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91-683: The Mini Rover ROV has been involved in many undersea expeditions including the 1989 3D filming of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald and the 1989 and 1990 Pearl Harbor Project with the National Park Service and National Geographic to survey the USS Arizona Memorial . In the 1989 James Cameron film, The Abyss , the Mini Rover MKII ROV is credited as "Little Geek". The size and portability of

182-445: A beach , the term shoal can be applied to larger geological units that form off a coastline as part of the process of coastal erosion, such as spits and baymouth bars that form across the front of embayments and rias . A tombolo is a bar that forms an isthmus between an island or offshore rock and a mainland shore. In places of reentrance along a coastline (such as inlets , coves , rias, and bays), sediments carried by

273-433: A longshore current will fall out where the current dissipates, forming a spit. An area of water isolated behind a large bar is called a lagoon. Over time, lagoons may silt up, becoming salt marshes . In some cases, shoals may be precursors to beach expansion and dunes formation, providing a source of windblown sediment to augment such beach or dunes landforms. Since prehistoric times, humans have chosen some shoals as

364-475: A shoal is a natural submerged ridge , bank , or bar that consists of, or is covered by, sand or other unconsolidated material, and rises from the bed of a body of water close to the surface or above it, which poses a danger to navigation. Shoals are also known as sandbanks , sandbars , or gravelbars . Two or more shoals that are either separated by shared troughs or interconnected by past or present sedimentary and hydrographic processes are referred to as

455-400: A shoal complex . The term shoal is also used in a number of ways that can be either similar to, or quite different from, how it is used in geologic, geomorphic, and oceanographic literature. Sometimes, the term refers to either any relatively shallow place in a stream , lake , sea , or other body of water; a rocky area on the seafloor within an area mapped for navigation purposes; or,

546-515: 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. 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

637-682: 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

728-406: A Lake Superior research dive expedition, marine explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau , the son of Jacques Cousteau , sent two divers from RV  Calypso in the first manned submersible dive to Edmund Fitzgerald . The dive was brief, and although the dive team drew no final conclusions, they speculated that Edmund Fitzgerald had broken up on the surface. The Michigan Sea Grant Program organized

819-480: A beach, they slow down, their wave height increases and the distance between waves decreases. This behavior is called shoaling , and the waves are said to shoal. The waves may or may not build to the point where they break , depending on how large they were to begin with, and how steep the slope of the beach is. In particular, waves shoal as they pass over submerged sandbanks or reefs. This can be treacherous for boats and ships. Shoaling can also refract waves, so

910-610: A century, and Edmund Fitzgerald would have still had a long career ahead of her when she sank. 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

1001-593: A commentary on details about Edmund Fitzgerald . In 1969, Edmund Fitzgerald received a safety award for eight years of operation without a time-off worker injury. The vessel ran aground in 1969, and she collided with SS Hochelaga in 1970. Later that same year, she struck the wall of a lock , an accident repeated in 1973 and 1974. On January 7, 1974, she lost her original bow anchor in the Detroit River . None of these mishaps were considered serious or unusual. Freshwater ships are built to last more than half

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1092-597: A favorite of boat watchers throughout her career. Although Captain Peter Pulcer was in command of Edmund Fitzgerald on trips when cargo records were set, "he is best remembered ... for piping music day or night over the ship's intercom system" while passing through the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers . While navigating the Soo Locks he would often come out of the pilothouse and use a bullhorn to entertain tourists with

1183-738: A full cargo of ore pellets with Captain Ernest M. McSorley in command, she embarked on her ill-fated voyage from Superior, Wisconsin , near Duluth, on the afternoon of November 9, 1975. En route to a steel mill near Detroit, Edmund Fitzgerald joined a second taconite freighter, SS  Arthur M. Anderson . By the next day, the two ships were caught in a severe storm on Lake Superior, with near- hurricane-force winds and waves up to 35 feet (11 m) high. Shortly after 7:10 p.m., Edmund Fitzgerald suddenly sank in Canadian (Ontario) waters 530 feet (88 fathoms; 160 m) deep, about 17 miles (15 nautical miles; 27 kilometers) from Whitefish Bay near

1274-410: A growth of vegetation on the bottom of a deep lake, that occurs at any depth, or is used as a verb for the process of proceeding from a greater to a lesser depth of water. Shoals are characteristically long and narrow (linear) ridges. They can develop where a stream , river , or ocean current promotes deposition of sediment and granular material , resulting in localized shallowing (shoaling) of

1365-532: A privately funded dive to the wreck of Edmund Fitzgerald , using Delta Oceanographic's submersible, Delta. Deepquest Ltd. conducted seven dives and took more than 42 hours of underwater video while Shannon set the record for the longest submersible dive to Edmund Fitzgerald at 211 minutes. Prior to conducting the dives, Shannon studied NOAA navigational charts and found that the international boundary had changed three times before its publication by NOAA in 1976. Shannon determined that based on GPS coordinates from

1456-730: A retired USCG vice admiral and president of the Lake Carriers Association (LCA), wrote a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on September 16, 1977, that included the following statements of objection to the USCG findings: The present hatch covers are an advanced design and are considered by the entire lake shipping industry to be the most significant improvement over the telescoping leaf covers previously used for many years … The one-piece hatch covers have proven completely satisfactory in all weather conditions without

1547-534: 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

1638-478: A second freighter, SS  William Clay Ford . The efforts of a third freighter, the Toronto -registered SS  Hilda Marjanne , were foiled by the weather. The USCG sent a buoy tender , Woodrush , from Duluth, Minnesota, but it took two and a half hours to launch and a day to travel to the search area. The Traverse City, Michigan , USCG station launched an HU-16 fixed-wing search aircraft that arrived on

1729-467: A single vessel loss in almost 40 years of use … and no water accumulation in cargo holds … It was common practice for ore freighters, even in foul weather, to embark with not all cargo clamps locked in place on the hatch covers. Maritime author Wolff reported that, depending on weather conditions, all the clamps were eventually set within one to two days. Captain Paquette of Wilfred Sykes

1820-421: A smaller body of water from the sea, such as: The term bar can apply to landform features spanning a considerable range in size, from a length of a few meters in a small stream to marine depositions stretching for hundreds of kilometers along a coastline, often called barrier islands . They are typically composed of sand , although they could be of any granular matter that the moving water has access to and

1911-475: A three-day dive to survey Edmund Fitzgerald in 1989. The primary objective was to record 3-D videotape for use in museum educational programs and the production of documentaries. The expedition used a towed survey system (TSS Mk1) and a self-propelled, tethered, free-swimming remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV). The Mini Rover ROV was equipped with miniature stereoscopic cameras and wide-angle lenses in order to produce 3-D images. The towed survey system and

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2002-470: A three-day period in 1994. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution provided Edwin A. Link as the support vessel, and their manned submersible, Celia. The GLSHS paid $ 10,000 for three of its members to each join a dive and take still pictures. MacInnis concluded that the notes and video obtained during the dives did not provide an explanation why Edmund Fitzgerald sank. The same year, longtime sport diver Fred Shannon formed Deepquest Ltd., and organized

2093-513: A workhorse, she set seasonal haul records six times, often breaking her own record. Captain Peter Pulcer was known for piping music day or night over the ship's intercom while passing through the St. Clair and Detroit rivers (between Lake Huron and Lake Erie ), and entertaining spectators at the Soo Locks (between Lakes Superior and Huron) with a running commentary about the ship. Her size, record-breaking performance, and " DJ captain" endeared Edmund Fitzgerald to boat watchers. Carrying

2184-439: Is a navigation or grounding hazard, with a depth of water of 6 fathoms (11 meters) or less. It therefore applies to a silt accumulation that shallows the entrance to or course of a river, or creek. A bar can form a dangerous obstacle to shipping, preventing access to the river or harbor in poor weather conditions or at some states of the tide . In addition to longshore bars discussed above that are relatively small features of

2275-436: Is a sedimentary deposit formed at a harbor entrance or river mouth by the deposition of freshwater sediment or by the action of waves on the sea floor or on up-current beaches. Where beaches are suitably mobile, or the river's suspended or bed loads are large enough, deposition can build up a sandbar that completely blocks a river mouth and dams the river. It can be a seasonally natural process of aquatic ecology , causing

2366-576: Is among the largest and best-known vessels lost on the Great Lakes, but she is not alone on the Lake Superior seabed in that area. In the years between 1816, when Invincible was lost, and 1975, when Edmund Fitzgerald sank, the Whitefish Point area had claimed at least 240 ships. A U.S. Navy Lockheed P-3 Orion aircraft, piloted by Lt. George Conner and equipped to detect magnetic anomalies usually associated with submarines, found

2457-427: Is capable of shifting around (for example, soil , silt , gravel , cobble , shingle , or even boulders ). The grain size of the material comprising a bar is related to the size of the waves or the strength of the currents moving the material, but the availability of material to be worked by waves and currents is also important. Wave shoaling is the process when surface waves move towards shallow water, such as

2548-485: Is likely that the waves caused Edmund Fitzgerald to roll heavily. At the time of the sinking, the ship Arthur M. Anderson reported northwest winds of 57 mph (50 kn; 92 km/h), matching the simulation analysis result of 54 mph (47 kn; 87 km/h). The analysis further showed that the maximum sustained winds reached near hurricane force of about 70 mph (61 kn; 110 km/h) with gusts to 86 miles per hour (75 kn; 138 km/h) at

2639-723: The Ontario Heritage Act , activities on registered archeological sites require a license. In March 2005, the Whitefish Point Preservation Society accused the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS) of conducting an unauthorized dive to Edmund Fitzgerald . Although the director of the GLSHS admitted to conducting a sonar scan of the wreck in 2002, he denied such a survey required a license at

2730-582: The Edmund Fitzgerald ". Lightfoot wrote the hit song after reading an article, "The Cruelest Month", in the November 24, 1975, issue of Newsweek . The sinking led to changes in Great Lakes shipping regulations and practices that included mandatory survival suits , depth finders, positioning systems , increased freeboard , and more frequent inspection of vessels. Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin , invested in

2821-447: The coaming in way of the No. 1 hatch were fractured and buckled inward. The No. 2 hatch cover was missing and the coaming on the No. 2 hatch was fractured and buckled. Hatches Nos. 3 and 4 were covered with mud; one corner of hatch cover No. 3 could be seen in place. Hatch cover No. 5 was missing. A series of 16 consecutive hatch cover clamps were observed on

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2912-432: The 1994 Deepquest expedition, "at least one-third of the two acres of immediate wreckage containing the two major portions of the vessel is in U.S. waters because of an error in the position of the U.S.–Canada boundary line shown on official lake charts." Shannon's group discovered the remains of a crew member partly dressed in coveralls and wearing a life jacket alongside the bow of the ship, indicating that at least one of

3003-566: The 2010 television series Dive Detectives features the wave-generating tank of the National Research Council 's Institute for Naval Technology in St. John's , and the tank's simulation of the effect of a 17-meter (56 ft) rogue wave upon a scale model of Edmund Fitzgerald . The simulation indicated such a rogue wave could almost completely submerge the bow or stern of the ship with water, at least temporarily. The July 26, 1977, USCG Marine Casualty Report suggested that

3094-471: The American Side", "Mighty Fitz", "Toledo Express", "Big Fitz", and the " Titanic of the Great Lakes". Loading Edmund Fitzgerald with taconite pellets took about four and a half hours, while unloading took around 14 hours. A round trip between Superior, Wisconsin , and Detroit, Michigan, usually took her five days and she averaged 47 similar trips per season. The vessel's usual route

3185-625: 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

3276-560: The Mini Rover ROV from DSSI in 1987. Benthos had been manufacturing and servicing the Mini Rover ROV for DSSI since 1984. SS Edmund Fitzgerald SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29 men. When launched on June 7, 1958, she was the largest ship on North America's Great Lakes and remains

3367-515: The Mini Rover ROV made it easily deployable for emergency situations anywhere in the world. On November 2, 1999, a Mini Rover ROV was on board the USNS Mohawk (T-ATF-170) at the scene of the October 31, 1999, EgyptAir Flight 990 crash site to be used to identify target locations. Benthos, Inc. ( Teledyne Benthos) acquired exclusive designs, trademarks, marketing and manufacturing rights for

3458-809: The Mini Rover ROV were designed, built and operated by Chris Nicholson of Deep Sea Systems International, Inc. Participants included the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the National Geographic Society , the United States Army Corps of Engineers , the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society (GLSHS), and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service , the latter providing RV Grayling as

3549-440: The No. 5 hatch coaming. Of this series, the first and eighth were distorted or broken. All of the 14 other clamps were undamaged and in the open position. The No. 6 hatch was open and a hatch cover was standing on end vertically in the hatch. The hatch covers were missing from hatches Nos. 7 and 8 and both coamings were fractured and severely distorted. The bow section abruptly ended just aft of hatch No. 8 and

3640-670: The Ontario government issued updated regulations in January 2006, including an area with a 500-meter (1,640 ft) radius around Edmund Fitzgerald and other specifically designated marine archeological sites. In 2009, a further amendment to the Ontario Heritage Act imposed licensing requirements on any type of surveying device. Extreme weather and sea conditions play a role in all of the published hypotheses regarding Edmund Fitzgerald ' s sinking, but they differ on

3731-426: 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

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3822-418: The USCG using a side scan sonar revealed two large objects lying close together on the lake floor. The U.S. Navy also contracted Seaward, Inc., to conduct a second survey between November 22 and 25. From May 20 to 28, 1976, the U.S. Navy dived on the wreck using its unmanned submersible , CURV-III , and found Edmund Fitzgerald lying in two large pieces in 530 feet (160 m) of water. Navy estimates put

3913-637: 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

4004-569: The ability either to reach Edmund Fitzgerald by radio or to detect her on radar. Captain Cooper of Arthur M. Anderson first called the USCG in Sault Ste. Marie at 7:39 p.m. on channel 16, the radio distress frequency. The USCG responders instructed him to call back on channel 12 because they wanted to keep their emergency channel open and they were having difficulty with their communication systems, including antennas blown down by

4095-505: The accident was caused by ineffective hatch closures. The report concluded that these devices failed to prevent waves from inundating the cargo hold. The flooding occurred gradually and probably imperceptibly throughout the final day, finally resulting in a fatal loss of buoyancy and stability. As a result, Edmund Fitzgerald plummeted to the bottom without warning. Video footage of the wreck site showed that most of her hatch clamps were in perfect condition. The USCG Marine board concluded that

4186-474: The beach slopes more gradually at one end than the other. Sandbars, also known as a trough bars, form where the waves are breaking, because the breaking waves set up a shoreward current with a compensating counter-current along the bottom. Sometimes this occurs seaward of a trough (marine landform). Sand carried by the offshore moving bottom current is deposited where the current reaches the wave break. Other longshore bars may lie further offshore, representing

4277-406: The break point of even larger waves, or the break point at low tide. In Russian tradition of geomorphology , a peresyp is a sandbar that rises above the water level (like a spit ) and separates a liman or a lagoon from the sea. Unlike tombolo bars, a peresyp seldom forms a contiguous strip and usually has one or several channels that connect the liman and the sea. A harbor or river bar

4368-447: The crew was aware of the possibility of sinking. The life jacket had deteriorated canvas and "what is thought to be six rectangular cork blocks ... clearly visible." Shannon concluded that "massive and advancing structural failure" caused Edmund Fitzgerald to break apart on the surface and sink. MacInnis led another series of dives in 1995 to salvage the bell from Edmund Fitzgerald . The Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians backed

4459-528: The crew were found. On her final voyage, Edmund Fitzgerald ' s crew of 29 consisted of the captain ; the first , second , and third mates ; five engineers ; three oilers ; a cook ; a wiper ; two maintenance men; three watchmen ; three deckhands ; three wheelsmen ; two porters; a cadet ; and a steward . Most of the crew were from Ohio and Wisconsin; their ages ranged from 20 (watchman Karl A. Peckol) to 63 (Captain McSorley). Edmund Fitzgerald

4550-644: The deck plating was ripped up from the separation to the forward end of hatch No. 7. The NTSB conducted computer studies, testing and analysis to determine the forces necessary to collapse the hatch covers and concluded that Edmund Fitzgerald sank suddenly from flooding of the cargo hold "due to the collapse of one or more of the hatch covers under the weight of giant boarding seas" instead of flooding gradually due to ineffective hatch closures. The NTSB dissenting opinion held that Edmund Fitzgerald sank suddenly and unexpectedly from shoaling . Shoal In oceanography , geomorphology , and geoscience ,

4641-428: The deck. This water is unable to fully drain away before the second wave strikes, adding to the surplus. The third incoming wave again adds to the two accumulated backwashes, quickly overloading the deck with too much water. Captain Cooper of Arthur M. Anderson reported that his ship was "hit by two 30 to 35 foot seas about 6:30 p.m., one burying the aft cabins and damaging a lifeboat by pushing it right down onto

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4732-425: The eastern edge of the area of high wind where the long fetch , or distance that wind blows over water, produced significant waves averaging over 23 feet (7.0 m) by 7:00 p.m. and over 25 feet (7.6 m) at 8:00 p.m. The simulation also showed one in 100 waves reaching 36 feet (11 m) and one out of every 1,000 reaching 46 feet (14 m). Since the ship was heading east-southeastward, it

4823-485: The expedition by co-signing a loan in the amount of $ 250,000. Canadian engineer Phil Nuytten 's atmospheric diving suit , known as the Newtsuit , was used to retrieve the bell from the ship, replace it with a replica, and put a beer can in Edmund Fitzgerald ' s pilothouse. That same year, Terrence Tysall and Mike Zee set multiple records when they used trimix gas to scuba dive to Edmund Fitzgerald . The pair are

4914-421: The few damaged clamps were probably the only ones fastened. As a result, ineffective hatch closure caused Edmund Fitzgerald to flood and founder. From the beginning of the USCG inquiry, some of the crewmen's families and various labor organizations believed the USCG findings could be tainted because there were serious questions regarding their preparedness as well as licensing and rules changes. Paul Trimble ,

5005-422: The formation of estuaries and wetlands in the lower course of the river. This situation will persist until the bar is eroded by the sea, or the dammed river develops sufficient head to break through the bar. The formation of harbor bars that prevent access for boats and shipping can be the result of: In a nautical sense, a bar is a shoal, similar to a reef : a shallow formation of (usually) sand that

5096-508: 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

5187-419: The guests to the entire VIP routine. The cuisine was reportedly excellent and snacks were always available in the lounge. A small but well-stocked kitchenette provided the drinks. Once each trip, the captain held a candlelight dinner for the guests, complete with mess-jacketed stewards and special "clamdigger" punch. Because of her size, appearance, string of records, and "DJ captain," Edmund Fitzgerald became

5278-478: The interior of Edmund Fitzgerald was luxurious. Her J.L. Hudson Company –designed furnishings included deep pile carpeting, tiled bathrooms, drapes over the portholes , and leather swivel chairs in the guest lounge. There were two guest staterooms for passengers. Air conditioning extended to the crew quarters, which featured more amenities than usual. A large galley and fully stocked pantry supplied meals for two dining rooms. Edmund Fitzgerald ' s pilothouse

5369-459: The iron and minerals industries on a large scale, including the construction of Edmund Fitzgerald , which represented the first such investment by any American life insurance company. In 1957, they contracted Great Lakes Engineering Works (GLEW), of River Rouge, Michigan , to design and construct the ship "within a foot of the maximum length allowed for passage through the soon-to-be completed Saint Lawrence Seaway ." The ship's value at that time

5460-456: The largest to have sunk there. She was located in deep water on November 14, 1975, by a U.S. Navy aircraft detecting magnetic anomalies, and found soon afterwards to be in two large pieces. For 17 years, Edmund Fitzgerald carried taconite ( a variety of iron ore ) from mines near Duluth, Minnesota , to iron works in Detroit, Michigan ; Toledo, Ohio ; and other Great Lakes ports. As

5551-420: The length of the bow section at 276 feet (84 m) and that of the stern section at 253 feet (77 m). The bow section stood upright in the mud, some 170 feet (52 m) from the stern section that lay capsized at a 50-degree angle from the bow. In between the two broken sections lay a large mass of taconite pellets and scattered wreckage lying about, including hatch covers and hull plating. In 1980, during

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5642-545: The naming of the ship after himself, proposing the names Centennial , Seaway , Milwaukee and Northwestern . The board was resolute, and Edmund abstained from voting; the 36 board members voted unanimously to name her the SS Edmund Fitzgerald . More than 15,000 people attended Edmund Fitzgerald ' s christening and launch ceremony on June 7, 1958. The event was plagued by misfortunes. When Elizabeth Fitzgerald, wife of Edmund Fitzgerald, tried to christen

5733-423: The only people known to have touched the Edmund Fitzgerald wreck. They also set records for the deepest scuba dive on the Great Lakes and the deepest shipwreck dive, and were the first divers to reach Edmund Fitzgerald without the aid of a submersible. It took six minutes to reach the wreck, six minutes to survey it, and three hours to resurface to avoid decompression sickness , also known as "the bends". Under

5824-412: The other causal factors. In 2005, NOAA and the NWS ran a computer simulation, including weather and wave conditions, covering the period from November 9, 1975, until the early morning of November 11. Analysis of the simulation showed that two separate areas of high-speed wind appeared over Lake Superior at 4:00 p.m. on November 10. One had speeds in excess of 43 knots (80 km/h; 49 mph) and

5915-403: The other winds in excess of 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph). The southeastern part of the lake, the direction in which Edmund Fitzgerald was heading, had the highest winds. Average wave heights increased to near 19 feet (5.8 m) by 7:00 p.m., November 10, and winds exceeded 50 mph (43 kn; 80 km/h) over most of southeastern Lake Superior. Edmund Fitzgerald sank at

6006-415: 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

6097-528: The saddle. The second wave of this size, perhaps 35 foot, came over the bridge deck." Cooper went on to say that these two waves, possibly followed by a third, continued in the direction of Edmund Fitzgerald and would have struck about the time she sank. This hypothesis postulates that the "three sisters" compounded the twin problems of Edmund Fitzgerald ' s known list and her lower speed in heavy seas that already allowed water to remain on her deck for longer than usual. The " Edmund Fitzgerald " episode of

6188-491: The scene at 10:53 p.m. while an HH-52 USCG helicopter with a 3.8-million- candlepower searchlight arrived at 1:00 a.m. on November 11. Canadian Coast Guard aircraft joined the three-day search and the Ontario Provincial Police established and maintained a beach patrol all along the eastern shore of Lake Superior. Although the search recovered debris, including lifeboats and rafts, none of

6279-400: The ship by smashing a champagne bottle over the bow, it took her three attempts to break it. A delay of 36 minutes followed while the shipyard crew struggled to release the keel blocks. Upon sideways launch, the ship created a large wave that doused the spectators and then crashed into a pier before righting herself. Other witnesses later said they swore the ship was "trying to climb right out of

6370-443: The sinking remains unknown, though many books, studies, and expeditions have examined it. Edmund Fitzgerald may have been swamped, suffered structural failure or topside damage, grounded on a shoal , or suffered from a combination of these. The disaster is one of the best known in the history of Great Lakes shipping, in part because Canadian singer Gordon Lightfoot made it the subject of his 1976 popular ballad " The Wreck of

6461-571: The storm. Cooper then contacted the upbound saltwater vessel Nanfri and was told that she could not pick up Edmund Fitzgerald on her radar either. Despite repeated attempts to raise the USCG, Cooper was not successful until 7:54 p.m. when the officer on duty asked him to keep watch for a 16-foot (4.9 m) boat lost in the area. At about 8:25 p.m., Cooper again called the USCG to express his concern about Edmund Fitzgerald and at 9:03 p.m. reported her missing. Petty Officer Philip Branch later testified, "I considered it serious, but at

6552-654: The support vessel for the ROV. The GLSHS used part of the five hours of video footage produced during the dives in a documentary and the National Geographic Society used a segment in a broadcast. Frederick Stonehouse, who wrote one of the first books on the Edmund Fitzgerald wreck, moderated a 1990 panel review of the video that drew no conclusions about the cause of Edmund Fitzgerald ' s sinking. Canadian explorer Joseph B. MacInnis organized and led six publicly funded dives to Edmund Fitzgerald over

6643-426: The time and location where Edmund Fitzgerald sank. A group of three rogue waves , often called "three sisters," was reported in the vicinity of Edmund Fitzgerald at the time she sank. The "three sisters" phenomenon is said to occur on Lake Superior and refers to a sequence of three rogue waves forming that are one-third larger than normal waves. The first wave introduces an abnormally large amount of water onto

6734-466: The time it was carried out. An April 2005 amendment to the Ontario Heritage Act allows the Ontario government to impose a license requirement on dives, the operation of submersibles, side scan sonars, or underwater cameras within a designated radius around protected sites. Conducting any of those activities without a license would result in fines of up to CA$ 1 million . On the basis of the amended law, to protect wreck sites considered "watery graves",

6825-438: The time it was not urgent." Lacking appropriate search-and-rescue vessels to respond to Edmund Fitzgerald ' s disaster, at approximately 9:00 p.m., the USCG asked Arthur M. Anderson to turn around and look for survivors. Around 10:30 p.m., the USCG asked all commercial vessels anchored in or near Whitefish Bay to assist in the search. The initial search for survivors was carried out by Arthur M. Anderson , and

6916-744: The twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan , and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario —a distance Edmund Fitzgerald could have covered in just over an hour at her top speed. Edmund Fitzgerald previously reported being in significant difficulty to the Swedish vessel Avafors : "I have a bad list , lost both radars. And am taking heavy seas over the deck. One of the worst seas I've ever been in." However, no distress signals were sent before she sank; Captain McSorley's last (7:10 p.m.) message to Arthur M. Anderson was, "We are holding our own". Her crew of 29 perished, and no bodies were recovered. The exact cause of

7007-448: The water". On September 22, 1958, Edmund Fitzgerald completed nine days of sea trials . Northwestern Mutual's normal practice was to purchase ships for operation by other companies. In Edmund Fitzgerald ' s case, they signed a 25-year contract with Oglebay Norton Corporation to operate the vessel. Oglebay Norton immediately designated Edmund Fitzgerald the flagship of its Columbia Transportation fleet. Edmund Fitzgerald

7098-404: The water. Marine shoals also develop either by the in-place drowning of barrier islands as the result of episodic sea level rise or by the erosion and submergence of inactive delta lobes . Shoals can appear as a coastal landform in the sea , where they are classified as a type of ocean bank , or as fluvial landforms in rivers, streams, and lakes . A shoal–sandbar may seasonally separate

7189-402: The waves change direction. For example, if waves pass over a sloping bank which is shallower at one end than the other, then the shoaling effect will result in the waves slowing more at the shallow end. Thus, the wave fronts will refract, changing direction like light passing through a prism. Refraction also occurs as waves move towards a beach if the waves come in at an angle to the beach, or if

7280-437: The wreck on November 14, 1975 in Canadian waters close to the international boundary at a depth of 530 feet (160 m). Edmund Fitzgerald lies about 15 miles (13 nmi; 24 km) west of Deadman's Cove, Ontario; about 8 miles (7.0 nmi; 13 km) northwest of Pancake Bay Provincial Park ; and 17 miles (15 nmi; 27 km) from the entrance to Whitefish Bay to the southeast. A further November 14–16 survey by

7371-413: Was $ 7 million (equivalent to $ 58.1 million in 2023). Edmund Fitzgerald was the first laker built to the maximum St. Lawrence Seaway size , which was 730 feet (222.5 m) long, 75 feet (22.9 m) wide, and with a 25 foot (7.6 m) draft. The moulded depth (roughly speaking, the vertical height of the hull) was 39 ft (12 m). The hold depth (the inside height of the cargo hold)

7462-458: Was 33 ft 4 in (10.16 m). GLEW laid the first keel plate on August 7 the same year. With a deadweight capacity of 26,000 long tons (29,120 short tons; 26,417 t), and a 729-foot (222 m) hull, Edmund Fitzgerald was the longest ship on the Great Lakes, earning her the title Queen of the Lakes until September 17, 1959, when the 730-foot (222.5 m) SS Murray Bay

7553-487: Was a record-setting workhorse, often beating her own milestones. The vessel's record load for a single trip was 27,402 long tons (30,690 short tons; 27,842 t) in 1969. For 17 years, Edmund Fitzgerald carried taconite from Minnesota's Iron Range mines near Duluth, Minnesota, to iron works in Detroit, Toledo, and other ports. She set seasonal haul records six different times. Her nicknames included "Fitz", "Pride of

7644-462: 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

7735-431: 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

7826-444: Was between Superior, Wisconsin, and Toledo, Ohio, although her port of destination could vary. By November 1975, Edmund Fitzgerald had logged an estimated 748 round trips on the Great Lakes and covered more than a million miles, "a distance roughly equivalent to 44 trips around the world." Up until a few weeks before her loss, passengers had traveled on board as company guests. Frederick Stonehouse wrote: Stewards treated

7917-541: Was dismissive of suggestions that unlocked hatch clamps caused Edmund Fitzgerald to founder. He said that he commonly sailed in fine weather using the minimum number of clamps necessary to secure the hatch covers. The May 4, 1978, NTSB findings differed from the USCG. The NTSB made the following observations based on the CURV-III survey: The No. 1 hatch cover was entirely inside the No. 1 hatch and showed indications of buckling from external loading. Sections of

8008-447: Was launched. Edmund Fitzgerald ' s three central cargo holds were loaded through 21 watertight cargo hatches , each 11 by 48 feet (3.4 by 14.6 m) of 5 ⁄ 16 -inch-thick (7.9 mm) steel. Originally coal-fired, her boilers were converted to burn oil during the 1971–72 winter layup. In 1969, the ship's maneuverability was improved by the installation of a diesel-powered bow thruster . By ore freighter standards,

8099-404: 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

8190-482: Was outfitted with "state-of-the-art nautical equipment and a beautiful map room." Northwestern Mutual wanted to name the ship after its president and chairman of the board, Edmund Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald's own grandfather and all great uncles had themselves been lake captains, and his father owned the Milwaukee Drydock Company, which built and repaired ships. Fitzgerald had attempted to dissuade

8281-601: 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

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