[44], Shortly after 3:30 p.m., Captain McSorley radioed Arthur M. Anderson to report that Edmund Fitzgerald was taking on water and had lost two vent covers and a fence railing. Edmund Fitzgerald was the first laker built to the maximum St. Lawrence Seaway size,[11] which was 730 feet (222.5 m) long, 75 feet (22.9 m) wide, and with a 25 foot (7.6 m) draft. [46] McSorley said that he would slow his ship down so that Arthur M. Anderson could close the gap between them. Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission. [45] In a broadcast shortly afterward, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) warned all shipping that the Soo Locks had been closed and they should seek safe anchorage. The wreck is in two main sections, the bow and the stern. Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, invested in the iron and minerals industries on a large-scale basis, including the construction of Edmund Fitzgerald, which represented the first such investment by any American life insurance company. [17] In 1969, the ship's maneuverability was improved by the installation of a diesel-powered bow thruster. [137] Ramsay noted that Edmund Fitzgerald's hull was built with an all-welded (instead of riveted) modular fabrication method,[138] which was used for the first time in the GLEW shipyard. Marie at 7:39 p.m. on channel 16, the radio distress frequency. Compressed air pressure blew a hole in the starboard bow, which sank 18 degrees off course. Frederick Stonehouse wrote: Stewards treated the guests to the entire VIP routine. 8 Facts Behind the Edmund Fitzgerald's Final Hours, The Edmund Fitzgerald's Doomed Journey Began This Day in 1975, What Sank the Edmund Fitzgerald? [150], After Edmund Fitzgerald foundered, Great Lakes shipping companies were accused of valuing cargo payloads more than human life,[151] since the vessel's cargo hold of 860,950 cubic feet (24,379 m3) had been divided by two non-watertight traverse "screen" bulkheads. [191], An uproar occurred in 1995 when a maintenance worker in St. Ignace, Michigan, refurbished the bell by stripping the protective coating applied by Michigan State University experts. [131] Burgner was not asked to testify before the Marine Board of Inquiry. Underwater Edmund Fitzgerald Ship. When launched on June 7, 1958, she was the largest ship on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains the largest to have sunk there. 7. "[130] George H. "Red" Burgner, Edmund Fitzgerald's steward for ten seasons and winter ship-keeper for seven years, testified in a deposition that a "loose keel" contributed to the vessel's loss. [187] The church continued to hold an annual memorial, reading the names of the crewmen and ringing the church bell, until 2006 when the church broadened its memorial ceremony to commemorate all lives lost on the Great Lakes. Prior to the load-line increases she was said to be a "good riding ship" but afterwards Edmund Fitzgerald became a sluggish ship with slower response and recovery times. The hatch covers were missing from hatches Nos. Undated photo of the Edmund Fitzgerald downbound in the St. Marys River near Nine Mile Point. The Marine Board feels that this attitude reflects itself at times in deferral of maintenance and repairs, in failure to prepare properly for heavy weather, and in the conviction that since refuges are near, safety is possible by "running for it." The bow section abruptly ended just aft of hatch No. The average temperature of Lake Superior is about 36°F, cold enough to inhibit bacterial growth and prevent bodies from rising. [161], Concerns regarding Edmund Fitzgerald's keel-welding problem surfaced during the time the USCG started increasing her load line. As a result, Edmund Fitzgerald plummeted to the bottom without warning. There were two guest staterooms for passengers. When Elizabeth Fitzgerald, wife of Edmund Fitzgerald, tried to christen the ship by smashing a champagne bottle over the bow, it took her three attempts to break it. The Shipwreck Society is pleased to announce to its members and visitors the 2020 Annual Appeal! [156] The NTSB investigation concluded that a fathometer would have provided Edmund Fitzgerald additional navigational data and made her less dependent on Arthur M. Anderson for navigational assistance. [70] The dive was brief, and although the dive team drew no final conclusions, they speculated that Edmund Fitzgerald had broken up on the surface. Every November 10, the Split Rock Lighthouse in Silver Bay, Minnesota emits a light in honor of Edmund Fitzgerald. Executive Summary: Edmund Fitzgerald The freighter Edmund Fitzgerald, broken in two and sunk during a severe storm in Lake Superior in 1975, was identified as a potential pollution threat, thus a screening-level risk assessment was conducted. [106], The July 26, 1977, USCG Marine Casualty Report suggested that the accident was caused by ineffective hatch closures. The USCG replied that their monitoring equipment indicated that both instruments were inactive. Sketch of the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck site from the 1977 U.S. Coast Guard marine casualty report. Minutes later, the U.S. Coast Guard issues directions for all ships to find safe anchorage because the Soo Locks have been closed. Image of the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck taken during a dive in 1995 to recover the ship's bell. He stated, "After that, trust me, when a gale came up we dropped the hook [anchor]. 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