Later when the wreck was found, it was discovered that the ship had broken in two. No bodies were ever recovered from the wreckage. The entire crew of 29 people died when the vessel sank. Although the captain of the Fitzgerald reported having difficulties during the storm, no distress signals were sent. It suddenly sank around 17 miles from Whitefish Bay. The Fitzgerald met its fate while traveling on Lake Superior during a storm on November 10, 1975. Its first voyage took place September 24, 1958. It was the largest ore carrier on the Great Lakes when it entered service. It was designed to carry taconite pellets (a type of iron ore) from mines near Duluth to iron works in Detroit and Toledo. It was 730 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 39 feet high. ![]() Edmund Fitzgerald (sometimes called the Mighty Fitz or Big Fitz) was a Great Lakes bulk cargo vessel that was christened into service on June 8, 1958. View the Data: edmund fitzgerald.xlsx Background About the Fitzgerald The data contains the time collected, location of the weather stations from which the conditions were reported (the abbreviations are from ships that reported in as weather stations), the wind speed and direction, the wave height, and the precipitation and visibility. She lies on her starboard side, bow deeper than stern, and very intact, with the perfectly preserved ship's wheel chain-and-padlocked in place so it won't get lost.Summary: This data set contains one worksheet of data, detailing the weather conditions before and after the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald on November 10, 1975. The Kamloops was located in 1977, with diver Ken Merryman being the first to explore and identify her. The bodies were found the following spring. One woman left a heart-wrenching note to her parents in a bottle. Not all of the crew of 20 men and 2 women perished immediately some reached the island by lifeboat and froze or starved to death slowly. Built in England in 1924, this steel freighter (250' x 42'9" x 24'3") foundered in a severe early winter storm on December 6, 1927, alongside rocky Isle Royale. The Kamloops story is one of the more tragic Isle Royale shipwreck tales. In recent years bodies of crewmen were removed from the engine room compartments.Ībout 300' off Twelve O'Clock Point, north shore of Isle Royale. ![]() A few artifacts have been removed and some artifacts, such as the emergency steering wheel, have been padlocked in place by sport divers to prevent further looting. The ship's remains were discovered by sport divers in 1977. The Kamloops was constructed in 1924 and hauled grain to and from many Great Lakes ports. Twenty-two lives were lost in the shipwreck which is believed to have occurred when the ship capsized in heavy seas near shore. The ship failed to survive a fierce, early winter storm as it rushed to complete the shipping season. The 250-foot package freighter Kamloops was lost without a trace in early December 1927. I would not feel right diving the Fitz.Ĭan't think of a more legitimate reason than respect for the living. You can debate the ethics of what should or shouldn't be closed to diving all day long. Out of respect for those i know who would prefer she not be dived on. I'm sure many families in Japan thought the events that transpired in Operation Hailstorm were equally tragic.įor this reason, even if she was in the range i would dive, i would not dive the Fitz. It was a tragety for many of us in this area because we were closer to the incident than most. In my mind the sinking of the Fitz was nothing like that. Nor do i have much sympathy for those lost there since it was an us or them war senario in which i would always picks us. I had no tie to those who lost their lives in Hailstorm. Didn't think twice about it in Chuuk for example, so i understand how you feel. Something many were raised not to do.Īs a wreck diver i'll admit to being more or less thoughtless of this due to the desire to dive wrecks. In many minds it's probably no different than standing on top of a grave in a cemetary. I would submit to you that you might feel differently if you were close to someone who went down on her. Depends on your viewpoint and how close you are to the events.
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