Scott Crevier's Family History Scott Crevier's Family History
The Edmund Fitzgerald was the largest ship on the Great Lakes, making dozens of trips each year, carrying iron ore from mines in Minnesota to ports in Detroit, Toledo, and other locations.
On the afternoon of November 9, 1975, the Edmund Fitzgerald left Superior, Wisconsin, hauling 26,000 tons of taconite ore pellets, en route to the steel mill on Zug Island, near Detroit, Michigan. The National Weather Service (NWS) had predicted that a storm would pass just south of Lake Superior by 7:00am the next day. However, by 7:00pm that evening, NWS had altered its forecast, issuing gale warnings for the whole of Lake Superior. The Edmund Fitzgerald altered its course northward, seeking the shelter along the Ontario shore. On that route, they encountered a storm at 1:00am on November 10, recording winds of up to 60mph (52 knots). By 2:00am, NWS had upgraded its warnings again, from gale to storm.
The Fitzgerald had been following another ship, the Arthur M. Anderson, on this route. But the Fitzgerald, being a faster ship, passed the Anderson at about 3:00am. The captains of the two ships maintained radio contact throughout the day on November 10, sharing conditions and offering guidance to each other.
Wind conditions worsened and snow began to fall around 2:45pm, reducing visibility. The Anderson lost sight of the Fitzgerald, which was about 16 miles ahead of them.
Shortly after 3:30pm, the Fitzgerald captain radioed to the Anderson that they were taking on water. He decided to slow the ship down, allowing the Anderson to get closer. A while later, the Fitzgerald advised the Anderson that their radar was down, and asked the Anderson to keep track of them. The Fitzgerald continued to slow down, allowing the Anderson to get within 10 miles of them and offer radar guidance.
The Fitzgerald had hoped to use the lighthouse at Whitefish Point on the coast of Chippewa County, Michigan for guidance. Not seeing the light, they radioed the U.S. Coast Guard to inquire about its status. USCG advised them that it was not operating. At about 5:30pm, another ship in the area radioed to the Fitzgerald that the light was indeed operating but not its radio beacon.
By late afternoon, conditions continued to worsen and by 6:00pm, the Anderson was reporting sustained winds as high as 67mph (58 knots) with waves as high as 25 feet. They also experienced wind gusts up to 67mph (58 knots) and rogue waves up to 35 feet.
Shortly after 7:00pm, the Anderson asked the Fitzgerald how she was doing. The captain responded, "We're holding our own." She was never heard from again. No distress signal was sent, and by 7:30pm, the Anderson had lost the ability to reach the Fitzgerald by radio; it had also disappeared off its radar.
Buck Champeau, the ship's 3rd assistant engineer perished along with all 28 of his crewmates, all of whom remain buried with the Fitzgerald at the bottom of Lake Superior.
This is a simple map that shows the exact location of the shipwreck, along with a few other interesting landmarks.
This is a list of key dates:
Sunday, November 9, 1975
5 p.m. — The SS Arthur M. Anderson joined the Edmund Fitzgerald, taking the lead. Under the command of Captain Jesse B. Cooper, nicknamed Bernie, the freighter was en route from Two Harbors, Minnesota, to Gary, Indiana.
At the time, the National Weather Service (NWS) had predicted a storm would pass south of Lake Superior by 7 a.m. the following morning. Captain Dudley J. Paquette of the SS Wilfred Sykes was following the radio conversations between the Fitzgerald and Anderson, and he overheard that they planned to take the usual downbound route.
7 p.m. — The NWS changed its forecast, issuing gale warnings for all of Lake Superior.
Monday, November 10, 1975
1 a.m. — A winter storm developed over the Fitzgerald and Anderson, so they changed their course to seek shelter north along the coast of Ontario. The Fitzgerald reported waves 10 feet high and winds of 60 mph.
Captain Paquette reported overhearing Captain McSorley say that he slowed the ship because of the stormy conditions. Later, McSorley said they would try for Isle Royale because the Fitzgerald wasn't keeping up with the Anderson.
2 a.m. — The NWS changed its weather warning to a storm with winds of 40-58 mph.
3 a.m. — The Anderson was moving at about 14.6 mph when the Fitzgerald pulled ahead. The storm center passed over the ships, creating shifting winds from northeast to south to northwest.
1:50 p.m. — The Anderson recorded winds of 58 mph, which picked up rapidly.
2:45 p.m. — It started snowing, and the reduced visibility meant that the Anderson couldn't see the Fitzgerald anymore. The ships were about 16 miles apart at that point.
Just after 3:30 p.m. — Captain McSorley reported to Captain Cooper that the Fitzgerald was taking on water and had developed a list. Two of six bilge pumps were continuously running. Also, the ship lost a fence railing and two vent covers. He decided to reduce the Fitzgerald's speed so that the Anderson could catch up.
Shortly afterward, the U.S. Coast Guard sent a warning to all ships that the Soo Locks were closed and to seek safe anchorage.
Just after 4:10 p.m. — Captain McSorley reported a radar failure and asked Captain Cooper to track the Fitzgerald. The Anderson was able to come within 10 miles of the Fitzgerald to provide radar guidance. Cooper directed McSorley toward Whitefish Bay for safety.
4:39 p.m. — Captain McSorley radioed the U.S. Coast Guard's Grand Marais station to find out if the Whitefish Point beacon was still operating. Unfortunately, the monitoring equipment showed that the light and radio beacons were inactive.
Then, McSorley called for any ships in the area to report the status of the navigational aids.
4:52 p.m. — The Anderson recorded sustained winds of up to 67 mph. Other ships and observation points across the area at this time reported winds stronger than 58 mph.
5-5:30 p.m. — Captain Cedric Woodard of the Avafors vessel reported to Captain McSorley that the light beacon wasn't working, but the radio beacon was. Woodard also overheard McSorley tell the crew not to let anyone on deck.
Sometime later, McSorley told Woodard that he had a bad list, lost both radars, and was taking heavy water "over the deck in one of the worst seas" he had ever experienced.
6 p.m. — Waves were rising up to 25 feet high. The Anderson was struck by gusts of 81-86 mph and rogue waves up to 35 feet high.
7:10 p.m. — Captain Cooper contacted Captain McSorley to warn him of an upbound ship and ask how the Fitzgerald and crew were doing. McSorley said, "We are holding our own." That was the last communication from the Fitzgerald. It never sent a distress signal.
7:20 p.m. — Captain Cooper could no longer reach Captain McSorley on the radio or detect the Fitzgerald on radar.
7:39 p.m. — The first time that Captain Cooper made contact with the U.S. Coast Guard's Sault Ste. Marie station after the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. The responders instructed him to call again on Channel 12 instead of Channel 16. The agency was having trouble with its communication systems and wanted to keep the emergency channel open.
Then, Cooper called the Nanfri saltwater vessel nearby and was told that it couldn't see the Fitzgerald on the radar.
7:54 p.m. — Captain Cooper finally reached the U.S. Coast Guard again, and the officer on duty asked him to look out for a lost, 16-foot boat in the area.
8:25 p.m. — Captain Cooper calls the U.S. Coast Guard again to express concern that he can't see the Fitzgerald visually or on the radar.
9:03 p.m. — Captain Cooper reports the Edmund Fitzgerald missing.
Countless articles have been written and stories told about the wreck. Here are only a few that mention Buck Champeau's name among the crew:
Gordon Lightfoot wrote and recorded the song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" in December 1975, only a month after the tragedy. It was released the following summer. The song is credited with launching the incident into popular culture. In the years since, criticisms have been raised about certain facts used by Lightfoot. It's important to understand that he started writing the song the day he read about the accident in a Newsweek article. He used newspaper reports and magazine articles for his information. Though he didn't make any changes to the recording, he did make minor adjustments in his live performances.
This video is from a 2000 live performance in Reno, Nevada.
Hundreds of videos have been made about the Edmund Fitzgerald, from interviews with Gordon Lightfoot, interviews with crewmembers' families, analysis of the wreck, U.S. Coast Guard response, and on and on. With that in mind, these are a few of my own favorite videos: