The Edmund Fitzgerald was the Titanic of the Great Lakes, seven city blocks long and thought to be invincible. One November night she disappeared from Lake Superior so quickly crewmen were unable to make a distress call. Many years later, a team led by Dr. Joseph MacInnis looked for answers. From interviews, transcripts, and his own dives, Dr. MacInnes has crafted a tale that is gripping and poignant. Re-creating the ship's voyage, he describes the ship, the men, and the events leadig up to November 10, 1975.
The disappearance of the Edmund Fitzgerald remains one of the great unsolved mysteries in maritime history. Michael Schumacher relays in vivid detail the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, its many productive years on the waters of the Great Lakes, its tragic demise, the search effort and investigation, as well as the speculation and the controversy that followed in the wake of the disaster. Michael Schumacher is the author of six books. He has written 25 documentaries on Great Lakes shipwrecks, including three about the Edmund Fitzgerald. "In his ballad, Mr. Lightfoot sang about the Fitz's final tense moments, when "the waves turn minutes to hours: Now the hours have lengthened into years and years into decades-but the allure of this doomed ship and its missing men remains as strong as ever."-Wall Street Journal
On Thursday, November 6, the Detroit News forecasted “moderate to brisk” winds for the Great Lakes. On Friday, the Port Huron Times-Herald predicted a “moderately severe” storm. Hourly the warnings became more and more dire. Weather forecasting was in its infancy, however, and radio communication was not much better; by the time it became clear that a freshwater hurricane of epic proportions was developing, the storm was well on its way to becoming the deadliest in Great Lakes maritime history. The ultimate story of man versus nature, November’s Fury recounts the dramatic events that unfolded over those four days in 1913, as captains eager—or at times forced—to finish the season tried to outrun the massive storm that sank, stranded, or demolished dozens of boats and claimed the lives of more than 250 sailors. This is an account of incredible seamanship under impossible conditions, of inexplicable blunders, heroic rescue efforts, and the sad aftermath of recovering bodies washed ashore and paying tribute to those lost at sea. It is a tragedy made all the more real by the voices of men—now long deceased—who sailed through and survived the storm, and by a remarkable array of photographs documenting the phenomenal damage this not-so-perfect storm wreaked. The consummate storyteller of Great Lakes lore, Michael Schumacher at long last brings this violent storm to terrifying life, from its first stirrings through its slow-mounting destructive fury to its profound aftereffects, many still felt to this day.
A documentary drawn from testimony at the Coast Guard’s official inquiry looks anew at one of the most storied, and mysterious, shipwrecks in American history The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald is one of the most famous shipwreck stories in Great Lakes history. It is also one of maritime lore’s great mysteries, the details of its disappearance as obscure now as on that fateful November day in 1975. The investigation into the wreck, resulting in a controversial final report, generated more than 3,000 pages of documentation, a mere fraction of which has been made available to the public. In The Trial of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Michael Schumacher mines this rich resource to produce the first-ever documentary account, a companion to his popular narrative Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. In the words of search and rescue personnel, ship designers and inspectors, scientists and naval engineers, former crewmen of the Fitz and the Arthur M. Anderson (the nearby ore carrier that captured the damaged vessel’s last communications), The Trial of the Edmund Fitzgerald recreates the doomed ore boat’s final minutes, the suspense of the search and rescue operations, and the drama of the subsequent Coast Guard inquiry. From the Anderson’s captain and first mate we hear reports of the Fitzgerald taking on water in the fierce storm near Michipicoten and Caribou Islands, losing its radar, and stating, finally, famously, “We are holding our own.” We follow the investigation, the speculation, and expert testimony to a problematic conclusion—countered by an alternate theory that the Anderson’s captain maintained to his dying day. By declaring the Edmund Fitzgerald an official gravesite, Canada closed the wreck to further exploration. But here the exploration continues, providing a unique, and uniquely enlightening, perspective on this unforgettable episode in America’s maritime history.
On the night of November 10, 1975, shortly after seven fifteen, the 729-foot long iron ore freighter, Edmund Fitzgerald, nose-dived to the bottom of Great Lake Superior. The end was so sudden and catastrophic that not a single mayday was transmitted. All hands were lost. There weren’t any survivors. Ever since that tragedy took place, countless theories have been advanced as to why this happened. Some were credible; others were absurd. Emotional elements hampered underwater investigations and tied the hands of subsequent explorations. As a result, the truth was prevented from being told—not anymore. In the book Why the Edmund Fitzgerald Sank, brilliant author Timothy J. Thompson has unveiled the reasons behind this entirely avoidable tragedy. Drawing upon both primary and secondary sources, Mr. Thompson retells the incredible story of the Edmund Fitzgerald in the most dynamic way. He vividly describes the questionable hull construction, the constant overloading, the poor maintenance, the industry-wide negligence, and the faulty navigation that all worked in unison to create the perfect recipe for disaster. Once you, the reader, are finished reading this phenomenal book, you will know exactly what caused the loss of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. Moreover, you will realize that it was not a mystery as so many others have described it but rather a tragedy just waiting to happen.
Is Minnesota a great state? You betcha! Explore Minnesota's most fascinating facts and stories in the pages of The Minnesota Series. Breath taking winters. Wild summer storms. Famous hometown faces and music that got the whole world on its feet. The crack of Kirby Puckett's bat and the gridiron prowess of football hall of famer Alan Page. The titles in the Minnesota series are the perfect way to discover the hidden facts and insider details of what makes Minnesota so extraordinary.
Leaving port from Superior, Wisconsin on a sunny November day, the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald is looking forward to a routine crossing of deep Lake Superior. Heading for a port in Cleveland, the giant transport ship is loaded with ore that will be used to build cars. But disaster is building in the wind as a gale storm begins to track after the great ship. This suspenseful retelling of the last hours of the doomed vessel pays homage to all sailors who traverse deep waters, in fair skies and foul. Atmospheric paintings from award-winning artist Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen bring the story to life.The author of the best-selling books The Legend of Sleeping Bear and The Legend of Mackinac Island, Kathy-jo Wargin aims to help young readers notice the most intricate details of a story by adding the nuances that create magic and wonder in a good tale. She lives in the woods of northern Michigan with her family. The Edmund Fitzgerald is her 10th book with Sleeping Bear Press. Born in the Netherlands, Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen, or "Nick" as he prefers to be known, studied at the Royal Academy of Arts in Holland. He immigrated to the United States in 1976. The Edmund Fitzgerald is Nick's 13th children's book with Sleeping Bear Press. The Legend of Sleeping Bear was Nick's first book and has sold more than 200,000 copies.
