The day the mighty Edmund Fitzgerald went down.

Today is the thirty eighth anniversary of the day the Mighty Fitz went down. Everyone remembers the song but here in Michigan the legend of that day lives on as a warning to respect the Lakes. The relationship between ships and the Great Lakes is a history spanning more than three hundred years. The relationship has always been stormy and the first recorded lost ship was the Griffon in 1679 and she is still missing. Lake Superior is Mother Nature's cauldron this time of year and the term "Mother Nature is a bitch" is a term used out of respect. The night the Fitz went down wind gusts were recorded at one hundred miles per hour with waves reaching a height of thirty five feet. The ship's lights were being tracked and her captain was in radio contact when she literally went down in the blink of an eye. Today November tenth I'll take a moment to remember the twenty nine men who were lost that cold night and remember a line from the song that rings true " 'twas the witch of November come stealin"

"Anyone who has ever seen them is thereafter haunted as if by a feverish dream" Karl Woermann

[ Edited by: uncle trav 2013-11-10 04:27 ]

Trav, I was fortunate enough decades ago to meet Gordon Lightfoot and watch him sing the “The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald” in a live performance.

Here is a YouTube tribute to the lost souls of the Edmund Fitzgerald that incorporates Lightfoot’s song.

-Tom

Thirty nine years ago today the Fitz went down. Once again November on Superior has become nasty. Gale warnings are up for tonight and mariners are advised to seek safe harbor.

Forty years ago today the 'Witch of November' sank the Edmund Fitzgerald. Lake Superior is quiet right now but bad weather is forecasted in the next couple of days.

When I lived in Duluth - "the Frozen Honolulu" as nicknamed by my friends - they surfed the waves of Lake Superior.

This may be the definitive version of the song by an expert from Wisconsin.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdvbWDi_7Xo

1958 June 7. River Rouge, Michigan. Elizabeth Fitzgerald and her husband Edmund christen namesake SS Edmund Fitzgerald.

Ship which sails freshwater seas is a boat; ship which sails saltwater seas is a ship.

I do not know why. It is the way things are.

You are boat nerd, too? Very interesting from Boat Nerd: http://www2.boatnerd.com/glmi/FitzTelescope1998part.pdf

On 2016-03-07 04:07, Veronica! wrote:

Ship which sails freshwater seas is a boat; ship which sails saltwater seas is a ship.

Not necessarily. Ask a navy person-you’ll get many different answers. Seems size matters.
Cheers ; ^ )

On 2016-03-07 13:33, nui 'umi 'umi wrote:
Not necessarily.

Hai. Requires more precision. Great Lakes bulk carrier freighter is a boat.

There are many strange words. A drinking fountain is a bubbler. Traffic signal is stop 'n' go light. Most puzzling is time machine. Original ATMs were TYME. Acronym: Take Your Money Everywhere. Evolved to time machine. Just as we substitute Kleenex for the tissue. When I slip up vacationing, I receive curious looks for that one. Why, yes. We have time machines everywhere. Don't you?

Size is important. SS Edmund Fitzgerald specifically built to Saint Lawrence Seaway locks for ocean capability. So. I suppose could be freshwater boat or saltwater ship.

To me, the most heartbreaking shipwrecks are Christmas Tree Ship http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/christmas-tree-ship-went-down-on-the-lake-100-years-ago-427qj7i-181617871.html and PS Lady Elgin http://www.ship-wrecks.net/shipwreck/projects/elgin/

Very sad.

The peninsula of Door County is anglified contraction of the French "Porte des Morts" because the sea is so treacherous. But Death's Door is not conducive to attracting vacationers.

My favorite boat, E M Ford, suffered ignominious fate. http://www.boatnerd.com/pictures/fleet/emford.htm

My favorite yacht is for sale. http://www.superyachts.com/motor-yacht-2572/ss-delphine.htm Are you thinking what I am thinking? Tiki yacht. If everyone goes to the time machine and ponies up $500,000 .....

[ Edited by: Veronica! 2016-03-09 10:56 ]

Tanks for sharing Veronica.

Btw, a drinking fountain is called a “scuttlebutt” in the Marine Corps and on Naval vessels.

I took the following from Wikipedia;

Scuttlebutt in slang usage means rumor or gossip, deriving from the nautical term for the cask used to serve water (or, later, a water fountain).[1][2]

The term corresponds to the colloquial concept of a water cooler in an office setting, which at times becomes the focus of congregation and casual discussion. Water for immediate consumption on a sailing ship was conventionally stored in a scuttled butt: a butt (cask) which had been scuttled by making a hole in it so the water could be withdrawn. Since sailors exchanged gossip when they gathered at the scuttlebutt for a drink of water, scuttlebutt became Navy slang for gossip or rumours.[2]

Forty two years ago tonight. I’ll be raising a glass to the twenty nine.

My all time favorite song........

Fortythree years ago tonight. The seasons first lake effect snow is blanketing west Michigan as I write this.

44 years ago this evening the Fitz went down. Superior is quiet at the moment but she is building up for a good storm. We have winter weather warnings just posted here in the mitten for the next couple of days. This time of year Mother Nature reminds you who is really in charge and she doesn’t do it gently.

Gets kinda crappy here too at this time of year.
I think it's a way for nature to blow all the dead stuff from the trees branches, leaves, ect.