The misinformation that has been spread by the media then and now is a great example of how clueless the general public is going to continue to be unless they stand up for a full disclosure of information and laws that regulate punish and fine the profiteers of misinformation. But the Coast Guard called Captain Cooper back at 9:00 pm: Anderson, this is Group Soo. A 2010 television episode of Dive Detectives simulated the effect of a 56-foot wave on a scale model of the Fitzgerald. No. WHITEFISH POINT By this time, snow and rising spray had obscured the Fitzgerald from sight, visible 17 miles ahead on radar.. Instead, the LCA theorized that the lost freighter had stumbled over the Six-Fathom Shoal at the north end of Caribou Island, sustaining damage that would prove to be fatal to the ship. Near-hurricane force winds seemed to pick up strength throughout the day while visibility was greatly reduced. Meantime, northwest winds built massive seas from the starboard quarter (right rear), washing powerful waves completely over the deck as the ship left the eastern lee of Caribou Island. He is particularly intrigued by the command that Woodard overheard. Without direct witnesses or survivors, every explanation about the cause of the wreck is purely theoretical and, from the very beginning, a rash of theories concerning it were postulated. Winter 2023 NMU School of Art & Design Senior Exhibition Reception, Edmund Fitzgerald: Decades of Speculation, Fascination and Grieving. In the steel towns to Gary's east, Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburg, Bethlehem and others, urban decay also set in and still remains today (2021). This contact or a near miss would damage the hull and allow water to begin accumulating inside the affected ballast tanks. Caribou Island is an uninhabited island in the eastern end of Lake Superior, 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Michipicoten Island. 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, A NOAA model showing the storm that sunk the Edmund FItzgerald, Garret Ellison covers business, environment & the Great Lakes for MLive/The Grand Rapids Press. )As if the aforementioned problems weren't enough, Northwestern Mutual had theFtizgeraldpartially rebuilt in her later years to handle thousands of extra tons of iron ore, which substantially raised the waterline, increasing the maximum draft of the ship, maximum weight of the ship and height of the deck above water. That would seem to indicate that their instruments convinced them that water was leaking into the tank area. As with all of the other theories, it may well be that we will never know the total story of this wreck - leaving each theory, for now, as good as any other. Grew up learning about this. It was originally discovered by sonar shortly after the sinking in 1975 and first documented by several expeditions in 1976 including one by Jean Michel Cousteau, son of famous oceanographer Jaques Cousteau. Conflicting theories about the cause of the tragedy remain active today. So, what happened? 1. While the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains shrouded in mystery, it is no mystery that ships wreck. George Stegner recalled last year how he was on duty that night: I was on duty this night. The debate rages to this day. An unpopulated island at the eastern end of Lake Superior, 40 km south of Michipicoten Island, named Caribou Island. It lies entirely within the territorial waters of Canada although only about five kilometres from the international border between Canada and the United States. TheFitzgeraldwould have extra steel plates installed between the hull bottom and her keel which would ensure the keel would no loner move freely from the hull and would stay fastened in place. "He and his officers watched the Fitzgerald pass right over the dangerous area of shallow water," Ley wrote. 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. The official Coast Guard board of inquiry came to the conclusion that the Edmund Fitzgerald sank as a result of massive flooding of the cargo hold, saying that this likely resulted from ineffective hatch closure. Noting that many of the hatch clamps photographed on the sunken freighter show little or no damage or distortion, the report states that this could result from improper maintenance of the adjustment bolts that put tension on the hatch covers and secured them to the top of the coamings around the hatches. Had she sailed two days later, empty, for repairs (very good timing, actually) none of this would have happened. The Coast Guard cited reports of damage to the Fitzgerald's hatches that were planned for winter repair. Both ships crews could feel the effects.Around 3:00 in the afternoon, both ships had passed Caribou Island, Ontario, home of the notorious Six Fathom Shoal, a sharpy rocky outcropping more than capable of tearing into the hull of a deep draft vessel in stormy weather. These records are part of the Records of Bureau of the Census, Record Group (RG) 29. With the ship pounding and rolling badly, the crew of the Anderson discovered the Fitzgeralds two lifeboats and other debris but no sign of survivors. Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB) are now standard equipment on lakes vessels, allowing instantaneous identification of the area where a vessel founders. After enough persuasion, Cooper agreed to take theAndersonback out to sea followed by the LakerWilliam Clay Ford. The shoal is a hump of Keweenawan basaltic lava flows with ophitic interiors and amygdaloidal tops in an otherwise deep part of the lake, and though fishermen had known of its existence for generations it was only officially charted in 1929 by the United States Lake Survey. For 17 years the Fitzgerald hauled taconite iron ore from the mines of Duluth, MN to Detroit and other Great Lakes ports setting . Captain Jesse Cooper, (J.C.) of the S.S. Arthur M. Anderson watches the Fitzgerald round Caribou Island and comments that the Fitzgerald is much closer to Six Fathom Shoal than he would want to be. Minor incidents included groundings and collisions between 1969 and 1974. The story is about Inuit hunting the toughest Caribou until only . None, of course, were found and only floating debris gave clues that the Fitzgerald and its crew were lost. Cooper radioed theFitzgerald at 7:10 PMuknown to him that it would be the final communication with McSorley. [2], According to the available information, Caribou Island consists of a mixture of glacial sediments and Precambrian sandstone. It was considered a private hunting preserve through the early 1900s. I've thought for a long long time the keel problem contributed to a major structural failure through years of metal fatigue. Perhaps the real cause of the sinking may never be known for certain. Marie, Michigan. The caribou were very aggressive, treeing the lighthouse keeper for hours on several occasions. Gale warnings had been issued at 7 pm on November 9, upgraded to storm warnings early in the morning of November 10. Canadian flag on the bow, American flag at stern, the Edmund Fitzgerald was a frequent site on the Great Lakes during its almost two decades of service before it sank with the loss of all 29 crew members. In the early afternoon of Nov. 10, the Fitzgerald had passed Michipicoten Island and was approaching Caribou Island, steaming toward Whitefish Bay at Superiors east end.. Cooper later said he watched the Edmund Fitzgerald pass far too close to Six Fathom Shoal to the north of Caribou Island. But it also added time and nautical miles to her course in the middle of shifting, increasing winds and waves -- FROM THE WEST -- behind her. At 3:30 PM, Captain McSorely reported to Captain Cooper aboard theAndersonthat theFitzgeraldwas taking on water and had a reported list of 20 degrees towards starboard. Okay, fine, Ill be talking to you later. Clark signed off. Numerous authors have written books on the tragedy. In 2003, the herd was estimated to have 490,000 individuals, 6 and in 2016, the herd count decreased to 201,000. Of note, the NTSB report included a dissenting opinion that held to this theory. Cooper believes that from that point on, McSorley knew he was sinking. Caribou Island and Southwest Bank Protection Area means the area enclosed by rhumb lines connecting the following coordinates, beginning on the northernmost point and proceeding clockwise: 4730.0 N, 08550.0 W 4724.2 N, 08538.5 W 4704.0 N, 08549.0 W 4705.7 N, 08559.0 W 4718.1 N, 08605.0 W. As of the 2010 Census, the town had a population of 0. The battered ship despite the odds continued to soldier on towards Whitefish Bay. 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). There's even a work of Fiction, SCP-1174, titled, and I quote, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". The Fitzgerald being the faster took the lead, with the distance between the vessels ranging from 10 to 15 miles. Only one man has undertaken a scuba dive, using special air mixtures in his tanks. It is approximately 5.6 kilometres (3.5 mi) long and 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) wide, and 1,600 acres (647 ha . Crafts No limit on the Perch, so we returned pretty low in the water. In those seas, such a command goes without saying, so why did McSorley have to emphasize it? he asks. 2. This island was considered an emergency landing airport (YCI) during World War II. The Lake Carriers Association was inclined to accept that Fitzgerald passed over the Six Fathom Shoal Area as reported by Captain Cooper. McSorley was forced to rely off reports from the United States Coast guard and the still functional radar of theAndersonto operate through the storm. "She took on water all the time and her tunnels flooded out on her," Woodward said. Right in the middle of this economic meltdown, and not just in the Great Lakes region, the Edmund Fitzgerald was lost. What also can be stated with certainty is that sometime between 7:10 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., the Fitzgerald simply disappeared into Lake Superior about 15 miles from the shelter of Whitefish Bay just west of Sault Ste. Caribou Island was considered for an emergency landing airport (YCI) during World War II but it was never built because of the proximity of the twin cities of Sault Ste. This depiction shows the Edmund Fitzgerald touching bottom as she passes over the Six Fathom Shoal on the . Contributing factors noted were a lack of internal watertight bulkheads and allowances for more cargo weight during the ship's 17 years afloat. A caribou hunting site, built by native people 9,000 years ago, has been discovered underneath Lake Huron. This is futher indicated by the stern which lies completely upside down beside the bow; all superstructure buried deep into the mud. The ships were nearing Whitefish Bay. Reporting to the Anderson, the Fitzs Captain Ernest McSorley revealed the list and had activated two large ballast tank pumps to control it. And around 7:15 pm, the pip was lost again, but this time, did not reappear. 'http':'https';if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=p+"://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js";fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,"script","twitter-wjs"); A Great Lakes Information Network partner, 2020 Lake Superior Publishing LLC. The owners knew of the EF's structural problem, and had the steel already cut to effect yet another repair. A dynamic population. All were lost to the depths of Lake Superior. He and his officers watched the Fitzgerald pass right over the dangerous area of shallow water. Whether spoken from a desire to maintain calm in his pilothouse or from his own false sense of security, his assessment was obviously quite wrong. What was eventually found only included destroyed remains of the ships two lifeboats, life preservers and items from the ship's galleys. Soon after, McSorely on the Fitzgerald reported taking topside damage and a list. "6 wolves on Lake Superior island saved from starvation by Canadian-U.S. team | Globalnews.ca", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caribou_Island_(near_Michipicoten_Island)&oldid=1136093001, This page was last edited on 28 January 2023, at 18:26. The U.S. Coast Guard and National Transportation Safety Board both issued official investigation reports that many dismiss in favor of a theory favored by the Lake Carriers Association. He could clearly see the ship and the beacon on Caribou on his radar set and could measure the distance between them. That would likely mean that it was at the forward end of the weather deck. it be nice if they stopped talking about White Fish Bay which is 15 (N) miles from where it went down. Burgner said a shipyard worker showed him evidence of old keel weld breaks during the 1972-73 winter lay-up that were brought to McSorley and dismissed. Let's not forget about the structural failure of the Carl D. Bradley on Lake Michigan in 1958. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. 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. 3:30 PM Radio transmission between the Fitzgerald and the Anderson McSorley replied, We are holding our own. A few minutes later, the Fitzgerald disappeared from the radar screen for the last time, sinking without giving a distress signal. Departing Superior about 2:30 p.m., she was soon joined by the Arthur M. Anderson, which had sailed from Two Harbors, Minnesota under Capt. On May 20, 1976, the words Edmund Fitzgerald were clearly seen on the stern, upside down, 535 feet below the surface of the lake. NARA microfilm publication M1931, Index to Selected City Streets and Enumeration Districts, 1930 Census (7 rolls) reproduces a 57-volume typescript index to selected city streets and enumeration districts of the Fifteenth Census of the United States taken in 1930. Cooper later said he watched the Edmund Fitzgerald pass far too close to Six Fathom Shoal to the north of Caribou Island. An explanation that has been espoused several times by mariners is that the Fitzgerald suffered a stress fracture and broke apart on the surface from the effects of heavy seas twisting and flexing the hull. They have persisted where all others have perished. Almost none of the bodies including that of Captain McSorley were ever found. All rights reserved. Cooper later reported that he had seen the Fitzgerald get closer than she should have to Six Fathom Shoal, which is north of Caribou Island.
Objects In To Kill A Mockingbird,
Kiko Pangilinan Siblings,
Barton Family Funeral Home Obituaries,
Articles C