The Edmund Fitzgerald doesn't sink

Status
Not open for further replies.
There's also the sinking of the other Fitzgerald. That one sank on 14 November 1883, also near shoals, at Long Point.
That ship was a two masted schooner, named for it's builder Edmond Fitzgerald, intended for the grain and timber trade
 
I always thought that for whatever reasons, the Fitz, took on much more water than was known and ended up riding far lower in the water than the crew realized in the heavy waves. It nosed into a massive wave......and kept right on going.

The fact of no distress call is less significant in my mind than the fact that it basically disappeared totally between radar sweeps.
 
I know this is an old thread, but as a Michigander I have to put my two cents worth in on this. Gordon Lightfoot wouldn't have been able to profit from others pain for starters. Let's face it, he seized an opportunity to make money. And it worked. 29 men would have went on with productive lives. If the company who owned the ship wouldn't have been so greedy and cheap. And if the captain would have known when to say enough is enough. I really don't know why people say it was such a mystery why it sank in the first place. They had weather reports in 1975. If they would have waited 36 hours it never would have happened. Or maybe if they would have done some real inspections of the ship it wouldn't have happened. Mcsorely should have gave up the game at some point. He was being directed by another ship because both his radars were out. Clue number one. Probably why he shoaled on six fathom shoal. Which is what I personally think happened. Then he picked up a nasty list that kept getting worse even with both pumps going. Clue number two. I mean at what point do you call for help? There was enough things going wrong at that point to justify it. The story goes it just happened out of nowhere. If you read the reports that is about as far from the truth as you can get. He could have any time made way for a closer port. Or ground it somewhere and at least give your 28 men a fighting chance. The whole thing was a very avoidable tragedy. It was just a whole string of bad decisions by a multitude of people. By the owners, coast guard and the captain. And another thing I have a problem with is why didn't the Anderson try to help In stead of steaming on to whitefish bay. Cooper knew he was directing the fitzgerald. And it disappeared from his radar. He had to have known right then that it had sunk. Instead he goes past it, then goes back after he made it to whitefish. He might have been able to make a difference if he would have done something immediately. People say, oh, he was so brave for going back out there. No, brave would have been doing something when you had the chance to make a difference. I think he did it out of guilt, because he knew what had happened when it did. And why wasn't there a coastguard ship ready to go. There are ships on the lake in gale storms and not a single cutter anywhere that could help. That's just crazy and dereliction of duty. Like I said, there is no mystery as to why it sank and why everyone died. Who cares about the exact particular mechanical reason why it sank. It's the wrong question to ask. The real question is why was everyone involved so incompetent. And why wasn't anyone held accountable. That is why i call it the titanic of the great lakes. Same deal, a whole bunch of incompetent decisions made by a few incompetent people. And everyone else on board has to pay for it. And people can say what they want. But when you have multiple chances to avoid the tragedy and you still put your ship and crew on the bottom you are incompetent.
 

CalBear

Moderator
Donor
Monthly Donor
I know this is an old thread, but as a Michigander I have to put my two cents worth in on this. Gordon Lightfoot wouldn't have been able to profit from others pain for starters. Let's face it, he seized an opportunity to make money. And it worked. 29 men would have went on with productive lives. If the company who owned the ship wouldn't have been so greedy and cheap. And if the captain would have known when to say enough is enough. I really don't know why people say it was such a mystery why it sank in the first place. They had weather reports in 1975. If they would have waited 36 hours it never would have happened. Or maybe if they would have done some real inspections of the ship it wouldn't have happened. Mcsorely should have gave up the game at some point. He was being directed by another ship because both his radars were out. Clue number one. Probably why he shoaled on six fathom shoal. Which is what I personally think happened. Then he picked up a nasty list that kept getting worse even with both pumps going. Clue number two. I mean at what point do you call for help? There was enough things going wrong at that point to justify it. The story goes it just happened out of nowhere. If you read the reports that is about as far from the truth as you can get. He could have any time made way for a closer port. Or ground it somewhere and at least give your 28 men a fighting chance. The whole thing was a very avoidable tragedy. It was just a whole string of bad decisions by a multitude of people. By the owners, coast guard and the captain. And another thing I have a problem with is why didn't the Anderson try to help In stead of steaming on to whitefish bay. Cooper knew he was directing the fitzgerald. And it disappeared from his radar. He had to have known right then that it had sunk. Instead he goes past it, then goes back after he made it to whitefish. He might have been able to make a difference if he would have done something immediately. People say, oh, he was so brave for going back out there. No, brave would have been doing something when you had the chance to make a difference. I think he did it out of guilt, because he knew what had happened when it did. And why wasn't there a coastguard ship ready to go. There are ships on the lake in gale storms and not a single cutter anywhere that could help. That's just crazy and dereliction of duty. Like I said, there is no mystery as to why it sank and why everyone died. Who cares about the exact particular mechanical reason why it sank. It's the wrong question to ask. The real question is why was everyone involved so incompetent. And why wasn't anyone held accountable. That is why i call it the titanic of the great lakes. Same deal, a whole bunch of incompetent decisions made by a few incompetent people. And everyone else on board has to pay for it. And people can say what they want. But when you have multiple chances to avoid the tragedy and you still put your ship and crew on the bottom you are incompetent.
So you INTENTIONALLY revived a dead thread that had been in the grave for 2 1/2 years so you could toss out a rant?

Nice debut.

Please do not repeat.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top