SHIPWRECK! The Edmund Fitzgerald - Historsea, Episode 4
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- Опубликовано: 9 апр 2023
- #documentary #americanhistory #history #greatlakes #ships
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Welcome to our video about the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, one of the most famous shipwrecks in the Great Lakes history. In this video, we explore the events leading up to the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the theories behind the cause of the wreck, and the aftermath that followed.
On November 10th, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 729-foot-long freighter, sank in Lake Superior, taking all 29 crew members with it. The tragedy has since captivated the public's imagination and inspired numerous books, songs, and films.
In this video, we delve into the details of the ship's final moments and examine the factors that could have contributed to its sinking. We also explore the impact that the disaster had on the shipping industry, as well as the families and loved ones of the crew members.
Whether you're a history buff, a maritime enthusiast, or simply curious about one of the most enduring mysteries of the Great Lakes, this video is a must-watch. Join us as we uncover the secrets of the Edmund Fitzgerald and pay tribute to the brave souls who lost their lives on that fateful day.
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to our channel for more fascinating videos like this one. And if you have any insights or theories about the Edmund Fitzgerald, we'd love to hear them in the comments below. Thank you for watching!
I always remember to mention and commend the crew of the Anderson. That would have been absolutely terrifying going *Back* out with an absolutely full load, head on, into the storm.
The Anderson is still on the lakes today if i recall correctly!
She is, YT has several videos of her pulling in to Duluth, MN
Sailing the Great Lakes is nothing to take lightly, especially during a storm. I once read that the Great Lakes are among the most dangerous waters to navigate. I have always been fascinated by Lake Effect weather.
@Dave Smith You are quite welcome!
Shoutout to Gordon Lightfoot for probably the greatest maritime song ever crafted.
Thanks for mentioning the Gordon Lightfoot song. It was that song that first interested me in the Fitzgerald.
Gordon is to be praised. Not only for the song itself, but for its historical facts, and for Gordon’s sensitivity to and for the families and loved ones of those lost 29 men.
He brought familiarities to the wreck that people might not know about and awareness
Yes indeed. I still get a chill down my back every time I hear that song.
I grew up in Amherstburg Ontario, and we lived on the river opposite Bob-Lo island. We saw the Edmund Fitzgerald go by the house so often in the summer months. ( most big lakers did not use that channel in winter) Her loss was so painful that I can’t watch your entire video, but I’m glad you’re keeping her story alive. Ship owners kept the lakers working too late in the season, putting ships and crews at risk. Growing up in a community where local boys got jobs on those ships, we often talked about the risks taken in the pursuit of money. The last time I visited and spent time on BobLo, not a single ship went by. How times have changed!
I was born nine years after the mighty Fitz sank, and I believe that the mighty Fitz and her crew will never be forgotten
I have heard or read this story many times... You did it very well. BTW: Captain McSorley could not have assumed command of the Fitz in 1982 (12:25 in the video). It was 1972.
I have never heard the full story of the Edmond Fitzgerald. Thank you for all of your hard work.
Born and raised in Michigan my whole life and I remember when the Fitz went down and the storm that took her. I've been in Whitefish Point many, many times. Anybody that gets up there should definitely go to the Shipwreck Museum there. The whole incident was so sad and tragic.
I’ve flown over the Great Lakes, but have never seen them up close. I have, however, lived on both the Atlantic and Pacific’s coasts. Seeing these pics and videos of the stormy lakes is truly shocking. That a lake can produce waves like that in a storm is truly astounding to me.
I have watched a few youtube documentaries about the Fitz and i gotta say this one delivered a bunch of info that none of the previous ones did. Well done on the research and the script too. Thanks Tim :D
My brother was in the merchant marines sailing overseas at the time. He later sailed the Great Lakes on freighters. The wreck of The Fitzgerald always made me nervous for him.
I recently discovered your channel and am enjoying watching all of your videos. I grew up in St. Catharines Ontario and have always been fascinated with the history of the Welland Canals. I'd love to see you produce a series on all four iterations of the Welland Canal.
Thankyou. This has given me a full appreciation of the Great Lakes. As an Australian we have nothing here like your Great Lakes. It is an Ocean within itself. RIP to all on the Big Fitz.
The best part is it's all fresh water.Take care from Canada 😊❤
@@jayhopkins6990 thankyou so much.
Thank you for being the first channel that discusses Maritime Disasters that actually explained what "Gail Force Winds" actually means.
I think her bow was driven under the water by the waves that hit the Arthur M. Anderson and the bow was driven into the bottom. In 530 feet of water, at 729 feet long, that left 200 feet of the Fitz sticking out and the hull (that was already compromised) couldn't take it and she broke in half. It happened in seconds, that's why there was no MAYDAY call from the Edmund Fitzgerald, unfortunately.
I very much enjoyed this. Thank you for bringing this history to us 🍻
** historsea. 😉 😁
More shipwreck stories!! Really like these.
I didn’t know about the lost anchor in the Detroit river, very neat.
Have you been to the Wreck Museum in Stockholm, Sweden? It has a portion of the MS Estonia when it sank in the Baltic. The museum is not far from the Vasa’s Museum either. The Vasa was a 16 century warship that sailed 90 m before it sank on its maiden voyage. It was recovered in the early 90s and now it’s one of the best preserved shipwrecks. It’s 95% still preserved. I think both of those wrecks would make a great episode.
Hugely interesting stuff once again . Thank you and more like this please .
Very nicely done. I've watched other videos covering this ship and the hazardous fall season shipping in the great lakes.
You have managed to tell a well known story in a unique way.
Well done.
I agree! I’ve seen several videos about the wreck and I think this is tops. I’m surprised he didn’t mention the Gordon Lightfoot song.
@@lisamartin3928 I think Gordon Lightfoot dies just after this video was released. Had it been the other way around I bet Tim would have mentioned it.
Right on! There are some great divers around the big lake who regularly dive the wrecks from the Keewenaw. Rowe. Good material. Then you have the immigrants coming to the lake. One guy in particular that could tell you great stories is a guy who owns a marine repair shop in Killarney, Ont.. He is an old guy who sailed from Finland to settle there. He says it's better in the Great Lakes because it's not salt water. And people from the Baltic are amazed that people sail Superior. Legendary. I met him 4 years ago. Good interview materials. The Ojibwa war parties who canoed across that lake! Wars with the Sioux... Crazy. The Brule, St. Croix route to the Gulf....tons O' stuff to research. Pictographs. That artist guy who canoed and painted near Wawa. Bill?
Wonderful commentary, I could listen to these incredible stories everyday, truly fascinating the bravery of those men.
Hi Tim. I just now found your channel and I am a new subscriber. I was in the Navy during the Vietnam War stationed aboard the USS Kitty Hawk, CV-63. I must say that I have been in typhoons in the South China Sea that probably equaled, or maybe surpassed, the one that sank the E.F. The K.H. was indeed a huge ship. at its bow, there was a 110ft. drop to the waterline. I personally saw waves break over the bow of the "Hawk", and those waves seemed to be at least 10ft. high, although I hesitated to try to measure them, as you might imagine. No one can imagine the power of the sea without personally experiencing it. I am proud of my naval experiences, although sometimes it was quite frightening and humbling.
On the shores of Lake Superior in Marquette MI. Is a maritime museum honoring the 29 souls lost on the Edmond Fitzgerald. GORDON LIGHTFOOTS song plays 24 hours a day. 24 -7.
Another interesting fact about the Fitz and Anderson is they were both weather ships that forcasted weather updates
Great Video Tim!! Keep them coming! I grew up about 40 miles from White Fish Point so know the story well but you brought up some points I wasn't aware of, well done!
Wow! This is the best retelling of this tragedy, you should have played a bit of Gordon Lightfoots song "The Edmund FitzGerald" at the end, Bravo man.
RUclips would probably get him for a copyright strike if he had. RUclips censors and strikes everything nowadays...including 10 seconds of a song. It's a real shame and totally ridiculous. Smh
Great presentation. I remember hearing of her loss on the radio the next day. Your video is short and concise, without getting to caught up with the theories and controversies as to the cause of her sinking, i.e. 6 fathom shoal. This is a great introduction video on the topic for anyone who hasn't heard of this famous tragedy. I like your new channel and I am looking forward to viewing more of your content.
Thanks for a great video! Rumors we have heard about the tragedy: the ship was transporting uranium illegally, and that's why the details of the sinking are still unclear. Another: the ships cargo was not compartmentalized, so it shifted in the hugh waves and caused the list and taking on of water. It is not that we necessarily believe ever rumor, but we thought you would be interested. The Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking was a great loss, and the bravery of all involved cannot be overestimated.
WHAT STORY! I remember bring my sailboat through the Welland Canal with my Dad and he starts whistling that Gordon Lightfoot Song. I was like 'Not that song! We are on a boat in the Great Lakes!' LOL
Great video. I had the honor of attending several memorials for the Fitz. over the years: In 2014 and 2015(?) at Belanger Park (next to Zug Island - the destination of the Fitz) I met Pam, the fill-in cook's daughter. In 2019, I was at Whitefish Point, it was quite somber and touching, as a family member of each victim rang the ship's recovered bell, as their name was called. And 2023 at Dossin's Museum, along the Detroit River - the first anniversary without Gordon Lightfoot.
A Tragic Story, and all credit to those who set out to find the Ship. I've even Out in Coditions Like that, with huge Waves, and I can guarantee that it is no Fun at all. Not helped by the three plus days of it, are the only time in my life I have been Seasick, and so ill, I was no use to Man or Beast. RIP all those lost.😢 Tim, your intuition for subjects is good. Trust your instincts is all I can recommend. Best Wishes and Fair Winds. Bob. 👍⛵️✨️✨️✨️✨️✨️
Riveting recounting of this event that I remember -- Thanks Tim!
Man... I was traveling through N. Michigan and I stopped food, I said something about the Edmond Fitzgerald, and I heard that one of the waitresses was a relative of a man that worked on the Edmond Fitzgerald.
I enjoyed this video. I remember hearing about the Fitz when I was young. Thanks, Tim.
Very informative and compelling.
Please do an episode on the Bay of Fundy. Thank you. I think you will be very successful doing this, you have a real good manner and voice. Cheers!
I lost a schoolmate (high school) on the Edmund Fitzgerald. David Weiss. I remember hearing about him being lost.
I'm really sorry about your friend. Someone else posted who had gone to school with Karl Peckol...I believe that it was supposed to have been his last trip, as he'd been working to save money to go to school. They were so young.
Very very nice work buddy...😊
Thanks Tim! We’re really enjoying your videos!
I also remember 1992 although, particularly in the summer of that year, because I was in the biggest earthquake I've ever felt and the only one that truly scared me, which was the Landers Earthquake. That 7.3 earthquake started a lifelong fascination in me for earthquakes, although I ended up becoming a biologist and an armchair geologist but with several geology classes under my belt also.
I'm sure I saw that footage on TV too but it only looked familiar once you showed it. The earthquake, on the other hand, is something I talk about in quite a bit of detail. Interesting how those things are when something catches a person's attention growing up. I was also a kid at time, although I was a teenager.
I guess I didn't get into boating much because there's not really a lot of water here unless you go to the sea and that was an hour or so from my house by car. When I was in early 20s, a friend and I did decide that we'd sail an inflatable raft down the Santa Ana River. We had walked in the middle of the river many times but, not only was there a small amount of quicksand sometimes, but we had to carry all our beer in our backpacks and walk, so we thought it would be more fun to float down the river instead.
So we bought an inflatable raft and schlepped it on foot all the way from our apartment to the river. Everything seemed to be going well until we actually tried to get in it. It turns out that less than a foot of water is not enough water to float two people in a raft so that our asses sent that part of the raft to the bottom. At least we did find that we could put our backpacks full of beer in the boat so that all we had to do was walk. So it was probably good that I didn't get into sailing because, not only do I obviously suck at it, but it turns out that I get seasick as well. lol I do like to see pictures and videos of being at sea in the middle of the ocean but I think I can settle for that as a proxy adventure at sea.
I remember this in 92...the year after I graduated high school. Feel old now
Haha don't we all
Thanks for posting, I am enjoying this channel. The El Faro sinking would be another good analysis
Speaking of sailors being superstitious: I applied for my Merchant Mariner Credential (MMC) with the intent to be a sailor on the Great Lakes. Ive known the story of the fitzgerald most of my life, however, the day I applied for my MMC, was the same day that Gordon Lightfoot passed away. I may or may not have second thoughts now lol.
Enjoying the new channel, keep the episodes coming
I hope you can cover more great lakes shipwrecks. I am always interested in stories from the lakes as growing up in Pittsburgh we had relatives in Erie. We would always go to lake Erie in summer and once almost had our own boat capsize!
Really well done again. Excellent.
Not to throw shade, but that picture you have of Captain McSorley is actually Captain Don Erickson of the William Clay Ford. He and his ship also left the safety of Whitefish Bay (along with the Arthur M. Anderson) to search for the missing Fitzgerald.
The death of the onlooker is unconfirmed and just a story. The fitz was a fabulous ship and set many records
Nice story Tim. I don’t understand why the Fitz lost its anchor and didn’t look to recover. They had to know about where it was. An anchor that size must have been worth a couple bucks USD.
Well done Tim!
Nice shot of the Daniel J. Morrell there at 5:30. She broke apart and sank in a Lake Huron storm back on November 29th, 1966. Check out that story as told by her sole survivor Dennis Hale. Sadly, 28 others weren't as fortunate. 🧐♥️
Excellent Summary of the events. Not many know the story of the Fitz outside of those of us who lived around the great lakes in the 70s 80s and 90's.
What ? There's tons of videos of the Fitz, the Lakes and even the great storm of 1913. I live jn a small city in the southwest of England and I've known about the Lakes and its weather for years
@@confusedbadger6275 Then I applaud you sir or madam. You are either very well educated, or a person who is interested in knowledge on the seas, nautical history , or ships. Or perhaps you come from a family who made their living on the water.
Sadly if you come to to North America and poll random people about great lakes shipping disasters, they will likely look at you with dumbfounded expressions. A very scary proportion of our citizens, even teens and those walking around College Campuses in the United States who just graduated high school and you would think would know, couldn't list the past 10 US Presidents or for many not even 5 in chronological order. A disappointing portion couldn't accurately tell you how many states there are in the Union, or list the Provinces and Capitals of Canada.
Large chunks of the citizens of Canada and the USA will argue with you that they are and always have been "Democracies", and you don't know what you are talking about when you educate them that the USA was founded as, and on paper still is a Constitutional Republic of Sovereign States to form a governmental alliance to raise a Continental Military and a Neutral Capitol for the states to send representatives to to fund that military and to maintain relations between the Union.
When you explain that Canada like England is still a Commonwealth of the United Kingdom with a Parliamentary Monarchy and His/Her Majesty of England and the UK as their head of State. A lot of Canadians especially younger ones will tell you they decide who their Prime .Inkster is by voting for him, and don't realize he is appointed by the majority government, and the Governor General,nor do they know the Governor General is the Representative of the British Monarchy. They will adamantly argue with you that Canada "got rid of the monarchy and English rule" a long time ago and they just had "God Save the Queen" on their money because of Tradition.
I've seen a lot of videos on RUclips of people who ask what were once considered questions any grade schooler should have memorized by heart, that suggest the same loss of knowledge and analytical thinking is Happening over in the Isles, as on this side of the pond. Especially about your national history and system of government as it is here.
Generally speaking, many have become less intelligent, less educated, and less connected because of these little computers we all carry around in out pockets. Face to face interactions are less preferable for many than a phone call, and a phone call less preferable to a text or instant message. Why exercise your brain, and try to remember anything when the things you do remember are frequently challenged as wrong, inaccurate, or different than what can be rapidly looked up by saying hey Siri or ok google, and what is the accepted narrative on "insert subject here". We are becoming less connected by the day.
I was merely trying to convey to Tim it was very refreshing to have a documentary that more or less approaches a subject from a present the facts without a bunch of opinions and political spin. Then encouraging people to think for themselves and do their own research. It's refreshing to see, and we need a whole lot more of it before we wake up as a species of Automatons one day and there is no one left to even wonder "What Went Wrong".
I think the most mysterious part is that they found no bodies on or near the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The biggest question surrounding the ship is “where did the crew go?” “What happened to them?”
I watched one documentary that said the crew that dived down there did see one body at the side of the ship they couldn't tell which man it was but that he wore blue coveralls
One video I saw said that the men on the bridge would have been pushed farther back into the ship as water rushed in (a door to the bridge was found open, and they may have been trying to get out as she sank). I'm guessing that the rest of the crew were in their quarters, as they'd been told to stay off of the deck. So they'd be somewhere in the stern section. And apparently on one of the dives they did see a few bodies, but they never released any footage.
My dad raced on lake St. Clair and was very familiar with "the Fitz". I was living in Australia at the time and received a letter from him telling me about the loss.
Awsome content and soothing voice.. great channel
These are well done - Great job.
Anything on USS Yorktown, HMS Ark Royal, Bismarck or Tripitz?
very good video and while im sure just oversight, some errors in your dates. interesting trivia, the Ford sailed directly overtop the Fitzgerald while searching for her. there is a great diorama at the Dossin that shows this. (novermber 1913 not 1919 storm on the great lakes, 1972 not 1982 McSorely, 1974 not 1975 sinking)
Great episode!
What about an episode about Joshua Slocum, I think that’s a great moment in Seamanship history.
Ohhh that's a great one! I've read several books on the subject. Thanks!
hey Tim, i've been watching your content for a while now, its been very inspiring from the lady k channel to the history stuff here, I'd like to see a history video on the bluenose sailing schooner, the bluenose 1 had sunk but before it sunk had a great racing career. also another story you may be interested in is the Halifax explosion, there was 2 war effort cargo ships in the Halifax bay that had miscommunication and collided sending an explosion several kilometers. keep up the great stuff and "keep the heavy side down" ;D
Excellent idea! Thank you! And thanks for watching
My second vid watching your channel. I must say “Bravo” 👏 🇦🇺
I'd love to see your take on the New Zealand's TEV Wahine.
Great movie, cheers 👍
As a survivor of the Wahine disaster, so would I.
Great job !
Great video! How about the end of the great sailing era, and or the new trade sailing? Thanks for your effort 😊
great episode....
Love your channel! Any plans to talk about the Chesapeake - Delaware Canal in future?
Good overview.
Awesome! Wondering if you could do a video on the Empress of Ireland?
You should do some of the great lakes sea battles from the war of 1812
Excellent!! Subbed
Oh yeah!!! The Trent Savern Waterway history.
You living in Windsor, and being 11 in 92, I was born in 76, and lived in flint, and every year we went to Bablo island, and we never took the boat, we always went to Windsor and took the ferry straight across! Did you get to experience that as a kid? And if so you think even though it’s not a Ship related video, well it actually could be if you made the focus kinda on the ferrys and the river boats that took us there! That and the history of the boats and ferry’s and Bablo Island would be a great video to do! 🙏 thanks
Great video's, how about a Devils Triangle?
New subscriber here, well done!!!
Hi Tim, just wanted to let you know that you actually went talking about captain McSorley showed a picture of the captain of the William Clay Ford Captain Don Erickson
Storms on the great lakes are no joke especially in november
I'm from Northern Michigan I remember when this happened I was in high-school
Old story, nice person perspective by growing up in the area🎉
Good animation 👍.
I would love to see you do a video of the wrecks of taffy3 or Dona Paz.
Great episode Tim, very Nort American focused but I am getting into the new channel.
Hey thanks! Yeah right now I'm sorta in a "write what you know" place but I'll branch out, promise :)
Great video. Mind you that the Anderson is still around.
She sure it! Thanks so much
@@Historsea AND, the Anderson's captain gave a Master Salute for the Fitzgerald in November 2020, for the Fitz's 45th anniversary of it's sinking. If anyone's interested in seeing it just go to RUclips's search bar and type in the video's exact title, which is: "Arthur M Anderson Master Salute to the Edmund Fitzgerald 11/10/2020"
Yes, she is, bless her, and she is my favourite freighter. I became fascinated by the Great Lakes ships just a few months ago when I was searching for info on the Arthur M. Anderson. And I've been watching them come and go in Duluth ever since thanks to RUclips. Fascinating stuff. And, yes, I am delighted that a commentator here mentioned the Wilfred Sykes. Beautiful ship. Smart captain back on November 10, 1975. He delayed his departure for two hours and took a different route.
How about a video on the McClelkan-Kerr canal to the most inland trade port
How about a story on the Daniel J Morrell, lost on Lake Huron in 1966 with 28 of 29 souls lost.
Super interesting. But what about the famous song?
Mcsorley 1982.The ship sank in 1975 really good presentation but noticing some facts that aren't right ,tell 😊ask people to check your work before publishing on the internet .😊😊😊❤
Great video Tim, BUT no mention of Gordon Lightfoot Fitz song :(
No I am scared of copyright infringement. A very new channel to take the risk :(
*Rest In Peace 29 Souls*
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Loved this. But you said the captain of the Big Fitz came on board in 1982. Did you mean '72?
lmao Imagine a ship being afraid of the water! I can sympathize, at least when it comes to the open ocean. lol It does look beautiful from the pictures and videos I've seen but I'm not brave enough to go out there.
The Fitz grounded when she did the shipped hogged when she did it blew off two ballast tank vents and the cable which was the rail snapped. She was running two pumps and was slowly losing the battle. With her reserve buoyancy gone she nosed dived when the huge waves that hit the Anderson caught up to her.Also note she was loaded to the summer load line which is three or four feet lower than the winter load line or depth it all played a roll in the sinking. The rest is history. Prayers for all the crew members lost on the mighty Fitz and all the other vessels that lost the battle with the lakes 20:57
Plus the taconite pellets that she was carrying were porous and absorbed water, so they just would not have been able to pump out all of the water.
Did they never actually determine what caused the Fitz to sink? I thought it was determined that the bow and stern were supported by separated waves but the hull in between was out of the water and buckled under that lack of hydrostatic support.
How could he have become Captain in 1982 when the ship sank in 1975...
A family member of mine was due to be on the Fitz but for some reason or the other, was pulled out at the last minute
did you mention the song ? The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - RUclips
The Wilfred Sykes also turned back to search for the Fitzgerald.
And the William Clay Ford.
I remember that storm.
We had no problem reaching 600< feet in 1975, her anchor was just easily retrieved from the Detroit river.
can you do an episode on the Andrea Doria - please? :)
That bell should've stayed with the Fitz and her crew.