Note: This write-up was initially uploaded November 10, 2016.

On November 10, 1975 the Great Lakes bulk freight vessel SS Edmund Fitzgerald bring a freight of taconite pellets (iron-bearing flint-like rock utilized in steelmaking) sank with the loss of all 29 crewmembers in eastern Lake Superior regarding 17 miles from the entry to Whitefish Bay, Michigan throughout a serious tornado. The vessel sank swiftly without sending out a call for help and also the tale of this misfortune motivated Gordon Lightfoot to create his most popular tune: “Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald”

The day prior to the occasion, November 9th, a location of reduced stress established over the Southern Plains and also relocated northeastward and also increased to 1000mb by 1200Z on the 9th over Kansas and also later on to 993mb over Iowa (0000UTC on the 10th). A Gale caution was released by the National Weather Service for Lake Superior at 1939UTC on the 9th.

At 1915UTC on the 9th, the Edmund Fitzgerald left from Superior, WI bound forDetroit A brief time later on, the Arthur M. Anderson left Two Harbors, MN and also was additionally headed eastbound. Both masters chose to take a northern course to maintain in the lee of the anticipated northern wind winds.

At initially, the Arthur M. Anderson led the Edmund Fitzgerald, yet over night the Edmund Fitzgerald drew in advance. At 0700UTC on the 10th, the National Weather Service released a Storm Warning for Lake Superior as the currently growing reduced was relocating northeastward getting to a setting near Marquette, Michigan by 1200 UTC (982mb). At that very same time the 500mb evaluation disclosed an adversely slanted short-wave expanding from south-central Canada though eastern Illinois which was boosting the fast growing of this tornado.

At 2030UTC on November 10th, the master of the Edmund Fitzgerald (Capt McSorley) reported that a fencing rail was down which a number of vents were shed which the vessel was creating a checklist so he chose to minimize rate in order to permit the Arthur M Anderson to shut the range in between them. Just 40 mins later on,Capt McSorley reported that both of his radars were out of order and also asked the master of the Arthur M Anderson if they can help with navigating.

During the duration in between 1800 UTC November 10th and also 0000 UTC November 11th the reduced relocated northeast to near James Bay growing to 978mb triggering western to northwesterly winds to enhance overLake Superior At 2139UTC the Coast Guard reported that the radio sign at Whitefish Point was not operating. Between 2200 and also 2230 UTCCapt McSorley reported that the vessel was currently providing severely which they were taking hefty seas over the deck. At 0010 UTC on the 11 th,Capt McSorley reported “We are holding our own” yet this was the last message sent out by the doomed vessel. 10 mins later on the vessel had actually disappeared from the radar display of the Arthur M Anderson and also after a number of efforts to get to the Edmund Fitzgerald by radio, the master of the Arthur M. Anderson educated the united state Coast Guard that the Edmund Fitzgerald might have experienced a casualty.

NECESSITY SEE: National Weather Service Tweets Edmund Fitzgerald Tragedy in Real Time

The Edmund Fitzgerald currently rests on all-time low off Lake Superior in 2 items roughly 17 miles from the entry to Whitefish Bay, Michigan in 162 meters (532 feet) of water. All 29 team participants aboard were shed with the ship.

Storm Reanalysis

A reanalysis of this occasion was performed in 2005 by NOAA, National Weather Service using the Regional Atmospheric Modeling System (RAMS). The version run began at 0000 UTC 9 November 1975 and also went through 0600 UTC 11 November 1975.

The evaluation revealed that at 2100 UTC on November 10 th there were 2 cores of high wind over the Lake with among them over of 45 knots and also the 2nd over of 40 knots. The greatest winds took place over the southeastern component of Lake Superior where the Edmond Fitzgerald was heading.Wave elevations boosted to near 6 meters and also by 0000 UTC November 11 th and also winds were going beyond 45 knots over a lot of southeastern Lake Superior.

The Edmund Fitzgerald sank at the eastern side of the location of high wind where the lengthy bring (range that the wind impacts over water) created substantial wave elevations (standard of the greatest 1/3 of waves) to over 7 meters (23 feet) by 0000 UTC and also to over 7.5 meters (25 feet) at 0100 UTC with an optimum substantial wave of 7.8 meters (26ft). Given a considerable wave of 7.5 meters (25ft) regarding 1 in 100 waves can get to over 11 meters (36ft) and also one out of 1000 waves can have been as high as 14 meters (46ft). Since the vessel was heading east-southeastward, the waves were quartering to adhering to which led to hefty rolling.

At the moment of the sinking he Arthur M Anderson reported NW winds of 50 knots which matched the model result of 47 knots. The version revealed that the optimum suffered winds took place in between 0000 and also 0100 UTC at 60- 65 knots with gusts upwards of 75 knots. Just a pair hrs later on (0300 UTC) problems had actually relieved to under 45 knots.

The National Transportation Safety Board figures out that “ the possible source of this mishap was the abrupt large flooding of the freight hold as a result of the collapse of several hatch covers. Before the hatch covers broken down, swamping right into the ballast containers and also passage via topside damages and also flooding right into the freight hold via non-weathertight hatch covers triggered a decrease of freeboard and also a checklist. The hydrostatic and also hydrodynamic pressures troubled the hatch covers by hefty boarding seas at this decreased freeboard and also with the listing triggered the hatch covers to collapse.

Contributing to the mishap was the absence of transverse weathertight bulkheads in the freight hold and also the decrease of freeboard accredited by the 1969, 1971, and also 1973 changes to the Great Lakes Load Line Regulations.”

Sources:

1. Reexamination of the 9– 10 November 1975 “Edmund Fitzgerald” Storm Using Today’s Technology BY THOMAS R. HULTQUIST, MICHAEL R. DUTTER, AS WELL AS DAVID J. SCHWAB; American Meteorological Society 2006 http://www.glerl.noaa.gov/pubs/fulltext/2006/20060016.pdf

2. United States Coast Guard National Transportation Safety Board Bureau of Accident Investigation (1978 ) https://www.uscg.mil/history/WEBSHIPWRECKS/EdmundFitzgeraldNTSBReport.pdf

3. S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online:http://www.ssefo.com/

4. NOAA News: http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories2006/s2633.htm