Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Fesler-Lampert Minnesota Heritage Book)

I was a teenager growing up in Northern Minnesota in November 1975 when the Edmund Fitzgerald sank in eastern Lake Superior. I remember the storm, the news story, and thought the Gordon Lightfoot song only added to the mystical element of why the storm claimed the "pride of the lakes."Schumacher's account is basically chronological, tracing the launching of the ship in 1958 and following its life until the boat last loaded taconite pellets in Superior, Wisconsin on the morning of November 9, 1975. Accounts and reflections of family members are interspersed throughout the narrative.Of particular interest to me are the various theories of how she sank so suddenly. There were no survivors, no visual witnesses. The best evidence of what happened were radio conversations with nearby ships.I had always favored the theory that the ship might have struck a shoal north of Caribou Island. With both radars down, the Fitzgerald had to thread a needle between two islands. Under most circumstances, this would be no problem. But in the early afternoon of November 10, 1975 in a blinding snowstorm, maybe she got too close to the more shallow shore on the north side of the island. With a hole in the bottom, that would account for the list the Captain reported. The ship gradually sank lower and lower in the water until a wave from behind lifted her and sent her nosediving to the bottom of the lake. This theory seems to best explain why there was no final distress call.However, after reading Schumacher's book, I am less certain. The Coast Guard's original explanation of taking on water from the topside hatches now has some merit to me. This theory has always been controversial because it then points to possible negligence of the crew in not manually securing dozens of clamps that hold the hatch covers in place. Schumacher also reported something that I never heard before in that the Coast Guard found some damage to the hatch covers just a couple of weeks prior the accident, but cleared the Fitzgerald for the remaining of the shipping season.Maybe both things happened. Who knows? What we do know from the radio transmission is that the Fitzgerald was taking on water from somewhere and it gradually weighed the ship down until it either just sank or nosedived to the bottom.Less convincing is the theory that she broke in two on the surface before sinking. How the Fitzgerald sits in two pieces at the bottom of the lake 530 feet down seems to support the theory that she nosedived with the bow hitting the bottom violently from the shifting weight of the iron ore. The bow is sitting battered but dignified facing southeast towards the safety of Whitefish Bay. The torque created in the middle of the ship upon impact twisted the stern so that it now rests upside down some few hundred feet away from the bow.No one will ever know with certainty. What has always fascinated me about the Fitzgerald is how violent and fickle Lake Superior can be. The other thought I have is what the 29 men thought in those precious few seconds they had when they knew they were about to die. I wonder what I would have thought and done in a similar circumstance. Gordon Lightfoot captures the sentiment so well in his line, "Does anyone know, where the love of God goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?"The book is very readable and I couldn't put it down. Also of note are recent developments in which there is a movement on the part of the families to declare the site as a graveyard and off-limits to all future dives. I completely agree. A survey has been made. There are no definitive clues because the impact on the bottom has caused so much damage there is no way to determine what damage happened above or below water. There is no way to determine whether there is a hole under the bow section that may have caused the flooding in the first place.It will be impossible to forget the Fitzgerald and we should not. But at the very least, we should let the 29 dead men at the bottom of the lake rest in peace by prohibiting all future dives. Schumacher's book is an moving compilation of 30 years of theories and shed tears over this modern day mystery.

On a blustery day in November, 1975, two ships, the Arthur Anderson and the Edmund Fitzgerald, set off across Lake Superior with their cargoes. Only one ship would reach its destination. The other would founder under the weight of an incredible November storm and would go on to live in the memory of every other Great Lakes sailor. This book tells the story of the Fitzgerald and how its legacy has lived on for over three decades.The Fitz was loaded with 26,000 tons of taconite pellets which were to be delivered to Indiana. After receiving its load, Captain Ernest McSorley manuvered the ship out onto Lake Superior and began his journey across the lake. At this time, a massive storm, fed by unseasonably mild southwest winds, began to push northward. While this storm was proceeding northward, a cold Canadian air mass was making its way south. These two fronts collided and unleashed its powerful fury across Lake Superior. For the men of the Anderson and Fitzgerald, they were now finding themselves smashed by winds approaching 90 miles per hour.The Anderson handled the storm well, but the Fitzgerald was not as fortunate. The winds blew the radar antennas off the ship, and water was entering the cargo hold. As each burst of water fell into the hold, the ship began to settle deeper in the water. However, McSorley didn't seem overly concerned about his situation. He still maintained radio contact with the Anderson and, around 7:00 p.m. on November 9, 1975, told Bernie Cooper, Anderson's captain, that they were holding their own. This was the last communication received from the Fitzgerald.Shortly thereafter, the Fitzgerald was hit by two mammoth waves. The first pushed the Fitzgerald's bow underwater. It never re-surfaced. The second wave sent the crippled ship straight to the bottom of Lake Superior. No one survived; no one tried to abandon ship. It all happened in a matter of mere minutes.Days later, some debris from the wreck was retrieved and everyone's worst fears were realized; the Fitz was lost.Many different investigations were held into the loss of the ship, but none could offer a firm explanation as to how the ship sank, but the most commonly accepted theory is that water entered the cargo hold through the hatch covers, causing the ship to lose buoyancy and, ultimately, to sink.Over the years, many undersea expeditions have taken place, which have brought back many underwater images of the Fitz. The ship's bell was retrieved and restored as a memorial to the men who served aboard her. And, the families of the survivors have petitioned to have the wreck recognized as a grave site, which would end further exploration of the wreck.This is a fine book. The author does an exemplary job of describing the Fitzgerald's early days on the Great Lakes through its perilous journey across Lake Superior on that fateful night in November, 1975. The aftermath, investigations, and dives on the ship are also described in great detail.I give this book my highest recommendation. Read this book and experience the true plight of the Edmund Fitzgerald. In the words of Gordon Lightfoot "The lake it is said never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy".

Very detailed account of the ship, it’s crew members, the wreck and all that has followed. The author gives his opinion on how she went down, but offers others as well.

I have not owned the hardcover or any earlier paperback editions of this book. This review is as easy as this - excellent read, poor edition. Low quality paper, and not a single photograph. Front to back text.There are a plethora of images of the ship available both before and after she was lost, and considering the 'fame' of her loss I can't understand the lack of any here.An expanded hardback edition at 300+ pages should set the standard.

A very thorough review of all aspects of the sinking including interviews with men who worked on the boat, the speculation as to what caused the tragedy by the coast guard and other experts. One of the best writers on great lakes history.

Very thin paperback but cuts to the chase.

interesting

very good