Crafts The bad welds were confirmed by the Coast Guard, which approved repairs. And so steel mill after steel mill collapsed, further accelerating the disappearance of the iron boats. Perhaps the most widely accepted of the several theories about the loss of the Fitzgerald is that the ship crossed Caribou Islands Six-Fathom Shoal, which nestles off the north end of the island with water as shallow as 26 feet. Captain Cooper maintained that he watched the Edmund Fitzgerald pass far too close to Six Fathom Shoal to the north of Caribou Island. Aware of a building November storm entering the Great Lakes from the great plains, Captain McSorley and Captain Cooper agreed to take the northerly course across Lake Superior, where they would be protected by highlands on the Canadian shore. Stones laid in V-shaped formations and simple lanes mark the most extensive hunting. Soon after, McSorely on the Fitzgerald reported taking topside damage and a list. Would like to offer any help I can. Yes, she almost certainly hit the shoals. Contacts were strong enough to bring in the U.S. Navys CURV III controlled underwater recovery vehicle, operating from Woodrush. They would later make a turn to the southeast to eventually reach the shelter of Whitefish Point. Reporting to the Anderson, the Fitzs Captain Ernest McSorley revealed the list and had activated two large ballast tank pumps to control it. May god rest the souls of the 29 men who perished that fateful night, The iron ore freighter is only about 9 nautical miles from Pancake Bay off highway #17 Ontario Canada, it sits in Canadain waters. Turning to Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking, the above article lets us in on several 'dots', which, when connected, tells why The Pride of the American Side met an avoidable, but preordained death. Again, Captain Cooper of the Anderson provides fuel for this theory, as he relates in Marshalls Shipwrecks of Lake Superior that slightly before 7 p.m. we took two of the largest seas of the trip. However an interior lake, Deer Lake on the center East side of the island, was used as an Amphibian base with a dock and ramp built by the last private owners of the island because of the unpredictable water/wave condition of Lake Superior. So, what happened? USS Indianapolis (CL/CA-35) was a Portland-class heavy cruiser of the United States Navy, named for the Grindstone Island Cars But what caused the ship to take on water, enough to lose buoyancy and dive to the bottom so quickly, without a single cry for help, cannot be determined. Looks like he was right on this one. The same problems were reported aboard theHomer. So the target would be 9 miles on ahead of you., Well, answered Captain McSorley, Am I going to clear?, Yes, he is going to pass to the west of you.. Near-hurricane force winds seemed to pick up strength throughout the day while visibility was greatly reduced. The main deck behind the superstructure, which included the forward cargo hatches appears to have collapsed entirely and the sides of the hull are bending outwards. MLive meteorologist Mark Torregrossa postulates rogue waves as possible based on the 2006 NOAA storm simulation. Contributing factors noted were a lack of internal watertight bulkheads and allowances for more cargo weight during the ship's 17 years afloat. Interesting question. All were lost to the depths of Lake Superior. Other information comes from an interview witn Captain Bernie Cooper shortly before his death in 1993. You can listen to it here at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8LBkYjniTU. Antlers of males weigh an average of 17 pounds and can reach 29 pounds! Cooper later said he watched the Edmund Fitzgerald pass far too close to Six Fathom Shoal to the north of Caribou Island. Even before her demise, the Fitzgeraldwas a well known icon of the Great Lakes to those that lived along it.). But the Coast Guard called Captain Cooper back at 9:00 pm: Anderson, this is Group Soo. [1][3] In addition, exposures of gently dipping, friable Jacobsville Sandstone, have been reported from Caribou Island. Submit Yours. Captain Cooper reported winds from the NW x W (305 ) at a steady 58 knots with gusts to 70 knots, and seas of 18 to 25 feet. Also, a larger, more powerful tug, the Katmai Bay, is now stationed at Sault Ste. The Anderson changes course to avoid Six Fathom Shoal area north of Caribou Island. The LCA stated that the patented steel hatch covers had been in continuous use for more than 30 years and had proven to be effective hatch closures in all weather conditions throughout that period. GLSHS three expeditions to the wreck revealed that it is likely she submarined bow first into an enormous sea, as damage forward is indicative of a powerful, quick force to the superstructure. For the island near Thunder Bay, see, Caribou Island (near Michipicoten Island), Caribou Island near the international border. The industry they served collapsed in the mid-1970s. As originally built,Edmund Fitzgeraldwas a coal burning steamship with a Westinghouse steam turbine driving a single four bladed propeller at her rear. [2], According to the available information, Caribou Island consists of a mixture of glacial sediments and Precambrian sandstone. "They were killing the boat," he said. [5][6], A dangerous reef known as "Six Fathom Shoal" stretches more than 1 mile (1.6km) north of the north point of the island, and is rumored to be the one the SS Edmund Fitzgerald shoaled on prior to sinking. 7 Caribou populations naturally fluctuate on 40-70 . USS Indianapolis (CA-35) And around 7:15 pm, the pip was lost again, but this time, did not reappear. Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee That's what underwriters do. Her owners wanted her to maximize revenue, but "The Lake it is said, never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy." The supreme caribou myth ever told is about Santa and his sleigh, but having said that, this seems to be the most famous myth out of all the animal totems. Email him at gellison@mlive.com or follow on Twitter & Instagram. This is futher indicated by the stern which lies completely upside down beside the bow; all superstructure buried deep into the mud. The grisliest discovery was of a giant oil slick floating atop the lake's surface. Wold, R.J., Hutchinson, D.R. When the skies of November turn gloomy.. 4:30 p.m. Fitzgerald passes 3 to 5 miles east of Caribou Island. As the wise man once said, you can't outlaw stupidity nor legislate morality. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). The shoaling hypothesis suggests that the most probable cause of the Edmund Fitzgerald's wreckage was her shoaling or grounding in the Six Fathom Shoal northwest of Caribou Island when the crew was unable to use the Whitefish Point Light as a navigational aid. The studio was, yes, indeed, later torn down and replaced by a parking lot. Will you stay by me till I get to Whitefish? McSorley was checking down his speed to allow the Anderson to close the distance for safety. There had to have been something happening on the deck that a mate thought they had to get control of - even if it meant putting lives in danger.. There is a very good chance that this is what helped lead to her demise. While EPIRB would not have aided the crew of the Fitzgerald, it would have identified the sunken ship and given searchers a location to start their effort to find survivors. McSorley and Cooper agreed to take the northerly course across Lake Superior to avoid a storm that was developing to the southwest, so they would be protected by highlands on the Canadian shore, taking them between Isle Royale and the Keweenaw Peninsula. Edmund Fitzgerald - "Touching Bottom At Six Fathom Shoal". The Fitz hull took a fatal blow on a shoal. With the load she was carrying as she was driven down would it not shift forward and drive the ship down at a rapid rate causing so much damage? The modification never took place and the patch plates could be seen at the shipyard a couple of years after theFitzgerald'sdemise.TheEdmund Fitzgeralddeparted on what would be her last voyage the afternoon of November 9, 1975 leaving the iron ore docks of Superior, Wisconsin bound for aZug Island steel foundry near Detroit,Michigan. 2023 Advance Local Media LLC. It lies entirely within the territorial waters of Canada although only about five kilometres from the international border between Canada and the United States. A more serious issue was determined by poor construction and design. As Fred Stonehouse points out, nothing completely removes hazard from life at sea, for nature still enforces its whim and ships are still expected to brave adverse weather to deliver their cargoes. Every year since the sinking, the Episcopal Mariners Church the Maritime Sailors Cathedral on East Jefferson Avenue in downtown Detroit, along the riverfront, has held a memorial service for the Edmund Fitzgerald crew. In the Duluth News-Tribune, another former crew member, Jim Woodard, claims the Fitzgerald was a "wet" ship. Several of the lakes are maintained by beavers and all are several feet above Lake Superior. [7], These reefs are not coral reefs. TheEdmund Fitzgeraldwas a "Laker" type iron ore bulk freighter launched on June 7, 1958 by the Great Lakes Engineering Works in River Rogue, Michigan for the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company one year after its near sister shipArthur B. Homer. Gale warnings had been issued at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9, upgraded to storm warnings early in the morning of Nov. 10. Todays captain, however, has much more accurate and immediate information than did those sailing in 1975, when the Fitzgerald was virtually blind and wallowing in huge seas and heavy winds on its way from Caribou Island to its final resting place. Having been a consultant and active member of the original Jacques Cousteau expedition in 1980 along with the raising of the bell 1994 expedition. But I have to leave the decision up to you., Ill give it a try, but thats all I can do.. While the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains shrouded in mystery, it is no mystery that ships wreck. Weather conditions continued to deteriorate, Ley wrote. For books, videos, and memorabilia about the Fitzgerald, her loss, and her legacy, visit theShipwreck Coast Museum Store . ADMINISTRATIVE: These sedimentary strata overlie an additional 22 kilometers (14mi) of basaltic volcanic strata and mafic intrusions that fill the remainder of the Midcontinental Rift. This would have left the crew no way to survive the Edmund Fitzgerald Wreck. From what I know, the Fitzgerald sank 45 years ago as of posting this comment, soon to be 46. There is a look out in Pancake Bay named after the Fitz. In addition, Coast Guard cited reports of damage to the Fitzgerald's hatches that were planned for winter repair. Too soon to be coincidence. Why the Edmund Fitzgerald remains a cultural touchstone, Follow the final journey of the Edmund Fitzgerald, 17 miles to safety: Edmund Fitzgerald by the numbers. On April 15, 1977 the U.S. Coast Guard released its official report of Subject: S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald, official number 277437, sinking in Lake Superior on 10 November 1975 with loss of life. While the Coast Guard said the cause of the sinking could not be conclusively determined, it maintained that the most probable cause of the sinking of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald was the loss of buoyancy and stability resulting from massive flooding of the cargo hold. Later, in a videotaped conversation with GLSHS, Captain Cooper said that he always believed McSorley knew something serious had happened to Fitzgerald as the ship passed over Caribou Shoal.
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