The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald Video

A tribute to the 29 men who died November 10, 1975, aboard the Edmund Fitzgerald in Lake Superior.

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Announcer (0:04): An air and sea search is continuing for possible survivors of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a 729 foot ore carrier, which apparently broke apart and sunk last night on Lake Superior. The ship and its 29-man crew vanished in a storm with 80 mile-an-hour winds and wave heights up to 25 feet. All that has been found is an oil slick and some debris.
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song begins at 0:17
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Radio Transmission (3:11): "We last had contact with 'em, the mate had talked to him ... at about 10 minutes after 7, 19:10, and he said he was going along fine and no problem."
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Radio Transmission (3:21): "But it looks from the information that we have that it's, uh, fairly certain that the, uh, Fitzgerald went down."
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Radio Transmission (4:04): "Uh, no, I didn't have him, uh, visually, I had him on radar; he was, uh, exactly 10 miles ahead of us. I asked him how he was making out with his problems and he said he was holding his own, but I, uh, lost contact after that."

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Lyrics:

The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they called "Gitche Gumee"
The lake, it is said, never gives up her dead
when the skies of November turn gloomy
With a load of iron ore twenty-six thousand tons more
than the Edmund Fitzgerald weighed empty,
that big ship and true was a bone to be chewed
when the Gales of November came early

The ship was the pride of the American side
coming back from some mill in Wisconsin
As the big freighters go, it was bigger than most
with a crew and good captain well seasoned,
concluding some terms with a couple of steel firms
when they left fully loaded for Cleveland
And later that night when the ship's bell rang,
could it be the north wind they'd been feelin'?

The wind in the wires made a tattle-tale sound
and a wave broke over the railing
And ev'ry man knew, as the captain did too
'twas the witch of November come stealin'
The dawn came late and the breakfast had to wait
when the Gales of November came slashin'
When afternoon came it was freezin' rain
in the face of a hurricane west wind

When suppertime came the old cook came on deck sayin'
"Fellas, it's too rough t'feed ya"
At seven P.M. a main hatchway caved in; he said,
"Fellas, it's bin good t'know ya!"
The captain wired in he had water comin' in
and the good ship and crew was in peril
And later that night when 'is lights went outta sight
came the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Does any one know where the love of God goes
when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
The searchers all say they'd have made Whitefish Bay
if they'd put fifteen more miles behind 'er
They might have split up or they might have capsized;
they may have broke deep and took water
And all that remains is the faces and the names
of the wives and the sons and the daughters

Lake Huron rolls, Superior sings
in the rooms of her ice-water mansion
Old Michigan steams like a young man's dreams;
the islands and bays are for sportsmen
And farther below Lake Ontario
takes in what Lake Erie can send her,
And the iron boats go as the mariners all know
with the Gales of November remembered

In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed,
in the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral
The church bell chimed 'til it rang twenty-nine times
for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
of the big lake they call "Gitche Gumee"
"Superior," they said, "never gives up her dead
when the gales of November come early"

What a wonderful ...
What a wonderful tribute! At 47 years old I remember? when she sank. Once again, thanks very much for this video!!!

every year in ...
every year in michigan we? salute and pray on this video and the wreck of the edmund fitzgerald

@TheHED92 it's his ...
@TheHED92 it's his accent he's Canadian?

Let's pay tribute ...
Let's pay tribute to all the men and woman who have served here on the great lakes whether they lie in Huron or Superior makes no? difference. Whether the crew went down on a famous 730" freighter or a 83" 2 masted schooner. We should never forget

she was a bone to? ...
she was a bone to? be chew'd

@SHM1953 Agreed.... ...
@SHM1953 Agreed.....we ex sailors, and all sea going folk feel this tribute the most........Salute ladies and gents,to the men of the? Edmund Fitzgerald!

A better tribute ...
A better tribute could not have been written..........thx Gordon........and a hearty tear filled salute to The Men of the? Edmund Fitzgerald.

Hands? dwn dopest ...
Hands? dwn dopest dope I've ever smoked.

@OldDogZeroOne Lets ...
@OldDogZeroOne Lets not forget in the case of the Fitzgerald as she went down in the part of the lake was being contricted by the land, thus effect was magnified.. The crew really didnt have a chance.. a perfect storm in? one view. May those 29 souls rest in peace...

i was just about to ...
i was just about to go into basic training in the air force in nov 75 when i heard about this. i heard? the song in 76.

God is one of the ...
God is one of the best, if not THE best. I was born in '75, this song has always been one? of my all time favorites. What a tribute to those men. :)

josephulton, how ...
josephulton, how can I say this? THANKYOU, THANKYOU, THANKYOU. My Uncle was on this ship? in November of 75'. Every Christmas we raise a glass to him and play Gord's Song on our Stereo System. Is there any better tribute to anyone lost on the Edmund Fitzgerald? I love the lyrics: " In a musty old hall in Detroit they prayed in the Maritime Sailors' Cathedral the Church Bell chimed til it rang 29 times for each man on the Edmund Fitzgerald...

@Bear44mc Also what ...
@Bear44mc Also what "coast" people don't consider is that the waves, when pushed by wind, do not act the same way as waves on saltwater oceans due to the differences in salinity. They do not curl the same way and by their very nature are far more unpredictable and dangerous. Fresh water is? actually lighter by volume.

Great post.... ...
Great post....Thanks? for sharing......I remember that night. It was 4 days until I turned 16. Me and my dad was in our basement. He was listening to the radio, WJR and there was a news flash.

I have attended the ...
I have attended the bell ringing every year at Belle Isle since i was 16. I do find it funny that of the 29 men? lost, only one was from Michigan.

this? is beautiful
this? is beautiful

Fantastic tribute. ...
Fantastic tribute. Thanks for the hard work and? the post.

This guy slurs. Is ...
This guy slurs. Is it just? me?

A wonderful tribute ...
A wonderful tribute to that fine ship and crew.?

I guess the 77 ...
I guess the 77 dislikes are the people that? are into today's joke of music...like rap!!!

Lot of posts ...
Lot of posts talking about "the lakes" --- who are you all trying to kid? The Great Lakes? are simply INLAND SEAS.... and can be as rough and dangerous as an ocean... Being from Michgan myself I like a few other peeps here know all too well how those waters can change.

@magold16 thank you ...
@magold16 thank you i racked my brain trying to remember who that newscaster was? i was thinking murrah

@ loveunderlaw A ...
@ loveunderlaw A song about a legendary, memorial pride, and the top comment has to do with Justin Bieber.. It's people like you who make youtube? full of idiots.

I grew up ten miles ...
I grew up ten miles into the mouth of the Saint Lawrence River from Lake Ontario. Winter on the Lakes is ~not~? for the faint of heart!

@loveunderlaw? HEY, ...
@loveunderlaw? HEY, they also gave us William Shatner! ;)

The newsman was ...
The newsman was Harry Reasoner, who appeared for many years on 60 Minutes and filled in for Walter? Cronkite on The CBS Evening News..

great tribute... ...
great tribute...great music...just great...leave it at that????

@BluntRip I simply ...
@BluntRip I simply do not know what you are trying to say. It seems your reply to me was cruelly truncated, and left but? the French word for shower! lol It makes no sense my friend, but we both agree that this song is a "bonne" one, oui?

I believe it was ...
I believe it was Frank Reynolds that did? the report.

29 men? RIP ...
29 men? RIP beautiful tribute