In Memory of the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee." The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy.With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty, That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed When the "Gales of November" came early.
And so starts the memorial song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot. It is in memory of that fateful day, November 10th, 1975, when the Edmund Fitzgerald, or The Fitz as she was called, disappeared in a storm on Lake Superior.
The sinking of this gigantic ship gave rise to one of the biggest mysteries in Great Lakes maritime history. What happened that fateful night? Why were they unable to send nary a distress call? After 31 years of not having any conclusive answers, we will probably never know.
The day after the wreck, Detroits Mariners' Church tolled 29 times in memory of the 29 souls. The church continues to hold an annual memorial, which includes the reading of the names of the crewmen and the ringing of the church bell. Her wreck lies broken in two sections in 530 feet of water in Lake Superior. The ship's bell was recovered from the wreck on July 4, 1995 and is now in the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point near Paradise, Michigan. An anchor from the Fitz, lost on an earlier trip, was recovered from the Detroit River and is on display at the Dossin Great Lakes Museum in Detroit, Michigan.
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The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald By Gordon Lightfoot, © 1976
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee." The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy.
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty, That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed When the "Gales of November" came early.
The ship was the pride of the American side Coming back from some mill in Wisconsin.
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most With a crew and good captain well seasoned, Concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms When they left fully loaded for Cleveland.
And later that night when the ship's bell rang, Could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound And a wave broke over the railing.
And ev'ry man knew, as the captain did too 'Twas the witch of November come stealin'.
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait When the Gales of November came slashin'.
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain In the face of a hurricane west wind.
When suppertime came the old cook came on deck sayin'.
"Fellas, it's too rough t'feed ya." At Seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in; he said, "Fellas, it's bin good t'know ya!" The captain wired in he had water comin' in And the good ship and crew was in peril.
And later that night when 'is lights went outta sight Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Does any one know where the love of God goes When the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay If they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'er.
They might have split up or they might have capsized; They may have broke deep and took water.
And all that remains is the faces and the names Of the wives and the sons and the daughters.
Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings In the rooms of her ice-water mansion.
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams; The islands and bays are for sportsmen.
And farther below Lake Ontario Takes in what Lake Erie can send her, And the iron boats go as the mariners all know With the Gales of November remembered.
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed, In the "Maritime Sailors' Cathedral." The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times For each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee." "Superior," they said, "never gives up her dead When the gales of November come early!"
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When you travel the northern coast of Michigans Upper Peninsular along Lake Superior, you will be in awe of the beauty of this lake. You will get a feel for just how big it is. With its location so far north, its a given that it is cold, even in mid-summer. Its hard to imagine how cold it was that night The Fitz went down. And it gives you pause. When you visit the Dossin Great Lakes Museum or Mariners' Church in Detroit, the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum in Whitefish Point, or at any of the other locations around the state with artifacts from this ship, you get a visual feel for just how large this ship was. And it gives you pause.
Take pause on November 10th, and remember the men, the wives, the sons, and the daughters of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Thanks to the Mariners' Church and to Gordon Lightfoot and the song he penned, the memory of this great ship and her crew will never be forgotten.
Julia R. Reece is a life-long resident of Michigan. If you like to travel, visit http://www.Travel-In-Michigan.com for more articles and information on sights to see and things to do in Michigan.
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