When the Edmund Fitzgerald was launched onto the Great Lakes on June the 7th, 1958, she was the most mammoth ship on the Great Lakes! By November the 10th, 1975, she sunk to the bottom of Lake Superior during one of the most venomous storms in the history of Great Lake shipping. To this day, there is considerable debate as to how and why it happened.
In this production on what happened on that fateful night, this person’s YouTube Channel conveys extremely informative and intelligent insight as to what occurred on that night on Lake Superior. Please watch carefully and fully and see what conclusion you can arbitrate for yourself.
(The following information and statistics are courtesy of wikipedia.)
| Name | SS Edmund Fitzgerald |
|---|---|
| Namesake | Named for Edmund Fitzgerald, chairman of Northwestern Mutual |
| Owner | Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company |
| Operator | Columbia Transportation Division, Oglebay Norton Company of Cleveland, Ohio |
| Port of registry | Milwaukee, Wisconsin |
| Ordered | February 1, 1957 |
| Builder | Great Lakes Engineering Works of River Rouge, Michigan |
| Yard number | 301 |
| Laid down | August 7, 1957 |
| Launched | June 7, 1958 |
| Maiden voyage | September 24, 1958 |
| In service | September 24, 1958 |
| Out of service | November 10, 1975 |
| Identification | Registry number US 277437 |
| Nickname(s) | Fitz, Mighty Fitz, Big Fitz, Pride of the American Side, Toledo Express, Titanic of the Great Lakes |
| Fate | Lost with all hands (29 crew) in a storm, November 10, 1975 |
| Status | Wreck |
| Notes | Location of wreck: 46°59′54″N85°06′36″W[1] |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Lake freighter |
| Tonnage | |
| Length |
|
| Beam | 75 ft (23 m)[4] |
| Draft | 25 ft (7.6 m) typical |
| Depth | 39 ft (12 m) (moulded)[5] |
| Depth of hold | 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m)[5][6] |
| Installed power |
|
| Propulsion | Single fixed pitch 19.5 ft (5.9 m) propeller |
| Speed | 14 kn (26 km/h; 16 mph) |
| Crew | 29 |
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