Episode 7: Edmund Fitzgerald

Not all tales of ships on the lakes come from a time of corsets and petticoats.

Some of our most famous and tragic stories are much more modern than that, and stick with us more notably because of the impact from falling so close to home. In 1976 Gordon Lightfoot released a folk ballad that reached the number one slot in Canada and the number two slot in the U -S on billboard charts. The song was nominated for two grammy awards, song of the year, and best Male pop vocal performance. A keen yachtsman, Lightfoot grew up sailing on the great lakes. So deeply touched by the news of the sinking of an ore carrier on Lake Superior in the November of 1975, he wanted to memorialise the crew and their lives lost.

Show Notes

[2:00] About the Edmund Fitzgerald

[2:50] Earnest McSorley

[3:10] Her final Departure

[3:37] The Witch of November

[3:50] Hours into the Storm Edmund Fitzgerald Radios into Headquarters

[4:13] The Snow Sets In

[4:44] The Big Blow

[5:10] Final Words from the Edmund Fitzgerald

[5:40] Arthur M Anderson reports Edmund Fitzgerald Missing

[6:00] Search and Attempted Rescue

[6:15] What’s left of the Edmund Fitzgerald

[6:54] Why the Edmund Fitzgerald Sank

[8:44] Why they Sailed in November

[9:20] The Mariner’s Church in Detroit

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Listen to the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald by Gordon Lightfoot on Spotify