grandmother's maiden name was O'hare.
(Catherine O'hare)
While I never met him, Mark Thomas was a distant cousin of ours. He went down on the Fitz. RIP.
Corey, you did a spectacular job putting this film together. I really enjoyed watching it. It definitely is ( a must see). I hadn't realized that you had as much pictures of the crew as you do. That's great. Now I can put some faces with the names. Thank you for taking so much time to put an A +1 video together. Cheryl
Rian Washington Ikept ship on the Reserve with my Dad, mother & sister many years ago. We kept ship on other boats when I was a little girl. Have a lot of goof memories of it. You would have liked my Dad. I don't think there was anyone he didn't get along. I think of him & the other guys very often. But I was fortunate to visit the site where the boat lies so I could sit & think & pray for them. I was there for the raising of the bell .
cheryl rozman In one of books or something I read about that, they said there were 30 wreaths or something set for the memory of those lost. With only 29 on the ship, was the other one for Captain Cooper?
Cheryl, I've seen your name posted on one of the Yooper Sites. I think you mentioned you were from Hubbell. did you know Ed Chaput, he was from Hubbell and was a crew member the first year the Fitz was launched. My dad knew Mr. Chaput and he later became an Electrician. I have seen Ransom Cundy grave site, our family has many Mehrman's buried their.
@@fallguye6011 - I believe it was for all the sailors lost in all the other shipwrecks.
@@fallguye6011 No. The 30th is for all the other sailors who have died on the lakes.
Thia is the best account of the ship I've seen, and I believe that most if not all of the others are comparatively 'big budget'. I think that this one was done on a much smaller scale, but the content and production are unrivaled -- even though the others, such as the one on History, are fine.
I am from Michigan and I remember when this happened. I was just a kid...7 yrs old. This incident was one of the saddest moments in MI history. I also remember when the ship's bell was finally brought up. That was a heart breaking moment. I don't think that there was any home in MI that was not affected by the loss of the Fitzgerald and her crew. God bless the crew and families.
Painted Diva, Well said, the legend truly lives on. Thank you.
Great documentry and tribute.
Such a sad event. Made me feel very anxious when the capt of the Anderson and the crew member described the waves and the Fitz twisting throught the force.
My friend lost his sister on a ferry sinking on a school trip in 1988.My other friend in the same form/class described the fear he experienced ,still wakes him up in the night now 30odd years.
My pal who lost his sister on the ferry, you cant imagine what he has gon through.
That was extremely heroic of Cooper and crew to try! He was right, if roles were reversed every man onboard would hope the Fitzgerald would have circled about just the same
My God! I cannot believe they asked the Anderson to go back out after they went through the same thing as the Fitzgerald! MUCH credit to the Anderson and crew! The story is so sad! My Great great Grandfather was a lighthouse keeper on the Great Lakes and this happened 17 days after I was born! Michigan and the Great Lakes are a part of me. It is so tragic and makes me very sad
Leah Ottosen I’m not sure the coast guard fully understood he conditions. though they should have perceived them with the captains hesitation to go back out.
Agree with that ludicrous request
I feel so bad for the29 men who died
Tears me up every time ! Every year.
What they fail to focus on in this and all of the documentaries of the Edmund Fitzgerald.. is, the captain of the Andersen asked his crew.. do you want to go back? And the incredible bravery of these men.. they all said *Yes!*
God bless all sea going men, and all those men who work without recognition.
People see that word, Lake, and they want to think "well, it was stormy, but, it was just a Lake right?" Let me tell you if you're out there in the middle of Superior in a nasty Fall storm, you might as well be out in the Ocean!
Scary. Seriously. Wouldn't wanna be out there
This SHOULD be a movie...for sure
jack torrence That would be about right
Tom Ferner yes it should why isn't it
Todd Osteen not sure..if I had the funds I would do it myself..
We already know the movie will not have a happy ending
As long as hollywood isnt involved.the monstrosity "the perfect storm"was an absolute pile.hookiest movie i ever saw.
A very well produced, respectful & informative presentation.
These men kept this country going in auto manufacturing . all i remember in the song was Lake never gives up her dead that's enough for me to know to respect the lakes .
I went to sea in 1976 on the Ogden Challenger a tanker running between Corpus Christi Texas and Boston Massachusetts. We had 60 foot seas in the North Atlantic. I will never forget the weather nor listening to the stories of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Thank you for this very well told version!!!
God Bless the courageous souls who find themselves in peril upon the waters of this great planet. May they rest in peace.
I was in Marquitt Michigan that day..The waves were unbelievable, the wind was mad.
The fitz and crew will never be forgotten
Never Forget! 11-10-1975
RIP to the crew
Remembering the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald on this 43rd anniversary
Still boggles one's mind that a 729-foot ore ship with modern radar and radio technology could disappear and not make it across Lake Superior, yet the wooden Mayflower, which can fit on a modern day tennis court, somehow made it across the North Atlantic in 1620. Still does not erase the tragedy of the 29 men lost on the Fitz. I'm glad the US and Canadian governments officially designated it a memorial so it cannot be disturbed. It is literally a grave at sea for 29 souls. RIP
Radar was knocked out in storm.
She only disappeared from Radar when she went down. Radar Modern or vintage when a ship goes down nothing will find her. At that point sonar would have been needed.
The winter weather on Lake Superior can be as brutal as the seas off Cape Horn in the South Atlantic. Neither the Mayflower, nor the Niña, Pinta, nor Santa Maria (Columbus's ships, even smaller) encountered storms on their Atlantic crossing, or they would most likely have been turned into matchsticks.
One storm in the North Atlantic in the early 1940s submerged the entire bow of the Cunard liner RMS "Queen Mary" when she was serving as a troop transport in WW2 (she recovered, though with damage). To put that in perspective, the Queen Mary was 1,019 feet long, with a displacement of over 81,000 tons (for comparison, the Iowa-class battleship USS "Missouri" was "only" 57,000 tons fully loaded, and 887 feet long).
there were plenty of wooden ships that didn’t make the crossing to America....when one looks at maps of all the shipwrecks out there, most unidentifiable, it’s spooky. And that is just the ones that wrecked close to land, not the ones out there in the middle of deep ocean, that we will never find.
A storm will take down anything man made one way or another.
The great lakes are really freshwater seas, at least imo and I grew up on Lake Erie.
i grew up on the north shore of Superior in Marathon , Ontario and in November this lake is dangerous !
I grew up on Lake Ontario. I mean that seriously. Only a few yards away, so I know what it's like in winter.
When my husband and I were dating in 1971 we saw the Edmund Fitzgerald going past the bar we were visiting on the cuyahoga river. It was a huge ship...hard to believe it went down.
Awesome documentary on the big fitz. Good job man
To the Captain & crew of the Anderson, THANK YOU for your bravery. You are all heros for turning back. May god bless you all.
45 years ago today, God bless the families and friends of the captain and crew. Never forget it.
Today is November 10th, 45 years to the day the Fitz went down. I am from Michigan and always remember the Fitz on november 10th. RIP boys
Me too
This was truly an excellent documentary on the sinking of the Fitzgerald. And I have watched the lion's share of what's out there. Very well done.
I had the chance to see the Arthur Anderson up close. As a long haul trucker, I was making a delivery in Superior back around February of 2009. As I drove along US 2 heading West towards the downtown area, I suddenly came alongside the Anderson tied up in dock. She was so close to the highway I was on, it seemed like I could just reach out and touch it. When the realization of what ship I was looking at hit me, this feeling of sadness/awe/shock came over me.
As a Green Bay resident, I've studied this shipwreck in great detail. Recorded and watched the Discovery Channel documentary. Read and studied the Coast Guard report. I agree with what Bernie Cooper has said. I think she brushed against Six Fathoms Shoal, which opened up a gash. She was obviously taking on water from somewhere. I also think as each wave hit her, more water was staying with the ship than she was able to shake off. And I think those rogue waves caught her, drove her down, she was unable to recover and basically submarined herself right to the bottom. It happened so fast, that McSorley didn't even have time to respond. Hence, why no SOS was issued. No one even knew what hit them.
Well, tomorrow it will be 44 years since The Big Fitz went down. I think about the Fitz every time I drive by Silver bay (Minnesota) where the Fitzgerald often loaded. For me though, it's another year that Captain Dudley Pacquette of the Wilfred Sykes and Captain Neal Rolfson of the Roger Blough are left out of the story of the search even after they had sailed through the heart of the lake with waves clearing their sterns until they arrived at the search area at 0300, 11Nov. They too plowed back and forth in the huge seas to search for survivors. I've never understood why they're not recognized for their rescue efforts and seem to have been forgotten. You can say there are a lot of theories about what caused the Fitzgerald to sink but if you read all the books, read the testimony and Coast Guard reports, put all the facts together, follow all the lines of evidence as I have, you'll get a pretty good idea of what really happened. It's a complex story that ends with the storm, but the storm was just the straw that finally broke the camel's back. The sinking was decades in the making-all the way back to original construction and make no mistake: this tragedy was entirely man-made and completely avoidable.
18:59 Thomas Edger Edwards
19:01 Russell George Haskell
19:03 Allen George Kalmon
19:05 Karl Anthony Peckol
19:07 John Joseph Poviach
19:09 Eugene William O'Brien
19:12 Michael Eugene Armagost
19:14 Frederick J. Beetcher
19:16 Thomas H. Bentsen
19:19 Thomas Dale Borgeson
19:21 Oliver Joseph Champeau
19:23 Nolan Franklin Church
19:25 George John Holl
19:27 Gordon Frederick MacLellan
19:30 John Henkle McCarthy
19:32 Paul Matthew Riippa
19:34 Blaine Howard Wilhelm
19:36 William J. Spengler
19:39 Mark Andrew Thomas
19:41 Ransom Edward Cundy
19:43 Grant Ralph Walton
19:45 David Elliot “Cowboy” Weiss
19:47 Bruce Lee Hudson
19:50 Ernest Michael McSorley
19:05 Karl Anthony Peckol, 19:32 Paul M Riippa, 19:34 Blaine Wilhelm
I remember hearing about the disappearance of an ore boat the next day. As I recall it made the national news. Edmund Fitzgerald became a new and lasting name in history for those of us in the heart land. I have to admit I think often about that ship and her brave crew. May God rest their souls.
I was working for a railroad co up in Minn and was on vacation up in Northern Minn the day this ship sunk. It was a sad day for sure.
If it were not for Gordon Lightfoot and his song about the Edmund Fitzgerald, I probably would not have known much about the event. Being from southern Pennsylvania, we don't hear much about what goes on in the Great Lakes. I was obsessed by that haunting song, listening to it over and over and getting to see Lightfoot perform it live in concert. In June 2016, I stood in front of that bell in the museum at Whitefish Point and felt a chill go through my bones. God bless all the Great Lakes mariners and keep them safe.
my 4 year old granddaughter wants me to play that song over and over. big respect to her and her crew. we will never forget those brave men.
the Great Lakes are beautiful but very dangerous at any time. prayers go out to family of the crew.
I live in Chicago, Lake Michigan is beautiful , but I respect it.
I was 15 I still remember when she went down. I still cry.
Fantastic video, amazing retrospective on an historic tragedy.
Superbly done video, thanks. I was a junior in high school when it went down. Remember it well. Gordon Lightfoot forever memorialized the men with his song.
Bless that captain cooper for going out knowing there was a good chance he'd go down. Then finding the debris in the water, the feeling of knowing they were gone. Gosh.
I was born in '58 and a junior in HS when she went down .. RIP sailors
I’ve got two years on you and I remember when Gordon first sang about it. My family is from Michigan.
Wow..very very informative video, but very sad too. I live in upper Michigan and it's an honor to be so close to visit the museum. God bless all
To walk into the museum and being struck with seeing the ships bell straight on stopped me in my tracks. Never forget that sight.
Two things. No. 1 -- I fully understand about comments on a youtube video and how people tell stories -- for example, Franco Harris "Immaculate Reception" in the super bowl -- they think around 250,000 people have claimed to be in a stadium that holds like 45 -- so please don't beat me up -- I don't know the video, or else I would leave a link, but I read a comment not long ago under one of the documentaries (I was listening to old G L music, and the EF came on, which got me interested again) -- but the Anderson was not the only ship out that night -- another much smaller vessel went out to search, and there were approximately 16 others within radio distance. This person commented that his grandfather had been on one of the other ships in the area, and they clearly heard the captain's last comment as: "We're breaking up; we're going down." Use your own discretion what to do with that -- but this part I do know. Those 29 men did not die in vain. After this tragic event, more rigorous rules and regulations as far as ship inspections -- at the time, inspections only happened once every 5 years, and a senior crew member who was also the ship's keep during the winter dry dock had been out for six weeks on a medical issue; he received a phone call asking him to come back for the final trip of that season. He claimed he told the person the ship was not sea worthy, and he had 14 weeks of vacation, because he never took time off, and he was using them starting right there and then -- but he also claimed he got a phone call from "management" of the ship's owners stating they were worried the Fitz would not pass inspection by the coast guard and he asked him to call some of the guys he knew to make sure it passed the spring '76 inspection. He claims he made that phone call and was assured the Fitz would pass and they'd get "their sticker." -- again, I'm aware all of this is hearsay -- but this is what I do know. I worked in the legal industry for almost 30 years, and a lot of my work involved accident cases of every type. To do a proper investigation, you don't start at the end point of the event, but you move back in time and go forward to recreate the conditions of the accident. The Fitz was doomed from the start. She was the biggest ship ever built in the Greak Lakes ship works, and instead of them fashioning the hull, it was the first ship to have a "pre-fab" hull, and when they put it together, it did not fit, and there is physical evidence which corroborates the story that what they did was just throw "a bunch of welding rods in the hole and welded them together." Also, the hull was put together with "spot welds" instead of rivets. The rivets allows the hull to bend and move with the waves, but a former crew member stated that when the Fits hit a wave, the ship was rigid and bounced, like a diving board after someone jumps off -- then, the keel of the boat was not properly attached to the hull, and, they cut corners on cost -- I think the cost was nearly $6 million in 1957 dollars -- and did not re-enforce the hull, meaning, if the outer hull was breached, the inner hull and properly attached keel would get her to safety. The next thing that happened was pure neglect. She was only rated to haul 22 tons of material (tonnes if you're Canadian), and she was loaded with nearly 27,000 tons, almost 5 tons overweight, which pushed her farther down into the sea, even in calm waters. I know there is strong speculation that she hit the bottom or sustained other bottom damage, but the stern landed upside down, and they did a careful inspection and found no signs of scraping damage on the bottom -- but -- the same man who was the ship's winter keep -- his name was Red -- he said he brought it to the owner's attention there was a hole between the keel and the hull, and they didn't believe him, he took them below deck and came to the spot and used his foot and pushed in the area, which revealed a large hole, and the welding rods fell out onto the floor. As far as the hatches not being locked, another captain, whose name I don't remember, testified that they'd used those specific hatch locks since the 1940's, and even unlocked or clamped down, you'd only get at most about a cup of water, because they were huge and weighed about 7 tons each. It's just my opinion, which doesn't matter one bit, but I don't think the hatches played any role at all in her sinking. She was not sea worthy, and management knew it, and they tried to get in one last job to help with the cost of the necessary extensive and expensive repairs she was going to need in dry dock over the winter to be able to pass even a modified inspection, she was over-wt, and I don't know whose responsibility it was to ensure that didn't happen, the storm they encountered was ferocious, and when both sets of radar were blown off the boat, the capt. contacted the coast guard who told him their equipment was offline, and the lighthouse wasn't working, he was sailing blind, but the Anderson did everything they could to help her plot her course. The captain, known as a "rough sea captain," may have been overly confident in his ability to sail in rough seas. The previous capt didn't take chances, and would port until the storms subsided, but one of the criticisms of the capt was that he didn't know how to plot weather, believing in his experience, etc., but in one transmission he said he'd never seen seas like that night in his entire 43 year career. Again, just my opinion, which doesn't mean a thing, I believe she did break up on the surface, with the bow dipping down under the water, throwing the stern up in the air, where it broke apart, then the bow plowed down to the bottom they estimate at around 35 MPH, where it landed upright, but obviously plowed into the lake bed, and it was gravity which acted on the "marbles" they call it, which forced the hatches open and the cargo to discharge onto the lake bed. The only positive is that it's speculated they would have died very quickly and not suffered -- but afterward, sweeping safety rules and regulations were put into place, requiring better life boats, and all crew members be issued -- I don't know its official name, those bright orange/red weather suits which protect against icy waters if you go overboard -- also better training for foul weather conditions -- and the company that owned the Fitz had another ship -- I don't think it is the Anderson -- but it was not as big as the Fitz, but was about the same age, and they eventually took it out of service completely within the next 24 months. These brave men lost their lives, but there is no way to tell how many their deaths saved and saved the families of those others from going through the hell their own families suffered. Sorry this is so long.
God, the captain of the Anderson deserves praise for deciding to try. Even if they had to turn back, even if they couldn't help in the end, the fact he decided to TRY to return is so brave. Returning to the storm that just took your sister ship down, when you know that if you're ship is ever going to sink it'll likely be in that same storm, that's bravery and humanity. With so little chance of saving them, so much to lose, they decided to try and that's so damn admirable to me. I'm sure people think the Soo Control were being cowards or cold but in those situations you need to speak frankly and as a matter of fact. If there were no other vessels or aircraft that could help, I know I would rather be told I was the only ship who might stand a chance to help.
So thankful for your sharing this thank you
Rest in Peace to the crew of The Big Fitz and heroes praise to the crew of the S.S. Arthur M. Anderson.
Beautifully done. A fine tribute to a good ship and a fine crew.
I remember when this happened I was in High school, I was helpless, But wanted to do something. SO I prayed.... I did the best I could...
Have to admire Cooper
You can say that again!
Welp, It's remembered alright. I saw the title, clicked on it and watched the whole video. Very nice video indeed.
Thank you Mr Lightfoot .
Rest In Peace men of The Edmund Fitzgerald
This is always to be remembered. R.I.P to all 29 men from the Edumund Fitzgerald
God bless Captain Cooper for turning back into that terrible storm to look for his friends. He's a hero in my back. RIP Edmund Fitzgerald and crew.
Thank you for sharing this video. I really enjoyed it.
thank you for this movie, really great story, amazing
it was a great peise of work done on this ship. the familys should be proud, and thank full i would, great job done
Not forgotten. Much respect to all who work upon the waters 💕
been on the lake during a small storm in a 17 ft boat and ten foot rollers hit us within minutes. learned a great level of respect for the lake that day, took hours to go ten miles back to Grand Marais Bay where you could not tell a storm was afoot that far out
You are right I live on the Canadian side and watch the weather carefully before I take my boat out salmon fishing. It can get real nasty in a hurry.
Gordon Lightfoot bought me here lol great story sad they were so close to safty. Thanks for the upload from NZ.
Thanks well done very nice i like a proffessionally handled presentation....well done well done....
I worked on the Great Lakes and have seen some rough weather.. In one storm I was on a 550 foot oil tanker. We would climb waves and teeter over tip of the wave. Then the bow would dive down into the base of the wave. When the ship went through the wave the water became like a wall on either side of the ship. Then the water crashed down on the deck and the entire deck was under water.. I watched it for hours.. Although I've never seen anything like what claimed the Fitzgerald.. It's very saddening. Even though I haven't sailed since 1984, I still get shivers over the roughness of Lake Superior. Incidentally, Lake Superior can be just as rough as the Gulf of St. Lawrence which is part of the North Atlantic.
Rest In Peace
Michael E. Armagost
Third Mate
Age 37
Hometown Iron River, Wisconsin
Frederick J. Beetcher
Porter
Age 56
Hometown Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas D. Bentsen
Oiler
Age 23
Hometown St. Joseph, Michigan
Edward F. Bindon
First Assistant Engineer
Age 47
Hometown Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Thomas D. Borgeson.
Maintenance Man
Age 40
Hometown Duluth, Minnesota
Oliver J. "Buck" Champeau
Third Assistant Engineer
Age 41
Hometown Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Nolan F. Church
Porter
Age 55
Hometown Silver Bay, Minnesota
Ransom E. Cundy
Watchman
Age 53
Hometown Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas E. Edwards
Second Assistant Engineer
Age 50
Hometown Oregon, Ohio
Russell G. Haskell
Second Assistant Engineer
Age 40
Hometown Millbury, Ohio
George J. Holl
Chief Engineer
Age 60
Hometown Cabot, Pennsylvania
Bruce L. Hudson
Deckhand
Age 22
Hometown North Olmsted, Ohio
Gordon F. MacLellan
Wiper
Age 30
Hometown Clearwater, Florida
Joseph W. Mazes
Special Maintenance Man
Age 59
Hometown Ashland, Wisconsin
John H. McCarthy
First mate
Age 62
Hometown: Bay Village, Ohio
Ernest M. McSorley
Captain
Age 63
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Eugene W. O'Brien
Wheelsman
Age 50
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Karl A. Peckol
Watchman
Age 20
Hometown: Ashtabula, Ohio
John J. Poviach
Wheelsman
Age 59
Hometown: Bradenton, Florida
James A. Pratt
Second Mate
Age 44
Hometown: Lakewood, Ohio
Robert C. Rafferty
Steward/Cook
Age 62
Hometown: Toledo, Ohio
Paul M. Riippa
Deck Hand
Age 22
Hometown: Ashtabula, Ohio
John D. SImmons
Wheelsman
Age 62
Hometown: Ashland, Wisconsin
William J. Spengler
Watchman
Age 21
Hometown: Richmond Heights, Ohio
Ralph G. Walton.
Oiler
Age 58
Hometown: Fremont, Ohio
David E. Weis
Cadet
Age 21
Hometown: Agoura, California
Blaine H. Wilhelm
Oiler
Age 52
Hometown: Moquah, Wisconsin
Thank you for the copy and paste on this
Such tragedy and such bravery. They will never be forgotten ... never.
Like I always written capitan, crew and ship all good and capitan Copper and their crew with all respect really help,my honer and repect
Good video, I commend Capt. Cooper and their crew for trying. It does sound like the beginning of the day the weather was beautiful. I read the book The Night the Fitz Went Down. The Wilfred Sykes was also loading that day with the Fitz and the Anderson. According to that book the Sykes captain had extensive weather training in the Navy and told those two not to go out, that this was going to be the storm of all storms. The Sykes sailed up the north shore to wait it out but those two ships headed into the storm regardless. Makes you wonder. Lots of info in that book that makes you wonder.
As an ex Australian Navy sailor, you can tell those big wave got her by the damage of the rescue boats, totally destroyed. R.I.P
They need to make a movie on this event.
Great documentary! I hadn’t seen it before. Very well done.
I spent 20 years working on freezer trawlers in the Arctic and have seen some atrocious weather, the crew of the Anderson are true heroes for going back out
Excellent tribute! Truly enjoyed it!
Capt Cooper you and your crew were heros
I think it's only about the best thing to say about edmund fitzgerald and 29 man crew I think it only needs to be never forgotten as long as only of us we keep the 29 man edmund fitzgerald the edmund fitzgerald the 29 man crew will always be out there please never forgotten till your friends your family your mama's grandpa
The Arthur m Andersen is a great ship and captain cooper is a brave person he risks avery thing and he is a big big hero and the William clay Ford is a big big hero and avery time I which all I can do is cry
Star ships:
0:41 M/V American Century
0:58 SS Arthur M Anderson
1:09 SS Alpena
1:18 SS Reserve
1:22 SS McKee Sons
1:32 SS Reserve
1:38 SS Edmund Fitzgerald
2:37 SS Edmund Fitzgerald
2:37 SS B.F. Affleck (red, far right)
3:12 SS Armco
4:24 SS Arthur M Anderson
5:24 SS Reserve
6:46 SS Cason J Callaway
7:44 SS Sparrows Point
7:58 SS Reserve
8:22 M/V Selkirk Settler
8:39 SS Phillip R Clarke
Lmk if I missed any
11/10/2018. RIP The Big Fitz
Nicely put together documentary. Is 9 & 10 news around Traverse City, MI? I spent a lot of time in Indian River and thought 9 & 10 news sounded familiar.
They are all over Northern Michigan. From east to west, and somewhat in the UP. They are based out of Cadillac, MI
One can google the testimony of the Captain on the Author Anderson that night. He explains it best as to what most likely happened that night.
That was awesome! Never knew, now I do. Thank you.
Always found big ship to be scary.
Can’t put words on it. But it’s been a thing every since childhood.
My dad took me down to the riverharbour, and I was never happy getting to close to the ships.
I can do it now, but i don’t enjoy it.
So watching a program like this is like watching a horror film.
RIP to all the brave men abord 💔
This story still has a profound impact on me. I remember that night ,like it was last night. I was 14. Unbelievable. I've been in some rough seas. 30 ' will make just about anyone pray. No atheists there or in fox holes. To all sailors. God bless you and your family 's .I would think the scariest thing would've been to find survivors. What to do? You would never be able to stand on deck.
I remember wearing shorts on November 9, 1975 and it poured like Hades on the 10th in Toledo. I get freaked out anytime it gets windy on the 10th.
What a memory to have