Home » Travel & Places » United States » Michigan

What are your thoughts on the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald?

From the lens The Edmund Fitzgerald.

Were you old enough to remember the Edmund Fitzgerald? What was your reaction? What is your theory as to why it sunk?

  • fugeecat Nov 27, 2011 @ 6:51 pm | delete
    I was 9 when the Fitzgerald sank. I lived in Duluth, MN so I remember the story pretty well. I remember people talking about it and seeing it on the news. I remember sitting in a car with my parents when the first announced it on the radio.
  • AnnaleeBlysse Aug 16, 2011 @ 6:47 am | delete
    I was looking around because there is a really, really good deal on the MP3 download of the song by Gordon Lightfoot at Amazon right now ...
  • bjslapidary Jan 30, 2011 @ 9:04 am | delete
    Great lens. We will never forget the sinking of the Fitzgerald. It was a great ship.
  • of_different_sorts Nov 13, 2010 @ 7:42 pm | delete
    The Edmund Fitzgerald sank the year I was born. I've heard the Gordon Lightfoot song many times but didn't know it was based on a real event until a few days ago while watching the NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams! What a sad event.
  • Tipi Nov 7, 2010 @ 9:02 am | delete
    You are so right, the Edmund Fitzgerald is much more than a song. I vividly remember when we heard the ship was lost, it was stunning. I grew up at Kabetogama about 130 miles north of Duluth/Superior, so it hit close to home. Tears hit me the moment I saw your list of lives that were lost that day and so many more were affected. This is a wonderful tribute.
  • vbright105 Oct 26, 2010 @ 2:44 am | delete
    That event, and that song, have haunted me since I was 15 (16 when the song came out) I heard they had stopped the tradition of ringing the bell 29 times, but I don't know how true that is. It is great that they are still memorialized and remembered.
  • Edmund Fitzgerald 2010 Oct 20, 2010 @ 6:46 pm | delete
    PRESS RELEASE
    35th Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Service
    RIVER ROUGE, MICHIGAN — A memorial service is planned for Wednesday November 10, 2010 to remember the 29 men who died when the SS Edmund Fitzgerald sank in Lake Superior on Nov. 10, 1975.

    The ceremony is set for 6 to 8 p.m. near the Mariners Memorial Lighthouse at Belanger Park, off Belanger Park Drive and Marion.

    The event is held in River Rouge because that’s the city where the vessel was built in 1957 and ’58.

    Several speakers will give their memories of the ship, including people who helped construct it and relatives of some of the deceased crewmen.

    Artifacts and photographs also will be on display.

    At 7:10 p.m. — the time the ship sank — a wreath will be tossed into the Detroit River. A bell will be rung 29 times in memory of each person who died.

    A plaque presentation and lantern lighting is planned. Refreshments will be provided at the end.

    Event organizer Roscoe Clark has a Web site devoted to the vessel, which contains several video clips, photos and new information about the ship, at www.ssEdmundFitzgerald.com

    Earlier in the day, an Edmund Fitzgerald open house will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. at the River Rouge Historical Museum, 10750 W. Jefferson Ave.
    www.RiverRougeMuseum.com

    For more information on either event, visit the Web site or call Clark at 1-810-519-2148 or Dolores Swekel at 1-313-842-7822.
  • Edmund Fitzgerald Service Oct 20, 2010 @ 3:33 pm | delete
    November 10 - Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Service
    . A memorial service for the men lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald will be held on
    November 10 at Dr. Henri Belanger Park in River Rouge, Mi.
    The service will be held near the Mariners Memorial Lighthouse beginning at 6:00 p.m.
    The tug boat will be on hand to take out a wreath to be placed on the river.
    The service will feature a plaque presentation, bell ringing, lantern lighting,
    and refreshments will be served.

    The service will be at River Rouge Michigan on the Detroit River next to where the ship was
    built at the slips and on the other side is where Zug Island is located.
    MAP

    A Special
    Edmund Fitzgerald
    Open House

    Was open to the public from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the River Rouge Historical Museum

    River Rouge Historical Museum
    10750 W. Jefferson Ave.
    River Rouge, Michigan 48218
    (Formerly Gallagher Funeral Home)
    MAP
    River Rouge Bar & Grill
    The after hour dinner will have a big turn out
    Every one has a chance to and meet the speakers.
    This is where the ship yard workers would stop for lunch and dinner after work.
    It is just down the street from where the Fitz was built.
    Everyone is welcome to talk and eat - 8:30pm to 10:30pm
    150 East Great Lakes
    River Rouge, MI 48218
    (313) 849-5220
    November 10, 2010
  • Edmund Fitzgerald 2010 Apr 11, 2010 @ 5:36 pm | delete
    November 10, 2010
    Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Service in River Rouge
    S. S. Edmund Fitzgerald 5th Service in River Rouge, Michigan
    6:00 pm to 8:00 pm Wednesday November 10, 2010
  • Fitzgerald service 2009 Nov 3, 2009 @ 1:26 am | delete
    November 10 - Edmund Fitzgerald Memorial Service
    . A memorial service for the men lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald will be held on November 10 at Dr. Henri Belanger Park in River Rouge, Mi. The service will be held near the Mariners Memorial Lighthouse beginning at 6:00 p.m. The tug boat will be on hand to take out a wreath to be placed on the river. The service will feature a plaque presentation, bell ringing, lantern lighting, and refreshments will be served. For more information call Roscoe Clark at 810-519-2148 or Dolores Swekel 313-842-7822.

    The service will be at River Rouge Michigan on the Detroit River next to where the ship was built at the slips and on the other side is where Zug Island is located. MAP

    A special Edmund Fitzgerald open house
    will be open to the pubic from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the River Rouge Historical Museum

    River Rouge Historical Museum
    10750 W. Jefferson Ave.
    River Rouge, Michigan 48218
    (Formerly Gallagher Funeral Home)
    MAP
  • Edmund Fitzgerald Service Nov 2, 2009 @ 10:41 am | delete
    I am honored and excited to be invited to attend the upcoming service held this
    November 10th in River Rouge.I will be coming from Kansas to honor my dad and the other
    28 crewmen.My father was the " Old Cook" referred to in the Gordon Lightfoot song.
    There will be so many events having to do with the FITZ I hope to be able to fit it all in.
    I think it's great to include the school kids learning about the Great Lakes and the ships
    that have sailed on them.
    I grew up in Toledo Ohio and watched from many ports my dads ship sail off with a load
    of iron ore or coal. Those good memories never go away. Hope to see you there.
    All are welcome to honor and remember that fateful night.

    Pam Johnson
    Daughter of ROBERT C. RAFFERTY
  • Reynir Heiðberg Stefánsson Aug 25, 2009 @ 9:01 am | delete
    Taking on water from above or below. / A breaker rises, strikes the bow. / The taconite shifts. Down she must go.
  • Jody Jo Jun 8, 2009 @ 9:01 pm | delete
    My aunt has photos the the Edmund Fitzgerald. I believe it was in the Locks. She found them years later and had them blown up and framed.
  • Shelly Apr 14, 2009 @ 1:17 pm | delete
    I live in the Duluth/Superior area, so the anniversary date is always in the news here, a sad reminder of a terrible tragedy. Your tribute is lovely. Lake Superior does get pretty wild at times, almost unbelieveably so for an inland lake and can be very dangerous. Most of the time the Lake is just beautiful--right now shipping has just begun for the season and soon the tour boats and the array of other water craft will be out in in full force.
  • Christene Apr 7, 2009 @ 10:55 pm | delete
    Blessed by a SquidAngel
  • dc64 Mar 19, 2009 @ 3:39 pm | delete
    I love the Discovery Channel and the History Channel, and I've seen this showcased several times, but it's still just as sad. Great job you've done here.
  • grannysage Nov 9, 2008 @ 4:38 pm | delete
    I was living in Kansas at the time but remember hearing about it on the news. A tragedy that affected me deeply. I had an uncle that worked the freighters and I was very glad he was not there at the time. Excellent tribute.

by

AllThingsMichigan

Born and raised in Michigan - the Great Lakes State.
For more things going on in Michigan, visit my blog - more »

Feeling creative? Create a Lens!

Explore related pages

Related Tags