11/10/1975 In Memoriam

[TheMightyFavog]

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they call 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 - 26,000 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 Wisconson
As the big freighters go it was bigger than most
With a crew and the 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 ships bell rang
Could it be the North Wind they'd been feeling.

The wind in the wires made a tattletale sound
And a wave broke over the railing
And every man knew, as the Captain did, too,
T'was the witch of November come stealing.

The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
When the gales of November came slashing
When afternoon came it was freezing rain
In the face of a hurricane West Wind

When supper time came the old cook came on deck
Saying fellows it's too rough to feed ya
At 7PM a main hatchway caved in
He said fellas it's been good to know ya.

The Captain wired in he had water coming in
And the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when his lights went out of sight
Came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Does anyone know where the love of God goes
When the words turn the minutes to hours
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
If they'd fifteen more miles behind her.

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 ruins 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 29 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 say, never gives up her dead
When the gales of November come early.







In Memoriam, The Crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.

Michael E. Armagost, 37, Third Mate, Iron River, Wisconsin
Fred J. Beetcher, 56, Porter, Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas D. Bentsen, 23, Oiler, St. Joseph, Michigan
Edward F. Bindon, 47, First Asst. Engineer, Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Thomas D. Borgeson, 41, Maintenance Man, Duluth, Minnesota
Oliver J. Champeau, 41, Third Asst. Engineer, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nolan S. Church, 55, Porter, Silver Bay, Minnesota
Ransom E. Cundy, 53, Watchman, Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas E. Edwards, 50, Second Asst. Engineer, Oregon, Ohio
Russell G. Haskell, 40, Second Asst. Engineer, Millbury, Ohio
George J. Holl, 60, Chief Engineer, Cabot, Pennsylvania
Bruce L. Hudson, 22, Deck Hand, North Olmsted, Ohio
Allen G. Kalmon, 43, Second Cook, Washburn, Wisconsin
Gordon F. MacLellan, 30, Wiper, Clearwater, Florida
Joseph W. Mazes, 59, Special Maintenance Man, Ashland, Wisconsin
John H. McCarthy, 62, First Mate, Bay Village, Ohio
Ernest M. McSorley, 63, Captain, Toledo, Ohio
Eugene W. O'Brien, 50, Wheelsman, Toledo, Ohio
Karl A. Peckol, 20, Watchman, Ashtabula, Ohio
John J. Poviach, 59, Wheelsman, Bradenton, Florida
James A. Pratt, 44, Second Mate, Lakewood, Ohio
Robert C. Rafferty, 62, Steward, Toledo, Ohio
Paul M. Riippa, 22, Deck Hand, Ashtabula, Ohio
John D. Simmons, 63, Wheelsman, Ashland, Wisconsin
William J. Spengler, 59, Watchman, Toledo, Ohio
Mark A. Thomas, 21, Deck Hand, Richmond Heights, Ohio
Ralph G. Walton, 58, Oiler, Fremont, Ohio
David E. Weiss, 22, Cadet, Agoura, California
Blaine H. Wilhelm, 52, Oiler, Moquah, Wisconsin

[enigmatic]

1. I remember that day

Walking home from Middle school in Clevo and reading about it in the Plain Dealer; it was a tragedy..

[Crazy Guggenheim]

2. I didn't realize it was today.

[Fox Mulder]

3. A horrible tragedy.

I wasn't born yet when it went down, but I know the story behind it.

So sad. :(

[WCGreen]

4. Great Song... Horrible Tragedy...

[hickman1937]

5. Has it really been that long?

Damn, seems(to me) like those guys died just yesterday. I had 2 room mates in college that had fathers on great lakes ships. They told me that ocean going ship captains wouldn't sail the great lakes. Too dangerous. Go figure.

[TheMightyFavog]

6. kick

:kick:

[no name no slogan]

7. Kick this again

RIP, crew of the Fitz

[Initech]

8. I'm tempted to bring up the Seinfeld episode...

Where George is fighting for a new apartment with an Edmund Fitzgerald survivor.

[rockymountaindem]

12. It was an Andrea Dorea survivor

Sadly, there were no survivors from the Fitz. RIP.

[SoCalDem]

14. When I was a travel agent, I found a deck plan and brochure for the

Andrea Doria in our files.. The old guy who ran the Travel Agency threw NOTHING away.. sadly, I did throw it away:(...along with hotel brochures for 'all the hotspots" in "Havana, our neighbor to the south"..

and a 1935 aerial photograph of Honolulu, blown up to poster size
I sure wish I had not been young and stupid.. I would love to have those things now

[TheMightyFavog]

19. You could say there was one

The "old cook' from the song was not on board when the Fitz went on its final trip. He was left behind in Superior due to stomach problems.

[Midlodemocrat]

9. I remember that day very well.

What a tragedy.

[hippiechick]

10. I remember when that happened !!!

Growin' up in Wisconsin and all ...

[johnnie]

11. Tragedy

I have been on one of those ships that size before, it is unreal.

[no name no slogan]

13. When I was a kid, we'd go to Duluth

for summer vacation, and spend a day or two watching the ore boats load up and leave the harbor. Those things are immense.

The Fitz was "only" about 750 feet, IIRC. 2+ football fields long.

[johnnie]

15. I don't know how long the one I went on was

It was docked here for the winter and I knew a guy who lived on the river in a 55 foot boat he made. He knew the guy who was watching the ore boat for the winter and we went over there and he let us on.

Walking around that thing was something else. My friend's boat was a blast too. It wasn't a pleasure boat by no means but we used to go up and down the river on it and it was tall enough that they had to raise the bridges for us. It always cracked me up that there would be a few of us just out drinking beer and cruising up and down the river and they stopped traffic just so we could get through..lol. Those were the days.

[Fox Mulder]

21. I used to do that too.

We'd also go and visit Split Rock Light House. That place is amazing.

I am intrigued by the whole iron ore process...but that's probably because I'm a geology major at the U of MN, Morris. :)

[DemoTex]

16. "The Gales of November: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald"

A very informative read ..

[no name no slogan]

17. Also

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0932212883.01._BO2,204,203,200_PIlitb-dp-500-arrow,TopRight,32,-59_AA240_SH20_SCLZZZZZZZ_.gif

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0932212883/002-1768250-1580807?v=glance&n=283155

The author has been on at least two dives down to the Fitz' final resting place, 14 miles off Whitefish Point at the bottom of Lake Superior. IIRC he also shot some of the original film footage of the wreck, too.

[TheMightyFavog]

18. Here's to all of those who work the Great Lakes on the freighters.

:patriot:

[KitchenWitch]

20. I also remember that day.

I was 11 years old.

[no name no slogan]

22. Kick for the sailors and Coast Guard of this nation

:patriot: