Ore
Freighter: 711 (or 729, I've seen both)
feet long, 75 feet
wide and 33 feet
deep, 13,632
tons displacement. Ship
Registry #US 277437. Built by
Great Lakes Engineering Works as hull # 301 for
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company at
Ercose, Michigan, and
launched June 7, 1958. As mentioned
above, came to its
demise in 530 feet of water on
November 10, 1975 while crossing
Lake Superior, 17 miles from the safe harbor of Whitefish Point with all 29 of her crew lost.
A couple theories have been made about the cause of the sinking have been made, but the cause is not known for sure. One theory has the Edmund Fizgerald bottoming out in the shallow water of Six Fathom Shoal (which was not positioned correctly on navigational charts at the time), and later sinking due to damage recieved in that manner. Another has the Fitz taking on water from due to the leaky cargo hatches on the weatherdeck.
The Fitzgerald's bell was recovered July 4, 1995 in a expedition with with the cooperation of the National Geographic Society, the Canadian Navy, and the Great Lakes Shipwreck Historical Society. Also, a loan of $250,000 was co-signed by the Sault Sainte Marie tribe of Chippewa. The bell was replaced with a replica that had the names of the crew engraved on it, to serve as a permanent grave marker. In a memorial service on July 7, the bell was rung 30 times, once each for the crew, and once for all others who have died on the Great Lakes. The Bell is on display at the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point in Michigan. There is an annual memorial service on the date of the wreck.
The names of the Crew:
Captain Ernest M. McSorley, 63
First Mate John H. McCarthy, 62
Second Mate James A. Pratt, 44
Third Mate Michael E. Armagost, 37
Wheelsman John D. Simmons, 60
Wheelsman Eugene O'Brien, 50
Wheelsman John J. Poviach, 59
Watchman Ransom E. Cundy, 53
Watchman William J. Spengler, 59
Watchman Karl A. Peckol, 55
Chief Engineer George J. Holl, 60
First Assistant Edward E. Bindon, 47
Second Assistant Thomas E. Edwards, 50
Second Assistant Russell G. Haskell, 40
Third Assistant Oliver "Buck" J. Champeau, 41
Oiler Blaine H. Wilhelm, 52
Oiler Ralph G. Walton, 58
Oiler Thomas Bentsen, 23
Wiper Gordon MacLellan, 30
Special Maintenance Man Joseph W. Mazes, 59
AB Maintenance Thomas D. Borgeson, 41
Deck Maintenance Mark A. Thomas, 21
Deck Maintenance Paul M. Riipa, 22
Deck Maintenance Bruce L. Hudson, 22
Steward Robert C. Rafferty, 62
Second Cook Allen G. Kalmon, 43
Porter Frederick J. Beetcher, 56
Porter Nolan F. Church, 55
Cadet David E. Weiss, 22
no, I didn't have all this locked up in my incredible brain, I paraphrased & put this together from a couple different web sites