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 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.
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.
Recounts the sinking of the huge freighter the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald in the icy waters of Lake Superior in 1975 and describes subsequent expeditions to the wreck site to uncover clues to her mysterious disappearance.
It's one of the most famous, most talked about shipwrecks in our country's history. The amazing facts and captivating details are all collected here in this incomparable book. Edmund Fitzgerald is a must have, and it makes a great gift too
*Includes pictures *Discusses official investigations and amateur expeditions to the wreckage *Discusses the evidence and theories about the sinking *Includes a bibliography for further reading "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 namesof the wives and the sons and the daughters." - Gordon Lightfoot, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" The Great Lakes have claimed countless thousands of vessels over the course of history, but its biggest and most famous victim was the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, the largest ship of its day to sail the Great Lakes and still the largest to lie below Lake Superior's murky depths. The giant ore freighter was intentionally built "within a foot of the maximum length allowed for passage through the soon-to-be completed Saint Lawrence Seaway." but despite its commercial purpose, the Edmund Fitzgerald was also one of the most luxurious ships to ever set sail in the Great Lakes. One person who sailed aboard the ship recounted, "Stewards treated the guests to the entire VIP routine. The cuisine was reportedly excellent and snacks were always available in the lounge. A small but well stocked kitchenette provided the drinks. Once each trip, the captain held a candlelight dinner for the guests, complete with mess-jacketed stewards and special 'clamdigger' punch." Indeed, when it was completed in 1957, the Edmund Fitzgerald was nearly 730 feet long and dubbed "Queen of the Lakes", and it was so popular that people would wait along the shores to catch a glimpse of the famous boat. The ship had already earned various safety awards and never suffered a serious problem when it set sail from Superior, Wisconsin with over 26,000 tons of freight on November 9, 1975 and headed for a steel mill near Detroit. During that afternoon, however, the National Weather Service, which had earlier predicted that a storm would miss Lake Superior, revised its estimates and issued gale warnings. Over the course of the next 24 hours, the Fitzgerald and other ships in Lake Superior tried to weather the storm, but by the early evening hours of November 10, the Fitzgerald's captain radioed other ships to report that the ship was having some problems and was taking on water. In the ship's last radio contact, the captain reported that the ship and crew were "holding our own," but just what happened next still remains a mystery to this day. Minutes after that last contact, the Edmund Fitzgerald stopped replying on the radio and no longer showed up on radar, indicating that it sank, but no distress signal was ever given, suggesting something catastrophic happened almost instantly. At the time the ship went down with all 29 of its crew, winds had reached about 60 miles per hour, waves were about 25 feet high, and rogue waves were measured at 35 feet. The wreck of the ship was found within days, and the fact that it was found in two large pieces suggest it broke apart on the surface of the lake, but it's still unclear how that happened. Since her loss with all hands, people from all walks of life have weighed in on the ship's fate, including official investigators, sailors, and meteorologists, but no one has yet to come to a clear conclusion about what exactly went wrong. Various theories have since been put forth, attributing the sinking to everything from rogue waves to the flooding of the cargo hold, but the loss made clear that more stringent regulations on shipping in the Great Lakes was necessary, and it was also a painful reminder of the dangers of maritime travel. The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald: The Loss of the Largest Ship on the Great Lakes chronicles the story of the Great Lakes' biggest victim. Along with pictures of important people, places, and events, you will learn about the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald like never before, in no time at all.
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.
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.
, Michael Schumacher reconstructs the terrible accident, perilous search, and chilling aftermath for the small Michigan town so intimately affected by the tragedy.
