GORDON LIGHTFOOT REACTION “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald”
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- čas přidán 14. 07. 2023
- Welcome to my channel, where I embark on a musical adventure and discover iconic songs for the very first time. In this heartfelt reaction video, I delve into the emotional depths of Gordon Lightfoot's masterpiece, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald." Join me as I experience the power and storytelling behind this legendary song.
As the haunting acoustic guitar intro begins, I am immediately drawn into the atmosphere created by Lightfoot's mesmerizing music. The anticipation builds, and I can't help but feel a sense of foreboding. With each word he sings, Lightfoot weaves a narrative that takes us back in time to the ill-fated voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
The lyrics are deeply poetic and I find myself hanging onto every word, completely engrossed in the tragic story unfolding before me. The passion and emotion in Lightfoot's voice are palpable, and it sends chills down my spine.
Don't forget to like, comment, and subscribe to my channel as we explore more timeless classics together. Share in the joy of discovering incredible songs and the stories they tell. Get ready for a truly unforgettable experience with Gordon Lightfoot's "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."
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“The church bells chimed and they rang 29 times for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald “, but when Gordon passed the church bells chimed 30 times, to include Gordon !!!! What a tribute ❣️🎶🙏🏽❤️✌️
Would there be many people that would even remember the Edmund Fitzgerald if not for this song? I do because I live by the great lakes and know many lakers (men who work on the boats in the great lakes) but doubt anyone not close to these lakes would. Gordon deserves to be remembered just as these men are still.
A brilliant tribute~
❤❤❤
@stephenkellar I'm in Australia and only know of this tragedy from this song
I was so intrigued by this song i needed to learn more of the story
@@stephenkellar, I'm from MI and I am remember. This song gives me goosebumps every single time I hear it.
On Tuesday, May 2, 2023 the Mariners’ Church of Detroit honored Gordon Lightfoot with ringing the bell 30 times instead of 29 times.
RIP Gordon.
I was thinking about that while I was listening to the song. That, and the fact that he kept in touch with the families all these years. Someone said he’ll finally meet the men whose memory he kept alive. I was a kid when this came out and didn’t even realize until years later how recent the tragedy was. For some reason I thought it had happened in the 1800s. Again, I was a kid and either didn’t understand some of the actual lyrics or I didn’t know enough to realize he was talking about a modern ship. Anyway, the song didn’t make me cry before but thinking about Gordon Lightfoot being honored by having the bell rung an extra time for him made me tear up today.
I still tear up when I hear of that. What a superb human being he was.
Wow that's amazing
.... oh god... cutting onions...
❤
"Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours?" Simply haunting lyrics. RIP Gordon. ❤️
One of the most haunting and tragic lyrics in any genre.
I agree! Also” that big ship and true was a bone to be chewed “!!
This is my favourite line such a true sentiment
Amazing lyrics! 💔♥️ Hauntingly beautiful.
I was born on the shores of Superior, in Duluth. MN, and grew up watching ships like these many times from the side of the Aerial Bridge, where they entered and left the St.. Louis Bay port. Everyone knew about "the Fitz". She was the pride of the fleet. I know all too well how dangerous that Lake gets in winter. I know a gentleman here in VA who was on the last ship to return to Duluth that night. He remembers how everyone was concerned about the cessation of communications with the Fitz. He said they sat huddled around their radios and phones all night. There is a Museum where I used to play that is dedicated to her and her crew. Such a tragedy.
Everything you just said...yes. Gordon (recently passed) the best storytelling singer/songwriter ever. I was in high school (in Minnesota) when this shipwreck took place. It hit hard. The ship hauled iron ore from the mines in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin to plants in Ohio and Michigan. I could type volumes, better to just google "Edmund Fitzgerald" and "Lake Superior" . Gordon Lightfoot donated all his profits from this song to the families of those who perished. It's been almost 50 years and this song still brings a tear to my eyes.
I also grew up in Minnesota...I remember seeing it on the news in 1974
@@holgerschussler9107Nov 75
I was in High school too. Jealous it was so sad.
I was in grade 11. I remember the news reports everyone was listening and hoping. That hope vanished rather quickly. What breaks my heart was that they were so close to safety in Whitefish Bay. 10-15 miles. So close.
Blaming the crew for not fixing the hatch covers was speculation I couldn't buy. Experienced Captain and crew would absolutely have checked them before departing and the minute the wind kicked in. The size of the waves is a much more likely cause. The Fitz was low in the water and likely overloaded. The waves were running 25 ft plus. They absolutely would have been going over the deck.
The hatch covers were only tested to deal with 4 feet of water coming across. The wave height that night were 25 plus feet. The water weight on the hatches was way over the safety limits. They could have punched the hatches down easily. The wave size would have smashed the wheel house which would certainly explain no SOS sent. Whatever happened it was incredibly fast.
He was a folk song hero for everyone, but us Canadians are awfully proud he was one of us. Timeless music. Such an iconic voice.
The Maritime Cathedral rang the bell 30 times the day Gordon Lightfoot passed. Lost a Canadian treasure. RIP
Truly a fitting send away...
This wreck remains in the deep water off the coast of Canada with its crew. The line in the song that says the big lake it says never gives up her dead refers to this. The water is so cold that the bodies will never rise to the surface and can not be retrieved. Canada has made this area sacred, there is no diving permitted without special permission. Cargo ships to this as they pass by will blow their horns or ring their bells once for each man lost. It is sad to know that if they had only left port 5 minutes earlier or traveled a little faster they would've made the bay before the storm. Only 15 miles.
Technically speaking, the bodies won't rise to the surface because the water is too cold for the bacteria that would cause gas to build up in the bodies can't form. No gas, no rising. Some of the bodies have been seen by divers, but it's a cemetery for all intents and purposes now. I believe the ship's bell was retrieved, though. Sorry for the biology part.
What is haunting is the fact that bacteria cannot thrive in the freezing temperatures of the lake. Everything is the same as it was they day the Fitz sank. The boat, its contents and its corpses.
*Michigan not Canada
@@SgtSaint420 nope, Ontario Canada. Canadian waters. You might want to look it up.
@@jilliant.4550
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior on November 10, 1975. Lake Superior is considered international waters.
At the request of the surviving family members. The wreck is considered a grave site. Which is to remain inviolate until at least fifty years after the death of the last family member(as I understand it).
Gordon wrote this song because the papers at the time barely carried the story and 29 men had died. He talked to the families and said he wanted to write a song about it. He was a good man and when they didn't like a line he had put in the song he changed it for them and then some of the money made from this song was donated to the families. There is another ship not included in this song that had a brave crew and captain. They made to to cover barely and had lost radio contact with the Fitzgerald. The coast guard asked if he would turn his ship around and go back out into that storm to try to find survivors. He did it but not before he said, "God help us". They found the remnants of a banged up lifeboat and that was all.
I am USN Retired and a Disabled Veteran. I was a cook 👨🍳. This song is near and dear and rocks my soul. 🎶🎼🎵🎶🎼🎵
When I was at Great Lakes my best mate and I bonded over "Sundown", 🎼"looking like a queen in a sailor's dream...."
Also old Navy got out in '86 and the line about the sound oif the wind through the wires you have to have been out to sea to understand how hard that wind was. CVN-65/CV-63 the best 10 years of my life.
My salute to you, shipmate
I'm from Michigan & I remember when it happened. This was a tragic story & a beautiful memorial to those who were lost. The Great Lakes can be fierce like the ocean.
A lot of people do not respect them because other are called lakes. They misjudge the power they have.
@@objectiveobserver4278 So true! Out daughter in law is from TX and lives in FL. She was amazed at the beauty and size of the great lakes, she had no idea.
yup there inland seas more than they are lakes
In a way they can be worse than the oceans. Oceans have big rolling waves, but in comparison the lake waves are smaller and choppy...they can batter things to pieces. Experiences ocean sailors can get really seasick on the Great Lakes.
Lightfoot gave all the profits from this song to the families of the victims. He maintained a relationship with them until his recent death. This song was recorded in one take the first time the band played it.
November of 1975, I lived in a small village about 90 miles from the western tip of Lake Superior. I was a senior in high school, and spent the evening in question doing homework, then reading, while listening to the radio station out of Duluth, MN. Earlier that day the two last ore freighters of the season out of Duluth and Superior left the Harbors and steamed up lake, heading for Lake Michigan and eventually one of the eastern steel cities in Ohio. If memory serves, the Arthur M. Anderson left Duluth Harbor that day, and the Edmund Fitzgerald out of Superior Harbor was running about 10-15 miles behind her. A blizzard had moved into our town in mid to late afternoon, the same storm that eventually caught up with the Fitz out on Lake Superior. The Duluth radio stations began reporting in early evening that the Fitz had been having some trouble. according to Coast Guard reports. The reports came in throughout the evening while I did my homework and reading, at one point reporting that the Fitz had lost ship-to-shore communications but was able to communicate ship-to-ship with the Arthur M. Anderson. When I went to bed, the reports were that she was still struggling, but was nearing safety at the upper east end of the lake. When the radio alarm woke me the next morning, the reports were that the Fitz had lost all radio contact and disappeared from radar, and the Coast Guard was initiating a search for survivors or wreckage. I didn't know anyone on the ship, but a number of my classmates had dads, uncles, and older brothers that worked on the ore freighters, so it was kind of a big deal around school for a while. Months later I was listening to that same radio station while driving to a friend's house, when the dj on the radio said he was about to play the new song by Gordon Lightfoot, about the Fitz. I pulled off to the side of the road to listen, and by the time it was half over had tears on my cheeks. Great song.
Side note: At the beginning of the song, Lightfoot refers to "the big lake they call Gitchegumee," that is the what the local population of indigenous people who lived in that area before European settlers came in, called Lake Superior. Gitchegumee = Lake Superior.
Thank you for sharing that. Bless you! 🙏❤️
This is the best and most informative comment I’ve seen in a long time. Thanks for sharing with us.
You're welcome, and thank you.
I live in the U.P. visit Superior often. Love the Keewanaw.
I was under the impression that the last communication from the Fitz tithe Anderson was that they were "holding their own." Ten minutes later they vanished from radar. Those last minutes were fast, catastrophically fast. Given the fact she was loaded alot more water as coming up the deck over the hatches...they could handle 4 feet of wash. The waves that night could have put 3 times that amount washing over those hatches. Some think it could have been a rogue wave. Riding low this would have battered the wheelhouse and explained why no final call went out.
I remember it very well.
This a true story and Gordon Lightfoot did a masterful job telling the tragic story of these brave men.
The proceeds to this day go to the families of the crew.
Lake Superior is one of the five Great Lakes that are part of the Canadian/American border.
It is the largest freshwater lake in the world and the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes.
It measures 31,700 square miles and is 1,332 feet(406 meters deep).
It is so large it can as it did that day experience hurricane-force winds.
It took some time to even locate the wreckage.
To this day the exact reason for its demise is still unknown.
Gordon Lightfoot recently died and what a loss to the world as a great singer and storyteller.
A great choice for a reaction!
Thanks for this! I like learning new things!
CORRECTION: Lake Baikal in Siberia is the largest freshwater lake - not by surface area, but by volume.. the thing is deeper than the Mariana trench by the time you find the bedrock beneath years of sediment. It is closely studied by all sorts of socientists because of the zoological environment found nowhere else on Earth.
I was high school when this happened. Gordon was a master story teller and this song is so hauntedly beautiful. At the Whitefish Point Maritime Museum in Michigan located 15 miles from the wreck, they loop this song and play it continuously from the time they open until it closes every day. Gordon will be missed very badly. You have a blessed day
The original ship's bell is housed there. It was replaced with another bell engraved with names of the men that died.
I’m from Chicago and I remember when this happened. I was 10 years old . An old friend of my father’s perished on the Edmund Fitzgerald. It was one of the few times I saw my father cry. This was huge news in the Great Lakes region of the United States.
The long twang he has tune his guitar to is the sound of the wind through the mast cables, antennas ,superstructure. If you have ever been on a ship in a storm you would immediately hear it here.
There is extended version where he list the names of each man lost.....very eery, but powerful. This song was the reason I joined the U.S. Navy 32 years ago!
This was no small boat bobbing in the water. It held 26,000 tons of iron ore which is close to 250 rail cars.
The wreck took place on November 10, 1975 on Lake Superior -- one of the Great Lakes bordered by the United States and Cananda. The ship was carrying a heavy load of iron ore pellets. Another ship, the SS Arthur S. Anderson, had reached safe harbor, but was asked to go back out into the storm in search of the Fitzgerald. The Anderson's captain reluctantly did so, risking his own ship and crew. After hours of searching the Anderson found no sign of the lost ship, and returned to harbor.
Gordon Lightfoot was very special to us Canadians and to write a song about an American story just shows what a great connection we had cheers
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the biggest freighter on the Great Lakes at the time it was launched in 1957. The Arthur M Anderson (the ship that was 15
minutes ahead of the Fitzgerald) was lengthened to be even bigger
A friend of mine told me that her father worked on the Anderson and was on board the night that the Fitzgerald sank. He told her that they didn't get the full brunt of the storm and still almost didn't make port. The waves were coming 25 feet over the bow. I can't imagine how bad it was for the Fitzgerald as the caught the worst of the storm. These are huge ships, meant to run on the Great Lakes, so this was truly a monster storm. RIP Gordon and the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
I worked with a guy whose dad went down on the Edmond Fitzgerald. This is such a classic and iconic song - a tribute to the talent and heart of Gordon Lightfoot.
No need to fill you in. Gordon's song tells the whole story. RIP to the crew.
It may be noted that most of the dead were from Ohio (14) and Wisconsin (8). And while the ship sunk in Canadian waters, its home port was Milwaukee, where the headquarters of the Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company is located, which commissioned the ship, and where "Fitz," who came from a long line of Great Lakes sea captains, was CEO. Its winter berth was in Cleveland, where most of the recruitment would have occurred in the off-season. Also, while they picked up their load at the Burlington Northern Railroad Dock No. 1 in Superior, Wisconsin on this fateful trip, they typically got their loads from a mill in Silver Bay, Minnesota, where the ore originated.
Gordon read an article about the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and felt that it didn't do justice to the crew and wrote this iconic song. The ship was named after the president or CEO of an insurance company that owned her as an asset. Captain McSworley was 59 and going to retire the next year (1976). The ship was found nine days after she was last heard from. The area where the wreck is, is considered sacred land and off-limits to anyone who wants to dive or film there. The youngest member of the crew was only 22. Gordon was such a Canadian national treasure. He was a storyteller. As several have mentioned the most poignant line is about where God's love goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours. I cannot imagine drowning and going down with the ship in such a terrible way.
When they say Superior never gives up her dead , that is literally true. It's water is so cold that bodies don't decompose and float to the surface like you would expect. They are still in and around the boat to this day. The families went to court to prevent photos and video being published and it is now designated a gravesite and protected by the Canadian government!
In honour of Gord's death the Cathedral rang the church bells 30 times. He would have been humbled!
I saw on a video that one man was outside the ship, lying on the lake bed. The submersible deliberately stirred up silt to cover him, so that no pictures can be taken of him. An oddly respectful thing to do.
I was a young mom when the news hit about this wreck. 1975? something like that. The storms on the American great lakes are ferocious. The good captain and crew lay at the bottom to this day. It is considered a sacred gravesite.
l concidered gordon lightfoot to be a folk crooner his voice was so smooth and fluid
I first heard this song in 1976 when it came out. That haunting melody still puts a lump in my throat to this day.
My son is a ship captain and I always cry when I hear this song. We have hurricanes in our waters and this song runs through my head but I NEVER play it during a storm when my kid is out at sea. I used to build ships and a captain told us that women were unlucky on ships nd I had to leave the ship that I’d sweated blood n 19 hours a day for months. His shipment down out of Seattle. Karma.
I'm a 64 year old native Floridian. This was released when I was a teenager. I was vaguely aware that The Great Lakes existed, those blue patches on the maps up near the border with Canada. This made the industry and people of the region real for me. I love artistic works that expand my frame of reference, and this is a wonderful one. RIP men for whom the bell tolled.
Most people hear the word lake and don’t understand the Great Lakes act the same as an ocean. Tide’s undercurrents and crazy waves.
I was so sad to hear of Gordon Lightfoot's passing away recently. Loved his music! This song is a beautiful tribute by one of the best Canadian songwriters & storytellers. This is based on a true story & the lyrics tell the sad tale of the sinking of the ship & loss of lives in 1975. Gordon Lightfoot has had many hits through his long career such as "Sundown", "Early Morning Rain", "Steel Rail Blues", "Ribbon Of Darkness", "Carefree Highway", "Rainy Day People", "Cotton Jenny", "Black Day In July", "Canadian Railroad Trilogy" etc.
Don't forget "Pony Man."
And one of my very favorite songs of his ~ "Beautiful"; though relatively simple lyrics in comparison with some of his other songs, the lyrics Are truly beautiful and sweet, and hold a very sentimental place in my heart!
Gordon Light foot was the first person I ever saw in concert, LongBeach, Calif., the summer of '75 & I had just turned 16.
Gordon was a master singer songwriter and storyteller
that quiet moment of reflection following 'the wives, and the sons, and the daughters'.
True story. I was 7 years old when the "FITZ" sank on November 10th 1975.
I live on Georgian Bay part of the Great Lakes. They are massive, deep deadly lakes. The storms on them are fierce. God bless the sailor's and Gordy. ❤🇺🇸🇨🇦
Gitche Gumee is Lake Superior, the "inland sea". This wreck has never been forgotten. I'm so glad you did this.
Gordon Lightfood is the pride of the Canadian Side, RIP to the best story telling musician ever
There is another version of this song showing a picture of the ship with all the lyrics. You may want to check that one out for yourself.
Thank you for reacting to this! So many of us who were around in 1975 and aware of the power of the lakes will never forget when it happened or the amazing song Lightfoot (RIP) wrote.
The waves on Lake Superior are unusual and move differently because fresh lake water is much less dense than sea water. So, when typically dangerous freezing cold and windy weather hits up there, (I live in the Detroit area), when everything is “right”, the waves become really treacherous. They often come in 3’s - the “3 Sisters”, one fairly quickly after the other, and a ship cannot adjust after being hit by the first, and worse yet, after the second. A twenty foot fresh water wave is all water. There is little, by comparison to a salt water wave, foam, any entrapped air. So, it’s like being hit by a tall wall of concrete vs a longer rise and fall from an ocean wave.
The wave face angle is steeper, so there is less introduction to the wave. It is in your face, all of it, right now.
And the speed of advance is faster, and a few other things that make a fresh water wave harder to deal with.
While 20 foot waves are common on the ocean, they are not so common in fresh water, few lakes have the fetch (distance) and weather conditions to generate them. So, the November weather on Lk Superior generates fast, tall, and hard.
You combine these specific waves and weather with the type of freighter that carry ore in the Great Lakes and a heavily overloaded iron ore freighter cannot adjust to being hit by those 20-30 foot 3 sisters.
One of the initial theories was that the Fitzgerald broke in half and then sank, with the thought that it was caught between 2 waves. One more current theory is one that proposes that the boat was running so low in the water because of its load, that the hatches giving in helped swamp the boat. When the wave hit, the bow of the boat was forced downward given the shifting of the weight of the ore forward, causing it to sink at a very high angle. It’s thought that the boat hit bottom so hard that it snapped when it hit. Sounds sort of logical.
No matter what, ships sink in Superior and the other Great Lakes because weather comes up fast and hard in November. Folks really can’t appreciate the size and power of of them until they see them. They are inland freshwater seas, and so they have tides and generate their own flavor of tsunamis.
This was an epic Great Lakes shipping tragedy that still has us listening to the song with quiet reverence. I hope you did some further investigation. Listening to the song with that information is a whole different experience.
Cheers! Happy New Year!
thank you for all your research and Facts you have managed to collect,, living in Canada,, I can tell you winds can come in from the North at 80 to 120 km/hr,, living in dry land as I do in the Prairies,, and having to cope with the winds and snow on dry land,, I can't even Imagine what those poor souls had to cope with on a fresh water lake,, overloaded as they were .....
I have seen Lake Superior from #17 Highway on the North side of the lake in March ,,,, when only a gentle wind of only 20 to 30 km/hh wind blowing across it ,,, the waves and Ice are ,, terrifying,,
from what I have read ,, The Edmond Fitzgerale did dive Deep,, and broke in half,, after most of the front hatches broke from the pounding of constant waves ......
never the less,, to be in ice cold water,,,, gasping for a breath,,,,,,
@@mauricester, so you know exactly what I’m talking about! I think that unless you’re around them, either the massive nature of the Great Lakes and the vast prairies you live among, it’s hard to imagine just what they do and how weather changes because of how huge they are. Terrifying, for sure, especially when the winds of November, (Dec, Jan, Feb, etc etc), hit either. Even with all of that, they are all so deserving of respect. Thank you for telling me about your experience! Cheers!!
part 2 Edmund Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconsin, at 2:15 p.m. on the afternoon of November 9, 1975,under the command of Captain Ernest M. McSorley. She was en route to the steel mill on Zug Island, near Detroit, Michigan,with a cargo of 26,116 long tons (29,250 short tons; 26,535 t) of taconite ore pellets and soon reached her full speed of 16.3 miles per hour (14.2 kn; 26.2 km/h).Around 5 p.m., Edmund Fitzgerald joined a second freighter under the command of Captain Jesse B. "Bernie" Cooper, Arthur M. Anderson, destined for Gary, Indiana, out of Two Harbors, Minnesota. The weather forecast was not unusual for November and the National Weather Service (NWS) predicted that a storm would pass just south of Lake Superior by 7 a.m. on November 10.
SS Wilfred Sykes loaded opposite Edmund Fitzgerald at the Burlington Northern Dock #1 and departed at 4:15 p.m., about two hours after Edmund Fitzgerald. In contrast to the NWS forecast, Captain Dudley J. Paquette of Wilfred Sykes predicted that a major storm would directly cross Lake Superior. From the outset, he chose a route that took advantage of the protection offered by the lake's north shore to avoid the worst effects of the storm. The crew of Wilfred Sykes followed the radio conversations between Edmund Fitzgerald and Arthur M. Anderson during the first part of their trip and overheard their captains deciding to take the regular Lake Carriers' Association downbound route.The NWS altered its forecast at 7:00 p.m., issuing gale warnings for the whole of Lake Superior.Arthur M. Anderson and Edmund Fitzgerald altered course northward, seeking shelter along the Ontario shore, where they encountered a winter storm at 1:00 a.m. on November 10. Edmund Fitzgerald reported winds of 52 knots (96 km/h; 60 mph) and waves 10 feet (3.0 m) high.Captain Paquette of Wilfred Sykes reported that after 1 a.m., he overheard McSorley say that he had reduced the ship's speed because of the rough conditions. Paquette said he was stunned to later hear McSorley, who was not known for turning aside or slowing down, state that "we're going to try for some lee from Isle Royale. You're walking away from us anyway … I can't stay with you."
At 2:00 a.m. on November 10, the NWS upgraded its warnings from gale to storm, forecasting winds of 35-50 knots (65-93 km/h; 40-58 mph). Until then, Edmund Fitzgerald had followed Arthur M. Anderson, which was travelling at a constant 14.6 miles per hour (12.7 kn; 23.5 km/h), but the faster Edmund Fitzgerald pulled ahead at about 3:00 a.m.As the storm center passed over the ships, they experienced shifting winds, with wind speeds temporarily dropping as wind direction changed from northeast to south and then northwest. After 1:50 p.m., when Arthur M. Anderson logged winds of 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph), wind speeds again picked up rapidly, and it began to snow at 2:45 p.m., reducing visibility; Arthur M. Anderson lost sight of Edmund Fitzgerald, which was about 16 miles (26 km) ahead at the time.
Shortly after 3:30 p.m., Captain McSorley radioed Arthur M. Anderson to report that Edmund Fitzgerald was taking on water and had lost two vent covers and a fence railing. The vessel had also developed a list.Two of Edmund Fitzgerald's six bilge pumps ran continuously to discharge shipped water. McSorley said that he would slow his ship down so that Arthur M. Anderson could close the gap between them. In a broadcast shortly afterward, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) warned all shipping that the Soo Locks had been closed and they should seek safe anchorage. Shortly after 4:10 p.m., McSorley called Arthur M. Anderson again to report a radar failure and asked Arthur M. Anderson to keep track of them.Edmund Fitzgerald, effectively blind, slowed to let Arthur M. Anderson come within a 10-mile (16 km) range so she could receive radar guidance from the other ship.
For a time, Arthur M. Anderson directed Edmund Fitzgerald toward the relative safety of Whitefish Bay; then, at 4:39 p.m., McSorley contacted the USCG station in Grand Marais, Michigan, to inquire whether the Whitefish Point light and navigation beacon were operational. The USCG replied that their monitoring equipment indicated that both instruments were inactive. McSorley then hailed any ships in the Whitefish Point area to report the state of the navigational aids, receiving an answer from Captain Cedric Woodard of Avafors between 5:00 and 5:30 p.m. that the Whitefish Point light was on but not the radio beacon. Woodard testified to the Marine Board that he overheard McSorley say, "Don't allow nobody on deck,"as well as something about a vent that Woodard could not understand. Some time later, McSorley told Woodard, "I have a 'bad list', I have lost both radars, and am taking heavy seas over the deck in one of the worst seas I have ever been in."
By late in the afternoon of November 10, sustained winds of over 50 knots (93 km/h; 58 mph) were recorded by ships and observation points across eastern Lake Superior.[56] Arthur M. Anderson logged sustained winds as high as 58 knots (107 km/h; 67 mph) at 4:52 p.m., while waves increased to as high as 25 feet (7.6 m) by 6:00 p.m.Arthur M. Anderson was also struck by 70-to-75-knot (130 to 139 km/h; 81 to 86 mph) gusts and rogue waves as high as 35 feet (11 m).
At approximately 7:10 p.m., when Arthur M. Anderson notified Edmund Fitzgerald of an upbound ship and asked how she was doing, McSorley reported, "We are holding our own." She was never heard from again. No distress signal was received, and ten minutes later, Arthur M. Anderson lost the ability either to reach Edmund Fitzgerald by radio or to detect her on radar
All the proceeds from this song went to the families.
Gordon maintained friendships with many of the sailors’ survivors. In fact, not long before he passed, he visited one of the sailor’s widow who was in ill health. He contributed financial support to the families in addition to his beautiful rendition of the mishap. R.I.P. Gordon. 💔🇨🇦
My father worked on the boats as a cook for many years.....including the Fitz....
I've been aboard her a few times myself....
We knew many of the men personally......
Rest in Peace....
Michael Armagost- 37- Third Mate- Iron River, Wisconsin
Fred Beetcher- 56- Porter- Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas Bentsen- 23- Oiler- St. Joseph, Michigan
Edward Bindon -47- First Asst. Engineer- Fairport Harbor, Ohio
Thomas Borgeson -41- Maintenance Man- Duluth, Minnesota
Oliver Champeau- 41-Third Asst. Engineer- Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Nolan Church -55 -Porter -Silver Bay, Minnesota
Ransom Cundy- 53- Watchman- Superior, Wisconsin
Thomas Edwards-50- Second Asst. Engineer- Oregon, Ohio
Russell Haskell -40- Second Asst. Engineer- Millbury, Ohio
George Holl -60- Chief Engineer- Cabot, Pennsylvania
Bruce Hudson- 22- Deck Hand -North Olmsted, Ohio
Allen Kalmon -43- Second Cook- Washburn, Wisconsin
Gordon MacLellan- 30- Wiper- Clearwater, Florida
Joseph Mazes- 59- Special Maintenance Man -Ashland, Wisconsin
John McCarthy -62-First Mate -Bay Village, Ohio
Ernest McSorley -63 -Captain -Toledo, Ohio
Eugene O'Brien- 50- Wheelsman -Toledo, Ohio
Karl Peckol -20- Watchman -Ashtabula, Ohio
John Poviach -59- Wheelsman- Bradenton, Florida
James Pratt -44- Second Mate- Lakewood, Ohio
Robert Rafferty -62 -Steward -Toledo, Ohio
Paul Riippa -22 -Deck Hand -Ashtabula, Ohio
John Simmons -63 -Wheelsman -Ashland, Wisconsin
William Spengler -59- Watchman- Toledo, Ohio
Mark Thomas -21- Deck Hand- Richmond Heights, Ohio
Ralph Walton -58- Oiler- Fremont, Ohio
David Weiss -22 -Cadet -Agoura, California
Blaine Wilhelm -52- Oiler- Moquah, Wisconsin
One of the Best 🎶from our Canadian neighbors ❤He will be dearly missed!!! 💞🇺🇸
My boyfriend had turned me on to Lightfoot around 1971. I think the first song I heard of his was Sundown. I became an instant and permanent fan.
I had the pleasure of seeing Mr Lightfoot back in the 90s at an open air concert. He was spellbinding!
His lyrics and the way he presents it puts you on the deck of a freighter at the mercy of a terrible storm. Can't you just imagine it?
To this day, a Navy vessel whose GPS says they are over the wreckage, stop the vessel and sound 29 times on their ship's bell before proceeding.
They have named the wreckage site on the lake bottom as a national cemetery.
Gord is a storyteller to the depths of his soul.
In my opinion, this is the best folk song written in the 20th century.
When this song first came out on the radio, people would just stop and fall silent. In case you are puzzled by "Gitchee Gumme" -- Big Sea Water -- it is one of various pronunciations of the Native name for Lake Superior, and popularized by Longfellow's poem, "Hiawatha."
A master singer/songwriter and teller of tales. No one did it better than Gordon.
Love your work. Keep it coming.
Gordon Lightfoot: One of the greatest musical story tellers ever.
RIP May 2023 Gordon Lightfoot
Wipes me out every time
I have tears in my eyes, watching you , and from the git go, we all knew this was a true story, it made national news.
Peace🌎✨️
At 7 pm the main hatch way gave in he said fellers it's been good to know ya
That line aways gets me 😪 Rip lads 🙏♥️
Gordon actually changed that line after seeing a documentary that said that the hatches were probably not the issue. When he sang it in concert after that, he sang "At 7 pm it was dark, it was then he said fellers, it's been good to know ya"
He sounds like he has a bit of a Canadian east coast accent. I also love the sound of his 12 string guitar.
Born in Orillia, Ontario.
I remember my mom crying while she read about this in the newspaper and explaining it to me
November 10, 1975! I was extremely young but I remember seeing my pops cry! He worked for Great Lakes Steel which sits on the Detroit River/Lake Erie. He had been on this vessel many times, loading and unloading. A lot of the crew rotated, but there were several who were assigned to the EF. He had gotten to know them and there was a bar near there where they'd go "cut up" (my pops words). The only thing that brought my pops any kind of solace was knowing those guys died doing what they loved! The Mariners church in Detroit used to chime their bells 29 times for every soul lost every November 10. But, for reasons unknown to me, they stopped doing that years ago, until this past May! In honor of the passing of Gordon Lightfoot, the Mariners Church sounded their bells 30 times!
This was my first time sitting in with you today! Thank you for allowing me to do that! I enjoyed my time spent with you so I subscribed while I was here and left a big thumbs up for you!
I'm from Michigan and this happened when I was 18 years old, I had a small child and I just clung to him when the news came over the radio. When I listen to this song, I find it to be very sad that they died hungry, I know this is a small thing, but again it isn't. I cry every time I hear this song, yet every time I see someone new to me reacting to it I have to go see their reaction.
Gordon Lightfoot was a genius, both musically and lyrically!
The Great Lakes are dangerous, every bit as dangerous as the ocean, maybe even more-so, they are deceptive, a storm can form out of nowhere over them at any time of day or night every single day of the year! I never swam in any of the Great Lakes and I never allowed my children to either, too many people drown every year, now that they are grown men they swim in there, but while it was in my control I kept them out!
Yep, that's a true and tragic tale, but I have always loved how he tells it. RIP Gordon.
I'm from Michigan, & this was a part of American History, for as long as I can remember. Definitely taught here in Michigan. If you want to know more about the actual wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, here is an article I found.
en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wreck_of_the_Edmund_Fitzgerald
Gordon is going to be sadly missed ...such a great voice and story teller. Haven't heard a song I haven't liked by this gentleman RIP the next generation will definitely miss out on his songs I'm from Erie Pa and right on the lake..graduated in 1974 remember this tragedy like it was yesterday.
True story,she sank in Lake Superior in 1974!
Gordon was a legend and sadly missed. I was so lucky to have seen him live years ago. I live very close to Lake Erie and I will say that all of the great lakes can be absolute monsters, but superior takes it to a whole new level. I’ve seen quite a number of people react to the song, and it often takes on a whole new meaning when they realize that it’s all true.
Gordon wrote this song after he thought the news media was telling the correct story and minimalizing the crew.
was not telling
There have been thousands of boat and shipwrecks on the Great Lakes, but if it wasn't for Gordon with this song, it may have been just remembered as regional history, but he made it legend worldwide. His "Sundown" is one of my all-time favorite songs which I highly suggest.
One of the greatest songs ever
I agree ... good story teller.. I ❤ Gordon and also John Denver n CW McCall .. n my personal fav Johnny Horton ( whom I learn my history as a girl).. by the way, these are Trubadors... in my opinion
Gordon Lightfoot was a treasure.
I love that he mentioned the Great Lakes.....Its how I remember the names, I sing the verse....Lake Huron, Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Ontario and Lake Erie. I used to live on the eastern tip of Lake Ontario. Its a beautiful song.
I'm from Kingston, Ontario...where were you living?
He was such a wonderful storyteller. This song is so haunting.
To my favourites of his have always been Canadian Railroad trilogy and sundown.
I didn’t see this mentioned by any of the other commentators, but thought you might not be familiar with the names in the song. Chippewa was/is a Native American tribe/nation that lived in that area & Gitche Gumee was their name for Lake Superior. This song always makes me cry. 😢🥰
I was in grade school when the this event occurred. Unless you are from an area that borders the Great Lakes, most people don't realize how vast they actually are. Lake Superior (called Gitche Gumee by the native Ojibwe) is particularly deep and cold. Bit of trivia, during the fur trade era, the French voyageurs had a difficult time pronouncing Ojibwe. With their heave accent, it came out sounding more like Chippewa.
Sad but true story. And Gordon was the man to tell it and he did it so well.❤
If you want to understand the whole story there is a lyric video. I’m sure it is hard to catch everything he is saying. I love Gordon Lightfoot. He has so many hits!!
He is so very very good! He is a Legend! I love all his music ✌❤🎶
I still remember when this happened, as a young adult. I was listening to the radio. A sobering event. It was quite a few years before they found the wreck, so she was presumed lost for years before located.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was a cargo ship built just for the Great Lakes. The wreck actually happened. There are articles on what happened and it is fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time.
I recently saw the bell from the Edmond Fitz. at the ship wreck museum in upper Michigan. Very moving and they played this song inside the museum.
I loved Gordon Lightfoot from the first time I heard him...amazing singer amazing Canadian...
I was so lucky to get to see him once! One of our best singers..story tellers!👏👏👏👏👏
The Edmund Fitzgerald is still the largest ship to sink on Lake Superior at 729'. She was a bulk iron ore carrier
I knew a guy that worked on the Fitz for a summer job between college the year she went down. He would tell us stories of the ship and her crew from his time back in 1975
I was in High school when it happened. It was covered like crazy in the news. They found out no one survived while everyone waited for news if anyone had. The wives, children and parents were at the port waiting. Jezzzous it was so heartbreaking seeing it confirmed they all died. It still gives me chills.
If you Google the Edmund Fitzgerald you'll see this is a very true story.
Great reaction my Man!
Does anyone know where the love of God goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours. . . That's probably the greatest line ever written
This happened about a month before my 6th birthday, but we only had one English tv channel where I lived so I watched almost everything that was on, including the news... and I remember when this story broke.
The Edmund Fitzgerald was a the largest of the freighter ships that sailed the Great Lakes, which are the largest fresh water lakes in the world (larger than many seas).
Gitchigumi is what the Ojibwe people called Lake Superior, the largest of the Great Lakes, it means something along the lines of "Big Sea" or "Huge Water."
Great voice and song
Absolute legend. One of my top five all time favorite artists.
I remember when this ship sunk. It was so tragic. I heard he wrote this as a memorial to this tragedy. My son was born the following week of th sinking.
The song is truly a masterpiece. The drums are deliberately Canadian aboriginal in rhythm as the Great Lakes were inhabited by our many tribes. Lake Superior was known to our natives as Gitche Gumee, in this case it was the Chippawa. I was at that very concert in Toronto and many more years ongoing.
Sometimes it is difficult to get a feel for how big the Great Lakes are. The entirety of Great Britain is 80,823 square miles, but the Great Lakes are together 94,250 mi² . Scotland is 30,081 mi², but Lake Superior, where this wreck happened is 31,700 mi². The swells on the lakes can be truly immense. During the storm, the waves were over 25 feet, which both would have come over the deck and would have caused dangerous dipping and rising from end to end.
He's easier to understand in the studio version of this song.
Gordon is ours(Canadian) the tragedy is yours(USA)
we connect over this, both nations consider it a maritime graveyard, dive on it upon your peril, take something from it, we will both end you.
One of my all time favorites just played it the other day =))
My Father worked aboard harbor tugs in Milwaukee Harbour in the 60's, 70's, & 80's, and worked with the Fitz. Later when I was sailing in the far east I worked for a First Officer who had started on the Lakes and said a good friend of his was still on watch aboard the Fitzgerald. The Seas are wide, but the Brotherhood is small. Forty-eight years and I still cry.
Best Singer Story teller Ever❤