The Titanic of the Great Lakes
On a blustery day in November, 1975, two ships, the Arthur Anderson and the Edmund Fitzgerald, set off across Lake Superior with their cargoes. Only one ship would reach its destination. The other would founder under the weight of an incredible November storm and would go on to live in the memory of every other Great Lakes sailor. This book tells the story of the Fitzgerald and how its legacy has lived on for over three decades.
The Fitz was loaded with 26,000 tons of taconite pellets which were to be delivered to Indiana. After receiving its load, Captain Ernest McSorley manuvered the ship out onto Lake Superior and began his journey across the lake. At this time, a massive storm, fed by unseasonably mild southwest winds, began to push northward. While this storm was proceeding northward, a cold Canadian air mass was making its way south. These two fronts collided and unleashed its powerful fury across Lake Superior. For the men of the Anderson and Fitzgerald, they were now finding themselves smashed by winds approaching 90 miles per hour.
The Anderson handled the storm well, but the Fitzgerald was not as fortunate. The winds blew the radar antennas off the ship, and water was entering the cargo hold. As each burst of water fell into the hold, the ship began to settle deeper in the water. However, McSorley didn't seem overly concerned about his situation. He still maintained radio contact with the Anderson and, around 7:00 p.m. on November 9, 1975, told Bernie Cooper, Anderson's captain, that they were holding their own. This was the last communication received from the Fitzgerald.
Shortly thereafter, the Fitzgerald was hit by two mammoth waves. The first pushed the Fitzgerald's bow underwater. It never re-surfaced. The second wave sent the crippled ship straight to the bottom of Lake Superior. No one survived; no one tried to abandon ship. It all happened in a matter of mere minutes.
Days later, some debris from the wreck was retrieved and everyone's worst fears were realized; the Fitz was lost.
Many different investigations were held into the loss of the ship, but none could offer a firm explanation as to how the ship sank, but the most commonly accepted theory is that water entered the cargo hold through the hatch covers, causing the ship to lose buoyancy and, ultimately, to sink.
Over the years, many undersea expeditions have taken place, which have brought back many underwater images of the Fitz. The ship's bell was retrieved and restored as a memorial to the men who served aboard her. And, the families of the survivors have petitioned to have the wreck recognized as a grave site, which would end further exploration of the wreck.
This is a fine book. The author does an exemplary job of describing the Fitzgerald's early days on the Great Lakes through its perilous journey across Lake Superior on that fateful night in November, 1975. The aftermath, investigations, and dives on the ship are also described in great detail.
I give this book my highest recommendation. Read this book and experience the true plight of the Edmund Fitzgerald. In the words of Gordon Lightfoot "The lake it is said never gives up her dead when the skies of November turn gloomy".
Uninspired and uninformative--stay clear of these shallow waters
This is nothing more than a genre book--and a tired one at that. Mighty Fritz reads like a laundry list of seafaring cliches: the "large boat"; the industry which demands results; the simple, honest, hardworking folks that work the waters... all put together with the insight and creativity that makes the local nightly news sparkle by comparison.
A capable author could surely have written a wonderful book about the Edmund Fitzgerald and the history of culture of the great lakes. This is not that book. The history/science is light, mostly told through quotes, and none of the characters have been developed beyond rough stereotypes.
I finally ran aground at page 140--I'd suggest that you not venture into these waters.
Moving, yet factual
Being originally from Michigan, I've always been touched by the story of the shipwreck of the Edmund Fitzerald. It happened when I was 10 years old, and I don't even remember the news reports, only how often my sister and I played the Gordon Lightfoot 45 over and over. Michael Schumacher has done justice to the story, and most importantly, the crew, by detailing not just what were thought to be the events surrounding the sinking, but giving insight into the investigations, and the lives of the crew and family. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in shipwreck and/or Great Lakes history, and anyone else who enjoys well-researched and well-written non-fiction.
Great gift
I purchased this book as a gift for my son-in-law for his birthday. (He had worked on a Great Lakes freighter in the past). I kept picking the book up and reading parts of it before I gave it away. I have since ordered another one for myself. We have quite a bit of maritime history in our family and we do not live far from the museum where the bell from the Fitzgerald is housed. Brings back many memories of the lakes. The writing flows well and it personalizes the crew as well as tells the story of the disaster that befell the Fitzgerald.
The story behind the song
As a kid growing up, I was one of probably thousands who heard Gordon Lightfoot's ballad "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and assumed that he was singing of a ship lost long, long ago, and certainly not in my lifetime. I later learned the "Fitz" went down in 1975, and gave it little thought, then reconnected with the ship once again through Lightfoot's song and looking for something to read, came across Schumacher's account. Unlike those written in the aftermath of the Fitzgerald's sinking, Schumacher's story has the benefit of time, which does nothing to change the historical facts of the wreck, but everything to loosen the lips of then-stunned family members and officials involved in the investigation. Time has also served to make the tale seem even more like a story worthy of being told in song. And the through Schumacher's words and extensive research and interviews, the legend lives on...
(23 reviews)
