The month of November is a time for remembrance with Veteran’s Day, but there is another early November date that resonates with me, thanks to Gordon Lightfoot.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big lake they called Gitche Gumee
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
Than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty
That good ship and true was a bone to be chewed
When the “Gales of November” came early…
The SS Edmund Fitzgerald was a freighter on the Great Lakes, which sank in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, taking with her the entire crow of 29. She was the largest ship on the Great Lakes at the time, and she remains the largest to have sunk there.
The Edmund Fitzgerald carried set records for seasonal hauls of taconite iron ore from mines near Duluth, Minnesota to iron works in Great Lakes ports, often breaking her own previous record. Her Captain, Peter Pulcer, was known for piping music day or night over the ship’s intercom while passing through the St. Clair and Detroit between Lakes Huron and Erie and entertaining spectators at the Soo Locks between Lakes Superior and Huron with a running commentary about the ship.
Carrying a full cargo of ore pellets, she embarked on her ill-fated voyage from Superior, Wisconsin, on the afternoon of November 9, 1975. En route to Detroit, the Edmund Fitzgerald was caught in a mighty storm on Lake Superior, with near hurricane force winds and waves up to 35 feet high. Shortly after 7:10 p.m., she suddenly sank in Canadian waters 530 feet deep, about 17 miles from Whitefish Bay, a distance Edmund Fitzgerald could have covered in just over an hour at her top speed.
No distress signals were sent before she sank; her Captain’s last was, “We are holding our own.” Her crew of 29 perished, and no bodies were recovered. The exact cause of the sinking remains unknown, although it has been conjectured that the Edmund Fitzgerald may have been swamped, suffered structural failure or topside damage, run onto a shoal or suffered from a combination of these. Underwater exploration of the ship found no bodies, but the pellets of taconite ore are still visible in the hold.
The sinking led to changes in Great Lakes shipping regulations and practices that included mandatory survival suits, depth finders, positioning systems, increased freeboard (the distance from the water line to the upper deck), and more frequent inspection of vessels.
Gordon Lightfoot’s song contains a few artistic omissions, errors and paraphrases, which Lightfoot has changed over the years. The words and the music convey the deep sense of tragedy.
Here is the song:
I didn’t realise it was so recent. I have it on my iPod, having found it as an ‘old friend’ when I started doing things online. I always imagined it as a sailing vessel (not having the capacity to imagine the size of the load).
I’ll never be able to listen to it in the same light again! Although it is indeed good to know what the real story was. It was certainly a tragedy.
Perhaps you could shed light on the New York Mining Disaster some time?
Well, I’ve got to look that one up. I wonder if Gordon Lightfoot sang about it?
Thanks for the history lesson and for sharing Gordon”s song commemorating the mysterious and tragic event, Noelle.
Thanks, Bette!
I’m very familiar with the song, but didn’t know much about the story behind it. Thanks for covering this!
You are most welcome. I love the song.
I remember this song, but I had forgotten the story behind it. How tragic. I have never seen Lake Superior – I knew it was like an ocean but I did not know that storms could get so big on it. Thanks for sharing this.
Lake Superior is daunting and the water really cold! The song is haunting and a worthy tribute!
You did a great research about the product and really loved reading it. I must say I’ve no idea about this post before and not even heard that word. While i’m writing this i am using buffer and hoot suite to monitor my social media’s. Both are good by the way I’ve to admit. I’m thinking to try to will share my feedback after trying it.
The music is what got me to the research.