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The night of the storm:
Late on the afternoon of the 10th, the captain of the Fitzgerald made
radio contact with another ship, the Avafor, and reported that they "had
a bad list, had lost both radars, and was taking heavy seas over the deck in one
of the worst seas he had ever been in." Captain McSorely was a seasoned sailor
of the Great Lakes with 44 years of experience. The storm that hit when the
Fitzgerald went down was one of the biggest, and the worst that Captain McSorley
said he had ever seen. In the Fitzgerald's storm, winds as fast as 45 knots were
reported, with waves as high as thirty feet. Both water pumps on the Edmund
Fitzgerald were damaged, and the lifeboats were destroyed by the force of the
storm.
At 7 p.m. the Anderson made radio contact with the Fitzgerald
and had her on their radar. When asked how the Fitzgerald was making out
they replied "We are holding our own". This was around 7:10 p.m.. Shortly
afterwards the Fitzgerald disappeared from the Anderson's radar
screen.
"...At seven p.m. a main hatchway caved in he said 'fellas it's bin good
to know ya' The captain wired in he had water comin' in and the
good ship and crew was in peril and later that night when 'is lights went
out of sight came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald"
The Edmund Fitzgerald was lost with her entire crew of 29 men on Lake
Superior November 10, 1975, 17 miles north-northwest of Whitefish Point,
Michigan.
| The brave men who
were lost that night: |
| Captain Ernest M. McSorley |
Michael E. Armagost |
Fred J. Beetcher |
Thomas D. Bentsen |
| Edward F. Bindon |
Thomas D. Borgeson |
Oliver J. Champeau |
Nolan S. Church |
| Ransom E. Cundy |
Thomas E. Edwards |
Russell G. Haskell |
George J. Holl |
| Bruce L. Hudson |
Allen G. Kalmon |
Gorden Maclellan |
Joseph Mazes |
| John H. McCarthy |
Eugene O'Brien |
Karl A. Peckol |
John J. Poviach |
| James A. Pratt |
Robert C. Rafferty |
Paul M. Rippa |
John D. Simmons |
| William J. Spengler |
Mark A. Thomas |
Ralph G. Walton |
David E. Wiess |
| Blaine H. Wilhelm |
Links for the Edmund Fitzgerald:
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