SS EDMUND FITZGERALD was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in a Lake Superior storm on 10 November 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29. Captain Ernest M. McSorley was in command, carrying a full load of ore pellets when she embarked on her ill-fated voyage from Superior, Wisconsin on the afternoon of 9 November 1975. En route to a steel mill near Detroit, MI.
Edmund Fitzgerald joined a second freighter, SS Arthur Anderson. By the next day, the two ships were caught in a severe storm on Lake Superior, with near hurricane-force winds and waves up to 11m (35ft) high. Shortly after 19h10, Edmund Fitzgerald suddenly sank in Canadian, (Ontario) waters 160m (530ft) deep, about 15 nautical miles, (27km/17 miles) from Whitefish Bay near the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, MI. & Sault Ste. Marie, ON.
Although Edmund Fitzgerald had reported being in difficulty earlier, no distress signals were sent before she sank; Captain McSorley's last message to Arthur M. Anderson said, "We are holding our own." Her crew of 29 perished, and no bodies were recovered. The exact cause of the sinking remains unknown.
The disaster is one of the best known in the history of Great Lakes shipping. The sinking led to changes in Great Lakes shipping regulations and practices that included mandatory survival suits, depth finders, positioning systems, increased freeboard and more frequent inspection of vessels.
Source: Wikipedia
Gordon Lightfoot—Wreck of the Edmun Fitzgerald
[Video: Tribute to the Edmund Fitzgerald's crew/Youtube]
About The Prescott Anchor
The Prescott Anchor is a shipping group on Facebook and Twitter dedicated to ships on the St. Lawrence River, the Great Lakes St. Lawrence Seaway System and the upper Great Lakes, posting daily "Ship Logs", photos, local and industry news, history and more on the various ships and ports in the system.
Connect with The Prescott Anchor
Facebook: Join The Prescott Anchor group on Facebook.
Follow The Prescott Anchor on Twitter: @PrescottAnchor
Commentaires