This song isn’t only a tribute to the 29 sailors but to men of industry who’ve paid an ultimate price in pursuit of livelihood. Our country was built and is being maintained by men like these and we lose some from time to time. Songs like this are very cathartic when remembering refinery workers lost to explosions, miners who are trapped and road workers struck by vehicles to name a few. We all expect to come home from work each day and enjoy the fruits of our labors. This song pays homage to anyone lost at work.
Well said. And let me add the dozen or so railroaders who perish every year working an essential yet thankless job for carries who can't be bothered to care. All work is noble, some of it comes with risks. As I get older, the less I think about prestige and high profile well paying mainstream work. Feeding your family, putting your kids through school...etc is worthy of praise, whatever it is that you do. Like in the military, you fight and die not for the flag or country, but for the guy next to you. In life you toil away for the ones you love.
And why every day we should push for higher safety standards and bring to account all those disregarding the laws designed to protect workers. In my time and my time as a delegate have borne witness to enough deaths of young guys and older men weeks off retirement. Best it stops, not to distract from the message and tribute this song makes. Well said and also well said MichLo3
I was stationed at Sault Ste. Marie, MI in the U.S. Coast Guard. I was on duty that night in Captain of the Port. The winds that day were unreal, 90 miles an hour. 35 foot seas. The captain of the Arthur M. Anderson, another lake freighter, radioed that he had lost sight of the Fitzgerald, said that it should have passed within a mile of him. He said that a wave crest came up and when it went down they saw nothing, no more lights. I remember the Officer of the Day saying, "I think we lost a ship" This kind of thing didn't happen. I feel a sadness as I write this, remembering. It brings a tear to my eye.
Thanks for sharing. As a child of the Florida Gulf Coast, I can never imagine this kind of horror happening. Hurricanes tell you when they're coming, and usually a good sailor can avoid them. This storm sounds like what a tornado is to us; a slap of terror coming out of nowhere.
I'm from Cleve. Great Lakes shipping used to be so notoriously dangerous that even the British had trouble sailing its waters. Hence the fame of Admiral Perry. I'm currently writing a book about James Garfield. Apparently, Lake Erie could also be ferocious and when a sixteen year old Garfield came to the port in Cleveland looking to become a merchant marine, the captains of all the boats refused to hire him because they took pity on him. Instead, he got a job as a flatboatsman on a barge on the Ohio and Erie Canal connecting Akron to the mouth of the Cuyahoga River near Lake Erie and nearly drowned after only a week. Canals are dangerous things too.
Yes thank you very much for sharing my only memories are the Gordon Lightfoot song and researching it afterward so I would learn more about these brave men. My prayers go out to everyone of them!
Mark Young .......my sincerest condolences. I was 18 when this happened and have always loved Gordon’s song. But I simply can’t hold back the tears when the names and photos roll here, it makes things so “real”, it’s truly heartbreaking. As long as we have the music, be assured thanks to this beautiful tribute, these brave souls will always be remembered. Rest In Peace.
That's so sad and I agree how could anyone dislike to the tribute for the big Fitz and her crew RIP crew of the Big Fitz .I'm a retired 25 years veteran on the great lakes and the Atlantic .I've literally like ved thru a number of storms on the lakes .I've seen a few 30-35 footers on lake superior .it is truly scary
My dad was a Coast Guard SAR Officer when this happened, it was my 12th birthday and he got the call, said “son I’m sorry” and ran out the house, later that next morning I told him I was proud of him, and that I understood his duty to those in peril on the Great Lakes came first and foremost. I joined the Coast Guard myself after high school, 22 years.
When you find yourself in a sudden storm, your engine dies, and you and your friends are bailing with anything that will hold water, you will never know the relief of that perfect white hull looming out of the storm, and swooping in to save you. Those men, most of whom were the same age of us, risking their lives to come save us. Thank you JasonFireRescue and all your brothers who were the Angels in the White Hull that came to save us that day, and all the other who needed you.
I am sure you didn't understand why Dad wasn't there for birthday and made him feel not guilty...however you understood what you didn't really understand but you knew it was more important than your birthday... I know that because you joined Coast Guard and actions speak louder than words... I was in shipping and public really have no idea... This song is so important to realize what people do to support commerce... RIP...Never forget
I'm a 23 year old Canadian guy and have been getting into great Canadian folk music and this has actually made me shed a tear out of respect for the brave men that have fallen doing the jobs we take for granted. Rest in piece to the 29 who where claimed by the sea
Of all the "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" videos on here, this one is the best. The way it interpolates the radio conversations and the news broadcasts is spine-tingling. And the clips of the Fitz, from her launching all the way to the CURV underwater photos are perfect. And the photos of the crew at the end really bring to life the fact that this isn't just a song, these are real people, with real heartbroken families. Thank you for doing this.
I was there, part of the search for the Fitz - she was beautiful - - Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard sent us home, afraid of losing the wooden Navy Patrol Boats - - the weather was just unreal - - G-d Bless those brave men, just doing there job on the 10th of November 1975.
Stopping by to pay my annual respects. Thank you, Gordon Lightfoot, for this song that has stayed in my heart since my youth, and thank you to Joseph Fulton for this tribute to the 29 men who died 42 years ago today. RIP to each of you.
Stopped by again tonight to honor these men who died 45 years ago. I was lucky to see the bell at the Whitefish Point lighthouse several years ago. The sight of it brought me to tears. May they rest in peace.
I was just up at Whitfish Point again this past weekend to pay my respects to all 29 men from the Fitz and all that have lost their lives to Lake Superior
As much a I love this tribute song, the images of the men, and all their names, got to me in a way I wasn't expecting. Lightfoot is a true storyteller.
My husband loves this song. He has read everything possible in regards to the Edmund Fitzgerald. Song gives chills. Rest In Peace to the 29 souls who lost there life that day.
I agree with everyone's praises of Gord's genius to be able to turn a shipwreck into a legend, but this video is genius in itself. It is absolutely the perfect tribute to the crews and families of the Big Fitz and only enhances the haunting beauty of the song.
With all of the crap that TH-cam does to its creators, this *THIS* is what it should be about. This video should be put into a museum, done this way, the exact way you've done it. On every anniversary, I send it to people that I know, because this is the BEST version. Hell, man, I found this one, because our local radio station used it.
I'm a 3rd grade ESL teacher. One of the "big books" (lots of pictures, simple sentences) in our library is about the Edmund Fitzgerald. I found this video and shared it, it's now a part of the curriculum.
Today, Gordon Lightfast joins those 29 souls he wrote, sang and paid tribute to so eloquently almost 50 years ago. May he rest in peace, knowing that he enriched our lives with his exquisite story-telling and music.
When he passed away, the cathedral he sang about in the last verse rang the bell 30 times- 29 for the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and 1 for Gordon Lightfoot. May he indeed RIP.
I was deckboss on the Arctic Rose before she sunk with all hands......I knew the boat was unstable, and destined to roll over.This song.......unlike any other....has captured the emotions of all of us, who have lost friends, co-workers and loved onesbe it, the Great Lakes, the Bering Sea or the Grand Banks. We share a common thread.
This is one of the best videos of The Edmund and it's Crew that I have seen. I live in Minnesota and my Husband grew up in Duluth. I have seen many of the ore ships returning and leaving port. Some are quite large and very heavy. I always find myself thinking about The Edmund and it's crew. Duluth has an exhibit of The Edmund with pictures, artifacts and re-created parts of the ship. Entry is free. I have a great respect for Lake Superior. It has claimed so many lives over the years. On a rough day when waves are crashing over her banks, she has been known to grab spectators who unknowingly get to close to the lake's power. Like the song says, "She never gives up her dead" is very true. People who have gotten dragged in on those rough days usually are never seen again. It's like Superior just swallows whoever or whatever she claims. On her quiet days you can see for miles. People are out in the bay that swim, boat, surf and sail. The view is stunning. Lake Superior is the largest, coldest and deepest of all the Great Lakes. I feel so blessed to be able to experience something so powerful yet so beautiful so close to my home. If you are ever in Duluth, hopefully on a nice Spring day, you should stop into the Bay Area to see The Lake and visit the Maritime Museum where The Edmund Exhibit will give you even more insight into Gordon Lightfoot's ballad, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Be sure while you tour the exhibit to pay your respects to the Captain, Crew and the Families of "The Fitz."
47 years later.. here I am, in my backyard with a fire going, and a 12 pack of Edmund Fitzgerald Porter on ice just vibing along to Gordon Lightfoot telling this story. And I have no personal connection to The Fitz or any of the crew, but shit, everytime I hear this song, I cry. And I'm not at all embarrassed to admit that. The story of The Edmund Fitzgerald just seriously hits different. RIP to the 29 men who didn't get to come home on this day, and to every person who has been lost at sea and much love and respect to all their families.
It is a sad day. This is a tough, haunting song to listen to. You have empathy for these men and their families. For me, I am very sad that these men lost their lives so quickly. The ship evidently went down so quickly that Captain McSorely couldn' call May day and the rest of the men didn't know what hit them, unless they heard the ship tearing herself apart. Awful
I also think about them every 9-10th of November. so sad. I tend to get weepy during the entire month of April , especially during the five days of the 10th through the 15th, particularly the 14th an 15th. I don't think I have to mention her name.
To the 1.1k that gave this thumbs down, this isn't about the song and whether you like it or not! Its remembering 29 lost lives. I don't know how people can be so soulless
Yeah, this is still #1 on my list. Gotta give a big thanks to my mom who just passed away. The Fitz went down in 75, Lightfoot came out with his tribute in 76, and I sailed up and into the Bering Sea in 77. My mom saw the ad for deckhands in a local paper, and wasn't going to tell me....then her dad (my grandpa) said "You have to tell him, it's his dream." My mom was scared to death but told me. I got the job, and sailed up there....but on the way back, after the season was over, the boat sank near Cordova, AK!! I had flown home earlier (fortunately the crew all got off the 180' ship). I did not tell my mom for years afterward.....Thanks, Mom, for helping me out, all those years. I will never forget you.....
This is the most heartfelt, touching, story song, ever produced by anyone in the music business, God Bless the 29 lives lost on the ship, and God Bless You Gordon!
This has to be the kindest and most respectful comment section I've ever seen. And this song remembering 29 lost souls is very deserving of it. Thank you all for restoring my faith that we can be kind and respectful.
Years ago, I went to 1000 lakes NY. I was having lunch at a friends vacation home right off the lake. When all of the sudden I turned left, looked out the window and saw an ore freighter making her way north. My first thought was this song and my heart sank as I realized men died doing a job for which most of us take for granted. Shipping on the lakes is absolutely dangerous during the storms. Ships are tossed about like toys in a large bath tub. Yet, these brave men sign on to do a job few of us would ever do. Brave men all. "What the sea hath taken, the sea shall give back" God rest the souls of all those lost on lake superior.........
+Stacy Krausmann Well said. It made me cry. I rarely have a reaction like this but this blew me away. Brave men. We have no idea what they go up against.
Joseph, this is one of the best videos on TH-cam. Great job of matching the scenes and voice tracks to the music. Wonderful. I watch this every year, in November.
I can't believe that the guy who wrote and sung this song died two days ago. He made such great songs including this one. You'll be missed Gordon Lightfoot.
Sheesh man I burst into tears when I saw the footage of this great ship sailing across the sea! I absolutely cannot believe or accept that she went down..what a beautiful boat! 29 hard working men only wanting a better life went with her! What a very very sad story!
I was born and raised in Minneapolis. I was 11 years old when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. It was surprisingly personal to me and my family because my parents loved "the North Shore" as they called it (meaning every mile between Duluth and the Canadian border) and so our family vacations and getaways usually involved Lake Superior. So even before age 10 Lake Superior was already a special place to me ... spiritual before I knew what that meant. I wouldn't see or feel either Ocean until my late 20s so Superior truly was that for me. I spent so much time in or near Lake Superior before and after 1975 that the Fitzgerald wreck felt like a family tragedy. And then Gordon Lightfoot's powerfully haunting & moving ballad drove it even deeper. I am in awe of all who have commented here over the years remembering and honoring the 29 men who perished, and their families. I applaud Mr Fulton for creating and posting this video because he includes the names, ages, jobs, hometowns and photos of the crew ... and all the film footage and audio (I wish & wonder if this video could somehow be "remastered" in HD for posterity). I'm moved by all the supportive, affirming comments and personal experiences shared in this comment section. What a wonderful tribute and honor to the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald and their families.
My favorite version of this song on TH-cam. The news report at the beginning, and tapes of the captain on the ship following, really bring back and personalize this story. The photos of the crew also personalize it. An excellent video and memorial.
yessss!! I was a wee little eight-year-old when this happened, but this version is the best..... video gives the faces to the names, and hearing the radio transmissions makes it so much more real
For those of you that haven't seen it....Lake Superior easily beats the North Atlantic in late October and all of November. Both in wave height, wind, and general stormy waters. You have to see it to believe it. I've seen both. Superior didn't get its name on chance.
Its not lip service. When the gales come, you're talking 80+MPH winds and 30-40 foot swells on Lake Superior. Highest recorded is 51 feet near Whitefish point where the Fitzgerald was going to port. It's no joke. The most seasoned Mariner would think twice before sailing between oct-nov on Superior.
Lol ok buddy. The Atlantic has had recorded wave heights of over 100 feet. Those "huge" Lake Superior waves are a normal occurrence for ocean freighters and freighters in the Gulf of Mexico.
I don't need to see the "Grate" Lakes. Its common knowledge that saltwater environments are way more violent, brutal, deadly than any freshwater lake and experience way heavier seas and stronger storms on a regular basis. In fact, this song was made because it was such an unusual event for a freighter to sink on a lake. On the ocean and in the Gulf of Mexico, its nothing out of the ordinary.
Here I am, a child of the Great Lakes, watching a terrific storm 7,000 miles away, on the Black Sea. I cannot imagine a more auspicious night for the eve of the anniversary, that every year we acknowledge, no matter where we are on the planet. This will always always be my connection to my pops, and when I hear this beautiful ballad I’m instantly transported to my childhood, seeing my dad pointing out to where it happened, and telling the story, and the awe I felt. I cannot express my love of this song with words. I’d love to have it played when some of my ashes are scattered upon those beautiful lakes..
Just got done watching the documentary on The Fitz the Discovery channel did back in 1995. I got choked up when they rang the bell for all the men who died on the ship. Rest in peace to all the 29 men who passed on that day. And a big thank you to the men on the Arthur M. Anderson and William Clay Ford for going back out in that horrible storm to find any survivors. God bless.
I was in high school and the principle came over the pa and asked that we stop our activities for a moment of prayer and silence for the men of the Fitzgerald.
One of the most touching and special videos on TH-cam. Aside from the phenomenal songwriting of Gordon Lightfoot, the footage interspersed with actual radio transmissions, the news announcement by the late distinguished Harry Reasoner, and reports from the final communications and contacts, as a listener and viewer this is truly captivating and stirring. Thank you and bless you for posting it.
46 years ago tonight, the vessel Edmund Fitzgerald capsized on Lake Superior. May the 29 souls that perished on that cold fateful night rest in eternal peace.
Lake Erie echoing the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy today so far as weather. My grandfather was an iron boat captain and from a young age I can remember my grandmother telling tales of her worries about the Witch of November.
An amazing song The ship went down on my 16th birthday..Edmund Fitzgerald..... Nov 10 1975 The day I turned 16 years old November, the water was cold There are twenty-Nine men We will see not again The way that their fate would unfold The Edmond Fitzgerald went down And 29 people did drown And on the Great Lakes They just say "That's the breaks" But it's usually said with a frown The videos accompanying this song is incredibly interesting..
WOW! I thought this shipwreck was older. I too was 16 but being 16 and on the west coast I don't remember the news about it. Sad! Always loved this song. Do you remember hearing the news about it?
Excellent song and ode to the men who lost their lives. Thanks so much to Gordon for immortalizing the wreck and all that were aboard. Good man and great music. He arranged and performed a song about something significant! God Bless.
When I was a kid in first grade, my Father took me on a trip aboard a car ferry on Lake Superior. I was only about six or seven; but I remember how big the lake was and how much it seemed to be as big as an ocean. After spending 27 years in the Navy, I've seen some really bad weather at sea and after doing some research understand just how bad the weather can get on Lake Superior. RIP, shipmates of the Edmund Fitzgerald!
I joined the Navy in June of 1976, and left it, in June 1996. On a small destroyer, I saw the bow nose dive into the sea off Cape Hatteras, the stern awash with water. And the safest way of getting from the bridge to the ship's helo deck, to stand stern watch, was to crawl on your hands and knees across the asroc deck. Because the ship was rocking back and forth at near 45 degree angles. But as bad as those storms were, they couldn't measure up to a winter storm on the Great Lakes. The Lakes, are considered, inland seas and deserving of respect. Just as are the sailors sailing the lakes today are. As Mr. Carter said, RIP, shipmates of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
I joined the Army in 1966 and was Discharged in 1971 due to a Grenade tore up most of my stomach. I grew up in the Northern Michigan near Whitefish bay. That Night of 1975 It was so Stormy, raining, my TV connection was going in and out, and it was utter shock when I heard about when i drove to work on the Radio. I know it is rough on Lake Superior, because i worked on the Fitzgerald for two years after my Discharge. I had served under the Captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Ernest McSorley, till 1973, then I finally managed to get a Job back home in Sault Ste Marie that was Safer so I could be with my Wife and kids. I miss my shipmates some of them were young men, other were Old and weathered sailors, but All in all a Good Bunch of Guys, that Route they did, I did it a few times, and there were times when I had prepared myself to die Lake Superior is a Dangerous Place, and as the Song the lake never gives up her dead. Rest in peace my old Shipmates.
Fenton Hardy I for one, salute, and thank you for your service. There a number of people who having never seen any of the Great Lakes, have no idea of the ferocity of winter storms on the Lakes. Technically, inland fresh water seas. We had it rough transiting Cape Hatteras on a small destroyer on one occasion, the ship acting like a submarine when the bow took a dive under a wave, the water washing over the fantail, and one practically able to walk on the interior bulkheads when the ship leaned over in either direction.
+Thomas Nessman Thomas that must've been a harrowing experience, I remember back in November 1972 Three years before the Fitzgerald went down, The bow was nearly Submerged, I was tired, the waves were at least 30-40 feet high. The storm was raging, thunder and lighting, and rain like you'd never believe, it was a hurricanelike storm. But through the night we soldiered on and made it to Sault Ste Marie. Sadly the Fitzgerald didn't make it in '75. I am glad to speak to a Navy man thank you for your service. Those who served their country no matter in what Capacity deserve to be honored. Take care Thomas. A salute From one soldier to another.
Fenton Hardy /Users/thomasnessman/Desktop/DD871-clr.jpg There's a picture of the Damato in the link here.To the port and starboard sides of the bridge, on the bridge wings as they were called, stood the lookouts. Someone in the enclosed bridge, would yell, wave, as a warning to the lookouts, because the bow was taking a wave and that wave would drench the lookouts if they were caught off guard. Toward the rear of the ship, aft of the asroc launcher, was the helo hangar. When changing watch stations, it was safer, to crawl on your hands and knees across the asroc deck to get to the aft lookout position. Lest you be swept over the side. There was an exhaust fan duct that we sat on to watch the stern, and keep an eye on the light at the stern. You could watch the waves break over the fantail. And be glad, that you weren't down there at the time.
My Grandfather was Captain of an ore freighter on the Great Lakes. His boat was the Emory L. Ford. This is the best version of this song on TH-cam, with great true footage. My Grandfather I think was retired when this song came out, but I am certain both the incident and the song chilled him as it does so many others.
I feel this song and tribute in my bones. My grandfather was an iron boat captain and from a young age I can remember my grandmother telling tales of her worries about the Witch of November.
My grandparents legally adopted me and raised me. My grandpa was a cook in the Coast Guard for 29 years. The line, "When suppertime came the ol' cook came on deck sayin' 'Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya.' At 7:00 pm, the main hatchway gave in. He said, 'Fellas, it's been good to know ya.'"... That line especially gets to me. 💔
Paying my annual respects by posting the links of this video all over various social media platforms. In my mind this is THE video for this song. I love all the effort you put into it !
Being a Michigan person. I’m 15, the first time I heard this song I was on a camping trip with my family in Traverse City probably back when I was 7 or 8 years old. We were in the car. This song was on the radio. All the sudden I break out in tears and emotion. I never thought anyone could have a reaction to a song so strongly. As I got older I became more attached to this song and some of Gordon’s other songs.
Showed this today to my 7/8 grade choir as a part of history of this date, and they sat SILENT through the entire thing. Was pretty cool to see that Gordon Lightfoot did that 45 years later to a bunch of middle schoolers!!!
@@kygunworks4982 " Those who do not learn from History... are condemned to repeat it. " I'm heartened to hear that your students understand the tragedy of that sad day. BTW -the reporter was Harry Reasoner of ABC News.
Big Fitz will never forgotten nor her crew and Captain Mcsorly and most importantly Captain Bernie Cooper, I am from Toledo, Ohio and we are known for Big Fitz coming to our city, Fitz was nicknamed "Toledo Express" Long Live Fitzgerald
I used to live on Summit Street and had a front row seat to the freighters headed to the silos. My grandfather was an iron boat captain, the Emory L. Ford so this song and especially this great video hit home. 💔
This is my favorite video on TH-cam. I've watched it dozens of times and it never gets old. All the work that went into getting all these photographs and shipwreck footage of the Edmund Fitgerald, plus the radio exchange between the two ships in the EF vicinity when it went down is eerie and chilling. They play a roll call at the end with the names and pictures of all the crew on board, awesome. Thank you for this masterpiece, Joeph Fulton!
I'll always think of my father when I hear this song. A truly great number that strikes to the core. Now, my son I shall also think of--as, like his grandfather, loves to listen to this tune over and over.
I remember the first time I heard this song. I was probably 10 (1980), and I was trying to go to sleep listening to a now defunct FM pop station in Atlanta. I remember the DJ's name...Betsy Bean...and she really liked John Lennon. Anyway, I remember even at that young age, the tune was haunting to me and the line "it's been good to know ya" just really gave me the chills. So sorry for the family's that lost loved ones under such circumstances.
I grew up along the south shores of Lake Michigan although I've now lived in the desert for more than half my life. But in 1992 my husband & I went back to "the Region" which was what the locals called Northwest Indiana and included Hammond, Gary, East Chicago, Highland, Munster, and Griffith to visit some of my husband's family who all still lived in the area. We loved road trips, so while we were there we took a trip to the northernmost part of Lake Superior and also spent time in a little cabin on Lake Erie where the beach was 3 feet deep with some kind of sea shells. I remember thinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald as we crossed the bridge that on one side was Lake Michigan and the other was Lake Superior. Now the song will forever remind me of those road trips that Ronald & I had taken.
I heard this song for the very first time at the age of 16. I had just returned home from the funeral of my father, a sailor. He had died quite young. I can't hear this song without remembering that day. I know this song is intended to memorialize this particular disaster, but it is difficult to hear this song and not think of all men who go down to sea in ships.
Thanks for the song. I was a sophomore in High School when the Fitzgerald sank. I remember Gordon Lightfoot donated the proceeds from this song to the families of the sailors.
Another good guy for donating the proceeds to help the families was note worthy to mention that one and God Bless for helping others ...Gordon Lightfoot!
Yes Dan, he did donate the proceeds from this song! The families still can't figure out how to split up $3.17 amongst all the families of the victims. Class act.
Let us keep these men and families in our prayers. It has been 45 years since this fateful night. Kind of eerie we are in for a bad storm tonight in northwest Wisconsin ( by superior)...
I live about a 30 min drive from where it sank.. it is still talked about and remembered heavily here by many different generations! I even have a beautiful painting of that night hanging on my wall. R.I.P. Never forget.
RIP, Gordon Lightfoot. This is my favourite video of this song because it has the actual broadcast when she was first lost, wreckage footage and honouring all of the hands lost. I still love the song today
In Typical Canadian Fashion-Lightfoot managed to make the song Boring. I was on vacation in Miami with my parents and a Tour Group. One man had lost his Son on that ship.
I watch this video somewhat often, but always on the anniversary. The footage is incredible and really helps tell the story better than any other video on YT. Thank you and God Bless, and may God have mercy on us all.
Yes, i totally agree about telling the story the best. The vid with the lyrics is good and has more views (tho 12 mil for this one ain't shabby), but this video, IMO, is the Gold Standard. Plus i'm sure it took some time and effort to put together the video and still clips....
RomanCitizen3 I think what he means is that when you live through the sheer terror of an experience like this that time slows down and a few minutes seems like hours as you are fighting for your life. Also, it must feel like you are abandoned by God when you know that you are going to die a horrible death and no one or nothing is going to save you.
Mr. Gordon Meridath Lightfoot always has a tenedacy to write both good lines to music and perform them to touch your heart and soul. The man is truly amazing.
its sensationalism. after all after their ship went down the crew was dead within minutes. I doesn't take hours to die from hypothermia and/or drowning.
The greatest "Story telling Song" of all time....This song must have been like a storm in Gordon's mind until he got it out and on paper...This song is one in a million....Songs with this power are very rare...The inspiration has to be as big as the ship itself....
If you have never stood on Lake Superior's shore or braved her mighty waves you'll never understand the power and Vastness of such a beautiful and powerful water.
What may be the best way to understand this vessel’s sinking is a combination of seeing lake boats in person, and having survived a major storm on one of the lakes. I have no desire to be on another boat on those lakes ever and retired far from the water.
I grew up and lived in downstate Illinois when this happened and when this song came out, and I really didn't grasp that this happened to a modern ship on the great lakes until much later - thought the song was about an old wooden ship, because I didn't realize the great lakes could get so fierce. Now I share it every Nov 10th.
After 42 years this story will just not let me go. I still read everything I can get my hands on about this ship, trying to pin down exactly what happened on that horrible night. I hope someday I find the answer.
This happened 20 days before my 17th birthday. When I saw it on tv news I just froze in horror. It made me realize that life is not to be taken for granted. I felt so sorry and heart broken for all those men on the Fitz., and their families. May God continue to give them peace now and forever. Rest In Peace to all of the men of the mighty Fitz.
i just want to comment that this is the best version of this video/song. in my opinion. good video good old footage. thank you.....i really love it. 42 years ago.
This is the most hauntingly beautiful film to accompany Gordon Lightfoot's song. Unless you're made of stone, it will make you cry. Canadians love Americans; we salute your successes and we weep for your tragedies. Thank you, Joseph Fulton, for this masterful film. This song is part of Canadian culture, and this film should be too. And it's part of the Canadian narrative - we stand with Americans, proudly, as best friends.
A tear comes to my eye with the first few notes of this perfectly crafted masterpiece.I spent 17 years riding out to Oil Rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, in 20 ft waves, in smaller vessels, let me just say, there is no greater test of faith, and endurance than 9 hrs of 20 ft seas in a 100 foot long crewboat.
I live in "some mill in Wisconsin" I was 13 when it happened and clearly remember. Here, the Great Lakes fleet is a part of your life. You see the ships every day. We are also the world's largest 'natural' port. Some of the loneliest sounds on earth, IMO, are the bells and fog horns on the lake. The Ojibwe called the lake, gitchi-gami it means, 'be a great sea' Longfellow wrote it as Gitche Gumee, in Song Of Hiawatha. So did Lightfoot in this song. Other sources say it's Ojibwe gichigami. We used to have a Gitchi Gami club around here. Any way you say it, it's the greatest of the Great Lakes.
+Gerald Villani as a Wisconsinite, she probably is talking about Superior WI (right by Duluth.) Wisconsin produces loads of iron and Superior was a popular port of call for the fitz.
+Kirby Lawlis thanks. I live in cleveland, where it was bound. We have a few bars and restaurants that line the Cuyahoga river, which the freighters wind thru to deliver their ore to the steel plants. Its not a wide river, only one tanker can go thru at a time. They are literally 20 feet from your table on the waters edge. Their massiveness is quite apparant as they glide by. The crew is usually all outside on summer nights and everyone waves in excitement.
It was on my and my hubby's bucket list to see Mr. Lightfoot sing this live. Finally got to a few years back on his fiftieth anniversary tour.. thankyou, Mr. Lightfoot for the music and the memories. You, sir, are admired and loved.
This song never fails to move me. Lightfoot interprets this catastrophe spot-on. His voice, the music and lyrics capture everything perfectly. I'm even trying to ASL-interpret it because it inspires me that much, but boy, is that a tall order. A lot of initializing and finger-spelling, to be sure, but if I can pull it off, I hope it just becomes another different interpretation of this wonderful song. Thanks to Gordon Lightfoot for this wonderful tribute to these brave men. R.I.P. all of them.
November the 10th, 1975. I had just turned 10 years old the day before. I've been on the Great Lakes, and had seen the ore carriers.....it's almost unreal that something that huge could float. I was sitting in the living room watching the evening news, when this very newscast came on. I'll never forget it as long as I live.....the way my father and grandfather went white, the room suddenly went cold......I could feel instantly that something horrible had happened. This song began playing in the year after the event, and my father would stop anything he was doing, and listen with his eyes closed....it was almost like a religious service as he prayed for the men who died that night. I love the way Captain Bernie Coppers actual radio transmissions from that night are included...it gives the feeling of standing next to him on the Arthur Anderson, looking in vain and horror for the vanished Big Fitz...... RIP to 29 wonderful men, and thank you to Gordon Lightfoot for immortalizing the 2nd most investigated shipwreck in history......
I was singing at a Dallas night club where Gordon was the main event for the weekend. He had recently released the song and did it on stage that first night. The place was absolutely silent after he finished. Tears welled up in people's eyes. It was quite important to those of us who had heard it on the radio a few days before.
The Titanic of the Great Lakes. Doesn't matter if it's a 700-foot ore ship in the 1970s with modern radar or an 800-foot steel ship built in 1912, Mother Nature will find a way to triumph over man's creations, sadly at the expense of innocent people.
The one word I think of is "haunting." The story of the incident is extremely sad. And then, just when disco music is taking-off, Gordon Fitzgerald releases this equally-haunting song. You would hear it on your car radio, and you got transfixed. I am glad he is still performing. I am sure fans ask him to sing it. Music doesn't sound like this anymore.
I was a teenager in Upstate New York living near Lake Ontario when she went down. This is the most haunting song without a doubt. I listen to it every once in a while and always feel a strong sense of sadness for those men and their families. Rest in Peace.
Just watched a video of the Arthur M Anderson pulling into Duluth this past Tuesday, November 10. Can’t help it, but hearing it blow the formal salute choked me up. As a southerner, I’m amazed how hearty the folks are up there...give me the heat and humidity any day...I’d rather be anything but cold. The thermometer in the video said it was 26F, and the snow was blowing sideways. I drove from ATL to Raleigh one night in the snow. I think a 5.5 hr trip took 9 hrs...not hard, just had to be patient. Ice is another thing altogether. Anyway, this song has haunted me since I first heard it when I was 8...1978. Just a great song and tribute to the men who died.
This song isn’t only a tribute to the 29 sailors but to men of industry who’ve paid an ultimate price in pursuit of livelihood.
Our country was built and is being maintained by men like these and we lose some from time to time.
Songs like this are very cathartic when remembering refinery workers lost to explosions, miners who are trapped and road workers struck by vehicles to name a few.
We all expect to come home from work each day and enjoy the fruits of our labors.
This song pays homage to anyone lost at work.
Well said. And let me add the dozen or so railroaders who perish every year working an essential yet thankless job for carries who can't be bothered to care. All work is noble, some of it comes with risks. As I get older, the less I think about prestige and high profile well paying mainstream work. Feeding your family, putting your kids through school...etc is worthy of praise, whatever it is that you do. Like in the military, you fight and die not for the flag or country, but for the guy next to you. In life you toil away for the ones you love.
And why every day we should push for higher safety standards and bring to account all those disregarding the laws designed to protect workers. In my time and my time as a delegate have borne witness to enough deaths of young guys and older men weeks off retirement. Best it stops, not to distract from the message and tribute this song makes. Well said and also well said MichLo3
As well as the thousands of merchant sailors in both world wars may we never forget the sacrifice they have made
L
And sadly many people today dont respect these people
I was stationed at Sault Ste. Marie, MI in the U.S. Coast Guard. I was on duty that night in Captain of the Port. The winds that day were unreal, 90 miles an hour. 35 foot seas. The captain of the Arthur M. Anderson, another lake freighter, radioed that he had lost sight of the Fitzgerald, said that it should have passed within a mile of him. He said that a wave crest came up and when it went down they saw nothing, no more lights. I remember the Officer of the Day saying, "I think we lost a ship" This kind of thing didn't happen. I feel a sadness as I write this, remembering. It brings a tear to my eye.
Glen Bernhardt thank you for sharing your story
Salute to you, Sir. Something like that never leaves you.
Thanks for sharing. As a child of the Florida Gulf Coast, I can never imagine this kind of horror happening. Hurricanes tell you when they're coming, and usually a good sailor can avoid them. This storm sounds like what a tornado is to us; a slap of terror coming out of nowhere.
I'm from Cleve. Great Lakes shipping used to be so notoriously dangerous that even the British had trouble sailing its waters. Hence the fame of Admiral Perry. I'm currently writing a book about James Garfield. Apparently, Lake Erie could also be ferocious and when a sixteen year old Garfield came to the port in Cleveland looking to become a merchant marine, the captains of all the boats refused to hire him because they took pity on him. Instead, he got a job as a flatboatsman on a barge on the Ohio and Erie Canal connecting Akron to the mouth of the Cuyahoga River near Lake Erie and nearly drowned after only a week. Canals are dangerous things too.
Yes thank you very much for sharing my only memories are the Gordon Lightfoot song and researching it afterward so I would learn more about these brave men. My prayers go out to everyone of them!
Thank you for compiling this. My Uncle Bill Spengler went down with the Big Fitz. It's nice to know that he and that fine crew are remembered.
They will always be remembered never forgotten.
May they truly Rest In Peace....
Mark Young .......my sincerest condolences. I was 18 when this happened and have always loved Gordon’s song. But I simply can’t hold back the tears when the names and photos roll here, it makes things so “real”, it’s truly heartbreaking. As long as we have the music, be assured thanks to this beautiful tribute, these brave souls will always be remembered. Rest In Peace.
I guys u and me mark are going to be good friends
God bless your uncle Mark. He went down a brave man. And will never be forgotten!!
1100 people disliked this video.....why? How could you possibly dislike this beautiful tribute to the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald?
That's so sad and I agree how could anyone dislike to the tribute for the big Fitz and her crew RIP crew of the Big Fitz .I'm a retired 25 years veteran on the great lakes and the Atlantic .I've literally like ved thru a number of storms on the lakes .I've seen a few 30-35 footers on lake superior .it is truly scary
Angry souls dislike this beautiful tribute 😢
I just like to think that those people misclicked and meant to like the video...
They no longer count "dislikes" and I am so glad!
Perhaps "people" did not do the disliking...non-inspiration is sold most, these days, by the sick ones...
My dad was a Coast Guard SAR Officer when this happened, it was my 12th birthday and he got the call, said “son I’m sorry” and ran out the house, later that next morning I told him I was proud of him, and that I understood his duty to those in peril on the Great Lakes came first and foremost.
I joined the Coast Guard myself after high school, 22 years.
When you find yourself in a sudden storm, your engine dies, and you and your friends are bailing with anything that will hold water, you will never know the relief of that perfect white hull looming out of the storm, and swooping in to save you. Those men, most of whom were the same age of us, risking their lives to come save us. Thank you JasonFireRescue and all your brothers who were the Angels in the White Hull that came to save us that day, and all the other who needed you.
You are good son.
Thank you for all your sacrifices and service. 🇺🇸
I am sure you didn't understand why Dad wasn't there for birthday and made him feel not guilty...however you understood what you didn't really understand but you knew it was more important than your birthday...
I know that because you joined Coast Guard and actions speak louder than words...
I was in shipping and public really have no idea...
This song is so important to realize what people do to support commerce...
RIP...Never forget
Thank you both for your service!
I'm a 23 year old Canadian guy and have been getting into great Canadian folk music and this has actually made me shed a tear out of respect for the brave men that have fallen doing the jobs we take for granted. Rest in piece to the 29 who where claimed by the sea
Of all the "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" videos on here, this one is the best. The way it interpolates the radio conversations and the news broadcasts is spine-tingling. And the clips of the Fitz, from her launching all the way to the CURV underwater photos are perfect. And the photos of the crew at the end really bring to life the fact that this isn't just a song, these are real people, with real heartbroken families. Thank you for doing this.
The radio transmissions from the Arthur m Anderson make it so much more real. If that makes sense.
Agreed.
Zzzzz yawn.
@Roy Jones thank you! You made my day.
@@denisemarythompson1492 this video is one of the best on youtube.
Still sends chills down my spine when i hear this song. God bless those 29 men!
I was born a month and 8 days later gives me chills every time
That part that gets me is howw it goes video of it sailing and then it goes underwater vedio
Brilliant. Haunting. Rhythmic..eternal
Yup
It Still gives me goose bumps
I was there, part of the search for the Fitz - she was beautiful - - Canadian and U.S. Coast Guard sent us home, afraid of losing the wooden Navy Patrol Boats - - the weather was just unreal - - G-d Bless those brave men, just doing there job on the 10th of November 1975.
Carolingians Questioning God bless you too
God Bless You!
God bless u breve people
god speed
Rest in Peace Gordon Lightfoot. Passed away Today, May 1, 2023 at age 84. This song was his masterpiece
He died 13 days before my 15th birthday, rest in peace Gordon
😢They rang the bell 30 times this year. What an international treasure this man was.
it sure was
@@skeeterinnewjersey5256they did???
RIP😢
Stopping by to pay my annual respects. Thank you, Gordon Lightfoot, for this song that has stayed in my heart since my youth, and thank you to Joseph Fulton for this tribute to the 29 men who died 42 years ago today. RIP to each of you.
Sad how her voice is horrible now
Stopped by again tonight to honor these men who died 45 years ago. I was lucky to see the bell at the Whitefish Point lighthouse several years ago. The sight of it brought me to tears. May they rest in peace.
I’m not religious but god bless you ❤️
I was just up at Whitfish Point again this past weekend to pay my respects to all 29 men from the Fitz and all that have lost their lives to Lake Superior
We went to Michigan a few years ago with the sole intention of seeing the bell. So haunting.
This is not a song, it is a ballad of tradition and bravery for sailors. Awesome piece of work when music was music with feeling.
in away it's both a ballad and a song dedicated too the e.f
david cox yes! It will always stir up emotion in me
uh, ballads are songs. dumb ass
@@peterf.229 okay, shitbag
Beautiful words
As much a I love this tribute song, the images of the men, and all their names, got to me in a way I wasn't expecting. Lightfoot is a true storyteller.
Hmmm! That's odd indeed!
The song. Is. Sad. Icry. Every. Time. I. Here. I. It. Forty five. Y RS. Iv. Been herring. It
My husband loves this song. He has read everything possible in regards to the Edmund Fitzgerald. Song gives chills. Rest In Peace to the 29 souls who lost there life that day.
I also have always liked this song.
I love that when Gordon Lightfoot died, on May 1, 2023, the bells rang 29 times for the sailors plus one more for Lightfoot.
Actually two times more...one for everyone lost on Superior over the years along with one for Lightfoot
See there bud it’s one for Gordon and the boys of the eddy fitz every ship before that sank before you parents misplaced their seamen and made you
I agree with everyone's praises of Gord's genius to be able to turn a shipwreck into a legend, but this video is genius in itself. It is absolutely the perfect tribute to the crews and families of the Big Fitz and only enhances the haunting beauty of the song.
Bob Mchugh video is INDEED genius in itself.
It really is excellent, using the studio version would have made it perfect.
So well said
They just don't write 'em like that anymore. Such a haunting and beautiful tribute to those men, and all who have perished at sea.
They were no longer writing historical ballads then, but Lightfoot gave himself the task of creating something unfashionable and timeless.
With all of the crap that TH-cam does to its creators, this *THIS* is what it should be about. This video should be put into a museum, done this way, the exact way you've done it. On every anniversary, I send it to people that I know, because this is the BEST version.
Hell, man, I found this one, because our local radio station used it.
I'm a 3rd grade ESL teacher. One of the "big books" (lots of pictures, simple sentences) in our library is about the Edmund Fitzgerald. I found this video and shared it, it's now a part of the curriculum.
This is def the best version. I screen recorded it so that just in case youtube tries deleting it ever for some stupid reason there will be a copy
Please don't offend the tiktokers and bikini haulers
We should all make a pact to watch this video every November 10th
Amazing footage.
Today, Gordon Lightfast joins those 29 souls he wrote, sang and paid tribute to so eloquently almost 50 years ago.
May he rest in peace, knowing that he enriched our lives with his exquisite story-telling and music.
When he passed away, the cathedral he sang about in the last verse rang the bell 30 times- 29 for the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and 1 for Gordon Lightfoot.
May he indeed RIP.
❤❤❤❤❤ spot on
❤❤❤❤
Lightfoot
They rang the ship’s bell for him tonight.
I was deckboss on the Arctic Rose before she sunk with all hands......I knew the boat was unstable, and destined to roll over.This song.......unlike any other....has captured the emotions of all of us, who have lost friends, co-workers and loved onesbe it, the Great Lakes, the Bering Sea or the Grand Banks. We share a common thread.
I saw that chronicled on the Smithsonian Channel Disaster at Sea. What a tragedy.
It even affects some of who have no personal connection to the crew other than we are all human. Or as the Natives say, "All My Relations."
This is one of the best videos of The Edmund and it's Crew that I have seen. I live in Minnesota and my Husband grew up in Duluth. I have seen many of the ore ships returning and leaving port. Some are quite large and very heavy. I always find myself thinking about The Edmund and it's crew. Duluth has an exhibit of The Edmund with pictures, artifacts and re-created parts of the ship. Entry is free. I have a great respect for Lake Superior. It has claimed so many lives over the years. On a rough day when waves are crashing over her banks, she has been known to grab spectators who unknowingly get to close to the lake's power. Like the song says, "She never gives up her dead" is very true. People who have gotten dragged in on those rough days usually are never seen again. It's like Superior just swallows whoever or whatever she claims. On her quiet days you can see for miles. People are out in the bay that swim, boat, surf and sail. The view is stunning. Lake Superior is the largest, coldest and deepest of all the Great Lakes. I feel so blessed to be able to experience something so powerful yet so beautiful so close to my home. If you are ever in Duluth, hopefully on a nice Spring day, you should stop into the Bay Area to see The Lake and visit the Maritime Museum where The Edmund Exhibit will give you even more insight into Gordon Lightfoot's ballad, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Be sure while you tour the exhibit to pay your respects to the Captain, Crew and the Families of "The Fitz."
There is something quite magical when words and music come together like this. This was indeed Gordon's magnum opus ...
47 years later.. here I am, in my backyard with a fire going, and a 12 pack of Edmund Fitzgerald Porter on ice just vibing along to Gordon Lightfoot telling this story. And I have no personal connection to The Fitz or any of the crew, but shit, everytime I hear this song, I cry. And I'm not at all embarrassed to admit that. The story of The Edmund Fitzgerald just seriously hits different. RIP to the 29 men who didn't get to come home on this day, and to every person who has been lost at sea and much love and respect to all their families.
This will always be one of those rare songs where the event, the lyrics and music come together to form something magical.
i cry for 29 men I don't even know. a beautiful song for a sad day.
edde M I think it's safe to say that we all cry for those 29 men that most of us were too young to have known and the loved ones they left behind
Sometimes there are things that just trigger
This was one for me also
Haunting
It is a sad day. This is a tough, haunting song to listen to. You have empathy for these men and their families. For me, I am very sad that these men lost their lives so quickly. The ship evidently went down so quickly that Captain McSorely couldn' call May day and the rest of the men didn't know what hit them, unless they heard the ship tearing herself apart. Awful
I also think about them every 9-10th of November. so sad. I tend to get weepy during the entire month of April , especially during the five days of the 10th through the 15th, particularly the 14th an 15th. I don't think I have to mention her name.
Me too.
i've heard this song hundreds of times and I love every time I hear it.
Same here.
To the 1.1k that gave this thumbs down, this isn't about the song and whether you like it or not! Its remembering 29 lost lives. I don't know how people can be so soulless
This song always gets me misty. A true tribute to the men who died and the homage to their memories and the ship.
Yeah, this is still #1 on my list. Gotta give a big thanks to my mom who just passed away. The Fitz went down in 75, Lightfoot came out with his tribute in 76, and I sailed up and into the Bering Sea in 77. My mom saw the ad for deckhands in a local paper, and wasn't going to tell me....then her dad (my grandpa) said "You have to tell him, it's his dream." My mom was scared to death but told me. I got the job, and sailed up there....but on the way back, after the season was over, the boat sank near Cordova, AK!! I had flown home earlier (fortunately the crew all got off the 180' ship). I did not tell my mom for years afterward.....Thanks, Mom, for helping me out, all those years. I will never forget you.....
Heavy and huge she looked unsinkable
This is the most heartfelt, touching, story song, ever produced by anyone in the music business, God Bless the 29 lives lost on the ship, and God Bless You Gordon!
Make that 30. Gordon passed away this year.
If you read the lyrics you find a very complex rhyming pattern. Gordon Lightfoot was a great song writer.
This has to be the kindest and most respectful comment section I've ever seen. And this song remembering 29 lost souls is very deserving of it. Thank you all for restoring my faith that we can be kind and respectful.
What a great heart felt tribute by Joseph Fulton .
Mr. Fulton you are an artist .
Years ago, I went to 1000 lakes NY. I was having lunch at a friends vacation home right off the lake. When all of the sudden I turned left, looked out the window and saw an ore freighter making her way north. My first thought was this song and my heart sank as I realized men died doing a job for which most of us take for granted. Shipping on the lakes is absolutely dangerous during the storms. Ships are tossed about like toys in a large bath tub. Yet, these brave men sign on to do a job few of us would ever do. Brave men all.
"What the sea hath taken, the sea shall give back"
God rest the souls of all those lost on lake superior.........
+Stacy Krausmann Very beautifully said Stacy.
+Stacy Krausmann Its the 1000 Islands and the ship would be travelling west south west.
+Stacy Krausmann Well said. It made me cry. I rarely have a reaction like this but this blew me away. Brave men. We have no idea what they go up against.
+Tonithenightowl Yeah but it's their job. Not like they're doing it for noble reasons. They accept the risk. Great true and sad song.
Ahh but how many would do so?
Joseph, this is one of the best videos on TH-cam. Great job of matching the scenes and voice tracks to the music. Wonderful. I watch this every year, in November.
I can't believe that the guy who wrote and sung this song died two days ago. He made such great songs including this one. You'll be missed Gordon Lightfoot.
Sheesh man I burst into tears when I saw the footage of this great ship sailing across the sea! I absolutely cannot believe or accept that she went down..what a beautiful boat! 29 hard working men only wanting a better life went with her! What a very very sad story!
The bodies are still down there, the waves they built their lives upon is now their tomb
I was born and raised in Minneapolis. I was 11 years old when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. It was surprisingly personal to me and my family because my parents loved "the North Shore" as they called it (meaning every mile between Duluth and the Canadian border) and so our family vacations and getaways usually involved Lake Superior. So even before age 10 Lake Superior was already a special place to me ... spiritual before I knew what that meant. I wouldn't see or feel either Ocean until my late 20s so Superior truly was that for me. I spent so much time in or near Lake Superior before and after 1975 that the Fitzgerald wreck felt like a family tragedy. And then Gordon Lightfoot's powerfully haunting & moving ballad drove it even deeper. I am in awe of all who have commented here over the years remembering and honoring the 29 men who perished, and their families. I applaud Mr Fulton for creating and posting this video because he includes the names, ages, jobs, hometowns and photos of the crew ... and all the film footage and audio (I wish & wonder if this video could somehow be "remastered" in HD for posterity). I'm moved by all the supportive, affirming comments and personal experiences shared in this comment section. What a wonderful tribute and honor to the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald and their families.
I just can't help but wonder who the 904 trolls are that dislike this absolutely haunting tribute to 29 sailors that lost their lives.My they all RIP
probably people who simply dislike folk music and/or gordon lightfoot himself.
Lee Rodriques I just don't understand how people could dislike a sing dedicated to men who lost their lives it just isn't right
either trolls or disrespectful millenials!😠
Your GODAMN right.
They disliked that the ship went down.
My favorite version of this song on TH-cam. The news report at the beginning, and tapes of the captain on the ship following, really bring back and personalize this story. The photos of the crew also personalize it. An excellent video and memorial.
yessss!! I was a wee little eight-year-old when this happened, but this version is the best..... video gives the faces to the names, and hearing the radio transmissions makes it so much more real
I was 14yo and to this day remember Harry Resoner,s news segment
For those of you that haven't seen it....Lake Superior easily beats the North Atlantic in late October and all of November. Both in wave height, wind, and general stormy waters. You have to see it to believe it. I've seen both. Superior didn't get its name on chance.
Its not lip service. When the gales come, you're talking 80+MPH winds and 30-40 foot swells on Lake Superior. Highest recorded is 51 feet near Whitefish point where the Fitzgerald was going to port. It's no joke. The most seasoned Mariner would think twice before sailing between oct-nov on Superior.
Lol ok buddy. The Atlantic has had recorded wave heights of over 100 feet. Those "huge" Lake Superior waves are a normal occurrence for ocean freighters and freighters in the Gulf of Mexico.
Apparently then you live near the ocean and have never seen the Grate Lakes.
I don't need to see the "Grate" Lakes. Its common knowledge that saltwater environments are way more violent, brutal, deadly than any freshwater lake and experience way heavier seas and stronger storms on a regular basis. In fact, this song was made because it was such an unusual event for a freighter to sink on a lake. On the ocean and in the Gulf of Mexico, its nothing out of the ordinary.
I believe you!!
One of the GREATEST songs Gorden Lightfoot put out. Very deep song - you can feel in your soul what these guys endured. 😢
Here I am, a child of the Great Lakes, watching a terrific storm 7,000 miles away, on the Black Sea.
I cannot imagine a more auspicious night for the eve of the anniversary, that every year we acknowledge, no matter where we are on the planet.
This will always always be my connection to my pops, and when I hear this beautiful ballad I’m instantly transported to my childhood, seeing my dad pointing out to where it happened, and telling the story, and the awe I felt.
I cannot express my love of this song with words.
I’d love to have it played when some of my ashes are scattered upon those beautiful lakes..
Just got done watching the documentary on The Fitz the Discovery channel did back in 1995. I got choked up when they rang the bell for all the men who died on the ship. Rest in peace to all the 29 men who passed on that day. And a big thank you to the men on the Arthur M. Anderson and William Clay Ford for going back out in that horrible storm to find any survivors. God bless.
I was in high school and the principle came over the pa and asked that we stop our activities for a moment of prayer and silence for the men of the Fitzgerald.
that's back when school still taught facts not indoctrination
Prayer????? How Politically Incorrect of him!!!!
Sennmut I'm surprised the ACLU did not sue the principal.
Principles now proubly announce the fortnite season
@@haroldlund4513 Agreed. Red scare, praising criminals, trying to force religion on people when it is a private affair... so much is better now.
One of the most touching and special videos on TH-cam. Aside from the phenomenal songwriting of Gordon Lightfoot, the footage interspersed with actual radio transmissions, the news announcement by the late distinguished Harry Reasoner, and reports from the final communications and contacts, as a listener and viewer this is truly captivating and stirring. Thank you and bless you for posting it.
I have always thought of this as a sort of anthem of the Great Lakes region. Thank you, Mr Lightfoot, for such a beautiful song.
45 years ago today.
Rest in Peace, men.
46 years ago tonight, the vessel Edmund Fitzgerald capsized on Lake Superior. May the 29 souls that perished on that cold fateful night rest in eternal peace.
The Anderson went near the spot today. Heading to Duluth.
Lake Erie echoing the Edmund Fitzgerald tragedy today so far as weather. My grandfather was an iron boat captain and from a young age I can remember my grandmother telling tales of her worries about the Witch of November.
It's not known if it capsized. Still godspeed to the 29 men on the Edmund.
@@cezarnie7631 The Anderson sound her horn as she entered Duluth just before the CAPTAIN'S SALUTE
I can miss them. I didn't know them.
An amazing song The ship went down on my 16th birthday..Edmund Fitzgerald..... Nov 10 1975
The day I turned 16 years old
November, the water was cold
There are twenty-Nine men
We will see not again
The way that their fate would unfold
The Edmond Fitzgerald went down
And 29 people did drown
And on the Great Lakes
They just say "That's the breaks"
But it's usually said with a frown
The videos accompanying this song is incredibly interesting..
I was 4 yo
WOW!
I thought this shipwreck was older.
I too was 16 but being 16 and
on the west coast I don't remember
the news about it.
Sad! Always loved this song.
Do you remember hearing the news about it?
The inclusion of original/authentic film footage and photos is impressive. Great work on such a tragic event.
Excellent song and ode to the men who lost their lives. Thanks so much to Gordon for immortalizing the wreck and all that were aboard. Good man and great music. He arranged and performed a song about something significant! God Bless.
When I was a kid in first grade, my Father took me on a trip aboard a car ferry on Lake Superior. I was only about six or seven; but I remember how big the lake was and how much it seemed to be as big as an ocean. After spending 27 years in the Navy, I've seen some really bad weather at sea and after doing some research understand just how bad the weather can get on Lake Superior. RIP, shipmates of the Edmund Fitzgerald!
I joined the Navy in June of 1976, and left it, in June 1996. On a small destroyer, I saw the bow nose dive into the sea off Cape Hatteras, the stern awash with water. And the safest way of getting from the bridge to the ship's helo deck, to stand stern watch, was to crawl on your hands and knees across the asroc deck. Because the ship was rocking back and forth at near 45 degree angles. But as bad as those storms were, they couldn't measure up to a winter storm on the Great Lakes. The Lakes, are considered, inland seas and deserving of respect. Just as are the sailors sailing the lakes today are. As Mr. Carter said, RIP, shipmates of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
I joined the Army in 1966 and was Discharged in 1971 due to a Grenade tore up most of my stomach. I grew up in the Northern Michigan near Whitefish bay. That Night of 1975 It was so Stormy, raining, my TV connection was going in and out, and it was utter shock when I heard about when i drove to work on the Radio. I know it is rough on Lake Superior, because i worked on the Fitzgerald for two years after my Discharge. I had served under the Captain of the Edmund Fitzgerald, Ernest McSorley, till 1973, then I finally managed to get a Job back home in Sault Ste Marie that was Safer so I could be with my Wife and kids. I miss my shipmates some of them were young men, other were Old and weathered sailors, but All in all a Good Bunch of Guys, that Route they did, I did it a few times, and there were times when I had prepared myself to die Lake Superior is a Dangerous Place, and as the Song the lake never gives up her dead. Rest in peace my old Shipmates.
Fenton Hardy I for one, salute, and thank you for your service. There a number of people who having never seen any of the Great Lakes, have no idea of the ferocity of winter storms on the Lakes. Technically, inland fresh water seas. We had it rough transiting Cape Hatteras on a small destroyer on one occasion, the ship acting like a submarine when the bow took a dive under a wave, the water washing over the fantail, and one practically able to walk on the interior bulkheads when the ship leaned over in either direction.
+Thomas Nessman Thomas that must've been a harrowing experience, I remember back in November 1972 Three years before the Fitzgerald went down, The bow was nearly Submerged, I was tired, the waves were at least 30-40 feet high. The storm was raging, thunder and lighting, and rain like you'd never believe, it was a hurricanelike storm. But through the night we soldiered on and made it to Sault Ste Marie. Sadly the Fitzgerald didn't make it in '75.
I am glad to speak to a Navy man thank you for your service. Those who served their country no matter in what Capacity deserve to be honored. Take care Thomas. A salute From one soldier to another.
Fenton Hardy /Users/thomasnessman/Desktop/DD871-clr.jpg
There's a picture of the Damato in the link here.To the port and starboard sides of the bridge, on the bridge wings as they were called, stood the lookouts. Someone in the enclosed bridge, would yell, wave, as a warning to the lookouts, because the bow was taking a wave and that wave would drench the lookouts if they were caught off guard. Toward the rear of the ship, aft of the asroc launcher, was the helo hangar. When changing watch stations, it was safer, to crawl on your hands and knees across the asroc deck to get to the aft lookout position. Lest you be swept over the side. There was an exhaust fan duct that we sat on to watch the stern, and keep an eye on the light at the stern. You could watch the waves break over the fantail. And be glad, that you weren't down there at the time.
My Grandfather was Captain of an ore freighter on the Great Lakes. His boat was the Emory L. Ford. This is the best version of this song on TH-cam, with great true footage. My Grandfather I think was retired when this song came out, but I am certain both the incident and the song chilled him as it does so many others.
That’s the best tribute I have seen yet and I have been watching alot today being the 45th anniversary. Very well done!
I feel this song and tribute in my bones. My grandfather was an iron boat captain and from a young age I can remember my grandmother telling tales of her worries about the Witch of November.
My grandparents legally adopted me and raised me. My grandpa was a cook in the Coast Guard for 29 years. The line, "When suppertime came the ol' cook came on deck sayin' 'Fellas, it's too rough to feed ya.' At 7:00 pm, the main hatchway gave in. He said, 'Fellas, it's been good to know ya.'"... That line especially gets to me. 💔
Remembering the Fitz and her families this Nov. 10th (2018)
This is a superbly produced video. Thank you.
Paying my annual respects by posting the links of this video all over various social media platforms. In my mind this is THE video for this song. I love all the effort you put into it !
Let's take a vow: that every Nov. 10th we watch this video in tribute to those 29 souls and for Gordon
Being a Michigan person. I’m 15, the first time I heard this song I was on a camping trip with my family in Traverse City probably back when I was 7 or 8 years old. We were in the car. This song was on the radio. All the sudden I break out in tears and emotion. I never thought anyone could have a reaction to a song so strongly. As I got older I became more attached to this song and some of Gordon’s other songs.
Showed this today to my 7/8 grade choir as a part of history of this date, and they sat SILENT through the entire thing. Was pretty cool to see that Gordon Lightfoot did that 45 years later to a bunch of middle schoolers!!!
& Joseph Fulton who put together this really well crafted video
It's a chilling tale
This version of the song as well as the video with the radio conversations and Walter Conkrite reporting is what always gets me
@@kygunworks4982 " Those who do not learn from History... are condemned to repeat it. " I'm heartened to hear that your students understand the tragedy of that sad day. BTW -the reporter was Harry Reasoner of ABC News.
@@rob-robi for sure
Big Fitz will never forgotten nor her crew and Captain Mcsorly and most importantly Captain Bernie Cooper, I am from Toledo, Ohio and we are known for Big Fitz coming to our city, Fitz was nicknamed "Toledo Express" Long Live Fitzgerald
I am an Ohio resident myself, long live Fitzgerald
I used to live on Summit Street and had a front row seat to the freighters headed to the silos. My grandfather was an iron boat captain, the Emory L. Ford so this song and especially this great video hit home. 💔
Great video JF. There's no telling how many times I listened to this song growing up.
This is my favorite video on TH-cam. I've watched it dozens of times and it never gets old. All the work that went into getting all these photographs and shipwreck footage of the Edmund Fitgerald, plus the radio exchange between the two ships in the EF vicinity when it went down is eerie and chilling. They play a roll call at the end with the names and pictures of all the crew on board, awesome. Thank you for this masterpiece, Joeph Fulton!
I'll always think of my father when I hear this song. A truly great number that strikes to the core. Now, my son I shall also think of--as, like his grandfather, loves to listen to this tune over and over.
I remember the first time I heard this song. I was probably 10 (1980), and I was trying to go to sleep listening to a now defunct FM pop station in Atlanta. I remember the DJ's name...Betsy Bean...and she really liked John Lennon.
Anyway, I remember even at that young age, the tune was haunting to me and the line "it's been good to know ya" just really gave me the chills.
So sorry for the family's that lost loved ones under such circumstances.
Nice tribute to these brave men. Every time I hear this song I get teary eyed.
I always get chocked up at the part where the lyrics say all that remains are the faces of the names are the wives and the sons and the daughters
Perfection all around. I've listened to this hundreds of times over 50 years and it always gives me chills. RIP Gordon and those 29 souls
I grew up along the south shores of Lake Michigan although I've now lived in the desert for more than half my life. But in 1992 my husband & I went back to "the Region" which was what the locals called Northwest Indiana and included Hammond, Gary, East Chicago, Highland, Munster, and Griffith to visit some of my husband's family who all still lived in the area. We loved road trips, so while we were there we took a trip to the northernmost part of Lake Superior and also spent time in a little cabin on Lake Erie where the beach was 3 feet deep with some kind of sea shells. I remember thinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald as we crossed the bridge that on one side was Lake Michigan and the other was Lake Superior. Now the song will forever remind me of those road trips that Ronald & I had taken.
I heard this song for the very first time at the age of 16. I had just returned home from the funeral of my father, a sailor. He had died quite young. I can't hear this song without remembering that day. I know this song is intended to memorialize this particular disaster, but it is difficult to hear this song and not think of all men who go down to sea in ships.
Thanks for the song. I was a sophomore in High School when the Fitzgerald sank. I remember Gordon Lightfoot donated the proceeds from this song to the families of the sailors.
Another good guy for donating the proceeds to help the families was note worthy to mention that one and God Bless for helping others ...Gordon Lightfoot!
Carol Hostler My son was born in 1975 and it takes me back.
Gordon Lightfoot = Class Act
Yes Dan, he did donate the proceeds from this song! The families still can't figure out how to split up $3.17 amongst all the families of the victims. Class act.
Let us keep these men and families in our prayers. It has been 45 years since this fateful night.
Kind of eerie we are in for a bad storm tonight in northwest Wisconsin ( by superior)...
It is storming here in Connecticut
Yeah. Even though that ship wasn’t that old when it sank, I didn’t think there was no way it withstand the rough waves.
I live about a 30 min drive from where it sank.. it is still talked about and remembered heavily here by many different generations! I even have a beautiful painting of that night hanging on my wall. R.I.P. Never forget.
RIP, Gordon Lightfoot. This is my favourite video of this song because it has the actual broadcast when she was first lost, wreckage footage and honouring all of the hands lost.
I still love the song today
thanks gorden for making sure they are still remembered even after 42 years rip
great gamer R.I.P.
In Typical Canadian Fashion-Lightfoot managed to make the song Boring. I was on vacation in Miami with my parents and a Tour Group. One man had lost his Son on that ship.
Mint Furry4life rip
RIP
great gamer yeah the Edmond Fitzgerald was a legend
I watch this video somewhat often, but always on the anniversary. The footage is incredible and really helps tell the story better than any other video on YT. Thank you and God Bless, and may God have mercy on us all.
Yes, i totally agree about telling the story the best. The vid with the lyrics is good and has more views (tho 12 mil for this one ain't shabby), but this video, IMO, is the Gold Standard. Plus i'm sure it took some time and effort to put together the video and still clips....
"Does any one know where the love of God goes
When the waves turn the minutes to hours?"
Great lines
RomanCitizen3 I think what he means is that when you live through the sheer terror of an experience like this that time slows down and a few minutes seems like hours as you are fighting for your life. Also, it must feel like you are abandoned by God when you know that you are going to die a horrible death and no one or nothing is going to save you.
RomanCitizen3 yep
Gives me Chills
Mr. Gordon Meridath Lightfoot always has a tenedacy to write both good lines to music and perform them to touch your heart and soul. The man is truly amazing.
its sensationalism. after all after their ship went down the crew was dead within minutes. I doesn't take hours to die from hypothermia and/or drowning.
REST IN PEACE MEN.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE.
THANK YOU TO GORDON LIGHTFOOT FOR A GREAT SONG.
The greatest "Story telling Song" of all time....This song must have been like a storm in Gordon's mind until he got it out and on paper...This song is one in a million....Songs with this power are very rare...The inspiration has to be as big as the ship itself....
43 years later and they still hold memorial services at the Mariners Church here in Detroit
A great song and great tribute to this crew!! This song still gives me chills when i hear it!! Thank you and rest in peace Gordon !!
This is a great video! Thank you for posting it. That underwater footage gave me goosebumps!
If you have never stood on Lake Superior's shore or braved her mighty waves you'll never understand the power and Vastness of such a beautiful and powerful water.
What may be the best way to understand this vessel’s sinking is a combination of seeing lake boats in person, and having survived a major storm on one of the lakes. I have no desire to be on another boat on those lakes ever and retired far from the water.
I grew up and lived in downstate Illinois when this happened and when this song came out, and I really didn't grasp that this happened to a modern ship on the great lakes until much later - thought the song was about an old wooden ship, because I didn't realize the great lakes could get so fierce. Now I share it every Nov 10th.
40 Years Ago Today ,,Gone Never Forgotten !!
Amen!
+acenthehole777 a Canadian put a reference to it on their facebook just saw it online in videoes my family are navy could have been them
+acenthehole777 never
+Robert Littlejohn Thats awesome that he makes it every year.
Bhaal s
After 42 years this story will just not let me go. I still read everything I can get my hands on about this ship, trying to pin down exactly what happened on that horrible night. I hope someday I find the answer.
This happened 20 days before my 17th birthday. When I saw it on tv news I just froze in horror. It made me realize that life is not to be taken for granted. I felt so sorry and heart broken for all those men on the Fitz., and their families. May God continue to give them peace now and forever. Rest In Peace to all of the men of the mighty Fitz.
i just want to comment that this is the best version of this video/song. in my opinion. good video good old footage. thank you.....i really love it. 42 years ago.
This is the most hauntingly beautiful film to accompany Gordon Lightfoot's song. Unless you're made of stone, it will make you cry. Canadians love Americans; we salute your successes and we weep for your tragedies. Thank you, Joseph Fulton, for this masterful film. This song is part of Canadian culture, and this film should be too. And it's part of the Canadian narrative - we stand with Americans, proudly, as best friends.
A tear comes to my eye with the first few notes of this perfectly crafted masterpiece.I spent 17 years riding out to Oil Rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, in 20 ft waves, in smaller vessels,
let me just say, there is no greater test of faith, and endurance than 9 hrs of 20 ft seas in a 100 foot long crewboat.
I live in "some mill in Wisconsin" I was 13 when it happened and clearly remember. Here, the Great Lakes fleet is a part of your life. You see the ships every day. We are also the world's largest 'natural' port.
Some of the loneliest sounds on earth, IMO, are the bells and fog horns on the lake.
The Ojibwe called the lake, gitchi-gami it means, 'be a great sea' Longfellow wrote it as Gitche Gumee, in Song Of Hiawatha. So did Lightfoot in this song. Other sources say it's Ojibwe gichigami. We used to have a Gitchi Gami club around here. Any way you say it, it's the greatest of the Great Lakes.
+Tammy Nelson I saw the "Fitz' earlier in 1975. At that time it was the biggest ship I'd ever seen.
alan Carr Where did you see it? I've seen so many of these ships, but I must admit that when you're standing right there, you find it amazing.
+Tammy Nelson What actual city is that in Wisconsin? I've always wondered.
+Gerald Villani as a Wisconsinite, she probably is talking about Superior WI (right by Duluth.) Wisconsin produces loads of iron and Superior was a popular port of call for the fitz.
+Kirby Lawlis thanks. I live in cleveland, where it was bound. We have a few bars and restaurants that line the Cuyahoga river, which the freighters wind thru to deliver their ore to the steel plants. Its not a wide river, only one tanker can go thru at a time. They are literally 20 feet from your table on the waters edge. Their massiveness is quite apparant as they glide by. The crew is usually all outside on summer nights and everyone waves in excitement.
It was on my and my hubby's bucket list to see Mr. Lightfoot sing this live. Finally got to a few years back on his fiftieth anniversary tour.. thankyou, Mr. Lightfoot for the music and the memories. You, sir, are admired and loved.
This song never fails to move me. Lightfoot interprets this catastrophe spot-on. His voice, the music and lyrics capture everything perfectly. I'm even trying to ASL-interpret it because it inspires me that much, but boy, is that a tall order. A lot of initializing and finger-spelling, to be sure, but if I can pull it off, I hope it just becomes another different interpretation of this wonderful song. Thanks to Gordon Lightfoot for this wonderful tribute to these brave men. R.I.P. all of them.
Brings tears to your eyes. What a fantastic tribute! Those who dislike the video just don't get it.
I think he hates meant to say is that they did not want the great mother of sea to sink so they don't like how it sank
No one tells this story in a ballad/song like Gordon Lightfoot. RIP to all the sailors who lost their lives 42 years ago today.
RIP Gordon!
And RIP to Gordon Lightfoot, a legend who made sure that their story will never be forgotten.
November the 10th, 1975. I had just turned 10 years old the day before. I've been on the Great Lakes, and had seen the ore carriers.....it's almost unreal that something that huge could float. I was sitting in the living room watching the evening news, when this very newscast came on. I'll never forget it as long as I live.....the way my father and grandfather went white, the room suddenly went cold......I could feel instantly that something horrible had happened. This song began playing in the year after the event, and my father would stop anything he was doing, and listen with his eyes closed....it was almost like a religious service as he prayed for the men who died that night.
I love the way Captain Bernie Coppers actual radio transmissions from that night are included...it gives the feeling of standing next to him on the Arthur Anderson, looking in vain and horror for the vanished Big Fitz......
RIP to 29 wonderful men, and thank you to Gordon Lightfoot for immortalizing the 2nd most investigated shipwreck in history......
I was singing at a Dallas night club where Gordon was the main event for the weekend. He had recently released the song and did it on stage that first night. The place was absolutely silent after he finished. Tears welled up in people's eyes. It was quite important to those of us who had heard it on the radio a few days before.
The Titanic of the Great Lakes. Doesn't matter if it's a 700-foot ore ship in the 1970s with modern radar or an 800-foot steel ship built in 1912, Mother Nature will find a way to triumph over man's creations, sadly at the expense of innocent people.
Well said and sadly very true
The one word I think of is "haunting." The story of the incident is extremely sad. And then, just when disco music is taking-off, Gordon Fitzgerald releases this equally-haunting song. You would hear it on your car radio, and you got transfixed. I am glad he is still performing. I am sure fans ask him to sing it. Music doesn't sound like this anymore.
Gordon LIGHTFOOT
+Connie Lewis I need to proofread better. Thank you.
+MJ Fleming It's the minor key he uses. You automatically associate it with sadness.
Yeah, fucking Anime music has flooded the internet
I was a teenager in Upstate New York living near Lake Ontario when she went down. This is the most haunting song without a doubt. I listen to it every once in a while and always feel a strong sense of sadness for those men and their families. Rest in Peace.
Just watched a video of the Arthur M Anderson pulling into Duluth this past Tuesday, November 10. Can’t help it, but hearing it blow the formal salute choked me up. As a southerner, I’m amazed how hearty the folks are up there...give me the heat and humidity any day...I’d rather be anything but cold.
The thermometer in the video said it was 26F, and the snow was blowing sideways.
I drove from ATL to Raleigh one night in the snow. I think a 5.5 hr trip took 9 hrs...not hard, just had to be patient. Ice is another thing altogether.
Anyway, this song has haunted me since I first heard it when I was 8...1978. Just a great song and tribute to the men who died.