I was there, on board the S.S Armco. We were lagging behind the the Fizgerald and Anderson by about a hundred miles. This was the mother all storms. I thank the Lord every day that all of my shipmates and myself survived it. God bless all of the guys that went down with their ship.
Wow, that must have been terrifying. Do experienced seamen get seasick? I have been very seasick twice: once on a whale watching trip and once deep sea fishing. Just watching that video makes me queasy. Brave people! I am thankful for those who brave such conditions to bring needed supplies. Thank you!
Whenever I watch this, that never fails to both want to sob & hug that poor Man. 😢😔 As said above, he’s done his Brother proud & his Brother knows it too. I always hope this poor Man has found some Peace.
CoalCrackerCummins: Oh no... these documentaries make people smarter. That's not good at all. The powers that be want DUMB people and they are doing a damn good job of making them!
@@fwh79FOXR6 You're right! And the Sheeple are only too happy to follow/believe what they are told to think, say and do. I can see the corruption within our government and I absolutely refuse to follow the masses. Our food supplies have been poisoned, our water and even the air we breathe are being prepared for the depopulation that is coming. I'm not Looney Toons. I've spent several years studying HARP, Georgia Stone, GMO's, hormonal additives, Chem Trails and I've also been looking into the increase in physical/mental diseases. The correlation in that is frightening. Our "News" does not report on this because the Sheeple are blind...
@@claudiaholmes9086 I completely agree with you. It's hard to find like-minded people... everyone thinks you are crazy. I guess that is how good the powers that be are at hiding this stuff!
I was a sailor in the US Navy, and I consider all who serve on the seas (yes, I consider the great lakes to be seas) my brothers. What this man said, and how he said it, spoke to me.. powerfully.
I’m sure you will all laugh. I taped this on VHS way back when. I still have a VHS player and I have watched it countless times. It is so haunting, tragic and each time, touches my soul.
Same... for some reason it stood out to me at the time. The documentary does a fantastic job of telling the story of the EF. Part of this video is shown at the Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point.
My folks owned a tavern in the midwest about this time. When Lightfoots song was played on the jukebox, the chatter would nearly cease......almost like a prayer in that dark little hall.
My dad was first mate on the fitz years before it went down..he knew all of those men...it was the saddest day of his life...his name was PATRICK BOYLE
The divers who went down and recovered the bell have big balls. There’s A LOT you could get tangled up in on a wreck, never mind the depth. Respect to them.
@@randompolishdude7220 I read that the Fitz sits in 500 feet of water. If you watch as the diver in the "zoot-suit" completes the last cut of the stanchion holding the ship's bell it releases and swings a bit. If it had swung into the diver's facepiece and fractured it the tremendous pressure would have killed him instantly.
id come home from elementary school, wouldnt watch cartoons or Mtv, Id put on History or Discovery channels and soak up info like a sponge. Then came Deadliest Catch.......and it was all over
Ben Yea. Reality tv is so fake. I would watch lions hunting and eating, storm chasers, forensic shows..... All while eating my TV Dinner. I developed a strong stomach and a great defense against bullies😏
And before left wing political agenda driven indoctrination took over, manmade climate change, global warming or whatever it's known as this second, I first got cable TV service in 1993 and cancelled it in 2011, it one of the best decisions I ever made, I have fios for internet and phone and will eventually cancel the phone.
My husband and I live in Michigan. In July of 1975 we were on vacation in Soo Sault Marie and took a boat tour of the Soo Locks. On the way back to the dock, the guide pointed out a huge red and white ore carrier and told us some facts about it. I remember there was a crew member hanging over the side on a scaffolding, touching up the red paint on the starboard side of the ship right under it's name, Edmond Fitzgerald. I went to take a photo of him only to realize I had used up the roll of film in my camera. By the time I got the new roll loaded, it was too late for a picture. The Edmond Fitzgerald went down that November 10th, on my husband's birthday. When we arrived home from celebrating his birthday and heard it on the news, we both immediately realized that was the ship I had missed getting a picture of!
I remember hearing the song by Gordon Lightfoot when I was 6 years old and fell in love with the song and the “Big Fitz”. I was an athlete growing up and always wore number 29 no matter what sport or position I played in honor of her and her crew. RIP Sailors! 🍺🍻🍺
That is just cool man. I sing the song over and over every November. I was about 12 when it was playing on the radio. Wrote the words down and tried to understand the wreck from the song. Still love the song.
Sad story and yet an important event in Maritime history. I served in the Navy for 23 years on 5 different submarines and I can tell you that every sailor places a bit too much faith in the might of their ship. Never underestimate an angry sea (or lake). The tolling of the Fitz's bell for each crew member by surviving family members must have been a chilling and emotional thing to witness. It gave me chills just watch it in this documentary. One cannot fathom the amount of emotions for those family members and the closure they finally must have felt, to see their loved one finally put to rest, with the tolling of the heart of the mighty Edmund Fitz. RIP to her crew.
My dad was a 32 yr vet of the Navy, and a very proud and BRAVE man! When asked if there was anything that he feared, the only answer he ever gave was being on the ships throughout a gale or storm! And as I got older I would spend so much time at Peggys Cove just sitting on the rocks watching the ocean, a feeling of such anger as the waves pounded the rocks below me gave me the understanding of what he meant!
What else are you going to do? If you don’t have enough faith in the ship to protect you then you stay home. Not that Mother Nature can’t find you there
What strikes me is how courageous these men, some young, others old, have to go out on the sea. And to the crew of the Henry Clay Ford and the Arthur Anderson, you guys had some serious stones to knowingly go back out into conditions where you already knew that it likely took the lives of 29 of your compatriots. Man, if that's not courage, I don't know what is.
The most courageous of that Night had to be Bernie Cooper of the SS Arthur M Anderson. He wasn't stupid: When the Witch takes one she wants more. He was loaded heavy like the Fitz was. There was every reason to think he could have been next. and yet he went back out into the frozen hell of that storm in the hope that somehow he'd be able to save sailors. the Daniel J Morrell had one survivor, Carl D Bradley two. maybe if he got their quick enough, if he could urge his old lady on just that much faster, he could save the men of the Fitz. it wasn't his fault she took all 29 with her.
Sweet Dixie if you’ve been on those lakes...you could swear they are seas. They’re massive, Superior herself spreading hundreds of miles. That lake has all the ferocity of a sea if you’re unlucky. One respects those lakes as if they were seas. Even in a small storm, it’s still ferocious.
I know none of these men, nor their families. I have little relations with any sailors of any time. And yet here is a boy tearing up, hearing the bell ring, on the 44th anniversary of this tragedy.
Well, it's 15 ships a year, and with those weather conditions, and primitive wooden ships for the most part, it isn't all that surprising. Ships going down was once very common. Something we forgot about nowadays.
Yes that is an unbelievable number of shipwrecks/sinkings. I can't believe that that many ships went down on the Great Lakes. Seems like more lessons would have been learned from prior experiences and happenings - making the ships bigger, taller, etc. and just learning from things that had happened before. Hard to believe that that many went down and more wasn't learned from prior mistakes and experiences.
Some folks have commented about the courage needed to sail these big ships on the Great Lakes. That's appropriate, but I'm also reminded of the low value that used to be attached to the lives of sailors. The Edmund Fitzgerald set off on her last voyage when everyone knew a bad storm was brewing. Nobody thought 29 men would die, but the folks who owned these ships were so intent on their profitability that safety was way low on their list of concerns. Everything changed when the Fitz went down.When potentially dangerous storms are possible, ships don't sail now.
Heck, they mentioned that the two ships were only sailing to "squeeze one last run in" before winter shut it all down. They didn't need to make the run in the first place, but there was extra cash to be made.
That is sad and there are so many companies that still do that. Thank God someone stepped in and stepped up to protect the sailors that still sail these Great Lakes
My buddy used to captain the ferry across Lake Michigan. He refuses to ever do it again, for the sheer amount of tiny powerful waves that hit the ship. Most terrifying adventures he’s been on, he told me.
I'm glad you like them. I actually meant to edit out all of the commercials, but somehow missed a few. Some people have voiced their displeasure of encountering commercials, while others, such as yourself, were happy to see them.
@@terrancewatson7739 You Mean the black Slaves that were sold into slavery by African Black Tribes that conquered them and sold them off into slavery and later WHITE MEN fought and Died for their Freedom? That slavery?
I am acquainted with the daughter of the cook Robert Rafferty , a few years back they did a dive on the Fitz and brought up some of the taconite she was carrying to give to the surviving family members , they had a ceremony where the Fitz was built and the priest from the Mariners church in Detroit came and blessed it , and then it was given to the family members there , last year in 2018 she sent me some 9 pieces of it , I gave 5 to friends but I still own 4 pieces of the cargo that went down with the Edmund Fitzgerald ..
@@cameronschuelke6698 I can promise you it’s like yesterday to most of us who were adults then. Long life to you, and I hope you remember all of it as happily as I do.
I did not know what Taconite was so I looked it up and thought I would share. Taconite is a low-grade iron ore. When the high-grade natural iron ore was plentiful, taconite was considered a waste rock and not used.
This was a big story in Canada, but Gordon Lightfoot shared the story with the world, and that's why I'm here from Australia to watch this with great interest.
Indeed. The song is really a dedication to all of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Disasters, as well as the Big Fitz. The Carl D. Bradley and Daniel J. Morrell were bad as well, but the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk deeper than the others. That storm that took it was much worse than those that sunk the Bradley and Morrell.
My great uncle was the captain of a merchant ship,both my cousins were in the navy,one in the merchant navy and the other in the Royal Navy.All are now passed away.Hearing the song and watching this documentary,reminds me of the debt we owe to all the brave mariners who risk their lives daily for the benefit of the rest of us.
@@jjacks5950 @J Jack's, maybe he was just generalizing. Besides, the term "at sea" could refer to any large body of water such as river, ocean, lake etc.
I knew a guy that was on the Anderson that trip ... he just died a month ago ...name withheld ... that storm made him quit the ships ... he went driving cross Canada instead . He said he had nightmares for the rest of his life ... he never ever experienced anything like that again .. anything he saw driving on Ice Roads never came close to scaring him again ........ He said when he heard /// " does anyone know where the love of god goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours " made him start to shake with memory .... said he could not hear the song again holy cow ....... what terror ///////////
Wow, that is powerful stuff.....you never know how things affect people unless you know them and see it firsthand. God Bless him, I hope he finds peace on the other side....
What a great documentary! I am an Aussie and only knew about this ship through the Gordon Lightfoot song, but I learned something today. It is difficult for me to even conceive of a body of fresh water that big. The biggest lake I have ever seen was a droplet compared to Superior. I salute all the men lost on the Edmond Fitzgerald and their families.
I lived off one of the Great Lakes. They are not lakes. They are inland Seas. People who have not seen the Great Lakes have no idea of thier size and majestic beauty. Most people shrug and laugh when they hear the word "lakes." They are not lakes.
I’ve lived within 30 minutes of the lakes my entire life, and have spent time in them since I was a kid. They are enormous and hard to understand just how vast. One of the most sobering things I’ve done was paddle my kayak out far enough where you cannot hear anything except wind and the water hitting the bottom of the yak. Now that’s not that special, but when folks say they’re big, they are big. Cheers to the Aussie.
Some people that don't live on the great lakes underestimated them my grandfather spent a lot of time on the great lakes when he was younger out of Rodger City Michigan a lot of salt water sailors referred to as puddles until they got caught up in one of the storms
@@phillipgarrow2297If my memory serves, Rodgers City was home to most of the crew of the Carl Bradley, another big lake freighter that few have heard of compared to the Fitz but also went down in a storm and took 33 with it on Lake Michigan.
@@imvandenh it gets a little confusing my grandfather moved to Cadillac mi in the early 30s he sailed on SS Carl D Bradley not the one that sunk in Lake Michigan but the original it was renamed SS JohnGMunson he knew most of the sailors that died Rodger city is a small community most men either worked on the boats or in the limestone quarry. Michigan limestone and chemical was owned by US steel Bradley transportation fleet was run separately from Pittsburgh steamship company also owned by US steel Bradley ships where painted gray so the didn't show limestone dust .Limestone is very corrosive to steel they didn't have the protective paints we have now modern steel is stronger and more durable when the Bradley sunk it wasn't seaworthy and shouldn't have been on the water it was supposed to go to the shipyard to have it's rusted holds replaced eventually US steel merged the Bradley fleet with the Pittsburgh steamship fleet and it became US steel great lakes fleet the JohnGMunson that still sails is from the Bradley Fleet but it's not the original one it's the second one this one was built in 1952 I think I can't remember what the original one was renamed or when it was scrapped. US steel sold the great lakes fleet it is the great lakes fleet inc. The paint scheme with the red and the gray is symbolic the red is the color of the Pittsburgh steamship line and the gray is the color of the Bradley transportation fleet
Phillip Garrow I’m from Wisconsin on the peninsula and my wife always gives me crap about my stories sound like the ocean and I tell her one day you will see what these lakes are capable of and you will believe the stories,she’s from Colorado by the way so you know her version of lakes are small reservoirs
I grew up on the shores of lake huron, I remember seeing the big boats off in the distance headed to lafarge in Alpena to pick up clinker pelleted for making concrete. I was in my 20's when I had a job at lafarge, and for the first time stood right next to a freighter. it was like a sky scraper on its side. it was massive, I'd never felt so go damn small at 6'5" 300 lb's, I felt tiny.
@@rileymarshall2410 Not sure if you're trying to be funny. Wouldn't your uncles brother possibly be?...your father?.. My 5th grade teachers name was Mr. Kaulman, if I spelled it right.
6:21 This is one of the most poignant and sorrowful tales to come out of the Sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald. My heart went out to this poor fellow. I hope he was able to receive some peace of mind. That he fought for years to get his brother’s remains brought to shore is a testimonial to the love and remembrance of one brother to another. Twenty five years later and this remains one of the finest documentaries on the sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald.
I remember my father telling me of his first job working on the ships that travelled the Great Lakes. He said it was back breaking work, and when a storm was coming, he and the other men would have the manually close the hatches, but there was a time when the Edmund Fitzgerald sailed by and my father recalled how he and the other men were in awe and, perhaps, a wee bit jealous of just how "state-of-the-art" it was with it's "automatic" hatch closings, that in the end - never saved the crew at all. God rest their souls. And rest in peace too, Dad. I miss you.
@@skullduggery3377 Yes, that is what it says about Gord's song on "Deep Sea Detectives" --- see czcams.com/video/XX4hxQbkwuY/video.html, and go to 18:16
It was done so well too. I honestly came here to look for comments about the song but when they played the song for the opening credits, I knew I had to watch the whole thing. Very well done.
I saw this documentary on TV when it came out and it totally captivated me. I have looked long and hard to get a copy of this and could not. I just found it on You Tube and thank you very much for letting me see it again.
The part where Oliver "Buck" Champeau's slightly younger brother Jack Champeau speaks of his love for his brother, the pain of losing him, and not being able to bring him all the way home while just barely containing his sorrow and regret, his voice breaking, gets me every time. Right in the feels in 1995. Right in the feels in 2019!
Another anniversary - and another year that we don't forget the lost crew of The Fitzgerald. It's hard to believe that 2022 marks the 47th anniversary since the Edmund Fitzgerald went down.. But for the friends & family of each crew member, it must feel like just yesterday. But we don't forget - we never forget. RIP all 29 souls who rest in the silent twilight world that is 530 feet below the surface..Lost, but never forgotten. May your loved ones each find peace & solace in their loss and grief until the day when you are all reunited..God bless each one. Amen 🙏🏻
Saw the Fitzgerald leaving Cleveland dock 2 while taking a river cruise up the Cuyahoga River on the Goodtime II she was raising the anchor, heading to Sault st marie for another load on her way back she sank. I CAN REMEMBER IT LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY. VERY SAD !!!
John Hutsenpiller Jr Me too, I was a senior in high school watching the Fitz leave the docks from my canoe as I was taking my last paddle of '75. It was the longest ship I'd seen up to that time.
She went down travelling from Wisconsin to Detroit Ml about 18 miles northwest of Whitefish Bay. It couldn’t have been the voyage in which she sank that you observed.😷🇨🇦🇺🇸
My wife and I hiked the UP a few years ago. At one point, I just stood there gazing at the mighty Lake Superior. I couldn’t help but think of those 29 men who perished all those years ago. May God bless their souls, and all of their family too.
@Joanne Rogers Sailors know there is no one close enough to save them, even while in port! Drills and abandon ship are a weekly event mandatory for the whole crew. Including the Stewards Dept.
Let’s not forget the most recent “El Faro” tragedy. Wikipedia- American crew lost all hands 2015 Dept Fla bound for Puerto Rico in Sept, went right into a storm. Same scenario as to condition of the ship, weather and greedy owners.
@@leglamps I never heard of the Edmund Fitzgerald until I heard the song, I'm sure in the time of the tragic event, it was popular then, but I've never heard of it until the song came out
I had friends on the Fitz. I saw her dozens of times when I was in the U.S. Coast Guard at a station then called Manistee Moorings. I spent 3 years at that unit starting in 1963 before I moved on to another station. I had many a beer with some of the crew. I talked to that ship many a time on our radios, She came in to deliver coal and take out salt from the mine, or sand, a special sand used in glass making. I think the song is a great tribute. The Great Lakes are very unpredictable.
@@dennisleporte2327 Listen to the captain of the Anderson. He was there. The map where the shoals were at, were inaccurate. The Fitz bottomed on the shoals and started taking on water. This would be confirmed by the deck lifeline snapping before it went down. Radar gone. Taking on water. Waves over thirty feet high. The Three Sisters(waves) came over the ship and drove her into the lake. The two front hatches imploded into the cargo hold. This could not happen with loose clamps.
I was only 17 years old when The Edmund Fitzgerald sank. I happened to be in Sault Ste Marie Canada the night of the storm, It was a terrible storm. I remember it very well and think of it often. Rest in peace to the crew men.
After researching, I was amazed to find that Lightfoot wrote the song less than a week after the disaster, and recorded it less than a month later. Hearing the song on the radio as a teenager, I had always assumed the wreck had happened long before.
I have a cousin who's boat went down in that lake when a sudden storm blew up on them. He swam to shore and took off his clothes as it was in November. He then swam back out and saved several others. They all survived but was very lucky. They all could have perished that day on that mighty body of water as she likes to clam the lives of sailors.
I remember seeing this as a teenager, and it really cemented my love of the Discovery Channel and documentaries in general. Now in the Autumn of my 30's I look back and think "I'd rather pound my balls flat with a wooden mallet than watch the Discovery Channel" which really makes me sad. RIP all the sailors lost, and RIP Discovery Channel.
I'm in my early spring started warm and thought winter was over then it got cold again and snowed twice then warmed and went straight to summer temps now there's severe thunderstorms and daffodills of my 40's
I could not agree with you any more! Discovery, Nat'l Geographic, & the Learning channel used to be a fortress against all the crap programming on cable TV, but now, they have become a part of the problem, instead of being part of the solution. Very sad to see.
This documentary is the best I’ve seen to date. I used to travel the entire U.P. Of Michigan from ‘the Soo’ to Superior, WI on business in the late 70’s just after the wreck. The closest I had ever been to Whitefish Bay was 35 miles away in Newberry, MI. I’d often spend a night or two working from Marquette, MI which is farther west. I marveled at the immensity of Lake Superior, which resembled the oceans because it was water to the horizon. I’ve seen snow and huge waves, but cannot begin to imagine being on a ship in such conditions. The song by Gordon Lightfoot was played everywhere and at that time, I had no concept of how close I was to her final resting place. I think back with reverence upon this tragedy. I hope that one day I will meet these brave sailors in heaven. I was in my twenties then (the same age as several of the crew) and approaching age 70 now. It’s doubtful that I’ll ever have the chance to visit the memorial in Whitefish Bay, but who knows? I will say a prayer for these men. God bless all twenty-nine of them and their families.
I vaguely remember the news when I was a kid in England. A ship disappeared in a lake and I thought how can a ship get lost on a lake? Being just 9 years old I didn't realise that some lakes around the world are like Oceans. This documentary really opened my eyes to the full extent of the tragedy. Very sad.
I do plan to go with my cousin to museum next year to see the bell that was retrieved from the Edmund Fitzgerald. I need to pay my respects there and at the maritime sailors cathedral.😪
I remember that song by Gordon Lightfoot when I was seven, back in 1975. I didn't know it was a real story, nor did I know the details of what had happened. Twenty years later, I saw this documentary, and found out a lot. The song means much more to me, especially in this video when the actual bell was rung those 29 times to remember the crew. Profound indeed.
I've been looking for this for years! It brought me to tears when I saw it first run. This happened the year I was born and I grew up with Lightfoot's song being one of my favorites. Never knew much about the event outside of what the song said until I saw this documentary. Thanks for sharing it!
Go to (damn the name just left my mind). Its an island in Lake Eric near Sandusky, Ohio. Anyway, it has a museum of all the ship wrecks on the Great Lakes and, of course, this is one of them. They have a model of the ship.
Another, unrelated comment, the Island is what I call, the Key West of the North. It's amazing how much it will remind you of Key West. As a Floridian, living in South Florida, I have been to Key West hundreds of times. I was amazed at how this place is so similar. In fact, some of the performers play this island in the Summer and KW in the Winter.
I know they're called the great lakes but I never realised just how large they are! And how unpredictable the weather can be. Thoughts and condolences to the families of those lost ❤
The real kicker is not just seeing their size on a map, but realizing that Lake Superior, the largest of the 5, has the size and volume to contain the other 4 lakes, plus 3 additional Lake Eries. It's not called Superior for nothing.
I find it interesting how it is on Discovery Sunday and I am watching this on a Sunday. Also the reason I got interested in the Edmund Fitzgerald was because of Lightfoot's song.
Star ships 2:55 M/V Algosound 3:34 SS Steelton 3:44 SS Reserve 3:55 HMCS Cormorant 3:59 M/V Anglian Lady 7:16 M/V Algosound 8:26 SS Edmund Fitzgerald 9:34 SS Tom M. Girdler 10:06 SS Reserve 12:19 (Front) SS Valleycamp (Behind) SS The International or SS The Harvester (Tug) M/V Illinois 15:40 SS Reserve (a lot of the mocking edmund fitzgerald footage will be the ss reserve) 16:37 M/V Algosound 18:09 SS William Clay Ford 18:53 SS Seaway Queen 20:32 SS Edmund Fitzgerald 31:46 SS Canadian Hunter 35:42 CURV III Detection Unit 36:59 SS George M. Cox 37:02 SS Manasoo (correctvme if I'm wrong) 37:05 SS Chester A. Congdon 37:08 SS Arcadia (correct me if I'm wrong) 37:16 lmk on this one, I have no idea Lmk if I missed any ships and I'll try to find out about it
2:55 and 16:37 that isn't the algosound. You can tell by the cargo hatches layout and aft mast. At 7:16 that's the algosound because of the hatch and mast layout. The algosound had 20 hatches grouped into 5 sets of 4 hatches while the ship at 2:55 had 22 hatches that weren't in groups and the algosound's mast was on her smokestack while the ship at 2:55 had it forward of the funnel. The ship at 2:55 appeared to be the Algoriver
Positively the best, most comprehensive and heartbreaking documentary on the fate of the Edmund Fitzgerald ever produced. The last time I saw this had to be 1995 when it aired on Discovery. Including heartfelt family member interviews, captain Cooper of the Arthur Anderson and several passages of the famous Gordon Lightfoot folk tribute, this is the kind of quality documentary that is sadly missing from today’s television productions. In particular, if you cannot muster a tear or two during the interview (6:21) of Jack Champeau as he mourns not being able to bring home his long lost brother Oliver... you are quite likely a soulless beast. The poignant bell ceremony is a fitting ending to this fine televised tribute. Thanks goes to producers Jane Armstrong and Christopher Rowley who should be very proud of this effort; as it stands as a testament to how short documentaries on sensitive historical subjects can and should still be made.
I remember hearing about this as a senior in high school. Although from New York, I’d visited Lake Superior the summer before, so it had a big impact on me.
I remember hearing the song back when I was really little and I loved the tune. My dad explained what the song was all about. The only great lake that Ive ever seen is Erie and I saw the big boats out there. I cant imagine such a huge ship being taken down by waves on the lake, but I suppose the waves and the storm was so big. My heart really goes out to the friends and family members who were left without their loved ones
This time of year as the Winter bears down upon us, I always think of this tragedy and the song by Gordon Lightfoot. I was a senior in High School back in 1975..
It seems these Lake storms become serious so quick that it can go from somewhat manageable to catastrophe in a split second.... not even enough time to send out a distress signal or contact the Coast Guard.
@@lgempet2869 Lifelong Michigander here. You are absolutely correct. I've never been on the Lakes as a Mariner but I've seen what these storms can do and how incredibly quick they can hit. Superior is like a humungous bath tub w Canada to the north and east, Wisconsin and Minnesota to the west and the UP of Michigan to the south. The waves swell and roll. The winds routinely hit 60 70 80mph+. Superior is an inland ocean, same w Michigan. Huron is giant too, even the smaller Lakes, Huron and Ontario are no joke. Most dangerous shipping route in the world
If I were a young man I'd go to maritime academy and start a career on the water. I commercial fished as a young man and didnt realize what I had then. I've made a good living but I've been miserable. Health starting to fail, stressed out. I'd go to academy now but I dont know if I'd have the years left to move up. Theres great money in maritime service with tenure. Such a sad story but at least these men died on their feet, not in pain pissing in a bed pan.
Although I dont live near the Great Lakes, this speaks to me. I live very, very close to the banks of the Ohio River, and one night I was standing down there listening to this song. A chill came over me, and I started to cry silently. It was almost like I could reach out and touch the Fitz, and hear her crew. God bless and keep the 29 Men who lost their lives.
My Father, my family, Aunts and Uncles as well as a few friends were guests on the Big Fitz years ago. As President of a big public utility, my father often was invited to have a cruise aboard the Edmond Fitzgerald and I and my family got to know Captain McSorely fairly well. He was, in my opinion, a giant of a man, a man who understood the sea and its ways. He was kind, gentle, stern and at the same time always aware of where the ship was and what she was doing. My father once said to me, "I could do much worse than to sail with him." I never did sail on board any ship but those ten days or so were heaven to me and my sisters as we had a wonderful time with the crew and the cooks. It was a trip I have never forgotten. Later in life, I lived with my wife and our young child across the street from a man who had grown up with the boy who became that Captain. He spoke freely of his relationship with the Captain. But it was always as children never after the gentleman went to sea. This documentary has brought tears to my eyes and I must stop now. May the Lord keep all sea faring men at his right hand! Bless them all!
I was there, on board the S.S Armco. We were lagging behind the the Fizgerald and Anderson by about a hundred miles. This was the mother all storms. I thank the Lord every day that all of my shipmates and myself survived it. God bless all of the guys that went down with their ship.
Wow, that must have been terrifying. Do experienced seamen get seasick? I have been very seasick twice: once on a whale watching trip and once deep sea fishing. Just watching that video makes me queasy. Brave people! I am thankful for those who brave such conditions to bring needed supplies. Thank you!
@@janaatwell2998 Thanks for the reply Jana. I have sailed on the Lakes for most of my life. I never saw a case of seasickness.
Ken did you know that Fitz's first mate had his Master's license and was Master of the Armco for a short time?
A night to remember
And God bless you sir.
“I’ve tried to bring him home”. Sir, you’ve done your brother proud.
That was very tough to watch.
Whenever I watch this, that never fails to both want to sob & hug that poor Man. 😢😔
As said above, he’s done his Brother proud & his Brother knows it too. I always hope this poor Man has found some Peace.
😔😢😪😞🙏
The Bell toiling and theyre names being said out loud, did me in!!!
🙏☹
I would kill to have documentaries like this today instead of scripted reality TV BS...
Yes yes yes and Aaaaaaammmmeeeeennn
CoalCrackerCummins: Oh no... these documentaries make people smarter. That's not good at all. The powers that be want DUMB people and they are doing a damn good job of making them!
Yes!! I'm with you!!
@@fwh79FOXR6
You're right! And the Sheeple are only too happy to follow/believe what they are told to think, say and do. I can see the corruption within our government and I absolutely refuse to follow the masses.
Our food supplies have been poisoned, our water and even the air we breathe are being prepared for the depopulation that is coming.
I'm not Looney Toons. I've spent several years studying HARP, Georgia Stone, GMO's, hormonal additives, Chem Trails and I've also been looking into the increase in physical/mental diseases. The correlation in that is frightening. Our "News" does not report on this because the Sheeple are blind...
@@claudiaholmes9086 I completely agree with you. It's hard to find like-minded people... everyone thinks you are crazy. I guess that is how good the powers that be are at hiding this stuff!
The part where the guy is talking about his brother is heartbreaking, you did bring him home pal, you came back for him and you brought him home.
lala lulu 😢
Yes, you are right. He did bring him home!
So sad
Yeah that broke me up dude.
I was a sailor in the US Navy, and I consider all who serve on the seas (yes, I consider the great lakes to be seas) my brothers. What this man said, and how he said it, spoke to me.. powerfully.
Back when Discovery did real docs, and you actually learned something
Yeah instead of agenda driven pseudo science.i cant hardly watch the new shit,most of it is speculation presented as fact.
The FBI should tell the film & media industry. You make one more filthy talking movie. It will be your last.
I swear ppl will complain about anything.......
Mike Mike Human nature?
And become freaked out by some docs
I’m sure you will all laugh. I taped this on VHS way back when. I still have a VHS player and I have watched it countless times. It is so haunting, tragic and each time, touches my soul.
Same here. Easily the best and most touching documentary on the Fitz.
It's a great documentary, very sad though
I love the narrator's voice as well he did a great job
I had this documentary another on the Bismarck on the same VHS as a kid. Wore that tape out completely
Same... for some reason it stood out to me at the time. The documentary does a fantastic job of telling the story of the EF. Part of this video is shown at the Shipwreck Museum on Whitefish Point.
My folks owned a tavern in the midwest about this time. When Lightfoots song was played on the jukebox, the chatter would nearly cease......almost like a prayer in that dark little hall.
Single most haunting song out there.
Seems almost respectful to not have chatter while it’s playing.
@@WhitneyReacts The song came out right at about a year after the ship sank.
this is the kind of thing I like to hear. nothing but respect
I was far away, but this catastrophe had that effect.
My dad was first mate on the fitz years before it went down..he knew all of those men...it was the saddest day of his life...his name was PATRICK BOYLE
Many hugs to you and your father.
@@BonnieDragonKat thank you
Nice flex.
my dad had a passion for ships as a kid dad would take me to the Welland canal CAN to watch these monsters pass through i lived in buffalo NY
His name is ROBERT PAULSEN.
This is the definitive Edmund Fitzgerald documentary.
May all the 29 men who died on the Fitzgerald will always be remembered by the ones they loved deeply. May they all rest in peace.
Is that profile picture, you, or your son or something?
@@Wilhelm-Von-Hohenzollern Exposed. Thats why YOU SHOULD NEVER USE YOUR OWN FACE AS YOUR PFP IF YOUR A KID
@@seardadsdasd we found that internet pedophile didn't we!!! They expose themselves
@@Wilhelm-Von-Hohenzollern something
The divers who went down and recovered the bell have big balls. There’s A LOT you could get tangled up in on a wreck, never mind the depth. Respect to them.
Allrighty then.
Ray Finkle do we know how deep the lake is where the EF is
@@randompolishdude7220 I read that the Fitz sits in 500 feet of water. If you watch as the diver in the "zoot-suit" completes the last cut of the stanchion holding the ship's bell it releases and swings a bit. If it had swung into the diver's facepiece and fractured it the tremendous pressure would have killed him instantly.
Or possibly seeing the bodies of the crew. That would be eerie.
@@briano6268 Or when the cutting torch gasses were being trapped under the bell could have ignited from the torch...close call moment
back when Discovery Channel aired real documentaries.
Ben I remember those days, too. Great days, before everything educational and intelligent got dumbed down for the masses.
id come home from elementary school, wouldnt watch cartoons or Mtv, Id put on History or Discovery channels and soak up info like a sponge.
Then came Deadliest Catch.......and it was all over
Ben
Yea.
Reality tv is so fake.
I would watch lions hunting and eating, storm chasers, forensic shows.....
All while eating my TV Dinner.
I developed a strong stomach and a great defense against bullies😏
@Phil Theodore wtf do you mean?
And before left wing political agenda driven indoctrination took over, manmade climate change, global warming or whatever it's known as this second, I first got cable TV service in 1993 and cancelled it in 2011, it one of the best decisions I ever made, I have fios for internet and phone and will eventually cancel the phone.
47 years later and the story still lives on. RIP to all who passed away on the lakes.
At the time this tragic shipwreck happened, I'd turned 4 years old 4 months prior to these events
You have 29 likes right now, one for each man lost. Normally, I’d leave it, but I’m going to make it 30 for Gordon Lightfoot.
@@oatmealshoeswell done. Was Gordon the one who had the heart attack at launch?
My husband and I live in Michigan. In July of 1975 we were on vacation in Soo Sault Marie and took a boat tour of the Soo Locks. On the way back to the dock, the guide pointed out a huge red and white ore carrier and told us some facts about it. I remember there was a crew member hanging over the side on a scaffolding, touching up the red paint on the starboard side of the ship right under it's name, Edmond Fitzgerald. I went to take a photo of him only to realize I had used up the roll of film in my camera. By the time I got the new roll loaded, it was too late for a picture. The Edmond Fitzgerald went down that November 10th, on my husband's birthday. When we arrived home from celebrating his birthday and heard it on the news, we both immediately realized that was the ship I had missed getting a picture of!
If you would've taken it, it would've likely been the last known photo of the Edmund Fitzgerald. It's scary to think about.
@mirage790...*edmund*
1975 was a long time ago. How old are you now???
@@truthisoutthere6721 she’s (or he) has to be 65 or older if the person was about 20 back in 1975.
It's Sault Ste Marie. You just spelled Soo Soo Marie
God bless the brave men of the Edmund Fitzgerald : And Gordon Lightfoot for writing such a beautiful Ballad 🙏 ⚡️🤙🏼⚡️
Who else is here on the 48th anniversary? I'll definitely be listening to "The Wreck of the Edmond Fitzgerald" tonight!
I remember hearing the song by Gordon Lightfoot when I was 6 years old and fell in love with the song and the “Big Fitz”. I was an athlete growing up and always wore number 29 no matter what sport or position I played in honor of her and her crew.
RIP Sailors! 🍺🍻🍺
Brian Glass, if you wore the number 69, it would make a difference what ‘position’ you ‘played’. Ya know what I mean?
Matthew Eitzman I wore #29 not #69.
That is just cool man. I sing the song over and over every November. I was about 12 when it was playing on the radio. Wrote the words down and tried to understand the wreck from the song. Still love the song.
@@Matthew_Eitzman nice, you had to include a stupid sex joke in a discussion of a tragedy
@@colleenross8752 gallows humor is always appreciated e
Sad story and yet an important event in Maritime history. I served in the Navy for 23 years on 5 different submarines and I can tell you that every sailor places a bit too much faith in the might of their ship. Never underestimate an angry sea (or lake). The tolling of the Fitz's bell for each crew member by surviving family members must have been a chilling and emotional thing to witness. It gave me chills just watch it in this documentary. One cannot fathom the amount of emotions for those family members and the closure they finally must have felt, to see their loved one finally put to rest, with the tolling of the heart of the mighty Edmund Fitz. RIP to her crew.
Well said
How often do submarines surface, and are Yinz able to go on the deck for some fresh air when / if Yinz do?
My dad was a 32 yr vet of the Navy, and a very proud and BRAVE man! When asked if there was anything that he feared, the only answer he ever gave was being on the ships throughout a gale or storm! And as I got older I would spend so much time at Peggys Cove just sitting on the rocks watching the ocean, a feeling of such anger as the waves pounded the rocks below me gave me the understanding of what he meant!
I'm a kiwi but still thanks for serving. 💯% repect.
What else are you going to do? If you don’t have enough faith in the ship to protect you then you stay home. Not that Mother Nature can’t find you there
What strikes me is how courageous these men, some young, others old, have to go out on the sea. And to the crew of the Henry Clay Ford and the Arthur Anderson, you guys had some serious stones to knowingly go back out into conditions where you already knew that it likely took the lives of 29 of your compatriots. Man, if that's not courage, I don't know what is.
The most courageous of that Night had to be Bernie Cooper of the SS Arthur M Anderson. He wasn't stupid: When the Witch takes one she wants more. He was loaded heavy like the Fitz was. There was every reason to think he could have been next. and yet he went back out into the frozen hell of that storm in the hope that somehow he'd be able to save sailors. the Daniel J Morrell had one survivor, Carl D Bradley two. maybe if he got their quick enough, if he could urge his old lady on just that much faster, he could save the men of the Fitz. it wasn't his fault she took all 29 with her.
lake, not sea.
Sawyer AWR With 25-30ft waves greater speed wasn't an option, unfortunately.
They were not at sea they were on the lake's
Sweet Dixie if you’ve been on those lakes...you could swear they are seas. They’re massive, Superior herself spreading hundreds of miles. That lake has all the ferocity of a sea if you’re unlucky. One respects those lakes as if they were seas. Even in a small storm, it’s still ferocious.
I know none of these men, nor their families. I have little relations with any sailors of any time. And yet here is a boy tearing up, hearing the bell ring, on the 44th anniversary of this tragedy.
Six thousand ships have sunk in the Great Lakes? Six. Thousand.
That is a staggering number. RIP, sailors.
In only 400 years!
Well, it's 15 ships a year, and with those weather conditions, and primitive wooden ships for the most part, it isn't all that surprising. Ships going down was once very common. Something we forgot about nowadays.
DolleHengst good point. Shipwrecks used to be a lot more common. It’d be interesting to see that 6,000 broken down by time frame.
Yes that is an unbelievable number of shipwrecks/sinkings. I can't believe that that many ships went down on the Great Lakes. Seems like more lessons would have been learned from prior experiences and happenings - making the ships bigger, taller, etc. and just learning from things that had happened before. Hard to believe that that many went down and more wasn't learned from prior mistakes and experiences.
@@timsharkey1993 theres a wikipedia page on it
"We're holding our own."
Chilling.
"We're holding our own"
Sometimes in life thats all you can do, and sometimes it just isn't enough
You don't send a mayday until you need too. it's seen as crying wolf .
Proud and composed
@@BonnieDragonKat It was never a mayday situation. They didn’t have time to key the microphone.
This is a wonderful documentary. I remember when it first aired back in '95. When the Discovery Channel actually had shows about science and history.
It's hard to believe that it's been 44years. R.I.P. to the captain and crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
This is a story that needed to be told. These men must never be forgotten 🙏RIP
Some folks have commented about the courage needed to sail these big ships on the Great Lakes. That's appropriate, but I'm also reminded of the low value that used to be attached to the lives of sailors. The Edmund Fitzgerald set off on her last voyage when everyone knew a bad storm was brewing. Nobody thought 29 men would die, but the folks who owned these ships were so intent on their profitability that safety was way low on their list of concerns. Everything changed when the Fitz went down.When potentially dangerous storms are possible, ships don't sail now.
Heck, they mentioned that the two ships were only sailing to "squeeze one last run in" before winter shut it all down. They didn't need to make the run in the first place, but there was extra cash to be made.
Weather forecasts were incorrect, and sadly this tragedy ensued. But, I totally get it....greed....its one of the 7 deadly sins.
After she sink depth finders and survival suits became mandatory
That is sad and there are so many companies that still do that. Thank God someone stepped in and stepped up to protect the sailors that still sail these Great Lakes
My buddy used to captain the ferry across Lake Michigan. He refuses to ever do it again, for the sheer amount of tiny powerful waves that hit the ship. Most terrifying adventures he’s been on, he told me.
I know I still have this recorded on VHS when it first aired. I miss documentaries like this.
These 1995 commercials are a blast from the past!
I'm glad you like them. I actually meant to edit out all of the commercials, but somehow missed a few. Some people have voiced their displeasure of encountering commercials, while others, such as yourself, were happy to see them.
Talking about his lost brother at 6:21, if that doesn't break your heart, you have no soul.
That man brought tears to my eyes. So did most of this documentary. The ending is heart breaking even after all these years. R.I.P. gentlemen.
Kicked me hard in the feels
Yeah I was just thinking the same thing
Yes , very much .
Wow, that was tough to watch. I couldn’t do it without shedding a few tears.
Remember when Discovery Channel used to feature interesting, thoughtful, well-researched documentaries like this? Sure miss that.
One of the best most tragic documentaries I have ever heard with the best song. Best storytelling of this tragic event. Beautiful memorial.
Look at American Slavery
@@terrancewatson7739 You Mean the black Slaves that were sold into slavery by African Black Tribes that conquered them and sold them off into slavery and later WHITE MEN fought and Died for their Freedom? That slavery?
@@robertdoell4321 Naw the Slavery when white folks went into Africa with their cowardly made guns and force ppl out of their country
It was the best story I ever heard ,God took those devil's down😂😂😂😂
@@robertdoell4321What Freedom they still had Jim Crow Segregation for the next 100 years
I am acquainted with the daughter of the cook Robert Rafferty , a few years back they did a dive on the Fitz and brought up some of the taconite she was carrying to give to the surviving family members , they had a ceremony where the Fitz was built and the priest from the Mariners church in Detroit came and blessed it , and then it was given to the family members there , last year in 2018 she sent me some 9 pieces of it , I gave 5 to friends but I still own 4 pieces of the cargo that went down with the Edmund Fitzgerald ..
A few years ago more like almost 30
my guess is the tac came from Tom Farnquist.
@@cameronschuelke6698 I can promise you it’s like yesterday to most of us who were adults then. Long life to you, and I hope you remember all of it as happily as I do.
I did not know what Taconite was so I looked it up and thought I would share.
Taconite is a low-grade iron ore. When the high-grade natural iron ore was plentiful, taconite was considered a waste rock and not used.
Edmund Fitzgerald, the Titanic of the Great Lakes
The Eastland capsized in the Chicago River in the 1915. 850 people died. THAT was the REAL Titanic of the Great Lakes.
@@badguy1481 no one remembers eastland Gordon song has made the Fitz the most reorganized wreck on the lakes asepical for midwestwernes
Amen you are correct.
This was a big story in Canada, but Gordon Lightfoot shared the story with the world, and that's why I'm here from Australia to watch this with great interest.
Indeed. The song is really a dedication to all of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Disasters, as well as the Big Fitz. The Carl D. Bradley and Daniel J. Morrell were bad as well, but the Edmund Fitzgerald sunk deeper than the others. That storm that took it was much worse than those that sunk the Bradley and Morrell.
My great uncle was the captain of a merchant ship,both my cousins were in the navy,one in the merchant navy and the other in the Royal Navy.All are now passed away.Hearing the song and watching this documentary,reminds me of the debt we owe to all the brave mariners who risk their lives daily for the benefit of the rest of us.
The song is haunting but very captivating. Great job, Gordon Lightfoot!
In my opinion, it is his greatest song.
@@jimkilbane5180 14 karat gold and 10 degrees and getting colder are tops as well from Gordo
This was actually a really good album. "Summertime Dream" was the album.
Lightfoot has always been special and unique ........
Gordon also wrote a Song The Ghosts of Cape Horn as a tribute to the sailers who rounded The Horn.
Great documentary, may all those men as well as every sailor lost at sea be at peace.
KillerFrank it sunk in the Great Lakes
@@jjacks5950 I know, I was speaking for all sailors who never came home.
@@jjacks5950 @J Jack's, maybe he was just generalizing. Besides, the term "at sea" could refer to any large body of water such as river, ocean, lake etc.
Charles Scatola I gotcha
It’s peaceful under water!
It’s that being eaten part that turns it to shit.
I miss when the History channel, Discovery, and others actually had informational content....sad what its become today...
And now you go to CZcams for your history fix. Who would have thought..
You forgot The Learning Channel.
Only as bad as the rest of TV today! I agree completely with you.
I knew a guy that was on the Anderson that trip ... he just died a month ago ...name withheld ... that storm made him quit the ships ... he went driving cross Canada instead . He said he had nightmares for the rest of his life ... he never ever experienced anything like that again .. anything he saw driving on Ice Roads never came close to scaring him again ........
He said when he heard /// " does anyone know where the love of god goes when the waves turn the minutes to hours " made him start to shake with memory .... said he could not hear the song again
holy cow ....... what terror ///////////
Wow, that is powerful stuff.....you never know how things affect people unless you know them and see it firsthand. God Bless him, I hope he finds peace on the other side....
Litefoot paid those guys a great tribute...in a way he made them immortal...gone but NEVER...EVER...forgotten
What a great documentary! I am an Aussie and only knew about this ship through the Gordon Lightfoot song, but I learned something today.
It is difficult for me to even conceive of a body of fresh water that big. The biggest lake I have ever seen was a droplet compared to Superior.
I salute all the men lost on the Edmond Fitzgerald and their families.
Hardtop Harry, Lake Superior is about 33,000 square miles. Abit smaller than the state of Indiana
@@davidvance6367 Can you please now define what a mile is and where Indiana is?
I lived off one of the Great Lakes. They are not lakes. They are inland Seas. People who have not seen the Great Lakes have no idea of thier size and majestic beauty. Most people shrug and laugh when they hear the word "lakes." They are not lakes.
@@goirish2816 Regardless of where you have lived, the Great Lakes are in fact lakes.
I’ve lived within 30 minutes of the lakes my entire life, and have spent time in them since I was a kid. They are enormous and hard to understand just how vast. One of the most sobering things I’ve done was paddle my kayak out far enough where you cannot hear anything except wind and the water hitting the bottom of the yak. Now that’s not that special, but when folks say they’re big, they are big. Cheers to the Aussie.
My cousin was swept overboard a fishing vessel in Lake Michigan the year before. RIP, Ron Smith, body was never recovered.😥
Some people that don't live on the great lakes underestimated them my grandfather spent a lot of time on the great lakes when he was younger out of Rodger City Michigan a lot of salt water sailors referred to as puddles until they got caught up in one of the storms
🕭❤🙏
@@phillipgarrow2297If my memory serves, Rodgers City was home to most of the crew of the Carl Bradley, another big lake freighter that few have heard of compared to the Fitz but also went down in a storm and took 33 with it on Lake Michigan.
@@imvandenh it gets a little confusing my grandfather moved to Cadillac mi in the early 30s he sailed on SS Carl D Bradley not the one that sunk in Lake Michigan but the original it was renamed SS JohnGMunson he knew most of the sailors that died Rodger city is a small community most men either worked on the boats or in the limestone quarry. Michigan limestone and chemical was owned by US steel Bradley transportation fleet was run separately from Pittsburgh steamship company also owned by US steel Bradley ships where painted gray so the didn't show limestone dust .Limestone is very corrosive to steel they didn't have the protective paints we have now modern steel is stronger and more durable when the Bradley sunk it wasn't seaworthy and shouldn't have been on the water it was supposed to go to the shipyard to have it's rusted holds replaced eventually US steel merged the Bradley fleet with the Pittsburgh steamship fleet and it became US steel great lakes fleet the JohnGMunson that still sails is from the Bradley Fleet but it's not the original one it's the second one this one was built in 1952 I think I can't remember what the original one was renamed or when it was scrapped. US steel sold the great lakes fleet it is the great lakes fleet inc. The paint scheme with the red and the gray is symbolic the red is the color of the Pittsburgh steamship line and the gray is the color of the Bradley transportation fleet
Phillip Garrow I’m from Wisconsin on the peninsula and my wife always gives me crap about my stories sound like the ocean and I tell her one day you will see what these lakes are capable of and you will believe the stories,she’s from Colorado by the way so you know her version of lakes are small reservoirs
Growing up on Lake Superior, the Fitzgerald is folklore.
I'm from southwest wisconsin as a former deckhand on the river I've ALWAYS wanted to work on the lakes!!
I grew up on Lake Huron. Grandpa's boat was in Tawas.
I grew up on the shores of lake huron, I remember seeing the big boats off in the distance headed to lafarge in Alpena to pick up clinker pelleted for making concrete. I was in my 20's when I had a job at lafarge, and for the first time stood right next to a freighter. it was like a sky scraper on its side. it was massive, I'd never felt so go damn small at 6'5" 300 lb's, I felt tiny.
Yes, & it’s folklore well beyond Lake Superior too....
I grew up on superior too and honestly I thought it was so cool but after this happend I was shocked
My fifth grade teacher lost his brother on the Edmond Fitzgerald. He taught us about the tragedy many times in class.
Kevin Douglas my uncles brother was lost on the Edmond Fitzgerald that’s how I learned about the Fitzgerald
@@rileymarshall2410 Not sure if you're trying to be funny. Wouldn't your uncles brother possibly be?...your father?..
My 5th grade teachers name was Mr. Kaulman, if I spelled it right.
@@kevindouglas8768 Unless the uncle was an uncle by marriage (blood aunt, aunt married a man who lost a brother on the Edmund Fitzgerald).
Kevin Douglas, the man that was on the ship. Do you know where he was from
Who remembers..... November 2019? Heroes among us!
At 2:36 when you hear Gordon Lightfoot's voice.... chills.
This is by far the best documentary I have ever watched concerning the Edmund Fitzgerald.
6:21 This is one of the most poignant and sorrowful tales to come out of the Sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald. My heart went out to this poor fellow. I hope he was able to receive some peace of mind. That he fought for years to get his brother’s remains brought to shore is a testimonial to the love and remembrance of one brother to another.
Twenty five years later and this remains one of the finest documentaries on the sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald.
Don't worry, they're together now in Heaven
I remember my father telling me of his first job working on the ships that travelled the Great Lakes. He said it was back breaking work, and when a storm was coming, he and the other men would have the manually close the hatches, but there was a time when the Edmund Fitzgerald sailed by and my father recalled how he and the other men were in awe and, perhaps, a wee bit jealous of just how "state-of-the-art" it was with it's "automatic" hatch closings, that in the end - never saved the crew at all. God rest their souls. And rest in peace too, Dad. I miss you.
What's the difference between automatic and manually closing hatches?
Hi Guy Automatic = push a button and the hatches closed. Manual = the men on board had to close them. :)
I like how they include Gordon Lightfoot's song in the film :)
Somebody ought to write a song like this about Captain Phil Harris of the Cornelia Marie
and if there was no song, the fitz wooda prolly been just another sunken great lakes boat.
@@skullduggery3377 Yes, that is what it says about Gord's song on "Deep Sea Detectives" --- see czcams.com/video/XX4hxQbkwuY/video.html, and go to 18:16
It was done so well too. I honestly came here to look for comments about the song but when they played the song for the opening credits, I knew I had to watch the whole thing. Very well done.
@@Quacks0 - didn't get this when you posted. strange. just saw it now when someone else posted...yes, i saw that episode. very good.
After 2 years of being laid up, the Arthur M Anderson is beck sailing the lakes, welcome back to a historic vessel
Still rockin' along. That Ship is a beast. More reliable than even the newer Lake Freighters. 🤣👍👍👍
This is back when the Discovery Channel, and most other educational channels, was actually worth watching. Now it's all "reality" bullshit.
Aimed at mindless zombies with little to no brain activity, who require very little to amuse or interest themselves!
I saw this documentary on TV when it came out and it totally captivated me. I have looked long and hard to get a copy of this and could not. I just found it on You Tube and thank you very much for letting me see it again.
The part where Oliver "Buck" Champeau's slightly younger brother Jack Champeau speaks of his love for his brother, the pain of losing him, and not being able to bring him all the way home while just barely containing his sorrow and regret, his voice breaking, gets me every time. Right in the feels in 1995. Right in the feels in 2019!
And still in 2024
Heart breaking, so glad that Gordon Lightfoot honored them forever.
When they rang the bell and called out the names of these brave men, the tears fell
This is still the best documentary about the Fitz. Someone needs to make a real film about this.
They wouldn't have to add drama. The story is dramatic enough.
@@davedennis6042 I thought the same thing about Titanic but look what they did with that.
It would make a good movie
Another anniversary - and another year that we don't forget the lost crew of The Fitzgerald. It's hard to believe that 2022 marks the 47th anniversary since the Edmund Fitzgerald went down.. But for the friends & family of each crew member, it must feel like just yesterday. But we don't forget - we never forget.
RIP all 29 souls who rest in the silent twilight world that is 530 feet below the surface..Lost, but never forgotten. May your loved ones each find peace & solace in their loss and grief until the day when you are all reunited..God bless each one. Amen 🙏🏻
2 more years and it'll be 50 years ago this tragedy took place
The years are really flying by! Never forget these brave men!
Spent many happy days on the Fitz as a kid in 1963..
lynden Mcdonald wait you were on the Fitz!?
"Lest We Forget" Godspeed Gentlemen. I agree with many here. Excellent documentary. Tough to find good ones produced today.
Saw the Fitzgerald leaving Cleveland dock 2 while taking a river cruise up the Cuyahoga River on the Goodtime II she was raising the anchor, heading to Sault st marie for another load on her way back she sank. I CAN REMEMBER IT LIKE IT WAS YESTERDAY.
VERY SAD !!!
John Hutsenpiller Jr Me too, I was a senior in high school watching the Fitz leave the docks from my canoe as I was taking my last paddle of '75. It was the longest ship I'd seen up to that time.
These comments are amazing (not really in a good way) too see the last trip and not knowing what was unfortunately about to happen is something else
She went down travelling from Wisconsin to Detroit Ml about 18 miles northwest of Whitefish Bay. It couldn’t have been the voyage in which she sank that you observed.😷🇨🇦🇺🇸
Incredible. I saw the same scene from the Goodtime II. Chilling.
@@missg.5940 The one beforehand. The Fitz traveled from Cleveland to Superior (WI). The trip back to Cleveland is when it went down.
My wife and I hiked the UP a few years ago. At one point, I just stood there gazing at the mighty Lake Superior. I couldn’t help but think of those 29 men who perished all those years ago. May God bless their souls, and all of their family too.
Batten down the hatches! I agree with the bottoming out theory. The sailors on the Fitzgerald were picked by their Capt. and crew. True professionals!
Was broke in 2 was it not?cargo hold prolly filled with water
@Joanne Rogers Sailors know there is no one close enough to save them, even while in port! Drills and abandon ship are a weekly event mandatory for the whole crew. Including the Stewards Dept.
Let’s not forget the most recent “El Faro” tragedy. Wikipedia- American crew lost all hands 2015 Dept Fla bound for Puerto Rico in Sept, went right into a storm. Same scenario as to condition of the ship, weather and greedy owners.
Gordon Lightfoot made the Edmund Fitzgerald legondary
@@leglamps I agree its just that Gordon Lightfoot told the story those 29 men did not live to tell, He told their story for them.
@@leglamps Oh and because of that he made them immortal
@@leglamps I never heard of the Edmund Fitzgerald until I heard the song, I'm sure in the time of the tragic event, it was popular then, but I've never heard of it until the song came out
@@peterkay2406 I agree, that's how I heard of The Fitzgerald.
Same here. Sang the song for years without realizing it was a true story. 💔🙏
I had friends on the Fitz. I saw her dozens of times when I was in the U.S. Coast Guard at a station then called Manistee Moorings. I spent 3 years at that unit starting in 1963 before I moved on to another station. I had many a beer with some of the crew. I talked to that ship many a time on our radios, She came in to deliver coal and take out salt from the mine, or sand, a special sand used in glass making. I think the song is a great tribute. The Great Lakes are very unpredictable.
Charlie T. do you have a theory about how it happened?
Me me me wow guys passed away you you you
@@dennisleporte2327 Listen to the captain of the Anderson. He was there. The map where the shoals were at, were inaccurate. The Fitz bottomed on the shoals and started taking on water. This would be confirmed by the deck lifeline snapping before it went down. Radar gone. Taking on water. Waves over thirty feet high. The Three Sisters(waves) came over the ship and drove her into the lake. The two front hatches imploded into the cargo hold. This could not happen with loose clamps.
@@MiBones Thanks ! makes total sense. Ironic we are discussing it almost on the anniversary.
@@richardmaki6370 Whats up with your negative Shit !!!
Can't believe I've not seen this until 2024 , what a great video!
I remember my dad recording this documentary on a blank VHS tape.
We still have it, to this day...
God I love these old documentaries by the Discovery Channel, they’re A+
I was only 17 years old when The Edmund Fitzgerald sank. I happened to be in Sault Ste Marie Canada the night of the storm, It was a terrible storm. I remember it very well and think of it often. Rest in peace to the crew men.
My home town. I was there too on that night. Felt like a hurricane.
Even though this doc is probably older than I am, it was fantastic.
Thats a fact
Millenial pussies
After researching, I was amazed to find that Lightfoot wrote the song less than a week after the disaster, and recorded it less than a month later. Hearing the song on the radio as a teenager, I had always assumed the wreck had happened long before.
Me too
Yep...same here
I have a cousin who's boat went down in that lake when a sudden storm blew up on them. He swam to shore and took off his clothes as it was in November. He then swam back out and saved several others. They all survived but was very lucky. They all could have perished that day on that mighty body of water as she likes to clam the lives of sailors.
If you'd told me I'd be watching documentaries on a phone in 1995...I'd probably believe you, cause I was 5 and impressionable.
Tee hee baby, I was 15.
💋
I was 4
In 95 I was a Jr in highschool.
@@Joeybagofdonuts76 In the 95-96 year? Or the 94-95? Cuz I was a junior in high school during the 95-96 time... So I think we are the same age?
45 years ago! Famous worldwide! You are never forgotten, Fitzgerald crew!
I remember seeing this as a teenager, and it really cemented my love of the Discovery Channel and documentaries in general. Now in the Autumn of my 30's I look back and think "I'd rather pound my balls flat with a wooden mallet than watch the Discovery Channel" which really makes me sad. RIP all the sailors lost, and RIP Discovery Channel.
Funny. Same goes for me and the History Channel.
I'm in my early spring started warm and thought winter was over then it got cold again and snowed twice then warmed and went straight to summer temps now there's severe thunderstorms and daffodills of my 40's
Both of them. Nothing but superficial reality junk, UFO, conspiracy theories, and paranormal garbage. GAG!
@@Manbunmen65 - huh???
I could not agree with you any more! Discovery, Nat'l Geographic, & the Learning channel used to be a fortress against all the crap programming on cable TV, but now, they have become a part of the problem, instead of being part of the solution. Very sad to see.
This documentary is the best I’ve seen to date. I used to travel the entire U.P. Of Michigan from ‘the Soo’ to Superior, WI on business in the late 70’s just after the wreck. The closest I had ever been to Whitefish Bay was 35 miles away in Newberry, MI. I’d often spend a night or two working from Marquette, MI which is farther west. I marveled at the immensity of Lake Superior, which resembled the oceans because it was water to the horizon. I’ve seen snow and huge waves, but cannot begin to imagine being on a ship in such conditions. The song by Gordon Lightfoot was played everywhere and at that time, I had no concept of how close I was to her final resting place. I think back with reverence upon this tragedy. I hope that one day I will meet these brave sailors in heaven. I was in my twenties then (the same age as several of the crew) and approaching age 70 now. It’s doubtful that I’ll ever have the chance to visit the memorial in Whitefish Bay, but who knows? I will say a prayer for these men. God bless all twenty-nine of them and their families.
I vaguely remember the news when I was a kid in England. A ship disappeared in a lake and I thought how can a ship get lost on a lake? Being just 9 years old I didn't realise that some lakes around the world are like Oceans. This documentary really opened my eyes to the full extent of the tragedy. Very sad.
The Great Lakes are considered "inland seas" by many, because of their size. Collectively the largest bodies of fresh water in the world.
I do plan to go with my cousin to museum next year to see the bell that was retrieved from the Edmund Fitzgerald. I need to pay my respects there and at the maritime sailors cathedral.😪
I remember that song by Gordon Lightfoot when I was seven, back in 1975. I didn't know it was a real story, nor did I know the details of what had happened. Twenty years later, I saw this documentary, and found out a lot. The song means much more to me, especially in this video when the actual bell was rung those 29 times to remember the crew. Profound indeed.
I've been looking for this for years! It brought me to tears when I saw it first run. This happened the year I was born and I grew up with Lightfoot's song being one of my favorites. Never knew much about the event outside of what the song said until I saw this documentary. Thanks for sharing it!
Go to (damn the name just left my mind). Its an island in Lake Eric near Sandusky, Ohio. Anyway, it has a museum of all the ship wrecks on the Great Lakes and, of course, this is one of them. They have a model of the ship.
Another, unrelated comment, the Island is what I call, the Key West of the North. It's amazing how much it will remind you of Key West. As a Floridian, living in South Florida, I have been to Key West hundreds of times. I was amazed at how this place is so similar. In fact, some of the performers play this island in the Summer and KW in the Winter.
Put-In-Bay. couldn't rest until I googled it. lol Good thing for goggle, I wouldn't have slept tonight, trying to remember it. The fun of getting old.
Fitting tribute to this ship and her crew...fair winds and calm seas to the families of those lost...
I know they're called the great lakes but I never realised just how large they are! And how unpredictable the weather can be. Thoughts and condolences to the families of those lost ❤
We should call them seas
The real kicker is not just seeing their size on a map, but realizing that Lake Superior, the largest of the 5, has the size and volume to contain the other 4 lakes, plus 3 additional Lake Eries. It's not called Superior for nothing.
Wow! Very Emotional. Rest In Peace, All List Mariners ⛴
I find it interesting how it is on Discovery Sunday and I am watching this on a Sunday. Also the reason I got interested in the Edmund Fitzgerald was because of Lightfoot's song.
Same. Listened to that song 3 times & decided to CZcams a video on this vessel.
God Bless the men of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I cant even imagine what you went through that fateful night. May you all rest in peace.
Star ships
2:55 M/V Algosound
3:34 SS Steelton
3:44 SS Reserve
3:55 HMCS Cormorant
3:59 M/V Anglian Lady
7:16 M/V Algosound
8:26 SS Edmund Fitzgerald
9:34 SS Tom M. Girdler
10:06 SS Reserve
12:19 (Front) SS Valleycamp (Behind) SS The International or SS The Harvester (Tug) M/V Illinois
15:40 SS Reserve (a lot of the mocking edmund fitzgerald footage will be the ss reserve)
16:37 M/V Algosound
18:09 SS William Clay Ford
18:53 SS Seaway Queen
20:32 SS Edmund Fitzgerald
31:46 SS Canadian Hunter
35:42 CURV III Detection Unit
36:59 SS George M. Cox
37:02 SS Manasoo (correctvme if I'm wrong)
37:05 SS Chester A. Congdon
37:08 SS Arcadia (correct me if I'm wrong)
37:16 lmk on this one, I have no idea
Lmk if I missed any ships and I'll try to find out about it
Dang! Nice.
2:55 and 16:37 that isn't the algosound. You can tell by the cargo hatches layout and aft mast. At 7:16 that's the algosound because of the hatch and mast layout. The algosound had 20 hatches grouped into 5 sets of 4 hatches while the ship at 2:55 had 22 hatches that weren't in groups and the algosound's mast was on her smokestack while the ship at 2:55 had it forward of the funnel. The ship at 2:55 appeared to be the Algoriver
Interesting how rough weather on those lakes can generate waves as brutal as those upon any ocean.
Gives one a sense of how big those lakes are.
What a beautiful ship dam shame the lake took her. to the crew RIP boys you served her well
Positively the best, most comprehensive and heartbreaking documentary on the fate of the Edmund Fitzgerald ever produced. The last time I saw this had to be 1995 when it aired on Discovery.
Including heartfelt family member interviews, captain Cooper of the Arthur Anderson and several passages of the famous Gordon Lightfoot folk tribute, this is the kind of quality documentary that is sadly missing from today’s television productions.
In particular, if you cannot muster a tear or two during the interview (6:21) of Jack Champeau as he mourns not being able to bring home his long lost brother Oliver... you are quite likely a soulless beast.
The poignant bell ceremony is a fitting ending to this fine televised tribute.
Thanks goes to producers Jane Armstrong and Christopher Rowley who should be very proud of this effort; as it stands as a testament to how short documentaries on sensitive historical subjects can and should still be made.
Agreed. I wish this was available on DVD.
@@ceejay960 Indeed. I would snatch it up immediately.
And thanks for sharing this. You must have found it on an old VHS you had in the attic or something. Glad you went to the trouble.
I remember hearing about this as a senior in high school. Although from New York, I’d visited Lake Superior the summer before, so it had a big impact on me.
I remember hearing the song back when I was really little and I loved the tune. My dad explained what the song was all about. The only great lake that Ive ever seen is Erie and I saw the big boats out there. I cant imagine such a huge ship being taken down by waves on the lake, but I suppose the waves and the storm was so big. My heart really goes out to the friends and family members who were left without their loved ones
I don't know why but I like watching those old commercials.
Me too!!
Very nostalgic. Reminding of a much simpler time.
This time of year as the Winter bears down upon us, I always think of this tragedy and the song by Gordon Lightfoot. I was a senior in High School back in 1975..
I was a junior and remember it well.
ah me too, and yes such memories brought back; God bless the victims of the wreck
I truly believe their destruction was sudden. they were fighting til the end..God Bless those brave men and the loved ones left behind.
@M Detlef, It was 1975 when it sunk. Radio became easy access during the '30s and afterwards.
@M Detlef Calm down dude jeez
It seems these Lake storms become serious so quick that it can go from somewhat manageable to catastrophe in a split second.... not even enough time to send out a distress signal or contact the Coast Guard.
M Detlef You have no future as a comedian....just so you know, ya grumpy f**k
@@lgempet2869
Lifelong Michigander here. You are absolutely correct. I've never been on the Lakes as a Mariner but I've seen what these storms can do and how incredibly quick they can hit.
Superior is like a humungous bath tub w Canada to the north and east, Wisconsin and Minnesota to the west and the UP of Michigan to the south. The waves swell and roll. The winds routinely hit 60 70 80mph+.
Superior is an inland ocean, same w Michigan. Huron is giant too, even the smaller Lakes, Huron and Ontario are no joke. Most dangerous shipping route in the world
If I were a young man I'd go to maritime academy and start a career on the water. I commercial fished as a young man and didnt realize what I had then. I've made a good living but I've been miserable. Health starting to fail, stressed out. I'd go to academy now but I dont know if I'd have the years left to move up. Theres great money in maritime service with tenure. Such a sad story but at least these men died on their feet, not in pain pissing in a bed pan.
vf12497439 I used to work in airlines and feel the same as you. Most people never find their place. At lease you did
Excellent documentary. Love the chilling music as well.
This story should be made into a big budget Hollywood movie. It's gripping story. Hey Hollywood, quit remaking everything and make this movie!
One of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Absolutely chilling, you feel like you are on that ship.
Although I dont live near the Great Lakes, this speaks to me. I live very, very close to the banks of the Ohio River, and one night I was standing down there listening to this song. A chill came over me, and I started to cry silently. It was almost like I could reach out and touch the Fitz, and hear her crew. God bless and keep the 29 Men who lost their lives.
45 years ago today. Rest In Peace to those 29 brave men.
2 years later i still find peace listening to this documentary at bed. I hope those involved rest easy
My Father, my family, Aunts and Uncles as well as a few friends were guests on the Big Fitz years ago. As President of a big public utility, my father often was invited to have a cruise aboard the Edmond Fitzgerald and I and my family got to know Captain McSorely fairly well. He was, in my opinion, a giant of a man, a man who understood the sea and its ways. He was kind, gentle, stern and at the same time always aware of where the ship was and what she was doing. My father once said to me, "I could do much worse than to sail with him." I never did sail on board any ship but those ten days or so were heaven to me and my sisters as we had a wonderful time with the crew and the cooks. It was a trip I have never forgotten.
Later in life, I lived with my wife and our young child across the street from a man who had grown up with the boy who became that Captain. He spoke freely of his relationship with the Captain. But it was always as children never after the gentleman went to sea.
This documentary has brought tears to my eyes and I must stop now. May the Lord keep all sea faring men at his right hand! Bless them all!