Gichigami, Gitche Gumee, Lake Superior, there are many names for the body of water north of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. One of the group of lakes around Michigan known as the Great Lakes, Lake Superior is also the largest and one of the most deadly, claiming at least 45 known ships and possibly a couple of hundred. The southern shore of Lake Superior, from Grand Marais to Whitefish Point, has earned the nickname ‘Graveyard of the Great Lakes’. It is also called ‘Shipwreck Coast’, because of the number of ships to succumb to the dangers of the lake. Perhaps one of the most famous shipwrecks of Lake Superior is the loss of the ore carrier S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald and her crew.
The Ship
The S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, also known as the Mighty Fitz, was one of the most famous ships of the Great Lakes. It was among the largest ships on the the Great Lakes, measuring 729 feet and 13,632 gross tons. The beam of the Fitz was 75 feet, the maximum length allowed. The ship was an ore carrier, with a cargo hold that was divided into three sections. Each section was separated by screen bulkheads. There were 21 cargo openings running along the spar deck, each measuring 11′ by 48′. The cargo hold was large enough to hold 26,116 long tons of taconite pellets, the size of the ship’s last load. Though 4 times in 1968 the ship was known to exceed 30,000 tons. The Edmund Fitzgerald was also quick. The ship could travel as fast as 16 miles an hour at a 25 foot draft.
Not only was Edmund Fitzgerald a capable work ship it was also one of the more comfortable. It was equipped with an electrical system, communications equipment, nautical equipment, and plumbing and refrigeration. The ship also contained firefighting and lifesaving equipment. There were living quarters for the crew, with air conditioning, furniture, and tiled floors. There was a guest lounge with plush and leather furnishings, and a laundry. There was also hot and cold running water in all rooms, with some having private showers. A kitchen was also fully stocked, and crew had access to a lounge with a television, coffee maker, and refrigerator.
The Wreck
The Edmund Fitzgerald left her port in Wisconsin at 2:20 p.m. (some reports say 2:15 p.m.), under Captain Ernest McSorley’s command, for what would ultimately be her final voyage across Lake Superior. November can be unpredictable on the lakes. And November 9th, 1975 was no different. The day was calm enough, with clear skies as the Fitz left land behind. However, weather reports changed, as they often do, late that afternoon. A storm that had been predicted for the area south of Lake Superior early Monday evening had changed course, and was decidedly stronger than first anticipated. Gale force winds were predicted for all of Lake Superior at 2:39 p.m. that afternoon. Though not unusual for the area during the later part of the year, such storms are cause enough for vigilance. The Edmund Fitzgerald was equipped to monitor the weather well. And did so, both for themselves and as a weather-reporting ship.
Though the Edmund Fitzgerald had sailed through storms before, there was always the threat of a nor’easter. A nor’easter is a phenomenon that occurs when a low-pressure system brings cold winds from the northeast over water still warm from the summer heat. Nor’easters, also known as ‘the witch of November’, are dangerously hard storms that have taken more than a few ships to the bottom of Lake Superior. And in the early evening hours of November 9th the weather was quickly becoming stormy, although not yet severe enough to cause alarm. But by 1:00 a.m. on the morning of November 10th the winds were measured at 52 knots, or about 60 miles per hour, causing ten foot waves. Adding to the severity of the storm was the rain and the fact that the temperature had dropped to 37 degrees. And though the Fitz was able to change course and sail through the eye of the storm, it wasn’t long before the weather became deadly.
By 3:30 p.m. on November 10th the relative safety of the eye of the storm was well behind the Edmund Fitzgerald. The ship was battling snow and 12 foot waves as it sailed closer toward Caribou Island. The route the Fitz was following was a well known path, and an extremely risky one. Though the direction Captain McSorley had chosen would have likely shortened the trip of the Edmund Fitzgerald on any other trip, it would be the great ship’s undoing. Caribou Island lay just south of a dangerous reef known as Six Fathom Shoal, or North Bank Shoal. The depth of the shoal was a mere 36 feet, shallow enough to easily damage a ship. An even shallower area, uncharted at the time of the sinking, posed even more danger. Though it isn’t known if the Edmund Fitzgerald hit ground or not, what is known is that at 3:35 p.m. Captain McSorley reported damage to another ship, the Anderson. In that report Captain McSorley reported that the ship had lost some vents, a fence rail was down, and the Fitz had a list. By 4:10 p.m. the Edmund Fitzgerald had lost both radars and had to rely on the Anderson to guide them.
With waves cresting between 10 and 15 feet and winds of 60 miles per hour or more, there was considerable danger for the Fitz to be pushed off course. The closest shelter was Caribou Island, still about 5 miles east of the ship’s location. Realizing the danger the storm was presenting in their condition, Captain McSorley sent out several calls throughout the hour, even contacting the Whitefish Point Lighthouse and the Grand Marais Coast Guard station. But all the calls would be in vain. The lighthouse soon lost power, and would be nonoperational when the Fitz sank. At 7 p.m. the Edmund Fitzgerald received a call, advising them that the ship was 12 miles from Whitefish Point, only 90 minutes away from safety. Another call at 7:10 p.m. informed Captain McSorley of a target 19 miles ahead of the ship, a target that the Fitz would miss. During that call Captain McSorley would claim that the Fitz was ‘holding our own’, however a mere 20 minutes later the Edmund Fitzgerald would be gone.
The Legacy of the Edmund Fitzgerald
The Edmund Fitzgerald would sink without a singe distress call. And while the damage to the ship has been documented since the sinking, it is still unknown what actually caused the mighty ship to sink. There are numerous theories as to the reason for the disaster. Most include the Fitz breaking up on the surface or being forced under by waves. What is widely accepted, based on the testimony of others involved that night, is that the Edmund Fitzgerald most likely struck ground on a shoal or received damage from an unknown object in the water causing damage and flooding. That flooding, enhanced by waves reported by Captain Bernie Cooper of the Anderson to have been close to 35 feet above the water, played a large part in the sinking of the ship. Blame was laid, as it is with most such disasters, in several different places immediately following the sinking, with everything from faulty structure to crew negligence being questioned. What is known is that on that night 29 men lost their lives in a storm that would haunt those who lived for years after. And families would be left to mourn the losses.
Even with all the speculation there were questions that couldn’t be answered without a full exploration of the wreck. When the shipwreck was finally explored, what was found surprised everyone. One question that was answered, a theory that had been suggested early on, was that at some point the Fitz did break apart. The bow was found, measuring only 276 feet, while the stern, measuring 253 feet, had come to rest upside down a short distance away. The bow was buried in the mud of the lake bed. The pilothouse was found crumpled by the wreck and missing windows. Though some questions were answered, many were left to speculation. The ship was so badly damaged that it was impossible to see what had been caused by the storm or by the wreck itself. However, from the video and photos gathered from the dive of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Marine Board declared the official cause of the shipwreck to be caused by flooding due to lack of effective hatch closures, with additional flooding from topside damage possible.
Not everyone agreed with the conclusion. The Lake Carriers’ Association, using the Marine Board’s own report, disputed the theory that the ship sank because of unsecured hatches. Their theory was that the ship had grounded somewhere near Six Fathom Shoal. To support their theory Paul E. Trimble, Lake Carriers’ Association president, pointed out that no damage was reported until the Fitz had passed the Six Fathom Shoal. According to Captain Cooper, the ship had passed much closer to the shoal than he would be comfortable passing. And it was found that an uncharted shoal would have been directly in the path the ship had taken. At that time Captain McSorley reported a list. According to Trimble, the Edmund Fitzgerald should have been able to handle water entering the eight-inch vent openings, if that was indeed where the flooding was occurring. Thus the list was more likely caused by damage to the ship under the water line.
Still another conclusion was drawn by the National Transportation Safety Board claiming that poorly secured hatches should not have sunk the Fitz. According to their report the sinking was caused by flooding of the cargo hold. But unlike the report given by the Marine Board, NTSB claims that the flooding was sudden, probably due to the loss of hatch covers.
One theory, perhaps the most thorough of all, was presented by former crew member George H Burgner. Burgner, also called Red, had worked as steward on the Fitz between 1966 and 1975. He also worked as a ship watcher on the Fitz through winter seasons between 1966 and 1973. From his time on the ship Red claimed that Captain McSorley did everything in his power to deliver cargo on time, even in the worst of weather. Including maintaining top speeds or refusing to wait out a storm in a safe area. Red also claimed that while all the crew were able and knowledgeable, they often were lax in maintenance. And one issue, according to Red, was the loosening of hull plates around the keel. Even repaired, such areas would have been weakened, and could have been damaged enough to result in flooding. It is possible that while there were some repairs made, perhaps the repairs were not enough to save the ship.
A dive in 1989 finally led to more answers. The dive was organized by Michigan Sea Grant and had use of a Remote Operated Vehicle or ROV and a towed survey system or TSS which was being tested by researchers from Deep Diving Systems International. During this dive clothing from the crew was found, the first real mention of evidence of the crew. The door to the starboard pilothouse was found open. It was found to be undamaged and is thought to have been opened by the crew. Also, despite all the windows that had imploded, windows on the back and side of the chartroom were left intact. The bow showed so much damage that it seemed to have sank before the stern, in a way that left the hull crumpled. The bow was also covered by taconite, supporting the theory that the stern did in fact sink after the bow, and may have been upside down long enough to lose cargo over the bow. There was also a hole in the starboard side of the bow. The hole was two to four foot and looked as if the metal was ripped.
One dive, however, stands out as the dive that would change the fate of the sunken ship forever. It was the first dive to find the one thing that no other dive before it had. In 1994 two dives were made to the Edmund Fitzgerald. The second dive to the wreck that year was the first, and possibly only, dive to discover the remains of a body of one of the 29 missing crew. The finding of a body eventually led to the retrieval of the bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald and the site would be consecrated as a grave site. While the original bell was replaced by a memorial bell honoring the lost crew, the original was polished and lacquered, the stand was painted, and the rope replaced. The original bell resides at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum. The crew are remembered in a memorial every year at the Mariners’ Church, the bell ringing out 29 times for each man lost at sea, then once more for all who have lost their lives to the waters of the Great Lakes.
Crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Ernest Michael McSorley, Master 63
John Henkle McCarthy, First Mate 62
James A. Pratt, Second Mate 44
George John Holl, Chief Engineer 60
Michael Eugene Armagost, Third Mate 37
Edward Francis Bindon, First Assistant Engineer 47
Thomas Edgar Edwards, Second Assistant Engineer 50
Russell George Haskell, Second Assistant Engineer 40
Oliver Joseph Champeau, Third Assistant Engineer 51
Frederick J. Beetcher, Porter 54
Thomas Bentsen, Oiler 23
Thomas Dale Borgeson, Able-Bodied Maintenance Man 41
Nolan Frank Church, Porter 55
Ransom Edward Cundy, Watchman 53
Bruce Lee Hudson, Deckhand 22
Allen George Kalmon, Second Cook 43
Gordon F. MacLellan, Wiper 30
Joseph William Mazes, Special Maintenance Man 59
Eugene William O’Brien, Wheelsman 50
Karl Anthony Peckol, Watchman 55
John Joseph Poviach, Wheelsman 59
Robert Charles Rafferty, Temporary Steward (First Cook) 62
Paul M. Riipa, Deckhand 22
John David Simmons, Wheelsman 60
William J. Spengler, Watchman 59
Mark Andrew Thomas, Deckhand 21
Ralph Grant Walton, Oiler 58
David Elliot Weiss, Cadet 22
Blaine Howard Wilhelm, Oiler 52
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