Edmund Fitzgerald
- Thread starter 79vette
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Bumping. Today is the day.
And the Arthur Anderson (the boat that was travelling with the Fitz downbound and one of the boats that went back out to look for it), is moored on Drummond Island in MI right now.
And the Arthur Anderson (the boat that was travelling with the Fitz downbound and one of the boats that went back out to look for it), is moored on Drummond Island in MI right now.
the arthur anderson's ship's captain's dialogue with the coast guard is straight bone chilling.
With mounting apprehension, Captain Cooper called the Coast Guard once again, about 8:00 pm, and firmly expressed his concern for the welfare of the Fitzgerald. The Coast Guard then initiated its search for the missing ship. By that time the Anderson had reached the safety of Whitefish Bay to the relief of all aboard. But the Coast Guard called Captain Cooper back at 9:00 pm:
“Anderson, this is Group Soo. What is your present position?”
“We’re down here, about two miles off Parisienne Island right now…the wind is northwest forty to forty-five miles here in the bay.”
“Is it calming down at all, do you think?”
“In the bay it is, but I heard a couple of the salties talking up there, and they wish they hadn’t gone out.”
“Do you think there is any possibility and you could…ah…come about and go back there and do any searching?”
“Ah…God, I don’t know…ah…that…that sea out there is tremendously large. Ah…if you want me to, I can, but I’m not going to be making any time; I’ll be lucky to make two or three miles an hour going back out that way.”
“Well, you’ll have to make a decision as to whether you will be hazarding your vessel or not, but you’re probably one of the only vessels right now that can get to the scene. We’re going to try to contact those saltwater vessels and see if they can’t possibly come about and possibly come back also…things look pretty bad right now; it looks like she may have split apart at the seams like the Morrell did a few years back.”
“Well, that’s what I been thinking. But we were talking to him about seven and he said that everything was going fine. He said that he was going along like an old shoe; no problems at all.”
“Well, again, do you think you could come about and go back and have a look in the area?”
“Well, I’ll go back and take a look, but God, I’m afraid I’m going to take a hell of a beating out there… I’ll turn around and give ‘er a whirl, but God, I don’t know. I’ll give it a try.”
“That would be good.”
“Do you realize what the conditions are out there?”
No reply from the Coast Guard. Captain Cooper tries again.
“Affirmative. From what your reports are I can appreciate the conditions. Again, though, I have to leave that decision up to you as to whether it would be hazarding your vessel or not. If you think you can safely go back up to the area, I would request that you do so. But I have to leave the decision up to you.”
“I’ll give it a try, but that’s all I can do.”
Well, that’s what I been thinking. But we were talking to him about seven and he said that everything was going fine. He said that he was going along like an old shoe; no problems at all.”
“Well, again, do you think you could come about and go back and have a look in the area?”
“Well, I’ll go back and take a look, but God, I’m afraid I’m going to take a hell of a beating out there… I’ll turn around and give ‘er a whirl, but God, I don’t know. I’ll give it a try.”
“That would be good.”
“I’ll give it a try, but that’s all I can do.”
How time flies. Today is the day...
RIP to all.
The Anderson is on it's way to Detroit on Lake St. Clair right now. Probably heading to the ford River Rouge facility.
And Lake Superior is ugly right now, living up to it's lore...
RIP to all.
The Anderson is on it's way to Detroit on Lake St. Clair right now. Probably heading to the ford River Rouge facility.
And Lake Superior is ugly right now, living up to it's lore...
playing it now
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WJJO - Song History
Madison's Solid Rock! The JJO Morning Show, 90's at Noon, and Discover New Music Here! - List of the 15 most recently played songs.
Today’s Awkward and Inauspicious Yet Truly Morbid Fact!
Sailors are widely thought to be a superstitious group, even in modern times. There are countless good and bad omens, traditions and myths surrounding ships and the water, and the christening and launch of a new ship is considered especially important.On June 8, 1958, a brand-new 729-foot ore carrier was officially launched in Detroit. She was to be christened the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, named after the chairman of the board of directors of the insurance company who owned her.
Mr. Fitzgerald himself was present at the ceremony, and his wife Elizabeth did the honors. “I christen you the Edmund Fitzgerald. God bless you” she announced and swung a champagne bottle against the ship’s bow. Nothing happened. She tried again, and still the bottle remained intact. On her third try, she succeeded, and the signal was given to launch.
Pre-launch Fitz
It took over a half hour to get the steel blocks to release the ship, and finally the huge freighter slid down the greased timbers into the Detroit River. She hit the water sideways, pitched and rolled violently from the awkward landing, and slammed into the dock, sending a giant wave over the startled spectators.
One man, 58-year-old Jennings Frazier of Toledo, suffered a heart attack and died almost instantly.
It was a most inauspicious start, and even a non-superstitious person might be forgiven for wondering if it was all some kind of bad sign.
Seventeen years later, on November 10, 1975, the “Mighty Fitz” broke apart in a vicious storm on Lake Superior, taking all 29 crew members to a watery grave. The ship and her crew would become famous worldwide thanks to Canadian folk singer Gordon Lightfoot’s melancholy “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” which reached #2 on the US Billboard charts in 1976.
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