Here's a question on the ship"Edmond Fitzgerald" Can anyone tell me how and when she went down?What cargo?

Question

The reason I do this is to find out if others do the research or do they just ask,so they don't have to look it up,in order to get answers for their homework,so they don't have to.

Answer 1

There has been no definitive answer on what brought down "The Mighty Fitz".  The newest and most well-documented theory is that she went down due to loose cargo bay covers.  She was overladen at the time of her sinking, and was moving through strong winds and huge swells that were coming across the bow.  The belief is that her hatch covers due to negligence, age or some unknown factor, were not safely secured allowing water to flood the hold.  One large wave later, and she disappeared in mere seconds.

Previous theories have suggested a rogue wave which snapped her keel, and an unnoticed tear in her hull from running aground in the rough seas along a section where the lake bottom was especially narrow.

The Fitz was operating that night without radar due to a previous wave strike and was being assisted by the ship following her, The Arthur M. Anderson.

The Fitz sank on November 10, 1975 carrying a full load of taconite which is used in steel creation.

Answer 2

She was an Ore ship and went down in off Michigan late in 1975. As I understand it she was in heavy weather and tore a hole in the hull on rocks making a turn without realizing it... apparently there were no water level alarms on board. Once she took on enough water a wave came along due to this heavy weather and she rolled over and sank nearly immediately. PBS did a story on it. Search their database.

Answer 3

Try this site. It have a lot of good detailed stuff. It is dedicated to the E.F.

http://www.ssefo.com/

Answer 4

Barefoot has the answers on the Fitz. d**n, and I wanted to jump in on this one. There are some great books that talk about the Fitz, and the day she went down. You can search Amazon and find a couple there.

Why in the f@#$ would I get a thumbs down here?

Answer 5

I sailed for Oglebay Norton in the 80s.  They were the ones that chartered the Fitzgerald from its owners.  They were not overloaded as previous posters said.  Each season on the lakes has different load limits.  They were carrying iron ore pellets which is a fairly stable cargo. The waves were also coming from astearn not over the bow as previous posters said.  The wind and sea were from the NW and they were headed to Whitefish Point on a Southeasterly heading.  

The had commented on taking on water from some vents.  Conditions did not allow anyone to venture on to the deck to check the condition of the vents.

  It was most likely a series of events and circumstances that caused her to sink.  She was not old by lakes standards but had had some problems with the steel on her bottom and had been repaired several times.  The weather was quite snotty and she had been working for several hours in heavy seas.  There is some talk that she may have touched at Caribou Reef and had some damage. As previously stated they had radar problems and had been getting positioning info from the Anderson. The Anderson was actually ahead of the Fitz and they and several others left the shelter of Whitefish Bay to search for wreckage and survivors.  They had later stated thet the Fitz was closer to Caribou the they would have liked to be.  A lot is made of hatch covers.  They are huge sheets of steel that are clamped down around the perimeter.  Granted in summer with good weather we often sailed on a short run without putting covers on, but with the forecast they had I would bet they were secured.   There is most likely not one thing that will ever be pointed to as the sole cause. November sailing on the Lakes is not for the timid.

Answer 6

Just search Eedmond Fitzgerald & you will get your answers including photos of the wreck & latest theories as to what caused her to sink.

Answer 7

The" Edmond Fitzgerald" was an iron ore carrier.

She is believed to have sunk by striking the bottom in a storm and cracking her hull.

B.E.