Written By Allan Mayhew, Mayor of Southwest Middlesex
The Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a severe storm, 50 years ago, on November 10, 1975. This tragedy resulted in the loss of all 29 crew members. These individuals were skilled seafarers whose names you will not find on Linkedin. Such vocations are often overlooked in their importance to our daily lives.
Launched in 1958, the Fitzgerald was the largest ship on the Great Lakes at the time.
The vessel’s demise in the gales of November is one of the most famous maritime disasters on the Great Lakes and has been immortalized by Canadian singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot, “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”.
This song still has a profound impact on those who silently listen to the lyrics today. It gives an interesting history of Lake Superior and an excellent description of the Edmond Fitzgerald.
Lake Superior is the world’s second largest lake by area and the largest and deepest of the five Great Lakes. It reaches depths of up to 406 m (1,333 ft). Some Lake Superior communities annually commemorate the sinking of the E.F. by ringing their church bells 29 times in memory of those who died on the Fitzgerald. When our youngest son, Craig, was employed in broadcasting in Owen Sound, they also rang the bells of an Anglican church: 2 scores and nine to commemorate this marine tragedy. I hope this tradition will have a special significance on this 50th anniversary of its sinking.
In our younger days, Linda and I ventured across the Great Lakes and many other watersheds in a small boat or canoe. There were times when Linda and the children were asked to kneel on the deck. This lowers the boat’s centre of gravity to help cut through waves, a chop, or tackle rapids with greater stability. It is not a prayer position. That being said, I have no doubt that God’s word was repeated 29 times on the Fitzgerald. Waves would have reached 25 feet high, and rogue waves would have reached 35 feet.
Our fresh water lakes have considerably shorter running swells and are choppier and more unpredictable than ocean swells. Lake Superior can be a violent water body in short order, - where waves can arise almost instantly. These conditions can be fatal to a vessel of any size.
I wrestled my way through nautical studies and attained a Power Squadron status. This must not be confused with the Boating Course; it involves an in-depth examination of marine navigation and charting. The more knowledge you acquire the safer you and your family will be. The power and weight of water must never be underestimated. Water has a very low compressibility. It can rip a mast of any size from any vessel in seconds.
The photo that I have taken forthis story illustrates a shipwreck of the past, that has washed up onto a beach. Some view this as redundant shoreline garbage, - I see it as a reminder of the lives that have been lost at sea.
Those whose vocation is earned from the waves and their resources, deserve our gratitude and praise. They touch our lives daily in the products we use and the fish dinners and seafood we consume. Ever risking the dangers of the wind and water. In addition to freighters, - exploration and research vessels face hazards in cultivating knowledge of man’s greatest resource, our water bodies.
This inlander shares this history of the Edmond Fitzgerald with you and the significance of this event 50 years ago. Lightfoot’s song still raises the hairs on my arms when I hear it. I am puzzled that mainstream media has not been more proactive in sharing the tragedy of the Edmond Fitzgerald’s on this 50th anniversary of its disappearance from the surface of the water. Their lights vanishing into in the dark waters of Superior is a major part of Canadian maritime history.
The Edmond Fitzgerald is now home to the fresh water creatures on the floor of Lake Superior and among it the entombed bodies of its crew.
A toast to all sailors, both past and present.
And up to the crew of The Fitzgerald.
