Hello everyone! Here is the updated link to my pixieset where you can view some of the photos taken from this day! tuckerhagerphotos.pixieset.com/jamesrbarker/
What some people don't realize is that Lake Superior is still Lake Superior. The same lake that swallowed the Edmund Fitzgerald. The lake hasn't Changed. The great James R Barker with its big mighty whistle can still disappear without a trace in a Lake Superior storm which is why we should respect these sailors so much for what they do and what they go through out there in the wild blue yonder.
Also more modern up to date weather forecasting helps. Plus when a gale warning is in effect. You'll see ships delay leaving ports or anchoring in a safe location till the storm passes.
EXACTLY! My father was a former US Naval officer and scientist! He said to NEVER, EVER Underestimate the Power of the Great Lakes! ⚓️⛵️⚓️🌊🌊🌊🌊🫡🫡🫡GO NAVY!
At least 6,000 ships and 30,000 sailors are at the bottom of those lakes for a reason. There are also reasons there's never been a major freighter lost since the Fitz went down.
Consider this: Some of the men still plying the lakes today were merchant seaman in their late teens and early 20s when the Fitzgerald went down. For some on the lakes, it was just yesterday in their minds.
Not surprising. My wife is from a fishing town, Newport, on the Oregon Coast - they remember all of the boats and crew lost no matter how many years have passed. They also love and revere the Coasties. I'm from Ohio and didn't understand this culture until I spent time on the Coast, in Newport and with her.
My late husband was a Lock Master on the St Lawrence Seaway. He and his lock crew tied up the Edmund Fitzgerald. Every time he heard Gordon Lightfoot's song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, it literally brought tears to his eyes. May God rest all the souls who perished🙏🇨🇦
Check your story please. The Fitz was going from Superior, Wisconsin to Detroit. It never made it to the Locks that trip. Other trips for sure. But not her last one. Maybe I misunderstood. The Fitz went back and forth all season long, just like all the big freighters do.
I served in the US Navy 10 years. I've sailed the Pacific, the Sea of Japan, South China & Philippine Seas. That said, I grew up on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. These inland seas command respect for a reason. Storms there are every bit as dangerous as the open oceans. Sailors rendering Honors to fallen Shipmates is as much to those lost as it is to the waters that claimed them
My husband was a crab fisherman up in Alaska. He waited until he stopped going up there to tell me stories of the dangers. Crab boats are not as big as a navy ship so they were right in the water up close and personal. I was so glad he didn’t tell me much!!
…and all that remains are the faces and the names…. Ernest McSorley - Captain John McCarthy - First mate James Pratt - Second mate Michael Armagost - Third mate David Weiss - Cadet Ransom Cundy - Watchman Karl Peckol - Watchman William Spengler - Watchman John Simmons - Senior wheelman Eugene O’Brien - Wheelman John Poviach - Wheelman Paul Riippa - Deckhand Mark Thomas - Deckhand Bruce Hudson - Deckhand George Holl - Chief engineer Edward Bindon - First assistant engineer Thomas Edwards - Second assistant engineer Russell Haskell - Second assistant engineer Oliver Champeau - Third assistant engineer Ralph Walton - Oiler Blaine Wilhelm - Oiler Thomas Bentsen - Oiler Gordon MacLellan - Wiper Robert Rafferty - Steward Allen Kalmon - Second cook Joseph Mazes - Special maintenance Thomas Borgeson - Maintenance man Frederick Beetcher - Porter Nolan Church - Porter 🫡
I used to sit on the banks of the Detroit river and watch the boats... I saw the Fitz as she came up past Detroit that last time... and then heard the bells from the Mariner's cathedral... will never forget it as long as I live.
Oh wow that had to be such a moment ... I had a cottage along the St Clair River and fell in love with the freighters growing up. I just love watching them go up the lakes and rivers ❤️
I remember when the news broke about this. To this day I still tear up. Much respect to the crew of the James R. Barker for remembering that terrible, sad day. Thank you for recognizing their lives even this many years later.
Ditto. I grew up in Michigan during the 60's and 70's. The news of ships sinking in Great Lakes storms always transfixed me as a boy. I have never lived more than 70 miles from a Great Lake to this day. I was in my room at college when the news of the "Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking came across. It was cold and sleeting in Ann Arbor that evening and the sense of it chilled me to the bone, to the point I can still feel that eventful day all these years later. Gordon Lightfoot's song is a true paean, and I always stop to listen to it completely whenever it is played, in tribute to all those drowned by the Witch of November
I live in the middle of the US. Have only been to the Great Lakes a couple of times. Yet when November 10th rolls around I think of those men lost all those years ago. Maybe for me it started out as a fan of Lightfoot's "new song" but the more I've read up on it the more touched I've become. God bless them all. And God bless the sailors & ships on the Lakes today. 😢
I remember that day as if it were yesterday. The radio kept broadcasting the warnings so I kept trying to call my cousin, knowing he lived in a little cabin on the Keweenaw on the shore. Just wanted to check he was okay. He was, but all was not well. Always remember every year since.
I can just imagine the Captain and crew of Edmund Fitzgerald hearing this salute echoing back through the decades into the depths of the lake and knowing they are not forgotten.
My Dad and Grandfather and a couple friends were Walleye fishing at Tunnel Lake. The local game warden came over and told my dad about a nasty storm heading their way. They broke camp and high tailed it for home. They made it to the Sault bridge late monday afternoon and had to wait to be escorted by military buses weighted down with sand bags. Then they drove to the Mackinaw bridge only to be stopped. My Dad said they were just at the base of the land part of the bridge. Close enough that they could see how high the waves were. And the scary thing he said was that they watched the bridge sway. RIP Edmund Fitzgerald.
The Mighty Mack sways often in November and December. I've seen it in person. She was made to do it though, so her cables won't snap. Still insane to see.
The Mack is BUILT to sway - If I'm not misremembering, that ol' girl can swing as far as 18 feet off-center to the east or west before the ops folks start going "Maybe we ought to consider shutting things down until the wind lets up some". It takes one helluva blow to move 'er that far, though - She was built to cope with 80+ MPH sustained gales out of the east or west, but the ops crew will start escorting "tall" traffic (trucks, busses) at around 35MPH sustained, shut down "tall" traffic entirely and start escorting "short" traffic at 45-50, and stop ALL traffic if the wind holds at 60+ for more than a few minutes. At those windspeeds, it can literally pick up your ride and fling you into the drink. At 60-ish MPH sustained with a wind coming out of the east or west, it's EXPECTED that center-span will swing as far as 35 feet off center in the direction the wind is blowing, but once the wind eases, it'll settle back to center relatively quickly. North-south winds are much less problematic, since, of course, they're blowing "along" the bridge instead of "across" it. Source: Experience of a local, and family history - Grew up in the area, visited the bridge for "the tour" pretty much every year from 3rd grade to high school as a school field trip, can't even begin to count how many times I've crossed it (has to be in the hundreds, if not more), and my grandfather was one of the ironworkers who brought it into existence - To the best of my knowledge, his hard hat and safety harness still hangs with the others in the ironworkers museum above the Keyhole Bar in Mackinaw City.
Split Rock Lighthouse holds a memorial service every year on the anniversary. The names of the dead are read, with a bell after each one. Then the light is lit--the only time all year - and the public is invited to tour the Lighthouse and see the Fresnel lens in action.
🎶 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 🎶
My grandparents had a cottage in Bluewater Bay on Lake Superior that looks out straight ahead across the border to Whitefish Point, and every night when I see the dot of the lighthouse of Whitefish Point flash by the picture window of the dining room, I always think of the Edmund Fitzgerald. That lake is no joke. We've had that picture window blown in numerous times when the winds really get howling.
I've grown up watching Lakers traverse the Detroit river, heard the bells of the mariners church many times, watched the ships in storms on Lake St. Claire, seen them like a mirage on Huron, squeeze through the locks in Sault saint Marie, and even lost an uncle to superior just feet from his home in copper harbor, only his fishing hut was found in the spring, and I've never heard that particular salute. Thank you got posting it. I remember when they rang the bell at the mariner church 30 times when Gordon Lightfoot died...I think all of Detroit teared up
"And all that remains is the faces and the names Of the wives and the sons and the daughters" Peace be with thee Mighty Fitz your work is done, Rest ye well with your fair crew. Bless you all.
My sisters family have lived in Two Harbors for many years. The memory of these sailors is not forgotten by the towns that they called home away from the water. Many families still bear scars of losing their loved ones on that ship. The Barker paying tribute to the Fitz is fitting for a community that never forgot and likely never will.
Grew up just north of Detroit and went to a friend's wedding at the Maritime Sailors Cathedral and it is a beautiful, ethereal place. To be in the place that prays for those who sail in treacherous waters memorializing those who never come home ... it's remarkable.
I was sitting here watching the video but as soon as i heard the horn, i was fighting back tears. Im not from this area but i find the shipwrecks of the Great Lames fascinating. Much respect to all who sail on these lakes
That was my reaction exactly. I am familiar with the ballad, so I had heard about the tragedy. Amazing to hear the comments of those that still remember when it happened.
I always loved the Gordon Lightfoot song, not realising when I first heard it that it chronicled a true event, as the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald would not have been a particularly newsworthy event here in England. However, a developing interest in ships generally soon corrected me. Still in England, I couldn’t watch or listen to this video without tearing up. How wonderful that the ship and her lost crew are still remembered and honoured in this way.
In 2010 Lightfoot changed the line “a main hatchway gave in” to “it grew dark, it was then” after watching a Canadian documentary on the Fitz. He didn’t want to imply human error was responsible.
I woke up on the 10th as if it was any other day until I turned on my phone and then saw the date. I sat silent for a moment and realized I'd not thought about the Fitzgerald and her crew for some time, and so I observed a few moments of silence for them. Growing up in the Midwest, I grew up with the story, the legend if you like, of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I'm glad to see that 50 years on, we continue to remember and honor her and her intrepid crew.
Never forgotten. Ever. I went through junior high and high school with Bruce Hudson, a crewman on the Fitz. I break down every time I hear that song by Gordon Lightfoot. Bruce always had a smile.
43 yrs Minnesotan here. I bow my head and pray for peace for the families and Godly love to the fallen of the Edmund. Live in Jersey now. Played the song for hubby in November. He said it's the creepiest song he's ever heard. Agreed. But this is a part of MY history from MY state. There is naught like it in all of NJ. They remember nothing. Honor nothing. Glad to be from MN and glad to know about these men. And I feel so proud to see the remembrance, STILL, in every Minnesotan. We're good people and those were good husbands, sons, and brothers. Bless the men of the Edmund Fitzgerald and bless those who remember, still.
Born 9 months after that night. Majored in chemistry and physics throughout high school. Even though I am fully aware and completely know better, I will never stop wanting a response. I'm not sure I can effectively explain the pain inside a person who suffers uncontrollable empathy. 5 absolute brutal blasts straight to the very fiber of my soul. There will never be a salute to any lost ship which does not reduce me to tears.
To all those lives lost on the lakes. Their spirits live on immortality, and at rest because they know their families, friends, and those that love and respect the laker maritime tradition don't forget.
A touching tribute to the fallen captain and crew of the never forgotten Edmund Fitzgerald. Thank you for the master salute from the captain and crew of the Barker ❤❤
I know there have been many lives lost on the Great Lakes, & this is a tribute not just to the crew of the Fitz, but to all the mariners who have gone down & to those who are working now despite the peril. Rest in honor, you are not forgotten.
The James R Barker often gives the master's salute when coming into and leaving Duluth Harbor. The captain does it for the Barker Bark's multiple fans. They line up along the sides of the canal just to see and hear her. In videos you can hear people shout for the master's salute. The fans prefer the master's salute because the three long blasts allow them to enjoy the Bark longer than when she only sounds the captain's salute. She's a popular laker because of that distinctive sound.
You’re 100% right. But because every ship that entered/ departed Duluth on the 10th blew a master salute for the Fitz. So it can be just a normal salute or one for the Fitz. But regardless, they know how to get all the ship nerds wound up ;)
Love her horns - I have her horns as a ring tone. I hope to make it up there when she comes into port someday. Just to hear her wonderful salute. She and Anderson are on my bucket list.
My mom always loved going up to Duluth and staying at one of the hotels on Canal Park with a view of the lakers coming in and out of the area. These boats are the closest thing we get to ships in the great lakes. Its worth going up to Duluth, MN or even Superior, WI (just next door over the bridge) and watching these boats come in and out.
I lived on the big lake for many years. She is beautiful, deep, cold and deadly. I feel the Barkers horn in my sole. It’s mournful bellow to lives lost. God bless all on board.
"...If you see my downeaster "Alexa" And if you work with the rod and the reel Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis And I still have my hands on the wheel..." God Bless the brave men of the Edmund Fitzgerald, trolling Atlantis forever more, and the loved ones they left behind. And God Bless the Captain of the James Barker, for showing this respect and honor. Rest Easy, Captain McSorley, and all your crew. The Captain and crew of the Barker, and all the other ships, watch the waterways for you now.
Bless the souls of the hundreds of men and women who perished on the Great Lakes. I salute them all! Bless those who put out to sea! I keep you all in my prayers, and wish you calm seas and good fortune 🌹⚓ Thank you for this, a lovely tribute. Thank you for not playing music. The sounds of the water and the winds are musical enough. Much respect. New sub. 🌹⚓
That is awesome. I was up in Ketchikan when a naval ship was docked there and I was blown away by how ginormous it was!! I’m from Montana and I don’t see ships. This ship is incredible and I’d love to see one someday
I traveled across Canada back in 1985. I remembered talking to some people in Thunder Bay Ontario and they told me that Thunder Bay really lives up to its name. They told me that those storms on Lake Superior demand respect !!!
Not living anywhere close to something like ships of this size, I would love to see one in person. I know i never will. A huge Thank you to the person posting these videos!
They are more massive than you can imagine. I watched at the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, NY as a freighter cleared the locks (as I had done several times before). It was headed to the Port of Oswego, NY. Its’ deck cargo included the huge blades for the electric producing windmills on Tug Hill in Upstate NY, as well as several tractor trailer boxes that looked like tinker toys. I’m from the area and have stood next to those blades as they were being readied for installation. They made my Toyota minivan look like a Matchbox toy. Knowing how big those windmills are and seeing those blades dwarfed by the ship is really impressive. When I was a kid, my father would take us to the Eisenhower Locks and the Robert Moses hydroelectric dam nearby. We used to be able to park on the American side of the dam, walk through the visitor center that was on top of the dam, and straight through to the Canadian parking lot. I hated going, thinking it was boring. 😅 I was eleven when the Fitz went down. I was strangely terrified; and, kept hoping for word that the crew had survived. To this day, I am afraid of open water if I cannot see land.
@CaraFay-bf8jk Thank you for sharing that. It's very interesting to hear about. I've always been afraid of anything other than a swimming pool. Happy holidays to you and your family.
I lived on a lake. Every November, I always felt the wind. I am way east. But the story of the Fitz has lived with me since I read and listened to Gordon. Been 50 yrs
I don’t think any of us alive today , kids or adults that knew or were close to water families or coastal communities will ever forget the mighty Fitz and her dutiful crew ! A true tragedy of those who brave the big lakes and big water !
In my opinion, I can’t stand the 1000 footers!!! If it wasn’t for the Cort we would still have all those classics. However I do love how what an engineering masterpiece the 1000 footers really are ;)
@@tuckerhager6429 I saw the Reserve in Munising one year and hated how they made her into a tug/barge combination. But I still love seeing them on cam!
My father was an ocean marine insurer at the time. The EF came across this desk for insurance 3 times, which he refused. When I asked him why, (after the tragedy), he said the ship was too old, the load too heavy, and it was too late in the season for him to insure. He loved ships. When we'd go to Red Lobster, he knew all the fishing vessels by name. They always hung beautiful photos of them as artwork, which they were. Prayers to the families of those lost at sea.
As a teenager living a block away from the river in Manitowoc, WI, in the mid 60's I remember watching the Fitz & the Anderson (the ship that was sailing behind the Fitz that fateful day) come and go. The crew would always wave at us kids & the Captain would give a couple short blasts on the horn for us. It really hit me hard when I heard the news of its sinking.
Full on, profound maritime respect by the freighter load, shown to the Edmund Fitzgerald. May god hold the crew of the Big Fitz, and all mariners lost, in his warm embrace.
Respect to the Captain & Crew of the Arthur M. Anderson and William Clay Ford for pulling up the anchor and go back out into that storm to look for the Fitz. They didn't have to do that. It was a courageous thing to do.
I hear the song Gordon Lightfoot sings about the Edmund Fitzgerald, and I cry my eyes out! What those men went through? How many ships have been lost and how many men's lives have been lost!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤
🫡 Lest we never forget. Thank you to those who continue to remember and honor the 29 lives lost that fateful day. 🇺🇸 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐
I was born and raised in Michigan and if I don’t count myself, we have at least three generations born and bred in this icy environment. I remember, as a small child, my dad drove us up to the thumb and I first saw water that went on forever.
Hello everyone! Here is the updated link to my pixieset where you can view some of the photos taken from this day! tuckerhagerphotos.pixieset.com/jamesrbarker/
What some people don't realize is that Lake Superior is still Lake Superior. The same lake that swallowed the Edmund Fitzgerald. The lake hasn't Changed. The great James R Barker with its big mighty whistle can still disappear without a trace in a Lake Superior storm which is why we should respect these sailors so much for what they do and what they go through out there in the wild blue yonder.
Also more modern up to date weather forecasting helps. Plus when a gale warning is in effect. You'll see ships delay leaving ports or anchoring in a safe location till the storm passes.
EXACTLY! My father was a former US Naval officer and scientist! He said to NEVER, EVER Underestimate the Power of the Great Lakes! ⚓️⛵️⚓️🌊🌊🌊🌊🫡🫡🫡GO NAVY!
At least 6,000 ships and 30,000 sailors are at the bottom of those lakes for a reason. There are also reasons there's never been a major freighter lost since the Fitz went down.
Amen to that Sir.
@@tompinnef6331like in amongst the Apostle Islands, for example
To think these ships, their Captains, and crew members remember and pay homage to the Fitz and her crew is the true meaning of honor and respect.
Yes, whoever remembers that. It was a very sad day.
They know it could easily happen to them. To forget the Edmund Fitzgerald is to repeat it.
"And the iron boats go, as the mariners all know, with the gales of November remembered"- Gordon Lightfoot, the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald
Consider this: Some of the men still plying the lakes today were merchant seaman in their late teens and early 20s when the Fitzgerald went down. For some on the lakes, it was just yesterday in their minds.
Not surprising. My wife is from a fishing town, Newport, on the Oregon Coast - they remember all of the boats and crew lost no matter how many years have passed.
They also love and revere the Coasties. I'm from Ohio and didn't understand this culture until I spent time on the Coast, in Newport and with her.
My late husband was a Lock Master on the St Lawrence Seaway. He and his lock crew tied up the Edmund Fitzgerald. Every time he heard Gordon Lightfoot's song, The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, it literally brought tears to his eyes. May God rest all the souls who perished🙏🇨🇦
Check your story please. The Fitz was going from Superior, Wisconsin to Detroit. It never made it to the Locks that trip. Other trips for sure. But not her last one. Maybe I misunderstood. The Fitz went back and forth all season long, just like all the big freighters do.
@@tommcgeethree I didn't read that as meaning he encountered the Fitzgerald on that particular trip, just that he had in the past.
@@tommcgeethree She never said it was on that trip. Probably on another. Either way, the remembrance is touching.
@karenburrows9184 Yes I know. I corrected myself. Anyone whose ever been up there knows. It's a sight to see.
@@tommcgeethree Sorry, Tom, didn't mean to sound so abrupt. Also sorry I didn't catch your correction before I posted. All on me....
I served in the US Navy 10 years. I've sailed the Pacific, the Sea of Japan, South China & Philippine Seas. That said, I grew up on the southern shore of Lake Ontario. These inland seas command respect for a reason. Storms there are every bit as dangerous as the open oceans. Sailors rendering Honors to fallen Shipmates is as much to those lost as it is to the waters that claimed them
My dad was a merchant seaman and always said beware enclosed shallow water . In a storm always make for deep open water if you can.
Ty for serving our country
Swimmers too. Riptide s kill hundreds of people every year RIP
I heard that the storms can be as bad as anything on the ocean,but because these are lakes,you don't have the option of sailing out of their path
My husband was a crab fisherman up in Alaska. He waited until he stopped going up there to tell me stories of the dangers. Crab boats are not as big as a navy ship so they were right in the water up close and personal. I was so glad he didn’t tell me much!!
…and all that remains are the faces and the names….
Ernest McSorley - Captain
John McCarthy - First mate
James Pratt - Second mate
Michael Armagost - Third mate
David Weiss - Cadet
Ransom Cundy - Watchman
Karl Peckol - Watchman
William Spengler - Watchman
John Simmons - Senior wheelman
Eugene O’Brien - Wheelman
John Poviach - Wheelman
Paul Riippa - Deckhand
Mark Thomas - Deckhand
Bruce Hudson - Deckhand
George Holl - Chief engineer
Edward Bindon - First assistant engineer
Thomas Edwards - Second assistant engineer
Russell Haskell - Second assistant engineer
Oliver Champeau - Third assistant engineer
Ralph Walton - Oiler
Blaine Wilhelm - Oiler
Thomas Bentsen - Oiler
Gordon MacLellan - Wiper
Robert Rafferty - Steward
Allen Kalmon - Second cook
Joseph Mazes - Special maintenance
Thomas Borgeson - Maintenance man
Frederick Beetcher - Porter
Nolan Church - Porter
🫡
Wel come to sycamore where grant walton was from we all drink the edmund fitzgerald beer and have a hell.of a blast
Salute..
Thank you for listing their names ! So important we NEVER forget !
Long may they be remembered...
RIP 🙏🇺🇸👍❤️
I used to sit on the banks of the Detroit river and watch the boats... I saw the Fitz as she came up past Detroit that last time... and then heard the bells from the Mariner's cathedral... will never forget it as long as I live.
I personally find it poetic that the bell rang a thirtieth time for Mr. Lightfoot.
@@FS2K4Pilot He kept in touch with some of the families for over 40 years.
@@karenburrows9184 and all of the royalties go to the families. Still.
@@parkerbrown-nesbit1747 Thanks - does my heart good to know it. His legacy.
Oh wow that had to be such a moment ... I had a cottage along the St Clair River and fell in love with the freighters growing up. I just love watching them go up the lakes and rivers ❤️
I remember when the news broke about this. To this day I still tear up. Much respect to the crew of the James R. Barker for remembering that terrible, sad day. Thank you for recognizing their lives even this many years later.
@libbyjensen1858: You're not alone Libby. Canadian here, and quite a few of us remember. If they live in our memories, they cannot truly die.
Ditto. I grew up in Michigan during the 60's and 70's. The news of ships sinking in Great Lakes storms always transfixed me as a boy. I have never lived more than 70 miles from a Great Lake to this day. I was in my room at college when the news of the "Edmund Fitzgerald's sinking came across. It was cold and sleeting in Ann Arbor that evening and the sense of it chilled me to the bone, to the point I can still feel that eventful day all these years later. Gordon Lightfoot's song is a true paean, and I always stop to listen to it completely whenever it is played, in tribute to all those drowned by the Witch of November
Same here. I won't ever forget that heartbreaking day. The shock, horror and tragedy of it.
I live in the middle of the US. Have only been to the Great Lakes a couple of times. Yet when November 10th rolls around I think of those men lost all those years ago. Maybe for me it started out as a fan of Lightfoot's "new song" but the more I've read up on it the more touched I've become. God bless them all. And God bless the sailors & ships on the Lakes today. 😢
I remember that day as if it were yesterday. The radio kept broadcasting the warnings so I kept trying to call my cousin, knowing he lived in a little cabin on the Keweenaw on the shore. Just wanted to check he was okay. He was, but all was not well. Always remember every year since.
I can just imagine the Captain and crew of Edmund Fitzgerald hearing this salute echoing back through the decades into the depths of the lake and knowing they are not forgotten.
My Dad and Grandfather and a couple friends were Walleye fishing at Tunnel Lake. The local game warden came over and told my dad about a nasty storm heading their way. They broke camp and high tailed it for home. They made it to the Sault bridge late monday afternoon and had to wait to be escorted by military buses weighted down with sand bags. Then they drove to the Mackinaw bridge only to be stopped. My Dad said they were just at the base of the land part of the bridge. Close enough that they could see how high the waves were. And the scary thing he said was that they watched the bridge sway.
RIP Edmund Fitzgerald.
The Mighty Mack sways often in November and December. I've seen it in person. She was made to do it though, so her cables won't snap. Still insane to see.
The Mack is BUILT to sway - If I'm not misremembering, that ol' girl can swing as far as 18 feet off-center to the east or west before the ops folks start going "Maybe we ought to consider shutting things down until the wind lets up some". It takes one helluva blow to move 'er that far, though - She was built to cope with 80+ MPH sustained gales out of the east or west, but the ops crew will start escorting "tall" traffic (trucks, busses) at around 35MPH sustained, shut down "tall" traffic entirely and start escorting "short" traffic at 45-50, and stop ALL traffic if the wind holds at 60+ for more than a few minutes. At those windspeeds, it can literally pick up your ride and fling you into the drink. At 60-ish MPH sustained with a wind coming out of the east or west, it's EXPECTED that center-span will swing as far as 35 feet off center in the direction the wind is blowing, but once the wind eases, it'll settle back to center relatively quickly. North-south winds are much less problematic, since, of course, they're blowing "along" the bridge instead of "across" it. Source: Experience of a local, and family history - Grew up in the area, visited the bridge for "the tour" pretty much every year from 3rd grade to high school as a school field trip, can't even begin to count how many times I've crossed it (has to be in the hundreds, if not more), and my grandfather was one of the ironworkers who brought it into existence - To the best of my knowledge, his hard hat and safety harness still hangs with the others in the ironworkers museum above the Keyhole Bar in Mackinaw City.
“For those in peril on the sea” Very moving that the tragedy is still commemorated.
Split Rock Lighthouse holds a memorial service every year on the anniversary. The names of the dead are read, with a bell after each one. Then the light is lit--the only time all year - and the public is invited to tour the Lighthouse and see the Fresnel lens in action.
I love the Navy Hymn - especially sung by the Navy Sea Chanters
Was kust thinking of that hymn. Many friends and family in several navies and Merchsnt Marine.
FYI Jim Barker was in the Coast Guard in '58 and was one of the people who picked up the SOS from the Bradley when she broke up...
Much respect given to the james barker for saluting the edmund fitzgerald. We must never forget nov. 10.
🎶 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 🎶
From Perth in Western Australia. We know the story and the ballad. Much appreciated.
Deep thanks from a US citizen. 🇦🇺
Glad to hear that even abroad those brave men are remembered. From a Michigan native, thank you!
Capt. Newland and the Barker never disappoint. RIP the good men that lost their lives that night.
My grandparents had a cottage in Bluewater Bay on Lake Superior that looks out straight ahead across the border to Whitefish Point, and every night when I see the dot of the lighthouse of Whitefish Point flash by the picture window of the dining room, I always think of the Edmund Fitzgerald. That lake is no joke. We've had that picture window blown in numerous times when the winds really get howling.
I've grown up watching Lakers traverse the Detroit river, heard the bells of the mariners church many times, watched the ships in storms on Lake St. Claire, seen them like a mirage on Huron, squeeze through the locks in Sault saint Marie, and even lost an uncle to superior just feet from his home in copper harbor, only his fishing hut was found in the spring, and I've never heard that particular salute. Thank you got posting it.
I remember when they rang the bell at the mariner church 30 times when Gordon Lightfoot died...I think all of Detroit teared up
Amazing tradition. Absolute RESPECT All Captain for Salute of Honor to fallen Seamen .Don't forget it is very important.❤❤❤
"And all that remains is the faces and the names
Of the wives and the sons and the daughters"
Peace be with thee Mighty Fitz your work is done, Rest ye well with your fair crew. Bless you all.
My sisters family have lived in Two Harbors for many years. The memory of these sailors is not forgotten by the towns that they called home away from the water. Many families still bear scars of losing their loved ones on that ship. The Barker paying tribute to the Fitz is fitting for a community that never forgot and likely never will.
Happened on my birthday. I think of the crew every birthday since then. RIP brave souls. Prayer for their families....
Michigander here.....thank you fir remembering. History xan be painful but this recognition makes me Proud. Thank You 🙏🇺🇸🥰
@@sandracrandall4561 thank you! I’m glad you enjoyed!! 🇨🇦🤝🇺🇸
Grew up just north of Detroit and went to a friend's wedding at the Maritime Sailors Cathedral and it is a beautiful, ethereal place. To be in the place that prays for those who sail in treacherous waters memorializing those who never come home ... it's remarkable.
I was sitting here watching the video but as soon as i heard the horn, i was fighting back tears. Im not from this area but i find the shipwrecks of the Great Lames fascinating. Much respect to all who sail on these lakes
I thought I was the only one tearing up……bigtime tears.
How could anyone hearing that NOT tear up?
That was my reaction exactly. I am familiar with the ballad, so I had heard about the tragedy. Amazing to hear the comments of those that still remember when it happened.
Nope. Crying here too.
Very moving tribute to the great ship and her crew. May she be remembered forever.
I always loved the Gordon Lightfoot song, not realising when I first heard it that it chronicled a true event, as the loss of the Edmund Fitzgerald would not have been a particularly newsworthy event here in England. However, a developing interest in ships generally soon corrected me. Still in England, I couldn’t watch or listen to this video without tearing up. How wonderful that the ship and her lost crew are still remembered and honoured in this way.
Until you see these vessels in person you don't realize just how massive they are. Thanks for the salute to the mighty Fitz captain.
Soulful. Brought tears to my eyes.---XOXO on this Thanksgiving morning.
I play Gordon Lightfoot’s Edmund Fitzgerald song every November 10. RIP good men 🌟
And play the Brian Burns cover of it. He recites the names of the crew at the end. It's excellent.
In 2010 Lightfoot changed the line “a main hatchway gave in” to “it grew dark, it was then” after watching a Canadian documentary on the Fitz. He didn’t want to imply human error was responsible.
I wonder how many millions of people know of the Edmund Fitzgerald thanks to the amazingly talented Lightfoot?
I woke up on the 10th as if it was any other day until I turned on my phone and then saw the date. I sat silent for a moment and realized I'd not thought about the Fitzgerald and her crew for some time, and so I observed a few moments of silence for them. Growing up in the Midwest, I grew up with the story, the legend if you like, of the Edmund Fitzgerald. I'm glad to see that 50 years on, we continue to remember and honor her and her intrepid crew.
From Texas.
Thank You, crew.
I remember the sinking. I was in High School.
God Bless.
Never forgotten. Ever. I went through junior high and high school with Bruce Hudson, a crewman on the Fitz. I break down every time I hear that song by Gordon Lightfoot. Bruce always had a smile.
43 yrs Minnesotan here. I bow my head and pray for peace for the families and Godly love to the fallen of the Edmund. Live in Jersey now. Played the song for hubby in November. He said it's the creepiest song he's ever heard. Agreed. But this is a part of MY history from MY state. There is naught like it in all of NJ. They remember nothing. Honor nothing. Glad to be from MN and glad to know about these men. And I feel so proud to see the remembrance, STILL, in every Minnesotan. We're good people and those were good husbands, sons, and brothers. Bless the men of the Edmund Fitzgerald and bless those who remember, still.
Born 9 months after that night. Majored in chemistry and physics throughout high school. Even though I am fully aware and completely know better, I will never stop wanting a response. I'm not sure I can effectively explain the pain inside a person who suffers uncontrollable empathy. 5 absolute brutal blasts straight to the very fiber of my soul.
There will never be a salute to any lost ship which does not reduce me to tears.
It's like the heart of the ship is calling out to a lost friend...saying "I'll never forget you."
Topgun honour 🇨🇦
Thanks to Gordon Lightfoot for the haunting song that never leaves us when the gales of November arrive.
To all those lives lost on the lakes. Their spirits live on immortality, and at rest because they know their families, friends, and those that love and respect the laker maritime tradition don't forget.
I was one week shy of my first birthday when the Fitz went down. We here in Ohio will always hold a special place for that boat.
I was four days old when she sank.
Hello from Dayton!
A touching tribute to the fallen captain and crew of the never forgotten Edmund Fitzgerald. Thank you for the master salute from the captain and crew of the Barker ❤❤
What an awesome sight and sound!! Great post! Thank you!
And may the Lord bless the crew of the Edmund Fitzgerald.🙏🙏🙏🇺🇸🇨🇦
@@NYNick49 glad you enjoyed 🇨🇦🇺🇸
I know there have been many lives lost on the Great Lakes, & this is a tribute not just to the crew of the Fitz, but to all the mariners who have gone down & to those who are working now despite the peril. Rest in honor, you are not forgotten.
This was impressive and stunning to see on video. I imagine it was a truly amazing sight to behold in person. Thank you for sharing this video.
Those horn blasts were EPIC!
The James R Barker often gives the master's salute when coming into and leaving Duluth Harbor. The captain does it for the Barker Bark's multiple fans. They line up along the sides of the canal just to see and hear her. In videos you can hear people shout for the master's salute. The fans prefer the master's salute because the three long blasts allow them to enjoy the Bark longer than when she only sounds the captain's salute. She's a popular laker because of that distinctive sound.
You’re 100% right. But because every ship that entered/ departed Duluth on the 10th blew a master salute for the Fitz. So it can be just a normal salute or one for the Fitz. But regardless, they know how to get all the ship nerds wound up ;)
No doubt her horns are magical.
thanks for that😊
Love her horns - I have her horns as a ring tone. I hope to make it up there when she comes into port someday. Just to hear her wonderful salute. She and Anderson are on my bucket list.
I wish more ships horns were ringtones like the Arthur M Anderson
WHAT A WONDERFUL SALUTE !!!!! HEART FELT !! THANK YOU GOOD CAPTAIN AND CREW !!! THANK YOU !!! 👍👍👍👍
My mom always loved going up to Duluth and staying at one of the hotels on Canal Park with a view of the lakers coming in and out of the area. These boats are the closest thing we get to ships in the great lakes. Its worth going up to Duluth, MN or even Superior, WI (just next door over the bridge) and watching these boats come in and out.
They are ships. They may not be suited for ocean travel. But many of them are far larger than ocean going ships.
I used to watch them come into Milwaukee eons ago. My dad was a navy man, and it was our special time together.
I lived on the big lake for many years. She is beautiful, deep, cold and deadly. I feel the Barkers horn in my sole. It’s mournful bellow to lives lost. God bless all on board.
Remembering the Edmund Ftizgerald, may they rest in peace, thank you James Barker
The Legend lives on!
I heard the song on the radio when I was 5 and 15 years later I was working on tugs going up the Columbia River...
thankfully no winter winds yet this year
Respect. It is good to keep these things fresh in the memory. Lake Superior is still deadly.
Thank you for this. Greetings from Southeast Kentucky. Teri Woolum Lefevers.
"...If you see my downeaster "Alexa"
And if you work with the rod and the reel
Tell my wife I am trolling Atlantis
And I still have my hands on the wheel..."
God Bless the brave men of the Edmund Fitzgerald, trolling Atlantis forever more, and the loved ones they left behind. And God Bless the Captain of the James Barker, for showing this respect and honor. Rest Easy, Captain McSorley, and all your crew. The Captain and crew of the Barker, and all the other ships, watch the waterways for you now.
Love that song.
Bless the souls of the hundreds of men and women who perished on the Great Lakes. I salute them all! Bless those who put out to sea! I keep you all in my prayers, and wish you calm seas and good fortune 🌹⚓
Thank you for this, a lovely tribute. Thank you for not playing music. The sounds of the water and the winds are musical enough. Much respect. New sub. 🌹⚓
I just got chills. WOW! Thank you for sharing 😊
That is awesome. I was up in Ketchikan when a naval ship was docked there and I was blown away by how ginormous it was!! I’m from Montana and I don’t see ships. This ship is incredible and I’d love to see one someday
3:43 if any body was wondering
I was, thanks!
I was. Thank you 👍
Thank ya kindly
I traveled across Canada back in 1985. I remembered talking to some people in Thunder Bay Ontario and they told me that Thunder Bay really lives up to its name. They told me that those storms on Lake Superior demand respect !!!
That was awesome to hear and see...may the Edmund Fitzgerald always be remembered
Not living anywhere close to something like ships of this size, I would love to see one in person. I know i never will. A huge Thank you to the person posting these videos!
They are more massive than you can imagine. I watched at the Eisenhower Lock in Massena, NY as a freighter cleared the locks (as I had done several times before). It was headed to the Port of Oswego, NY. Its’ deck cargo included the huge blades for the electric producing windmills on Tug Hill in Upstate NY, as well as several tractor trailer boxes that looked like tinker toys. I’m from the area and have stood next to those blades as they were being readied for installation. They made my Toyota minivan look like a Matchbox toy. Knowing how big those windmills are and seeing those blades dwarfed by the ship is really impressive. When I was a kid, my father would take us to the Eisenhower Locks and the Robert Moses hydroelectric dam nearby. We used to be able to park on the American side of the dam, walk through the visitor center that was on top of the dam, and straight through to the Canadian parking lot. I hated going, thinking it was boring. 😅 I was eleven when the Fitz went down. I was strangely terrified; and, kept hoping for word that the crew had survived. To this day, I am afraid of open water if I cannot see land.
@CaraFay-bf8jk Thank you for sharing that. It's very interesting to hear about. I've always been afraid of anything other than a swimming pool.
Happy holidays to you and your family.
Next year is the 50th anniversary. Will any theater company stage the play "Ten November" by Steven Dietz?
Great tribute as the ship goes to Lake Superior in November. Reminds the sailors of those lost at sea and the dangers those brave sailors face.
I used to get on these ships once a year to inspect the boilers refractories.
I like the added touch of wishing the William Irvin a happy birthday. 😊
I love this! Just the normal sounds of a harbor and a ship passing by.
Not normal. This salute is not normal. It is done remembrance.
I always honor the Mighty Fitz every year. I'm glad the industry always does the same.
Very moving. Brotherhood of the sea.
R.I.P. those lost souls all those years ago.
He in Australia years back I heard this song and NEVER FORGOT IT,God bless their souls.
I lived on a lake. Every November, I always felt the wind. I am way east. But the story of the Fitz has lived with me since I read and listened to Gordon. Been 50 yrs
Respect indeed. 👍
I don’t think any of us alive today , kids or adults that knew or were close to water families or coastal communities will ever forget the mighty Fitz and her dutiful crew ! A true tragedy of those who brave the big lakes and big water !
Love those thousand footers, They're the top attraction of the great lakes in my opinion!💯👍
In my opinion, I can’t stand the 1000 footers!!! If it wasn’t for the Cort we would still have all those classics. However I do love how what an engineering masterpiece the 1000 footers really are ;)
@@tuckerhager6429 I saw the Reserve in Munising one year and hated how they made her into a tug/barge combination. But I still love seeing them on cam!
@@nancyfarmer4289 you and I both ;)
It's hard to believe it's been 49years that the Fitz went down.rest in peace.crew see you the other side.god bless you and your love ones.
Thank you from Owen Sound, Ontario!❤
@@laurag7295 glad to see so many Canadians!! Gotta stick together;)
My father was an ocean marine insurer at the time. The EF came across this desk for insurance 3 times, which he refused. When I asked him why, (after the tragedy), he said the ship was too old, the load too heavy, and it was too late in the season for him to insure. He loved ships. When we'd go to Red Lobster, he knew all the fishing vessels by name. They always hung beautiful photos of them as artwork, which they were. Prayers to the families of those lost at sea.
Thank you.
Sailors! Rest your oars...............
How magnificent these mighty ships and the hearty brave souls that sail on them!
This tribute rattles me to the bones. The song hits hard but this is very different. Thanks for the content.
Good lord! I think the ship slowed down when he ripped that horn!!
As a teenager living a block away from the river in Manitowoc, WI, in the mid 60's I remember watching the Fitz & the Anderson (the ship that was sailing behind the Fitz that fateful day) come and go. The crew would always wave at us kids & the Captain would give a couple short blasts on the horn for us. It really hit me hard when I heard the news of its sinking.
Full on, profound maritime respect by the freighter load, shown to the Edmund Fitzgerald. May god hold the crew of the Big Fitz, and all mariners lost, in his warm embrace.
Awesome as always the Barker Bark
Respect to the Captain & Crew of the Arthur M. Anderson and William Clay Ford for pulling up the anchor and go back out into that storm to look for the Fitz. They didn't have to do that. It was a courageous thing to do.
The bridge not responding resonates unconditionally
Grew up Catholic. Rituals absolutely go straight to my heart.
I hear the song Gordon Lightfoot sings about the Edmund Fitzgerald, and I cry my eyes out! What those men went through? How many ships have been lost and how many men's lives have been lost!!!! ❤❤❤❤❤
Beautiful tribute to those lost. 😞 This was the last ship to see the Edmund Fitzgerald, isn't it?
@@cremebrulee4759 The Arthur M Anderson was the last to see the Fitz and the first to go back out to search.
Damn that ship is massive!
🫡 Lest we never forget.
Thank you to those who continue to remember and honor the 29 lives lost that fateful day. 🇺🇸
🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐
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🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐
🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐
🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐
🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐
🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐
🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐
🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐
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🙏🕯💐 🙏🕯💐
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Amen
Mcsorley would be proud.
Awesome salute
I was born and raised in Michigan and if I don’t count myself, we have at least three generations born and bred in this icy environment. I remember, as a small child, my dad drove us up to the thumb and I first saw water that went on forever.
What an awesome sound.
Best horn 🤩
Lovely tribute.
I was wondering why this ship looked familiar! I’ve seen it at the ports back home in Delaware and along the Delaware River! One of my favorite ships!
Awesome.