The article discusses the sinking of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes freighter that disappeared on November 10, 1975, during a severe storm. The ship was carrying a cargo of iron ore from Superior, Wisconsin to Detroit, Michigan.
The story begins with an interview with Roy Anderson, second mate of the Anderson, a nearby ship that helped locate the Fitzgerald's final position after it went dark. Anderson recalls the events leading up to the tragedy and provides insight into the ships' communication and navigation systems.
Anderson states that he was informed by First Mate Morgan Clark that the Fitzgerald had been in between the Anderson and the Avafors, another nearby ship, but despite seeing the lights of the Avafors, he couldn't see the Fitzgerald. Clark reportedly took a breath, rubbed his eyes, and strained to find the lights again, only to realize that the Fitzgerald was gone.
The article highlights the lack of communication between McSorley, the captain of the Fitzgerald, and Anderson, which has raised questions about why McSorley didn't warn Anderson about the ship's condition. Cooper, who was the master of the Anderson at the time, claims that he had assured McSorley that the Fitzgerald was in trouble and would likely clear the rock, but McSorley remained confident.
The article also discusses the role of radar technology and its failure on both ships. The Fitzgerald's radars were not working when it disappeared, which made navigation extremely challenging for the crew. Anderson's ship had better radar visibility, but even he couldn't see the Fitzgerald despite being close by.
Throughout the article, it is emphasized that McSorley didn't seem to be aware of the severity of the situation until it was too late. The investigation into the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald has been extensive, and various theories have emerged about what caused the tragedy.
The article concludes with a quote from Jerald Podair, co-author of "Wrecked: The Edmund Fitzgerald and the Sinking of the American Economy." Podair says that the story is "a cautionary tale" about the importance of human error and equipment failure in maritime safety.
The story begins with an interview with Roy Anderson, second mate of the Anderson, a nearby ship that helped locate the Fitzgerald's final position after it went dark. Anderson recalls the events leading up to the tragedy and provides insight into the ships' communication and navigation systems.
Anderson states that he was informed by First Mate Morgan Clark that the Fitzgerald had been in between the Anderson and the Avafors, another nearby ship, but despite seeing the lights of the Avafors, he couldn't see the Fitzgerald. Clark reportedly took a breath, rubbed his eyes, and strained to find the lights again, only to realize that the Fitzgerald was gone.
The article highlights the lack of communication between McSorley, the captain of the Fitzgerald, and Anderson, which has raised questions about why McSorley didn't warn Anderson about the ship's condition. Cooper, who was the master of the Anderson at the time, claims that he had assured McSorley that the Fitzgerald was in trouble and would likely clear the rock, but McSorley remained confident.
The article also discusses the role of radar technology and its failure on both ships. The Fitzgerald's radars were not working when it disappeared, which made navigation extremely challenging for the crew. Anderson's ship had better radar visibility, but even he couldn't see the Fitzgerald despite being close by.
Throughout the article, it is emphasized that McSorley didn't seem to be aware of the severity of the situation until it was too late. The investigation into the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald has been extensive, and various theories have emerged about what caused the tragedy.
The article concludes with a quote from Jerald Podair, co-author of "Wrecked: The Edmund Fitzgerald and the Sinking of the American Economy." Podair says that the story is "a cautionary tale" about the importance of human error and equipment failure in maritime safety.
I'm so glad they're still talking about this old shipwreck... I mean, who doesn't love a good tragedy story? 
The lack of comms between those two captains is wild, like they were playing a game of "I Spy" without the prize. And radar tech failing on both ships? Come on, it's like they wanted to sink that ship 
. It's crazy how much we've learned since then, but still not enough I guess 
. I'm literally shaking my head thinking about it. and the lack of communication between those ships is just wild 
. I mean, one guy was like "I'll check again" and that's it? no warning to anyone else? how did he not see what was coming? 
. the fact that both ships had faulty radars is just insane 
. I don't know about you guys, but this whole thing is giving me some serious nostalgia vibes 
. remember listening to maritime podcasts or reading old ship logs with my grandpa? those were some wild times 
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The tragedy of the SS Edmund Fitzgerald still sends shivers down my spine. I mean, can you imagine being at sea with no radar on a stormy night? 
Still, it's a shame that more people couldn't have been saved. It's a pretty sobering reminder of how fragile life can be 
they had radars that didn't work & no comms with other ships...it's just wild that captain McSorley wasn't more careful, u know? his crew was trying to warn him but he still didn't listen. it's so frustrating when stuff like this happens. anyway, at least the investigators got to the bottom of it and we can all learn from it 
my dad told me he had a friend who works on ships and he said it's crazy that they didn't have better communication systems back then... anyway I guess that's all part of the story now 
. I was going through some old diagrams I drew for a school project on navigation systems, and I saw this one that reminded me of it... 
Not having working radars just makes you wanna shiver. I mean, McSorley seemed pretty confident about the situation till it was too late... guess that's a hard lesson to learn 
I guess that's why equipment failures like the radars on both ships were so problematic - they relied heavily on human error. Anyway, it's wild to think that McSorley didn't even realize what was happening until it was too late...it just goes to show how quickly things can go wrong in those situations 
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. And I'm also kinda curious about why there were so many communication breakdowns between the ships... like, what was going through their minds?