40 years ago: "They'd have made Whitefish Bay if they'd put 15 more miles behind her.."

[Geoff_M]

Today marks the 40th anniversary of probably the 2nd best known maritime disaster in American consciousness (only behind the Titanic). This evening, 40 years ago the Edmund Fitzgerald, along with 29 men, slipped under the surface of Lake Superior off of Whitefish Point. It wasn't the largest loss of life on The Great Lakes (the Eastland disaster in 1915 holds that record at 844), nor was it the only large iron boat to be lost on the lakes, but the manner that the Fitz' seemingly "disappeared" while its lights were still visible to another ship, among other things, that caught the attention of the masses... including a Canadian songwriter.

During an online chat for Reddit AMA (Ask Me Anything) in August 2014, Lightfoot explained what he did after hearing about the disaster.

"I went and bought all of the old newspapers, got everything in chronological order, and went ahead and did it because I already had a melody in my mind, and it was from an old Irish dirge that I heard when I was about three and a half years old. I think it was one of the first pieces of music that registered to me as being a piece of music. That's where the melody comes from, from an old Irish folk song."

An article in Newsweek magazine two weeks after the disaster was the biggest inspiration for Lightfoot to complete the lyrics to go with the melody, which morphed into the greatest "story song" of his career — a song he considers one of his more significant contributions to music.

During the final voyage of "The Fitz," a storm pushed by massive winds and waves battered the ship until it began taking on water and listing to one side. The ship sank so quickly, the precise reasons why have remained a mystery.

Though Lightfoot's lyrics tell a true story, errors or creative liberties occur. The Edmund Fitzgerald, which departed Superior, Wisconsin, on Nov. 9, was headed for Detroit, not Cleveland, as the song goes. The historic Mariners' Church of Detroit is dubbed "The Maritime Sailors' Cathedral" in the song.

Lightfoot has revised his lyrics for public performances. After a parishioner objected to him referring to Mariners' Church as "a musty old hall," Lightfoot began singing "a rustic old hall."

The original lyrics refer to a hatchway caving in shortly before the disaster. But in 2010, an investigation for the National Geographic Channel's TV show "Dive Detectives" suggested three rogue waves broke the ship in half.

Lightfoot soon revised the lyric from:

"At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in, he said, 'Fellas, it's been good to know ya'"

To

"At 7 p.m., it grew dark, it was then he said, 'Fellas it's been good to know ya.""

That brought relief to the mother and daughter of crew members in charge of manning the hatches.

 

[cabanafrau]

Ironically the news coverage of Sunday's memorial service at Mariner's led off with the words "the church bell, it rang 29 times . . ."

 

[Kimberlyann11]

Thank you for posting this. They were discussing it on the radio this morning and for some reason it made me incredibly sad.

 

[Geoff_M]

Thank you for posting this. They were discussing it on the radio this morning and for some reason it made me incredibly sad.

On that subject, I've always found "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" one of the most haunting lyrics that has stuck in my mind over the years. I can only imagine what the crew went through emotionally in the hours before they lost their lives.

On another note, forecasters are predicting a likely "November Gale" this Thursday or Friday, the only question seems to be "How bad will it be?":

 

[eliza61]

Thanks for the bit of history. I had never heard of this tragedy.

 

[mousefanmichelle]

Terribly sad. Thanks for posting about the gale coming. My dh is traveling to the UP on Thursday morning to set up deer camp. I hope his travels are safe.

 

[Colleen27]

I grew up hearing the story because my grandfather had a cousin who was on the crew that went down with the ship. I think he owned every book ever written about the ship and its sinking. It is hard to believe it has been 40 years and it is still such a part of our collective consciousness.

Did you see the Freep coverage this morning? They have an AP story from the early coverage of the sinking up on the site today: http://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...dmund-fitzgerald-sank-lake-superior/75503300/

 

[cabanafrau]

Thanks for the bit of history. I had never heard of this tragedy.

I'm sure it's most memorable to those of us here in the Great Lakes region. I wonder, is the Gordon Lightfoot song familiar outside of this area -- at least for those of us who are "of a certain age"?

 

[sonnyjane]

I'm sure it's most memorable to those of us here in the Great Lakes region. I wonder, is the Gordon Lightfoot song familiar outside of this area -- at least for those of us who are "of a certain age"?

I know the song (and story) but only because I saw a special on Discovery Channel I believe. It happened before I was born and I'm not from anywhere near the area.

 

[cabanafrau]

I grew up hearing the story because my grandfather had a cousin who was on the crew that went down with the ship. I think he owned every book ever written about the ship and its sinking. It is hard to believe it has been 40 years and it is still such a part of our collective consciousness.

Did you see the Freep coverage this morning? They have an AP story from the early coverage of the sinking up on the site today: http://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...dmund-fitzgerald-sank-lake-superior/75503300/

Remember what huge news it was when they finally discovered the wreckage off Whitefish point? We were by there a few years ago and it was sad and eerie to look out there on a gloriously sunny day and think of the tragedy.

 

[gwynne]

Interesting article with pics and quotes from family members.
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/ne...zgerald-sinking-tragedy-anniversary/75493132/

 

[cabanafrau]

On that subject, I've always found "Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" one of the most haunting lyrics that has stuck in my mind over the years. I can only imagine what the crew went through emotionally in the hours before they lost their lives.

On another note, forecasters are predicting a likely "November Gale" this Thursday or Friday, the only question seems to be "How bad will it be?":

That's why this time of early November is historical in Great Lakes' marine history. There have been probably hundreds of shipwrecks on the Great Lakes over the past 150 years in this time of November on the Great Lakes. There was an extremely bad storm in the early 20th century where more than a dozen ships sank in one night on Lake Huron. There were reports of many bodies washing up on the shoreline afterwards.

 

[Kimberlyann11]

I'm sure it's most memorable to those of us here in the Great Lakes region. I wonder, is the Gordon Lightfoot song familiar outside of this area -- at least for those of us who are "of a certain age"?

It hit number two on the billboard charts. I think they played it once every fifteen minutes.

 

[Colleen27]

Remember what huge news it was when they finally discovered the wreckage off Whitefish point? We were by there a few years ago and it was sad and eerie to look out there on a gloriously sunny day and think of the tragedy.

I think that was a bit before my time. I'm not old enough to remember the sinking, just my grandfather's stories and later all the books he had lying around. I'm pretty sure the man only read about two things - the Edmund Fitzgerald and the Detroit Tigers - and when I got old enough I read a lot of his books too.

I took my kids up to Whitefish Point for the first time this past summer and you're right, it is eerie to look out over the lake when it is calm and picture the sinking... the contrast between mental picture of how violent Superior can be in November and the picture-perfect view of the lake shining under the August sun is unsettling.

 

[Geoff_M]

It hit number two on the billboard charts. I think they played it once every fifteen minutes.

I think the familiarity with the song is very much a generational thing. I was 12 when it came out and have always been mesmerized by it, however I think that those that were too young (or not yet born) when it was popular are less likely to be as familiar with it. But even in my 50's, it stops me in my tracks when I hear those opening notes.

 

[Geoff_M]

I grew up hearing the story because my grandfather had a cousin who was on the crew that went down with the ship. I think he owned every book ever written about the ship and its sinking. It is hard to believe it has been 40 years and it is still such a part of our collective consciousness.

Did you see the Freep coverage this morning? They have an AP story from the early coverage of the sinking up on the site today: http://www.freep.com/story/news/loc...dmund-fitzgerald-sank-lake-superior/75503300/

This is probably my favorite "video" of The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, it starts with the report of the sinking on the CBS network evening news broadcast, includes a lot of film footage of the Fitz, and also mixes in actual radio traffic between the captain of the Arthur M. Anderson and the USCG station that is the initial report of the disappearance.

Also, there is a lot more of the radio transmissions from the initial report and search efforts:

 

[Kimberlyann11]

I think the familiarity with the song is very much a generational thing. I was 12 when it came out and have always been mesmerized by it, however I think that those that were too young (or not yet born) when it was popular are less likely to be as familiar with it. But even in my 50's, it stops me in my tracks when I hear those opening notes.

We are contemporaries and I was fascinated by it too. I just texted my high school senior to see if she knew what it was. If she didn't, it was going to be the only song playing at our house for the next week. Nonstop.


But she does, so she escaped that particular fate.

 

[yoopermom]

We came over "The Bridge" yesterday and the white caps were rolling. That's only Lake Michigan, Lake Superior can be so much more fierce.

Yet another reason why I love living in the U.P....

Terri
Proud to be a yoopermom

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I mostly know about the event BECAUSE of the song. Side note: a local DJ used to swear it was the perfect song to play late at night when you were trying to get your friends to leave your party.

 

[cabanafrau]

We came over "The Bridge" yesterday and the white caps were rolling. That's only Lake Michigan, Lake Superior can be so much more fierce.

Yet another reason why I love living in the U.P....

Terri
Proud to be a yoopermom

I still vividly remember a preschool vacation where I insisted it wouldn't be too cold for me to go in for a swim on Lake Superior.

Didn't work out quite like I planned.