Edmund Fitzgerald Sank 40 Years Ago Today..

by **Robert J Sakimano** Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:24 am

always an eerie story and definitely a huge slice of Michigan maritime history..

Edmund Fitzgerald Sank 40 Years Ago Today.. Edmund-fitzgerald-1

by Guest Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:41 am

It made Gordon Lightfoot rich.

by **Robert J Sakimano** Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:44 am

LooseGoose wrote:It made Gordon Lightfoot rich.

that it did.. though, in his defense, it is a fairly well-written song.

by **NigelUno** Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:47 am

Robert J Sakimano wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:It made Gordon Lightfoot rich.
that it did.. though, in his defense, it is a fairly well-written song.

Needs a movie...with the song at the end.

by **DWags** Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:48 am

Man, that good ship and true, was a bone to be chewed.

They'd have made white fish bay, if they put 15 more miles behind her.

by Guest Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:05 am

Gordon Lightfoot explains why he wrote 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'

Though Lightfoot's lyrics tell a true story, errors or creative liberties occur. The Edmund Fitzgerald, which departed Superior, Wisconsin, on Nov. 9, was headed for Detroit, not Cleveland, as the song goes. The historic Mariners' Church of Detroit is dubbed "The Maritime Sailors' Cathedral" in the song.

Lightfoot has revised his lyrics for public performances. After a parishioner objected to him referring to Mariners' Church as "a musty old hall," Lightfoot began singing "a rustic old hall."

The original lyrics refer to a hatchway caving in shortly before the disaster. But in 2010, an investigation for the National Geographic Channel's TV show "Dive Detectives" suggested three rogue waves broke the ship in half.

Lightfoot soon revised the lyric from:

"At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in, he said, 'Fellas, it's been good to know ya'"

To

"At 7 p.m., it grew dark, it was then he said, 'Fellas it's been good to know ya.""

That brought relief to the mother and daughter of crew members in charge of manning the hatches.

"With the mystery resolved, I made the women very happy. The new line takes the onus off the deckhands," Lightfoot told MLive and the Saginaw News prior to a May 2013 appearance at The Dow in Saginaw.

by **Robert J Sakimano** Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:12 am

LooseGoose wrote:Gordon Lightfoot explains why he wrote 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'

Though Lightfoot's lyrics tell a true story, errors or creative liberties occur. The Edmund Fitzgerald, which departed Superior, Wisconsin, on Nov. 9, was headed for Detroit, not Cleveland, as the song goes. The historic Mariners' Church of Detroit is dubbed "The Maritime Sailors' Cathedral" in the song.

Lightfoot has revised his lyrics for public performances. After a parishioner objected to him referring to Mariners' Church as "a musty old hall," Lightfoot began singing "a rustic old hall."

The original lyrics refer to a hatchway caving in shortly before the disaster. But in 2010, an investigation for the National Geographic Channel's TV show "Dive Detectives" suggested three rogue waves broke the ship in half.

Lightfoot soon revised the lyric from:

"At 7 p.m. a main hatchway caved in, he said, 'Fellas, it's been good to know ya'"

To

"At 7 p.m., it grew dark, it was then he said, 'Fellas it's been good to know ya.""

That brought relief to the mother and daughter of crew members in charge of manning the hatches.

"With the mystery resolved, I made the women very happy. The new line takes the onus off the deckhands," Lightfoot told MLive and the Saginaw News prior to a May 2013 appearance at The Dow in Saginaw.

I went to Michigan Festival back in 1995 just to hear him sing the tune.. not so much because I'm in love with the tune, but because I had just moved to East Lansing and figured it would be cool to see a song so rooted in Michigan lore performed upon moving here.

by Triple Sparty Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:23 am

Bob, have you ever been up to the Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point? It is worth a trip if you're ever up north.

by **DWags** Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:25 am

Robert J Sakimano wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:Gordon Lightfoot explains why he wrote 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'

I went to Michigan Festival back in 1995 just to hear him sing the tune.. not so much because I'm in love with the tune, but because I had just moved to East Lansing and figured it would be cool to see a song so rooted in Michigan lore performed upon moving here.

I'm old, Iv'e seen him half a dozen times around Detroit and once up in a casino up north. I think he's doing real small venues now like Andiamos in Warren for the past year or so. I'd actually like to see hi in an intimate setting like that. Last time I saw him, he was looking pretty old.

by Herbie Green Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:26 am

Robert J Sakimano wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:Gordon Lightfoot explains why he wrote 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'

I went to Michigan Festival back in 1995 just to hear him sing the tune.. not so much because I'm in love with the tune, but because I had just moved to East Lansing and figured it would be cool to see a song so rooted in Michigan lore performed upon moving here.

That is a really interesting story. Have you been to the shipwreck museum at Whitefish Point?

by **Robert J Sakimano** Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:30 am

DWags wrote:
Robert J Sakimano wrote:
I went to Michigan Festival back in 1995 just to hear him sing the tune.. not so much because I'm in love with the tune, but because I had just moved to East Lansing and figured it would be cool to see a song so rooted in Michigan lore performed upon moving here.

I'm old, Iv'e seen him half a dozen times around Detroit and once up in a casino up north. I think he's doing real small venues now like Andiamos in Warren for the past year or so. I'd actually like to see hi in an intimate setting like that. Last time I saw him, he was looking pretty old.

yeah - I think those of us who really dig music and it's impact on popular American (and, yes, I'm aware that Lightfoot is Canadian) history kind of owe it to ourselves to see some of the legends when they pass nearby. Even if it's not particularly your genre, etc.

the particular tune in question - yes, it's a very well-written song lyrically - but the soaring guitar licks, combined with the lyrics, really make you feel the ship swaying in the frigid waters.. that's what a good song can do.

by **Robert J Sakimano** Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:30 am

Herbie Green wrote:
Robert J Sakimano wrote:I went to Michigan Festival back in 1995 just to hear him sing the tune.. not so much because I'm in love with the tune, but because I had just moved to East Lansing and figured it would be cool to see a song so rooted in Michigan lore performed upon moving here.

That is a really interesting story. Have you been to the shipwreck museum at Whitefish Point?

Edmund Fitzgerald Sank 40 Years Ago Today.. 502811600

I have not.

by **GRR Spartan** Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:31 am

LooseGoose wrote:It made Gordon Lightfoot rich.

29 Great Lakes sailors died. Lightfoot has said he wrote the song 2 weeks after the ship sunk when he saw a Newsweek or Time article about the event and they had misspelled Edmund calling the ship the Edmond Fitzgerald. He felt the error was disrespectful to the memories of the men who died.

And bob is correct, its a well crafted song too. Its still popular because its a well written song that memorializes people who died when a horrendous storm sunk their ship in the Great Lakes. People living in places that don't border the Great Lakes can't imagine what those of us who live on their shores do, winter Great Lakes storms are serious business.

by **Watch Out Pylon!** Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:34 am

40 years ago today there's a good chance I was conceived.

by **Robert J Sakimano** Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:36 am

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:40 years ago today there's a good chance I was conceived.

so the Edmund Fitzgerald wasn't the only thing rockin' that day, amirite?

(too soon?)

by **DWags** Tue Nov 10, 2015 9:43 am

http://archive.lib.msu.edu/VVL/dbnumbers/DB7449.mp3

by **WhiteBoyHatcher** Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:01 am

DWags wrote:http://archive.lib.msu.edu/VVL/dbnumbers/DB7449.mp3

Won't read because url has "lib" in it.

by Guest Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:03 am

GRR Spartan wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:It made Gordon Lightfoot rich.

29 Great Lakes sailors died. Lightfoot has said he wrote the song 2 weeks after the ship sunk when he saw a Newsweek or Time article about the event and they had misspelled Edmund calling the ship the Edmond Fitzgerald. He felt the error was disrespectful to the memories of the men who died.

And bob is correct, its a well crafted song too. Its still popular because its a well written song that memorializes people who died when a horrendous storm sunk their ship in the Great Lakes. People living in places that don't border the Great Lakes can't imagine what those of us who live on their shores do, winter Great Lakes storms are serious business.

My kids would tell you they're sick of that song, they've heard it since they were small. I wasn't disparaging Gordon for getting rich, I'm all for that. At least some good came of the tragedy.

by **DWags** Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:04 am

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:
DWags wrote:http://archive.lib.msu.edu/VVL/dbnumbers/DB7449.mp3
Won't read because url has "lib" in it.

You need to listen, not read. It's the rescue ships trying to find the Fitz. There is also out there somewhere the transcript of the last transmissions form the Fitz to the coast guard and other ships near it. it's pretty erie.

by **GRR Spartan** Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:05 am

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:40 years ago today there's a good chance I was conceived.

I'll bet all my worldy goods you were conceived.

by **Rocinante** Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:05 am

I like "Sundown" better.

by **Robert J Sakimano** Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:10 am

WhiteBoyHatcher wrote:
DWags wrote:http://archive.lib.msu.edu/VVL/dbnumbers/DB7449.mp3
Won't read because url has "lib" in it.

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:13 am

by **GRR Spartan** Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:49 am

"My kids would tell you they're sick of that song, they've heard it since they were small."

Goose I can understand that thought.
I like Christmas music too but not enough to listen to either of GR radio stations that switched to their "Holiday programming" on Saturday, Nov 7 and won't go back to their regular format until around January 3.

by **MiamiSpartan** Tue Nov 10, 2015 3:00 pm

Grew up always really loving the Great Lakes ships. My Grandpa lived in Port Huron and would always take us down to the bridge to watch the ships. We'd get the Know Your Ships book every year, would get excited when new boats came out (especially the thousand footers), etc. So this story always has a special place in my heart.

Things like the recent sinking of the El Faro really strike a chord with me, and makes me think back to the Edmund Fitzgerald. It frustrates me like hell that something like that can still happen in this day and age.

by CheesySpartan Tue Nov 10, 2015 3:46 pm

40 years after Edmund Fitzgerald wreck, crew member's brother shares memories

Great read out today in the Milwaukee paper

by **Watch Out Pylon!** Tue Nov 10, 2015 4:18 pm

Robert J Sakimano wrote:
Watch Out Pylon! wrote:40 years ago today there's a good chance I was conceived.
so the Edmund Fitzgerald wasn't the only thing rockin' that day, amirite?

(too soon?)

It mostly reminds me that I'm going to be fucking 40 pretty soon. Edmund Fitzgerald Sank 40 Years Ago Today.. 1811933421

by Guest Tue Nov 10, 2015 4:38 pm

Watch Out Pylon! wrote:
Robert J Sakimano wrote:so the Edmund Fitzgerald wasn't the only thing rockin' that day, amirite?

(too soon?)

It mostly reminds me that I'm going to be fucking 40 pretty soon.

40 is young....at least it seems that way now.

by **Rocinante** Tue Nov 10, 2015 4:40 pm

LooseGoose wrote:
Watch Out Pylon! wrote:

It mostly reminds me that I'm going to be fucking 40 pretty soon.

40 is young....at least it seems that way now.

I think my version of the biological clock is thinking I need to find a hot chick dumb enough to marry me and have a bunch of kids sooner rather than later.

by **DWags** Tue Nov 10, 2015 4:46 pm

LooseGoose wrote:
Watch Out Pylon! wrote:

It mostly reminds me that I'm going to be fucking 40 pretty soon.

40 is young....at least it seems that way now.

Id love to be 40 again.

by Rodeo Burger Tue Nov 10, 2015 4:53 pm

The gales of November are going to hit Lake Michigan tomorrow. Possible 20 foot waves. It's pretty much a given that a surfer or kite boarder in Grand Haven will get himself into trouble.

by **Turtleneck** Tue Nov 10, 2015 5:26 pm

Robert J Sakimano wrote:
LooseGoose wrote:Gordon Lightfoot explains why he wrote 'The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald'

I went to Michigan Festival back in 1995 just to hear him sing the tune.. not so much because I'm in love with the tune, but because I had just moved to East Lansing and figured it would be cool to see a song so rooted in Michigan lore performed upon moving here.

by **Giant Moose** Tue Nov 10, 2015 7:26 pm

If a ship sinks in the U.P. and Bob has never been there, did the boat really sink at all?

by **The Pantry** Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:06 pm

Rodeo Burger wrote:The gales of November are going to hit Lake Michigan tomorrow. Possible 20 foot waves. It's pretty much a given that a surfer or kite boarder in Grand Haven will get himself into trouble.

Edmund Fitzgerald Sank 40 Years Ago Today.. 4113017228

Don't forget gHost

by **Other Teams Pursuing That** Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:06 pm

Giant Moose wrote:If a ship sinks in the U.P. and Bob has never been there, did the boat really sink at all?

by **The Pantry** Tue Nov 10, 2015 8:38 pm

Uncle had a place in Paradise right across the road from Whitefish Bay. Stopped to visit on the way up to the Keweenaw summer after the Fitzgerald went down. In the distance looking out over Superior could see ships and barges anchored in the area it was lost.

by **Robert J Sakimano** Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:58 am

Giant Moose wrote:If a ship sinks in the U.P. and Bob has never been there, did the boat really sink at all?

I've never been to the moon, either, but I understand that the moon landing was a significant event in the arena of space travel.

by **Turtleneck** Wed Nov 11, 2015 8:10 am

Robert J Sakimano wrote:
Giant Moose wrote:If a ship sinks in the U.P. and Bob has never been there, did the boat really sink at all?

I've never been to the moon, either, but I understand that the moon landing was a significant event in the arena of space travel.

Pretty sure that was faked, Bob. It happened in a Hollywood studio.

by **MiamiSpartan** Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:23 am

Giant Moose wrote:If a ship sinks in the U.P. and Bob has never been there, did the boat really sink at all?

I think the bigger question would be how a ship could sink on land. Does the UP have quicksand?

by Guest Thu Nov 10, 2016 2:29 pm

Gary Miles ‏@GaryMiles_DN 2h2 hours ago

"We are holding our own."
- Final fateful transmission from Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior, 41 years ago at about 7:10 p.m. tonight.

The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald

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