Why do we remember the Edmund Fitzgerald?

Answer 1

The Edmund Fitzgerald was a 729-foot long ore freighter that traveled the Great Lakes. Launched on June 8, 1958, it was the largest freighter on the lakes until the 1970's. Designed to carry 26,000 tons of taconite, aka iron ore, it carries the taconite to steel factories who melted the taconite and used the material to make the automobiles we drive. Unlike most freighters, the Edmund Fitzgerald only nedded a crew of 29 men to work at maximum efficiancy. On Novermber 9,1975, the Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconson to carry taconite to Zug Island, a steel mill near Detroit. The Fitzgerald was joined by the Arthur M. Anderson. The two freighters encountered a massive storm. On Nov. 10, the Fitzgerald reported that it had a fence rail laid down, 2 vents damaged or missing, and was taking on water on its right side. A couple hours later, wind gusts over 100 mph knocked out both of the Fitzgerald's radars, and then the light and radio beacon at Whitefish Pointe. The waves were an average of 25 ft, with reports of waves ranging 30-40 ft! The average wind speed was 85 mph. At 7:10 pm, the Anderson radioed the Fitzgerald, asking how it was fairing. Their reply: "we are holding our own. Floating along like an old boot. No trouble at all". The Anderson's radar was blinded by a snow squall. When the squall ended at 7:15, the Fitzgerald was gone. It had sank 17 miles NorthWest of Whitefish Pointe, at a depth of 535 feet. It lays in two, the front end,276 feet, layed face-up, while the back end 170 ft away, upside down at a 45-degree angle to the bow. The mid-section lies in shreds in between. All 29 men died. Gordon Lightfoot wrote a song honoring it in 1976.