"But it looks from the information that we have that it's, uh, fairly certain that the, uh, Fitzgerald went down" -
(SALEM, Ore.) - A tribute to the 29 men who died November 10, 1975, aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior has been posted on YouTube by a user named Joseph Hulton.
It is a heart wrenching piece and it really puts the viewer into the story of these men who all were lost due to tragic circumstances and bad timing. Most people know the song and story by Gordon Lightfoot that told the story of the voyage that ended in the "Ice Water Mansion" of Lake Superior.
A documentary produced in recent years takes cameras to the actual site of the massive freighter where it sits firmly on the bottom with her name still clearly visible.
This video begins with an announcer who reads: "An air and sea search is continuing for possible survivors of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 729 foot ore carrier, which apparently broke apart and sunk last night on Lake Superior. The ship and its 29-man crew vanished in a storm with 80 mile-an-hour winds and wave heights up to 25 feet. All that has been found is an oil slick and some debris."
Other real radio transmissions included in the video are:
"We last had contact with 'em, the mate had talked to him ... at about 10 minutes after 7, 19:10, and he said he was going along fine and no problem."
"But it looks from the information that we have that it's, uh, fairly certain that the, uh, Fitzgerald went down."
"Uh, no, I didn't have him, uh, visually, I had him on radar; he was, uh, exactly 10 miles ahead of us. I asked him how he was making out with his problems and he said he was holding his own, but I, uh, lost contact after that."
The lyrics of the song Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot:
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on downof the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee"The lake, it is said, never gives up her deadwhen the skies of November turn gloomyWith a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons morethan the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty,that big ship and true was a bone to be chewedwhen the Gales of November came early
Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
The ship was the pride of the American sidecoming back from some mill in WisconsinAs the big freighters go, it was bigger than mostwith a crew and good captain well seasoned,concluding some terms with a couple of steel firmswhen they left fully loaded for ClevelandAnd later that night when the ship's bell rang,could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?
The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale soundand a wave broke over the railingAnd ev'ry man knew, as the captain did too'twas the witch of November come stealin'The dawn came late and the breakfast had to waitwhen the Gales of November came slashin'When afternoon came it was freezin' rainin the face of a hurricane west wind
When suppertime came the old cook came on deck sayin'"Fellas, it's too rough t'feed ya"At seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in; he said,"Fellas, it's bin good t'know ya!"The captain wired in he had water comin' inand the good ship and crew was in perilAnd later that night when 'is lights went outta sightcame the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Haunting video with images of the Edmund Fitzgerald. from davidanddavid
Does any one know where the love of God goeswhen the waves turn the minutes to hours?The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bayif they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'erThey might have split up or they might have capsized;they may have broke deep and took waterAnd all that remains is the faces and the namesof the wives and the sons and the daughters
Lake Huron rolls, Superior singsin the rooms of her ice-water mansionOld Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;the islands and bays are for sportsmenAnd farther below Lake Ontariotakes in what Lake Erie can send her,And the iron boats go as the mariners all knowwith the Gales of November remembered
In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,in the Maritime Sailors' CathedralThe church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine timesfor each man on the Edmund FitzgeraldThe legend lives on from the Chippewa on downof the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee""Superior," they said, "never gives up her deadwhen the gales of November come early"
Amazing Tribute to Edmund Fitzgerald Features Real FootageSalem-News.com