The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

SS Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that sank in Lake Superior during a storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew of 29 men. When launched on June 7, 1958, she was the largest ship on North America's Great Lakes, and she remains the largest to have sunk there. She was located in deep water on November 14, 1975, by a U.S. Navy aircraft detecting magnetic anomalies, and found soon afterwards to be in two large pieces.
For 17 years, Edmund Fitzgerald carried taconite iron ore from mines near Duluth, Minnesota, to iron works in Detroit, Toledo, and other Great Lakes ports. As a workhorse, she set seasonal haul records six times, often breaking her own record. Captain Peter Pulcer was known for piping music day or night over the ship's intercom while passing through the St. Clair and Detroit rivers (between lakes Huron and Erie), and entertaining spectators at the Soo Locks (between Lakes Superior and Huron) with a running commentary about the ship. Her size, record-breaking performance, and "DJ captain" endeared Edmund Fitzgerald to boat watchers.
Carrying a full cargo of ore pellets with Captain Ernest M. McSorley in command, she embarked on her ill-fated voyage from Superior, Wisconsin, near Duluth, on the afternoon of November 9, 1975. En route to a steel mill near Detroit, Edmund Fitzgerald joined a second taconite freighter, SS Arthur M. Anderson. By the next day, the two ships were caught in a severe storm on Lake Superior, with near hurricane-force winds and waves up to 35 feet (11 m) high. Shortly after 7:10 p.m., Edmund Fitzgerald suddenly sank in Canadian (Ontario) waters 530 feet (88 fathoms; 160 m) deep, about 17 miles (15 nautical miles; 27 kilometers) from Whitefish Bay near the twin cities of Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario-a distance Edmund Fitzgerald could have covered in just over an hour at her top speed.
Edmund Fitzgerald previously reported being in significant difficulty to Arthur M. Anderson: "I have a bad list, lost both radars. And am taking heavy seas over the deck. One of the worst seas I've ever been in." However, no distress signals were sent before she sank; Captain McSorley's last (7:10 P.M.) message to Arthur M. Anderson was, "We are holding our own." Her crew of 29 perished, and no bodies were recovered. The exact cause of the sinking remains unknown, though many books, studies, and expeditions have examined it. Edmund Fitzgerald may have been swamped, suffered structural failure or topside damage, experienced shoaling, or suffered from a combination of these.
The disaster is one of the best-known in the history of Great Lakes shipping. Gordon Lightfoot made it the subject of his 1976 hit song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" after reading an article, "The Cruelest Month", in the November 24, 1975, issue of Newsweek. The sinking led to changes in Great Lakes shipping regulations and practices that included mandatory survival suits, depth finders, positioning systems, increased freeboard, and more frequent inspection of vessels.
model made by Lucas Gustaffson
3dwarehouse.sk...
#edmundfitzgerald #milwaukee #caljucotcas

[@andrewmcleod9312]

Hi. Thank you for this awesome clip. What is the music playing? sounds wonderful and yet, also eerie considering the content of the clip. Good day !

[@caljucotcas]

Hey, thanks 🙂🙂 SONG: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iWe6apWEpJmqfs0

[@andrewmcleod9312]

@@caljucotcas Thank-you. Much appreciated

[@ΑλκιβιάδηςΚάρλος]

Σαράντης Κάρλοσ

[@nbmooselovers]

Yes! So well done. "Thank You" as well! 👍

[@notlib5050]

what a shitty replay. You should be ashamed of yourself

[@dd1862]

In the summer of 1973 when I was eleven years old I saw the Fitzgerald docked in Superior. It was a beautiful ship.

[@douglasbrunt2675]

The ship was in bad shape, structurally! And overweight in it's holds. Those storm waves did it in .

[@falcondragonslayer]

@@douglasbrunt2675 it was in bad shape since it was constructed. Corners were cut to save money. But there is no denying that it was a beautiful ship

[@johnkeith2450]

I was 17 when she went down. Was living in Texas and remember the news report. It took me until I was 34 to see the Great Lakes area.

[@petestaint8312]

Wow! Cool. Must've been an awesome sight.

[@JohnSmith-el6lk]

@@johnkeith2450 I was around the same age (born in 59) I live in Michigan and have been to Lake Superior and also visited the Mariners Cathedral. Gord's Gold album is classic and my top five favorite albums.

[@russellmiller6609]

Gordon Lightfoot donated all the money he made from the song to the families of the men who perished in this tragedy.That was a good thing he did for those people

[@confusedbadger6275]

Can you stop perpetuating this lie, he did not give all the money he made from this song, he donated money to the families charity.

[@Garsons-oq4lh]

@@confusedbadger6275 Did he also donate to a fund of any kind for the families of the Yarmouth Castle which caught fire and sank back in 1965? He did a song tribute to that wreck too in case you weren't aware (no offense).

[@kirkscobey3031]

@@confusedbadger6275 either way he gave something to help

[@Pahrump]

@@Garsons-oq4lh should he have?

[@SGTJDerek]

@@confusedbadger6275 even if it was just a penny, it's more than the Company did. From what I understand they were complicate.

[@billycox2040]

The Edmund Fitzgerald, still talked about today, and will never be forgotten. That's a good thought.

[@Modeltnick]

Beautiful job with this video. The Arthur Anderson still mourns as it wanders the Great Lakes.

[@michaelbruning5786]

Don't forget the sinking of the Carl D. Bradley in 1957-58, where a large number of the crew were from Rogers City, Michigan. Grandfather's, Father's and Son's were lost then. Out of a crew of 33, 2 survived. The caskets were lined up across the front of the Catholic Church and up the aisle to the entrance. An entire single community suffered for months, and the scars remain today. Carl D. Bradley - lost in Lake Michigan in November 58, but not forgotten.

[@caljucotcas]

Im starting to work on bradley tomorrow. Model/animation

[@kevinkosmeder6769]

And the Daniel J Morrell. I cant think of a more terrifying way to die.

[@sirboomsalot4902]

@@kevinkosmeder6769 The crew of the Morrell even managed to sail the aft half of their ship another mile before the lakes took them.

[@pinchewey7]

It was named after me

[@Just-Steve]

Yeah, but Gordon Lightfoot didn't sing a song about that one so it's not as important to people.

[@winterplays665]

I've lived in Michigan all my 21 years of life. You don't grow up without hearing about this terrible tragedy. Everytime I see pictures of the wreck however, it both tears at my heart, and amazes me how well intact the bow section is.

[@billrobbins5874]

Lived there for 19 years. My older brother was out on another Merchant Marine ship that day in the same storm. Was so relieved to know he wasn't on the Fitzgerald. Yet so sad at her loss and for all those aboard. The Lakes are massive in size. ♥️🙏♥️

[@patrickmurphy6911]

A beautiful visualization of a legendary ship.

[@cascadesouthernmodeltrains7547]

Leading theory of her sinking is a large wave came at her from the stern and lifted the stern to a degree that the Fitz’s engines drove her into the bottom. The impact on the bottom broke her back and the torque from the rotating propeller flipped the stern upside down as it hit the bottom. This fits with the damage to the bow, the missing (obliterated) middle section and also how the 2 pieces ended up right next to each other. Also with the suddenness of her disappearance from radar this checks every box. Had she sunk from water filling the hatches she would have sank slowly and the crew, at least some would have been able to escape. Also a slow sinking would not have caused the damage to the middle or bow. We also know she didn’t capsize (except the stern) as her holds are still full. Another indicator she want down fast was the bridge visor, it was smashed against the bridge, this wouldn’t have happened either with a slow decent into the water. And lastly the captain of the Anderson had witnessed a large wave passing his ship headed right to the Fitz. This wave was large enough to pull the stern up enough to drive the Fitz into the bottom. It had only missed the Anderson by a hundred or so feet.

[@dennisb-trains23]

This does seem most plausible. Well written.

[@allenbass6169]

It does make sense

[@danalarose846]

One of my friends works with metal and physics. He's spent 18 years studying, investigating this wreck right down to the size of the regular waves and the rogue waves as well as free board, ratio of the ship. His story is pretty amazing.

[@CLL-1]

@@danalarose846 Cool! Got any links to his work? Would love to see some of that

[@danalarose846]

@@CLL-1 please excuse me I'm a computer dummy, but I'll try 😃

[@Leprechaunproduction]

Creepy fact for the day: The Great Lakes preserve bodies very well due to the extreme cold and the lack of flesh-eating organisms, which means that the bodies of the Fitzgerald's crew are still inside the ship and probably still recognizable. So if the lake was suddenly drained and you got to walk around the wreck, you'd find the still-intact corpses of the men who died on her over 45 years ago.

[@johnwang4793]

I dont mean to sound disrespectful but in the dark side of my heart I confess that I have always wanted to see their remains.

[@Leprechaunproduction]

@@johnwang4793 I don't think it's disrespectful; whenever we hear about bodies being preserved in an unnatural way or in an unusual environment, we're naturally curious to see what they look like, but we should only look and not touch. From what I've read, there is one confirmed body lying next to the Fitzgerald; you can supposedly see it at the 37 minute mark in the documentary, 'Expedition 94' to The Edmund Fitzgerald' but I doubt it's real (it looks like broken metal to me). Early investigations also might have found bodies of the crew in the pilothouse; Captain Jim Wilson of the Coast Guard said in 'Mystery of the Edmund Fitzgerald' at the 42 minute mark: "...the sinking was rapid because the vessel had no reserve bouncy left, so when she came over the crest of the wave and the bow plunged, in the vessel continued on. This was borne out by the photographs that showed that the crew on the bridge had not even put on life jackets." How could they have known that unless bodies were seen? (but that also asks the question of why other expeditions have footage of the bridge, but with no bodies). If you're interested in bodies preserved by the Great Lakes, look up Gramps/Old Whitey from the SS Kamloops; he's a body who's been inside the wreck for over 90 years and can still be seen by divers today; there is video footage of him on KZbin, but it's brief and you only see his barely-recognizable legs and feet. There are also apparently other bodies in the ship, but I haven't been able to find anything about them. You can also look up 'The Lake That Never Gives Up Her Dead' by Ask A Mortician.

[@kk_doomsday92]

@@johnwang4793 watch the 94 expedition u see one in life jacket but it's obscured by the dirt

[@johnwang4793]

@@Leprechaunproduction thanks for your really detailed info regarding the subject, I think I'll definitely search the documentary that you referred to in the end. As for the Fitz, I am aware of two occasions that some articles mentioned to have spotted human remains. One is the expedition launched immediately after the disaster in 75, the other being in 94, when a single crewman was spotted outside the ship. I have long abandoned any hope of searching videos containing the remains after I became aware that families of the victims had made every possible effort to prevent them being released to public.

[@johnwang4793]

@@kk_doomsday92 thanks for the info Kyle. appreciated.

[@johnbrozman2597]

Quite a unique video of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Mighty Fitz)! It touches your soul as the camera pans the wreckage while the music plays in sync. I like the sunrise in the background as the rising sun gives hope to another day. Very respectful as well. Thank you.

[@uncommonsense6635]

It would be really cool if at the end when you were flying out the scene that you displayed a translucent layer that represented the surface of the lake. It would give an incredible perspective to how deep she lay if you past over her in a boat.

[@stevenlangdon-griffiths293]

Great comments

[@jonathanbair523]

I think 500 feet would be hard to show how deep it really is.... As that is mid depth for the grate lake, and parts of her get over 1,000 feet deep......May need to put something like stacking few Empire States Building's on top of each other or something like that to show how deep the water is..I do agree adding something standing in for the water would be a really good idea tho...

[@scott-bf3xd]

No about half the ESB would do lol

[@themoonbubble]

Bathilogical

[@deco9863]

Great comment, would love to see that as well. On a side note, if you were to see the bow of the Edmund Fitzgerald touching the bottom of Lake Superior, there would be 200 feet of her stern sticking up out of the water.

[@robertbraden4478]

R.I.P. to all those on board the Fitzgerald.

[@trustnuthinman5778]

Sank November 10th 1975 I remember I was with my girlfriend and worst white out I ever saw I was so sad I wanted to take my dads boat to see if we could help?we were 45 minutes from whitefish Island I never forgot rest well beautiful lady and your family 🌹🌹🌹🌹🙏

[@lithuaniangiant2676]

The forces that tore this ship apart boggles my mind.

[@200130769]

And the fact that those kind of forces exist so far inland

[@lithuaniangiant2676]

@@200130769 Both my Grandfather's spent over twenty years on the water and taught me to respect it. One of them sailed for a time on a Whaleback ship on the Great lakes. He spent twenty years in the Marines as MP on the battleship's Utah and Kersage. Anyway, he said the worst storm he saw on the seas was on the Great Lakes.

[@200130769]

@@lithuaniangiant2676 wow that's crazy! I grew up a half hour north of green bay and about 20 min inland. I knew it could get bad but still thought it was probably nothing compared to the ocean. One thing I do notice is sometimes storms can just roll in without any notice. Like one minute its sunny and beautiful and 10 min later you see straight black coming at you. I couldnt imagine getting caught in that out on the water.

[@lithuaniangiant2676]

@@200130769 My background is in Physics. In the binomial expansion of Newton's equation there is the coriolis force. That is why storm spin in different directions in the northern and southern hemispheres. When you have a large body of water that is that is surrounded by a land mass with large temperature variations it creates drastic effects. It is like taking a cold plate and putting it in a hot oven and it shatters verse putting the plate in the oven and turning it on.

[@whackydumdum]

@@200130769 You ever been on Superior? I wouldn't call being out on that lake "inland". That's a sea.

[@Tom_A.K.]

"we're holding our own" ... Always in our hearts.💔 ... 29 souls Rest In Peace ...

[@OsborneMcclintic]

at the time of the wreck.. i was in 5th grade at summitt school in proctor... top of the hill of duluth/superior... mr skalko had a nephew on that boat..my teacher that year...i remember the whole thing really sucked...rip edmund fitzgerald

[@aaltair97]

The fact that there was no distress call points to the ship going down very fast

[@AdhamOhm]

The way the stern settled upside down in such a relatively shallow depth (the ship was actually longer than the lake is deep where it sank). I can't imagine how treacherous those waves were that night for them to completely tear this ship up.

[@thomaskositzki9424]

What an eerie yet cool idea to 3D-model shipwrecks!

[@TheWopper78]

This montage was beautiful. Made me cry. Awful to think of what these souls were thinking when the time came.

[@rocistone6570]

Most of the crew not on watch would have been in their bunks (Stern) I believe. I've studied this event since it happened. I think of the crew and not where the bodies are.

[@CrewGuyPJ]

Guess Who Both the Carl D Bradley and Daniel J Morrell broke up on the surface. Read Dennis Hale's book, 'Shipwrecked: Reflections of the Sole Survivor'. He gives a very good description of what happened.

[@dathorndike4908]

Question- if the sinking was so fast what happened first? A_ The crew drowns B. The Fitz sinks and comes to rest on the lake bottom. SCary. Imagine the B scenario. You are sitting on the bottom of Lake Superior with almost 600 feet of water above yiou knowing death is coming any second or minute. It could be very plausible that at least some of the crew experienced this as when a ship sinks there always some air pockets that keep the water from filling the ship up completely for a short while. If the ride to the bottom only took a minute or two this may have been a very real scenario.

[@CrewGuyPJ]

IMO, Ive studied this sinking as much as any, the guys forward and in the pilot house never knew what hit them....the guys in the engine room had to know something was bad wrong in those final seconds and as they were tossed around by first the angle of the floor and the impact of the bow hitting the bottom.

[@smc1942]

When they raised the West Virginia, after it was sunk at Pearl Harbor, they found men that were trapped in air pockets that lived until 23 December. They had written on the walls. They ran out of air. Can you imagine being trapped in a sunk ship over two weeks?! That's scary! And terribly sad. Just as sad as the loss of "Big Fitz".

[@jwbullardxxiii]

And in pitch darkness and freezing conditions.

[@terrywilder9]

There's a little Provincial Park called Stoney Point on Lake St. Clair, where you rarely see anyone. Whenever I was there I would walk my dog on it's small beach. On one occassion there was a massive dead tree with a trunk diameter of 7 to 8 ft that had drifted up and got stuck on a shoal just off the beach about 500 ft offshore. When I was there on another occasion there was a DNR officer there. I asked him what had happened to that massive tree. He said they get moved around as the lake levels rise and fall by the wind and current. He said some have been floating around the Great Lakes for decades. So just imagine the dangers to smaller vessels that often go unseen at night!

[@David-lx4yb]

I was thirteen years old when the ship went down. We lived right on Lake Michigan (Holland, MI) and I remember how bad that storm was more two hundred miles south. I can only imagine the nightmare it was at ground zero on Lake Superior.

[@danasimcho310]

I lived in Pittsburgh when the Edmund Fitzgerald went missing & watched, waited, & prayed as we all watched the news day after day. I am so glad the families & friends of her crew finally have closure. It must be awful to wonder day after day for years. However, we all need to remember that the men have families who are still living & to be mindful & considerate of their feelings when we make our comments.

[@Torontoboy678]

My great great great uncle died on the Edmund he was working in the Edmund's boiler room

[@noahdavidson8733]

One of the crewmen was from Butler.

[@dandelly4269]

Really makes you hurt for the families.....R.I.P. EDMUND FITZGERALD CREW.......

[@rickkearn7100]

A perfect storm of events and conditions (i.e., taking on water perhaps through a broken hatch, failure of ballast pumps-if so equipped, extraordinary seas, perhaps a midships structural failure and then a headlong plunge into a large wave with the bow pointing slightly down) unfortunately came together in a short span of time. It's speculated by some that they didn't realize they were heading down after plunging into a large wave due to the aforementioned conditions (in the opine of Capt. Anderson). Tragic event. As it happened, Capt. McSorley could not have done anything else. I'm sure everyone had their life vests on.This is a very excellent video post, thanks.

[@godblessamerica7048]

Rest in peace, Gordon Lightfoot! Your legend will live on in Minnesota!

[@TheEmeraldMenOfficial]

It lives on in Newfoundland, too. I saw him at the age of 10 1/2 in 2014, one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to. I nearly cried when I heard, tbh: he was an amazing man. Apparently… the Sailors’ Church in Detroit (AKA the “Maritime Sailors’ Cathedral” he sings about) did a memorial for him the day after he passed… …and the church bell chimed until it rang thirty times, this time.

[@godblessamerica7048]

@@TheEmeraldMenOfficial That is awesome!

[@eroticide16]

They need to do a movie on the mighty fitz

[@ryanfiecke4028]

No I don't think so becasue Hollywood would change the whole story and ruin it like they did with the movie of titianic

[@eroticide16]

@@ryanfiecke4028 yea, this is true just wish they were able to tell how she truly sank and no one is really allowed to dive the wreck site anymore because of it being deemed a grave site.

[@seardadsdasd]

@@ryanfiecke4028 1997 titanic was not that bad except for the rose and jack story they could have done it with ANY important people that were aboard it they could have done it with molly brown the captain charles lightoller and many others but they instead went with 2 fictional characters that ruined the freaking story?

[@Skiers_Snowboarders_Midwest]

@@ryanfiecke4028 historically, the movie Titanic is actually really accurate.

[@amberlantern9328]

Honestly someone should do a Perfect Storm remake but telling the story of the Fitzgerald this time, that movie perfectly captured the love/loss side of sailing in a close nit community of sailors and their families, fitting seeing as the loss of the Fitzgerald a beloved ship and crew greatly effected the whole area, the shipping community and the family's of the victims.

[@jimpaull731]

This is haunting. I've always been fascinated by this tragedy. This video shows a incredible insight.

[@TimJohnsonBizNet3]

One other thing I hadn't realized until I saw another video is the proportion of the depth where it sank to the ship's overall length. I always knew it went down in 500+ feet of water but never realized that was a lot less than its overall length. It's entirely possible that most of the stern was airborne when the bow hit, which I suspect would make it all the more easier for the stern to shear off.

[@samdog8087]

Had to be a wave from the stern...prop caught the wave, ship went bow first, and the torque twisted her as the load moved forward....my 2 cents

[@goodkarna]

Love this visualization! Thank you

[@omegaomg175]

you should made a video about lifting up the edmund fitzgerald

[@gfdgfdggfdgfgdf6144]

your comment got hearted he’s probably gonna make it

[@peterjohnston1224]

I would be interested in seeing an animated break-up sequence. Much like the animated sequence showing the sinking of the Titanic. Gives a sense of the physics and energy involved.

[@e-train765]

What still boggles my mind to this day is that the wreck of the Fitz (or the Fitz as a whole ship) is longer than the depth of Lake Superior she's laying in.

[@CrewGuyPJ]

actually, as she was heading toward and were close to Whitefish, so she was no longer in the deeper part of Superior. They didnt miss it by much just a few miles.

[@michaelraiger623]

“The searchers all say / They’d have made Whitefish Bay / If she’d put fifteen more miles behind her.” G. Lightfoot

[@lonnyjaw]

This video is very informative and yet so heartbreaking.

[@lithuaniangiant2676]

If you were to flip the stern over behind the bow section, it almost looks like the gap between them is accounts for the missing section of the ship.

[@JohnnyReb4462]

This Video Gives Me The Chills. I Swear The Ghosts Of That Wreck Are Right Here When I'm Watching This. Good Job:).

[@dlagrua]

Best guesses as to why the ship sank include that the ship "bottomed out" putting a large crack in the hull allowing it to flood with water. Then it broke in half and sunk in seconds

[@topthrilldragster20]

She nose dived first. The stern broke while still on the surface

[@insertnamehere313]

I believe the bow drove into the bottom and 200+ft of the Fitz sticking up above the water and a big wave pushed the stern forward forcing the ship to break and that would explain the steel being bent upwards at the break on the bow section of the Fitz but I don't believe she bottomed out at 6 fathom shouls I think it was a stress crack at the break up spot because the shouls was further away than originally thought and was deeper than what was marked on the very outdated map Mcsorley was using and I know divers claim the dove and seen red paint and mark's etched in the rocks on the bottom but they never proved that at least that I know of and I don't believe the hatches not being dogged down right being the cause because if the Fitz is taking on water and there pumping it out than it's not a leak in the cargo holds because there's no pumps in the holds just the ballast tanks.

[@nw8000]

You are right kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJzdgpxvbNiVpKc

[@justinlynch3]

@@insertnamehere313 I know the maps where outdated but I thought the Fitz was closer to the shoals then the maps said, not further away. But maybe I'm thinking of something else. But yea the ship only having ballast pumps and no cargo hold pumps is something I only recently heard about myself. It seems like the middle part of the ship may of been crushed, likely from the bow plowing into the dirt and stopping suddenly while the screw at the rear was still trying to push her forward. I think all we can say for sure is the ship took a nose dive. If she stress fractured or bottomed out we may never truly know with how extensively the wreck is damaged.

[@chvfd687]

@@insertnamehere313 a story I heard was the screens to the pumps were blocked by cargo when she was loaded. How true that is I can't say. Wouldn't be sensible of course either but if I remember correctly it was a crew member on a previous trip that said that. May have been just a one time thing if so but who knows

[@Mark-pp7jy]

It's a reference depiction folks. Lake Superior did not spring a leak. Well done to the people who put this together!

[@donnapuckett4992]

🤣

[@robertkresse7436]

It seems to me that the ship was twisted torsionally until the metal in her superstructure and hull finally fatigued and was torn in half by the pictures I saw and as I was a welder by trade I know the way metal behaves pretty much under all circumstances. also, the hull also took a direct hit at the portion of the hull under the waterline at the bow.

[@kdrapertrucker]

Big section of the hull is obliterated.

[@dancingtrout6719]

i met a guy that said he was on the fitz once.. ..my sister went too high school with one of the deck hands i think his name was richard thomas he mighta been a year older ....he was 21 yrs old wen he passed very sad

[@MilkymandogOG]

May the souls onboard her rest in peace ⚰️🙏

[@Minong_Manitou_Mishepeshu]

Isle Royale shipwrecks would be cool, especially considering what their surroundings would look like.

[@derekquintal]

Never forgotten.....

[@this_boy-gent_is_a_roy-den2660]

If it's accurate, I'm envisioning the 'nose dive' theory and the stern end of the ship spilling iron ore all over the bow end, after breaking off. Is that what I'm seeing covering a portion of it? 1:23

[@40ounce58]

Very nice and detailed video. A lot of theories on how it sank.

[@brianparent8901]

I got a real good look at the SS Edmund Fitzgerald. I would never dive a ship wreck, they scare me

[@BULL.173]

I scuba dive and over the years I've poked around some shipwrecks, mostly in freshwater lakes. One thing I've come to learn is that all wrecks are different and give off unique vibes. It's almost like a personality. Some are really cool. Like they are down there by choice and want to show themselves off. Others can be very forbidding and downright scary. Even if the Fitz could be reached by free diving I wouldn't go anywhere near it.

[@Cadolots]

@@BULL.173 many professional scuba wouldn’t want to get near to Edmund Fitzgerald. One I’m not positive but it’s a forbidden place to visit, and two it’s so eerie that there’s possible a body there.

[@AngusFlett-l2y]

ABSOLOUTLY BRILLIANT HOW ON EARTH DO YOU DO THIS

[@LadyRanger]

Every November it's the 10th !! The legend lives on through Gordon LIGHTFOOT vids photography the entire Never forgotten through music & story Thanku GL MY FRIEND!!!!

[@danbasta3677]

Gordon Meridith Lightfoot is a very fine songwriter and producer of this very informative wording of this sing as he to is an accomplished sailor of his own right. The finest man from out close friends, the Canadians who happen to be very good, decent and polite humans upon this earth.

[@rickholland6695]

I love the background music. Where did you obtain it?

[@Lee-mx5li]

Good job on video, really put crash site into perspective 👍👍👍

[@joethehammervalentine]

What is the music used in this video?

[@augustagaldino4377]

How sad to see a hero with a great story like this have an ending like this 😢❤

[@laurionninpoika6331]

Next m/s Sea Diamond?

[@kingbee48185]

I always wondered what the wreck of the Fitz would look like with all the water gone and just on a dry lake floor. This computer simulation is a dream come true, many thanks for putting this out. My only criticism is that the damage to the bow section was far more extensive than what is depicted here, and I believe there is a section of the middle attached to the capsize stern. These are relevant because they give us clues as to how she sank....appears to be a greenstick style stress fracture and she broke apart on the surface but the bow obviously nose dived so the question remans break in two on the surface or breaking apart after the bow nose dived . But great animation, awesome job, helps visualize the whole disaster.

[@CoastalAutoReactionCAR]

WOW! Thank you!!!

[@paulhoffman778]

Very nice , like you are there and peaceful music.

[@loricharpentier1654]

So so sad...rest in peace you sweet souls.

[@Lee-mx5li]

INCREDIBLE, I assume the placement of everything on the ocean floor is based on the dives and had mapped out everything. Thus, puts it all into perspective what's lying there at this very moment. Thanks

[@guesswho9785]

I believe she snapped in half and then sank, just based on the wreckage. It’s such a clean break, almost no twisted metal. Would also explain the stern landing upside down as well as the damage to the bow. What a scary way to go. RIP

[@sshole...]

From the images I'm seeing I can deduce that it would be hell to walk on the sea floor

[@jez6208]

Really facinating idea.

[@Johnny-s7y]

I was in the garage with my father listening to WBBM AM on the radio when the news came on it was missing.

[@MIKES0029]

Amazing

[@SukkaPunch321]

It’s crazy to me how badly Superior beat up the Fitz. If you look at most Great Lakes ship wrecks, most are relatively intact and amazingly preserved. Even the Daniel J. Morell which split in half is still really intact, albeit in two pieces. But that ship, and the Bradly were both old, used older steel and were nearing the end of their life spans. The Fitz was comparatively new, was designed to flex, used modern steel and modern construction methods and had she survived could very easily still be in use today. This is just such a reminder of the power of the lakes.

[@Marcus_MG42]

RIP Gordon Lightfoot 1938-2023 | The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

[@knoxvillehermitfreemoviesm3625]

very amazing graphics

[@oldschooljack3479]

Years ago I read the issue of National Geographic that had the pictures of the wreck. Seems that I remember that none of the windows in the wheelhouse were broken and the lightbulbs on the "C" (Columbia Line) were still intact... Just made me think that whatever sent her to the bottom happened FAST.

[@Buschfanforlife333]

Love ur vids been waiting for this

[@4.brick4fun]

great clip

[@Steven.Mayes99]

Awesome!

[@ranmo8970]

A direct pass over the rear section would be very helpful if it shows the actual hull condition

[@nealfry2230]

I'll Always Cherish and Treasure my Last Memory of The Edmund Fitzgerald sailing through the Rouge River Complex in the Fog.

[@edianebezerra345]

what is the name of this program? I love your videos

[@caljucotcas]

Lumion 10 Pro, thanks 🥰

[@BismartanicSFM]

"Coming soon" Me: "Impossible"

[@waynedavis6221]

Very well done

[@chrisguerra355]

Impressive 'drain the ocean' images

[@traluf1466]

Stunning, mesmerizing and hanuting....

[@Themadhattter]

Anyone know? In all the dives on the Fitz, was the Captain's log or the plot maps ever recovered? I know the ship's bell was recovered and replaced.

[@natureboyy3]

Really great animation!

[@chrisguerra2341]

Fascinating perspective

[@leftseat30]

What are all the white stick like pieces lying around? Obviously I know that's not the cargo (iron ore pellets) and they are too small to be hatch covers

[@SteveSweat-e3n]

I like the details

[@ammi74656]

Super Cool Video.

[@ianross806]

If this is accurate, looks like it came apart right along the welds, front section and back. 1:36

[@actioncom2748]

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down...

[@RLD_Media]

The wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, will be remembered for centuries to come. Just like the stories of ships of bygone times - Santa Maria , Flor De La Mar, etc.

[@kylemcelgunn6361]

Sadly, the wreck wouldn't be in good shape if this was today. The sonar scan in the early 2000's showed part of the wreck collapsing. I wish we could see the state of the Fitz in real time today.

[@CrewGuyPJ]

I beleive you are thinking of Titanic....shes coming apart quickly now. The last time anyone went to Fitz in a sub (and Newt suit) was when they retrieved the ships bell. Once the tri mix divers started reaching the Fitz, laws passed stating it is a grave site and no one is allowed there.

[@kylemcelgunn6361]

@@CrewGuyPJ that is all correct, however, there was an unapproved sonar scan of the wreck site in July of 2003 that revealed the deterioration of the Fitz. Sadly, she will be a pile of rust, mud, and taconite one day.

[@Alexis2andsoOn]

Isnt the wreck seemingly intact with a cut right in the middle and not torn apart like this?

[@butter0017]

Titanic : i'm only ship split in half Endmund Fitzgerald : same Titanic : oh

[@caljucotcas]

Carl D Bradley: me tooo !

[@timothynewton4453]

The bow is listed, sunk, at 253', the stern 276', that is a total of 529'. The boat is listed, from what I see at anywheres from 728' to 730'. My math is roughly 200' are missing, with this video that seems strewn apart on the lake floor. Is there a whole other section anywhere's near this length, or did all that section simply disinegrate?

[@normpaddle]

Interesting. I assume you uses footage of wreck debris to animate? Not sure how accurate your video is as I'm not aware of all the underwater footage, but if that pile of sediment on the deck is true, that would indicate a classic skid as the Fitzs cratered into the bottom at an angle, she would have kicked up a massive amount of lake bottom which would have been somewhat suspended as the Fitz skidded on the lake floor....thus all the sediment eventually landing on top. She hit violently and the ship broke amid and rolled over. One can really ponder ll this from your images. RIP crew of the Fitzgerald!

[@ronanvave560]

The record breaker that broke itself.

[@NyuuMikuru1]

Watched an interesting bits about ships that carried copper. It has to be absolutely dry to be loaded onto the ship. Add any water to the load, it will over load. Wondering it might happen the same way on this ship.

[@jefftheriault5522]

If this is a reasonably accurate depiction of the debris field, that pile of taconite pellets up forward does seem to indicate that the first big wave that passed the ship behind both accelerated her forward motion and drove her bow under. Then the cargo keeps spilling forward, keeping her bow under. The second rouge wave slams against that flat bottom and side, the shell splits on two of the three sides, stern section rotates around the third side, busts up the mid section, shears loose and down it all goes. Holy bleep. 30 seconds and the radar screen is empty except for the crud the swells are throwing up. One other item, if, as reported, some length of her keel had become detached from the frames and hull plating, that keel structure might have acted like a glass cutter's ball...smacking up against that terribly stressed hull plating.

[@markw2917]

Check out "History Mystery Man" for their latest video about some information regarding the sinking, very interesting.

[@entangledmindcells9359]

@@markw2917 Watched it.. Interesting interview with the one guy (relative of some of the men that went down).. Talked about the "Fitz" being a tender boat because it had only 3 holds verse the normal 5 meaning less bulk heads. And a number of men know she would not fare well in bad weather. Was slated for repair during the off season because of issues with cracks. And to boot, was running at a summer load line instead of the winter load line (suppose to start on Nov 1st) meaning she was running 3 feet deeper than she should have (someone had to rescind that requirement) Don't know how true all that was but it sure sounded like he knew what he was talking about. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bJzdgpxvbNiVpKc

[@pp-sw1lx]

how accurate is this depiction of the wreck on the bottom with all the water removed ?

[@aluminium3574]

At 0:53 you can see that the deck of the front half of the ship is pointing up. It ripped loose of the hull... she probably broke and the deck was the last part to came loose

[@silicon212]

I think what happened is that there was no reserve buoyancy left on the boat, and a large wave enveloped the pilot house and the whole ship took a nosedive due to the weight of the freight on board. The shipwreck is in 530 feet of water, and the ship was 729 feet long. If it went straight down, that would explain why it's broken in half, why the aft end is upside down and why the bow is buried in a 'crater'. If the ship went near vertical (say 20 degrees off vertical), the stern would still be above water, by about 150-200 feet and the sudden slam of the bow on the floor would cause it to rupture due to its weight and separate the stern from the rest of the ship. That's my theory at least. To the crew it would have looked like a huge wave covered them up, it would have upset their footing and the ship would have impacted the floor in seconds. It would also explain why the lifeboats were loose despite not being deployed, and floating in the general area along with some other debris found on the surface the night of the wreck.

[@juniorthird7952]

@@silicon212 hopefully the impact of hitting the sea floor killed them or knocked them out to think of being trapped and drowning at the bottom of the lake is horrible.

[@silicon212]

@@juniorthird7952 In my mind's eye, they went into this wave and that was the end. I am sure the impact killed and/or incapacitated them to the point where they didn't really experience the gravity of what happened.

[@lh2337]

Nice! Did you model this? It’s accurate!

[@moonshinegrrl393]

Wow!