The sailors on the Great Lakes have a name for those rogue waves. They are called the Three Sisters because they usually have a series of rogue waves moving close together. The Anderson reported being hit by two of those waves from the stern that were travelling in the direction of the Fitz. I saw pictures of the Anderson after she reached Whitefish Bay during the storm and she had a lot of damage on the stern. Also, this report said that the Anderson followed the Fitz. The Anderson was actively trying to assist the Fitz by using her radar to guide the Fitz and staying in contact, not just following. She also reported the Fitz missing and led the search for survivors, going back into the storm along with another laker the William Clay Ford.
The Anderson was indeed damaged especially the stern. Captain Cooper said the whole stern was completely under water several times...that's gotta be terrifying. Also I almost forgot that the life boat on the stern was destroyed as well.
Arthur M. Anderson only went back out to search for the Fitz due to the Coast Guard or whatever the Great Lakes have for Search and Rescue pressuring Cpt Cooper to go back to search for the Fitz.
Bernie Cooper said those were the biggest seas he'd ever seen and the Fitz was already sinking, she had a list and the pumps weren't keeping up. If those 2 seas rolled down the Fitz Spar Deck and hit the pilot house it could have pushed it down and she never recovered. The next thing the crew (in the pilot house anyway) knew was the windows imploding and that's all she wrote. The crew in the stern is a different story And one of the doors in the pilot house was dogged down open. It's a mystery. Whatever it was it happened so fast McSorely never even had a chance to reach for the phone to call a mayday.
It was fully loaded with iron ore in a fierce storm. The waves would have been huge stress on something designed to not flex. The hatch cover story seems like Warren report.
I'm really glad I found this video. I've consumed a lot of Fitz content. This makes it pretty clear that the ship was likely destroyed by a rogue wave on the surface...one of the two that Capt Cooper described...one just happened to break over the Fitz. Bridge under wave and stern in the air...and snap...especially if there was yaw and list present.
This story never fails to give me goosebumps. Seeing that simulation really brought the tragedy home. I imagined myself in the wheelhouse. It was terrible how the blame game began. Even though I know nothing about how these ships work. I never believed the stories about the hatches not being properly latched. Those men would not have taken such chances with their lives, plus I believe they had the utmost sense of work ethics. I just realized that next year will be 50 years since this happened. I was 20 years old then. Wow. RIP to the crew and my deepest sympathies to their families and friends.😭
I was 12 at the time in 1075 and visited whitefish point in sept of 2024 best vacation of my life. I was 60 when I went there but it was on my bucket list.
Saying the hatch covers were left even partially unsecured to save on cost is nonsense. The men were already on board and being paid to do the job, they wouldn't have have-assed it especially with the good officers the ship had. If the company truly believed that they wouldn't have rushed to pay off the families and get their signatures on waivers of liability.
It wasn't uncommon to leave hatches unsecured, they weighed 16 tons and the weather was perfect on departure. They didn't realize what they were sailing into
There are pictures that literally prove the hatches were not fully clamped. Its not debatable. The issue is whether or not the lack completely clamping them allowed in enough water to cause or contribute to the sinking.
@@NPC-Gamer I get what you're saying but I live in MN and have seen probably every documentary that's ever existed, there's absolutely no way they would've done that. Not that crew, and not that captain.
@djjazzyjeff1232 I'm from Michigan and I too have watched a ton of Doc's Have you seen the recent ones with Captain Darrell ? He explains why they were left unsecured
I can't imagine the terror that night must have been for those men. I think of it every time I hear that song... which I can't listen to without crying. IMO, there was a massive cover-up as to what really happened... overloaded... and already stressed... yeah... doesn't take much to imagine.
I have a black and white picture of the Fitzgerald I had found in my late Uncle's picture albums I was given after he past. It is on dry dock and not completed as far as I can tell. I cherish this picture...one... bc it was my World War 2 ( Army ) Uncle's that I believe helped build this magnificent lake ship at the time. I would like to donate it to some museum. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment. Thank you for this informative video.
Thanks for making this. I can’t help but believe that as the ship rode deeper & deeper, the normal non rogue waves would twist and break her. I tend to think they had too much emphasis on a rogue wave.
People don't understand how dangerous The Great Lakes are. Even little Lake St. Clair takes a minimum of 2 lives per year. Its average depth is only 11 feet deep but it's got a wicked undercurrent.
They are basically inland seas and are only not considered that because they are fresh water. People seem to take seas more seriously just because they have the word “sea” attached. I feel like if people were told “seas located in an area known for different types of extreme weather” it would click more, unfortunate that it doesn’t seem to now
@EmmaSpAce111 you're so right. When I travel and I talk about The Great Lakes people are always shocked by it. Most didn't know they can get 30 foot plus waves during storms. What always amuses me is their faces when I show them pictures of lighthouses off Lake Superior that are just covered in ice that's almost horizontal. Winters sucked growing up in Michigan but it's a cool state for sure.
I think she broke into if you go back and watch some of the older archived videos you can see the Hual of the ship actually move back and forth yes I understand there's supposed to be a little movement but
Very well done with the wave tank and simulator. Beyond scary to think what the men went through that night. It seems very likely the rogue wave(s) were the final thing to send the ship to the bottom but am surprised no one in this show mentioned the fence rails being down hours before 7:10 pm. As Captain Cooper alluded to there was probably structural damage earlier in the day, they never stood a chance.
You failed to take into account how warped & twisted she had become. And according to former crewmen they had to jump on the hatch covers, and then they could not dog them down, then let's not forget the mismarked chart [and how Canada will not allow anyone to check out that shoal for impact marks] and then the 3 Sisters that drove her bow into the lake bottom and breaking her on the surface & on the bottom [she was longer than the depth of the lake at that point] She was due for a long overdue drydock time for a complete refurbing
I agree she was due for layup repairs. The rest Ill leave to Capt Cedric Woodard, "I have worked on boats that had those same hatch covers and have been in the hold during storm. maybe a cup full would come thru. Even if those covers had no clamps on them, they weight tons, and cant come off, so how could that much come thru...."
@@CrewGuyPJ Have you watched the Historyman channel here on yt. He has Capt Darrel on all the time. He also crewed on her & knew a majority of the crew
Blaming the sinking of the Fitz on the hatch covers is ridiculous. The boat was undermaintained, overloaded, and neglected. Things were so twisted, the crew had to jump on the hatch covers to be able to dog them down.
ive been on lake superior. nice. sunny. perfect day. and we see dark clouds coming. with in 30 min. wind was 40 mph raining side ways. cold and dark. its shocking. Just like that. you go from having a good day to wtF!
That’s horrifying! Especially when considering how many violent storms there are on the lake. I’ve been learning about the Great Lakes for a while now, and I’m both amazed and terrified of just how crazy the weather can become! It’s like open water but on a lake.., I didn’t even know it could get so harsh on lakes. My point of reference is very tiny lakes compared to those, though.
Was 13 years when she went down. But she is part of a long list of freighters to go down in superior. It's not true that they don't know why she went down. The maintenance record shows the problems, the evidence at the ship tells you what happened, the audio tells you what happened. This ship had some very troublesome issues that were patched. She should not have went out due to that storm. The company is at fault. But that ship cracked under the strain. She was taking on water. This is confirmed by the broken fence rail. It did not need to be a big wave to finish the job. She took enough water to submarine and the crew were all inside. The break-up shows this. Peace to the relatives. We need to stop beating this dead horse.
that "rail" is woven steei cable...they are anchored on both ends///the only way you can snap it is by pulling it tight, IE "hogging" the ship upward in the middle.
@@CrewGuyPJ And that is when she ran aground on the mischarted reef. And then a very short time afterwards she got hit by the 3 Sisters that drover her bow into the lake bottom. Multi injuries to her, if taken one at a time, she would have survived, but when hit all at the same time, it was fatal
@@almirria6753 As Bernie Cooper said, the Fitz was sinking from 3:10 in the afternoon on. They did a survey of the 6Fathom area not that long after and found no marks of the ship hitting the bottom. IMO, She got hogged up by fluid dynamics. The Center of Fitz was over the shallow part of the shoal and with the wind coming from behind, it pushed a volume of water into the area and thats when the fence "rails" snapped. McSorley reported the Fitz had taken a list. Hence Cooper's comment. After 6 pm, when McSorley said this was the worst he'd ever seen, Fitz had lost so much freeboard and had settled so deep, she was sluggish leading McSorley to beleive the storm, which was bad, was seemingly worse than it was. After the 6 Fathom deal, Cooper asked if he had his pumps on and Ernest said yes. Cooper said later, McSorley told him he wasnt gaining anything meaning the water was coming in as fast, or faster than they were pumping it out. Cooper said after getting hit by the double 30' waves, " I just wonder if they rolled up his deck...and the water sat on the forward cabin..and hes got a list...that it put the bow down into the water and the screw drove her right into the bottom". Ive read Coopers testimony, have read every book from McGinnis to Stonehouse, I am by no means a professional, but I have a pretty good picture of how things happened.
I think there is a cover up. Why were survivors paid off so quickly and why such a fine for diving on the wreck. Combine that with huge inceases to payload....business owners were diving for cover.
The excessive fines are to keep private treasure hunters and salvors away from what are officially grave sites, recognized by both the Canadian and American governments. Insofar as shipwrecked sailors surviving in high seas, it's happened many times, especially during WW2. Study your history people.
There were no survivors. The Edmund went down with all hands. You cant dive on the wreck because it is a tomb. Look up why "Superior never gives up her dead."
There is what you call summer load and winter load weight! The fitz was running way overloaded for the time of year! Typical human greed is basically the cause! Superior never gives up her dead because the cold water doesn’t allow for decomposition! The sailors continue to sail even after death!
From what I read ..there now saying a big wave hit the front and cause the ship to nose dive into the water .then the bow/ nose hit the lake bottom and all that force cause the ship break into two. . remember she was in shallow parts of the lake. .
She is 350 feet longer than the depth at which she sank is deep. A rougue wave lifted her from behind causing her to take a nose dive into the dip between two waves, slammed the bottom causing her heavy load to break her in half.
She was 729 ft long and now rests in 530 ft of water. That makes her 199 ft longer than she is deep. But you’re right I think, in that a rogue wave lifted her stern and drove her bow down to the bottom. All that taconite shifted forward, and there was no recovering from it. Whether she broke apart on the surface or not, is still debatable and we’ll honestly never know for sure.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy
This looks like a cover up you can’t dive on the wreck to see what actually happened to look at the damage. It sounds like the company is afraid someone will discover the truth, and they have paid off the families to go along with it.
Me too!!! This should never have happened!!! Over loaded with all the extra weight, pushing it 4' deeper into down into the water, + water coming down on top of the ship as Rouge waves hit her too, was way too much weight on top of her already way over limits set for optimal function & as usual, greed took over common sense in the bosses over safety of the employees on board. Shame on them all who adjusted the weight loads, without, figuring in all worst case scenarios!!!😢
Leave the men and family's rest in peace. How would you like it if every few years there was some researcher looking to make money from TH-cam by seeking the relatives out or posting their opinion of what happened and bringing back the memories of death.
Another so-called expert on this subject. So tell me how you know the cause of this,were you on the Fitzgerald,only survivor? No you are guessing what happened and that should be your opening line that this is ONLY A GUESS.
I being a deckhand on the Fitz a year before it went down find this video worthless. The water test on the hatches is meaningless because it wasn't done with the damage that I saw with the three forward hatches and with the 1400 plus hatch clamps that were so out of adjustment that it made them next to worthless. Then it goes on to say that the Coast Guard blamed the sinking on the deck crew for not dogging down the hatches. The Coast Guard never said that. The Coast Guard did say the deck crew didn't properly secure the hatches because the hatches couldn't be made secure and water tight. I find anybody that would blame the deck crew, the first mate, or even the Captain (who I despise) for not clamping down the hatches totally disgusting! Not to mention that they think the Coast Guard is nothing more than a group of morons and a joke, and that they themselves are the ones to go too for the truth in the sinking of the Fitz. Who made this group of what ever, who made up this video, the last word on this subject.
@@jsf74 If they did this dive after 2006, they were breaking the law. In answer to why is it different, would you dig up the grave and take photos of the body? Would you take items from the casket and put them on public display? Have you considered that family members of the crew are still alive?
No. The Anderson was ~10 miles behind the Fitz in the pitch dark in a snow squall. Captain Cooper spoke to McSorley of the Fitz over the radio just prior to sinking. They saw her drop off the radar and tried to make contact again, but she was gone.
@@joebombero1no they didn’t. They noticed it drop off the radar. The Fitzgerald didn’t have radar which is why it was relying on the Anderson to help them out.
The sailors on the Great Lakes have a name for those rogue waves. They are called the Three Sisters because they usually have a series of rogue waves moving close together. The Anderson reported being hit by two of those waves from the stern that were travelling in the direction of the Fitz. I saw pictures of the Anderson after she reached Whitefish Bay during the storm and she had a lot of damage on the stern. Also, this report said that the Anderson followed the Fitz. The Anderson was actively trying to assist the Fitz by using her radar to guide the Fitz and staying in contact, not just following. She also reported the Fitz missing and led the search for survivors, going back into the storm along with another laker the William Clay Ford.
The Anderson was indeed damaged especially the stern.
Captain Cooper said the whole stern was completely under water several times...that's gotta be terrifying.
Also I almost forgot that the life boat on the stern was destroyed as well.
Arthur M. Anderson only went back out to search for the Fitz due to the Coast Guard or whatever the Great Lakes have for Search and Rescue pressuring Cpt Cooper to go back to search for the Fitz.
Bernie Cooper said those were the biggest seas he'd ever seen and the Fitz was already sinking, she had a list and the pumps weren't keeping up. If those 2 seas rolled down the Fitz Spar Deck and hit the pilot house it could have pushed it down and she never recovered. The next thing the crew (in the pilot house anyway) knew was the windows imploding and that's all she wrote. The crew in the stern is a different story And one of the doors in the pilot house was dogged down open. It's a mystery. Whatever it was it happened so fast McSorely never even had a chance to reach for the phone to call a mayday.
I can’t help but hear Gordon Lightfoot’s song in my head as I watch this.
Yep."Been good to know ya".
The story and the song are entwined as one forever.
Goddammit
"The searchers all say she'd have made Whitefish Bay if she had put 15 more miles behind her"
Same, always a haunting memorial
It was fully loaded with iron ore in a fierce storm. The waves would have been huge stress on something designed to not flex. The hatch cover story seems like Warren report.
It is amazing how far we've come to understand "rogue waves".
The first major video of a rogue wave was in either Season 1 or 2 of Deadliest Catch.
I'm really glad I found this video. I've consumed a lot of Fitz content. This makes it pretty clear that the ship was likely destroyed by a rogue wave on the surface...one of the two that Capt Cooper described...one just happened to break over the Fitz. Bridge under wave and stern in the air...and snap...especially if there was yaw and list present.
This story never fails to give me goosebumps. Seeing that simulation really brought the tragedy home. I imagined myself in the wheelhouse. It was terrible how the blame game began. Even though I know nothing about how these ships work. I never believed the stories about the hatches not being properly latched. Those men would not have taken such chances with their lives, plus I believe they had the utmost sense of work ethics. I just realized that next year will be 50 years since this happened. I was 20 years old then. Wow. RIP to the crew and my deepest sympathies to their families and friends.😭
I was 12 at the time in 1075 and visited whitefish point in sept of 2024 best vacation of my life. I was 60 when I went there but it was on my bucket list.
Saying the hatch covers were left even partially unsecured to save on cost is nonsense. The men were already on board and being paid to do the job, they wouldn't have have-assed it especially with the good officers the ship had. If the company truly believed that they wouldn't have rushed to pay off the families and get their signatures on waivers of liability.
It wasn't uncommon to leave hatches unsecured, they weighed 16 tons and the weather was perfect on departure.
They didn't realize what they were sailing into
There are pictures that literally prove the hatches were not fully clamped. Its not debatable. The issue is whether or not the lack completely clamping them allowed in enough water to cause or contribute to the sinking.
@@NPC-Gamer I get what you're saying but I live in MN and have seen probably every documentary that's ever existed, there's absolutely no way they would've done that. Not that crew, and not that captain.
@djjazzyjeff1232 I'm from Michigan and I too have watched a ton of Doc's
Have you seen the recent ones with Captain Darrell ?
He explains why they were left unsecured
@ No I haven’t, I’ll check that out
I read that a former crew member had claimed the fitz was a wet ship and needed the pumps to run frequently while he was sailing with the fitzgerald
I can't imagine the terror that night must have been for those men. I think of it every time I hear that song... which I can't listen to without crying. IMO, there was a massive cover-up as to what really happened... overloaded... and already stressed... yeah... doesn't take much to imagine.
I have a black and white picture of the Fitzgerald I had found in my late Uncle's picture albums I was given after he past. It is on dry dock and not completed as far as I can tell. I cherish this picture...one... bc it was my World War 2 ( Army ) Uncle's that I believe helped build this magnificent lake ship at the time. I would like to donate it to some museum. If you have any suggestions, please leave a comment. Thank you for this informative video.
He'll yeah, it's always interesting when high profile "local" history is explored.
Thanks for making this. I can’t help but believe that as the ship rode deeper & deeper, the normal non rogue waves would twist and break her. I tend to think they had too much emphasis on a rogue wave.
People don't understand how dangerous The Great Lakes are. Even little Lake St. Clair takes a minimum of 2 lives per year. Its average depth is only 11 feet deep but it's got a wicked undercurrent.
They are basically inland seas and are only not considered that because they are fresh water. People seem to take seas more seriously just because they have the word “sea” attached. I feel like if people were told “seas located in an area known for different types of extreme weather” it would click more, unfortunate that it doesn’t seem to now
@EmmaSpAce111 you're so right. When I travel and I talk about The Great Lakes people are always shocked by it. Most didn't know they can get 30 foot plus waves during storms. What always amuses me is their faces when I show them pictures of lighthouses off Lake Superior that are just covered in ice that's almost horizontal. Winters sucked growing up in Michigan but it's a cool state for sure.
Ironic they interviewed the captain of the S.S. Michipicoten given its recent problems.
0:17 Try 6,000-25,000.
Excellent documentary ❤ Rest in peace...❤
I think she broke into if you go back and watch some of the older archived videos you can see the Hual of the ship actually move back and forth yes I understand there's supposed to be a little movement but
I dove a few wrecks form the 1800's in Lake Superior ... the wood didn't rot because of the deep cold water
How is this even comparable to the Titanic? Is the only reason that this ship is still talked about is because of a song?
Very well done with the wave tank and simulator. Beyond scary to think what the men went through that night. It seems very likely the rogue wave(s) were the final thing to send the ship to the bottom but am surprised no one in this show mentioned the fence rails being down hours before 7:10 pm. As Captain Cooper alluded to there was probably structural damage earlier in the day, they never stood a chance.
I thought there was no more diving on this wreck because it was deemed a cemetery by the families. Or am I wrong?
You failed to take into account how warped & twisted she had become. And according to former crewmen they had to jump on the hatch covers, and then they could not dog them down, then let's not forget the mismarked chart [and how Canada will not allow anyone to check out that shoal for impact marks] and then the 3 Sisters that drove her bow into the lake bottom and breaking her on the surface & on the bottom [she was longer than the depth of the lake at that point]
She was due for a long overdue drydock time for a complete refurbing
The owners also had a habit of overloading her.
@@audreyjohnson4599 As do all the other lakers out there, even today this still happens
I agree she was due for layup repairs. The rest Ill leave to Capt Cedric Woodard, "I have worked on boats that had those same hatch covers and have been in the hold during storm. maybe a cup full would come thru. Even if those covers had no clamps on them, they weight tons, and cant come off, so how could that much come thru...."
@@CrewGuyPJ Have you watched the Historyman channel here on yt. He has Capt Darrel on all the time. He also crewed on her & knew a majority of the crew
@@almirria6753 Yes I have..it was a good listen.
Blaming the sinking of the Fitz on the hatch covers is ridiculous. The boat was undermaintained, overloaded, and neglected. Things were so twisted, the crew had to jump on the hatch covers to be able to dog them down.
That simulator stuff was really tense....
When was this recorded?
ive been on lake superior. nice. sunny. perfect day. and we see dark clouds coming. with in 30 min. wind was 40 mph raining side ways. cold and dark. its shocking. Just like that. you go from having a good day to wtF!
Lake Superior also has almost no natural harbors for ships to hide in during storms so the ships have to endure the storms .
That’s horrifying! Especially when considering how many violent storms there are on the lake. I’ve been learning about the Great Lakes for a while now, and I’m both amazed and terrified of just how crazy the weather can become! It’s like open water but on a lake.., I didn’t even know it could get so harsh on lakes. My point of reference is very tiny lakes compared to those, though.
@@TheaSvendsen dont think of the Great Lakes as lakes...they are inland seas.
So, the only difference between these two vessels is that you can dive on one but not the other? Doesn't make much sense to me.
The Fitz is famous so there'd be all sorts of scavengers taking pieces of her wreckage to sell on eBay.
Could slowing down to allow the Anderson to catch up be a factor as well
STOP WITH THE METRIC SYSTEM...
Was 13 years when she went down. But she is part of a long list of freighters to go down in superior. It's not true that they don't know why she went down. The maintenance record shows the problems, the evidence at the ship tells you what happened, the audio tells you what happened. This ship had some very troublesome issues that were patched. She should not have went out due to that storm. The company is at fault. But that ship cracked under the strain. She was taking on water. This is confirmed by the broken fence rail. It did not need to be a big wave to finish the job. She took enough water to submarine and the crew were all inside. The break-up shows this. Peace to the relatives. We need to stop beating this dead horse.
The fencerail went down when she ran aground [and over the unmarked section of the shoal]
that "rail" is woven steei cable...they are anchored on both ends///the only way you can snap it is by pulling it tight, IE "hogging" the ship upward in the middle.
@@CrewGuyPJ And that is when she ran aground on the mischarted reef. And then a very short time afterwards she got hit by the 3 Sisters that drover her bow into the lake bottom. Multi injuries to her, if taken one at a time, she would have survived, but when hit all at the same time, it was fatal
@@almirria6753 As Bernie Cooper said, the Fitz was sinking from 3:10 in the afternoon on. They did a survey of the 6Fathom area not that long after and found no marks of the ship hitting the bottom. IMO, She got hogged up by fluid dynamics. The Center of Fitz was over the shallow part of the shoal and with the wind coming from behind, it pushed a volume of water into the area and thats when the fence "rails" snapped. McSorley reported the Fitz had taken a list. Hence Cooper's comment. After 6 pm, when McSorley said this was the worst he'd ever seen, Fitz had lost so much freeboard and had settled so deep, she was sluggish leading McSorley to beleive the storm, which was bad, was seemingly worse than it was. After the 6 Fathom deal, Cooper asked if he had his pumps on and Ernest said yes. Cooper said later, McSorley told him he wasnt gaining anything meaning the water was coming in as fast, or faster than they were pumping it out. Cooper said after getting hit by the double 30' waves, " I just wonder if they rolled up his deck...and the water sat on the forward cabin..and hes got a list...that it put the bow down into the water and the screw drove her right into the bottom". Ive read Coopers testimony, have read every book from McGinnis to Stonehouse, I am by no means a professional, but I have a pretty good picture of how things happened.
This show is on youtube under 5-6 different titles
I think there is a cover up. Why were survivors paid off so quickly and why such a fine for diving on the wreck. Combine that with huge inceases to payload....business owners were diving for cover.
And how would anybody possibly survive in such massive waves that broke such a huge ships hull . Aven the coastguard wouldn't go out into it .
The excessive fines are to keep private treasure hunters and salvors away from what are officially grave sites, recognized by both the Canadian and American governments. Insofar as shipwrecked sailors surviving in high seas, it's happened many times, especially during WW2. Study your history people.
There were no survivors. The Edmund went down with all hands. You cant dive on the wreck because it is a tomb. Look up why "Superior never gives up her dead."
There is what you call summer load and winter load weight! The fitz was running way overloaded for the time of year! Typical human greed is basically the cause! Superior never gives up her dead because the cold water doesn’t allow for decomposition! The sailors continue to sail even after death!
@Backwoods_Squatch yet you can dive on the Carl D. Bradley and Daniel J. Morrell. Why the special treatment of the Fitz?
I've seen this; How does it say it was posted a day ago?
From what I read ..there now saying a big wave hit the front and cause the ship to nose dive into the water .then the bow/ nose hit the lake bottom and all that force cause the ship break into two. . remember she was in shallow parts of the lake. .
She is 350 feet longer than the depth at which she sank is deep.
A rougue wave lifted her from behind causing her to take a nose dive into the dip between two waves, slammed the bottom causing her heavy load to break her in half.
She was 729 ft long and now rests in 530 ft of water. That makes her 199 ft longer than she is deep. But you’re right I think, in that a rogue wave lifted her stern and drove her bow down to the bottom. All that taconite shifted forward, and there was no recovering from it. Whether she broke apart on the surface or not, is still debatable and we’ll honestly never know for sure.
I miss fishing in Lake Michigan. 😢
I used to be first mate on a charter boat out of Lake Michigan! I to miss it! ✌️
@denniscrane9753 what did you target?
@@michaelcovrett5254 on the charter boat we targeted the salmonoids! Off the boat I targeted the pike and small mouth! Some monsters too!
They need to go back to the wreck. Can you imagine if they did 3d scans like they did of titanic? Keeping it off limits is a bunch of BS.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down Of the big lake they call Gitche Gumee The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead When the skies of November turn gloomy
40:04 *My word! I wonder how many people get motion sickness?*
*Can you imagine a 17th or 18th century Square rig ship encountering one of those rogue waves? It must've been like the close, personal wrath of God!*
This looks like a cover up you can’t dive on the wreck to see what actually happened to look at the damage. It sounds like the company is afraid someone will discover the truth, and they have paid off the families to go along with it.
It's a gravesite, leave it alone.
TAKE YOUR PAY ~ Dramtreeo
by Jerry Cronin,© Southern Branch Music, BMI
In February of 1983 the Marine Electric sank during a Winter storm off the Virginia Capes. The poor condition of the collier and the tragic loss of 32 of the 35-man crew prompted Jerry to write this song.
Kiss your wives, kiss your sweethearts goodbye
Kiss your sons and daughters too
You're going to sail on a cargo line
Not sure if you'll be coming through
The hull she is rust and the hatches all sprung
Six snatch blocks just to get one down
And if that patch in the starboard side gives
Well boys, we're all going to drown.
But take your pay, take your pay
There isn't much work to be had today
American shipping, it ain't much any more
Sailing those ships from the Second World War.
She headed out with a cargo of coal
Sailed past Chesapeake Light
The mate on watch, he looked out at the waves
Said "Boys we're in for a long night"
He tried to keep her bow to the swell
Prayed that God would show him how
But there isn't much help from the heavens or from hell
You can't steer when you're down by the bow.
But take your pay...
She went down but they don't know why
Three men was all that made it through
The company cried "She never should have sailed"
But what was the Master to do?
American ships with convenient flags
All have their jobs to be done
And if one man says that he won't sail today
There's money will buy another one.
But take your pay...
Kiss your wives, kiss your sweethearts goodbye
Kiss your sons and daughters too
You're going to sail on a cargo line
Not sure if you'll be coming through.
But take your pay...
An ad every 20 seconds
I think after they lengthen her she could easily handle the cargo she had. I belive her hull was compromised over the years
Like always it’s money money money that’s all they care about. We’re nothing more peasants on the other side of the wall.
I thought it was illegal to dive this wreck?
Me too!!! This should never have happened!!! Over loaded with all the extra weight, pushing it 4' deeper into down into the water, + water coming down on top of the ship as Rouge waves hit her too, was way too much weight on top of her already way over limits set for optimal function & as usual, greed took over common sense in the bosses over safety of the employees on board. Shame on them all who adjusted the weight loads, without, figuring in all worst case scenarios!!!😢
*Even without the freak
ogue wave it looks like she might have been doomed anyhow*
Big question mark Hatches ❓️ are Wight To Crews Rip 🙏 🪦 😌
Leave the men and family's rest in peace. How would you like it if every few years there was some researcher looking to make money from TH-cam by seeking the relatives out or posting their opinion of what happened and bringing back the memories of death.
Fresh water meglodon attack?
Meh too much Yak not enough Wreck. Thought they would be exploring the wreck, but, typical snap shots and yakitiyak.
Another so-called expert on this subject. So tell me how you know the cause of this,were you on the Fitzgerald,only survivor? No you are guessing what happened and that should be your opening line that this is ONLY A GUESS.
I being a deckhand on the Fitz a year before it went down find this video worthless. The water test on the hatches is meaningless because it wasn't done with the damage that I saw with the three forward hatches and with the 1400 plus hatch clamps that were so out of adjustment that it made them next to worthless. Then it goes on to say that the Coast Guard blamed the sinking on the deck crew for not dogging down the hatches. The Coast Guard never said that. The Coast Guard did say the deck crew didn't properly secure the hatches because the hatches couldn't be made secure and water tight. I find anybody that would blame the deck crew, the first mate, or even the Captain (who I despise) for not clamping down the hatches totally disgusting! Not to mention that they think the Coast Guard is nothing more than a group of morons and a joke, and that they themselves are the ones to go too for the truth in the sinking of the Fitz. Who made this group of what ever, who made up this video, the last word on this subject.
Even though Mr. Hale has passed, I wouldn't call this video "worthless". A bit disrespectful.
@@Mark-pp7jy Your right. I didnt take him into consideration when I made this remark.
Let it be. You're disturbing a grave.
Yes but people visit cemetery's every day so why is this different.
@@jsf74 If they did this dive after 2006, they were breaking the law. In answer to why is it different, would you dig up the grave and take photos of the body? Would you take items from the casket and put them on public display? Have you considered that family members of the crew are still alive?
The crew of the Arthur M Anderson was following behind and saw EF sink!
No. The Anderson was ~10 miles behind the Fitz in the pitch dark in a snow squall. Captain Cooper spoke to McSorley of the Fitz over the radio just prior to sinking. They saw her drop off the radar and tried to make contact again, but she was gone.
She was way behind and the only one who went back out into the storm to look for her or survivors.
They saw her lights disappear
@@joebombero1 No. They did not.
@@joebombero1no they didn’t. They noticed it drop off the radar. The Fitzgerald didn’t have radar which is why it was relying on the Anderson to help them out.
So how about stop going out on the lake at the end of October?
You mean November! The witch!
@@denniscrane9753 If One stopped going out on the lake at the end of October, yes that would mean you wouldn't be on the lake in November...
@@bertvosburg558 whoosh right over my head!😂 you are right my good sir! ✌️🤦🏻♂️
@@denniscrane9753 lol all's well wasn't trying to be a know it all, just pointing out the obvious!
not about the SS Edmund Fitzgerald?????
It broke when it hit bottom bow first.
don't forget how brittle steel gets when the temperatures drop