Fitzgerald, Edmund

1958                               Edmund Fitzgerald                             1975

Steel Great Lakes bulk freighter

Built at River Rouge MI by Great Lakes Engineering Works, Hull 301   
Keel laid Aug 8, 1957;  launched June 7, 1958
Longest vessel on the Great Lakes (until Murray Bay and others of 1960 – superseded T. R. McLagan of 1954)

729’ LOA, 711’ LBP, 75’ beam, 39’ depth
1 deck, arch cargo hold construction, hatches @ 24’, coal-fired boilers, steam turbine engine, 7500 SHP

Enrolled at
711.2 x 75.1 x 33.4, 13632 GT, 8713 NT     US 277437     to:
Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Co., Milwaukee WI (home port Milwaukee WI)               
Bareboat charter to Columbia Transportation Division, Oglebay Norton Co., Cleveland OH

Entered service Sept 22, 1958 clearing River Rouge MI light for Silver Bay MN

Boilers converted to oil firing 1972 at Duluth MN

Foundered Nov 10, 1975 in heavy storm 17 miles from Whitefish Point, Lake Superior.  All 29 aboard lost.  Enroute from Superior WI to Detroit MI with cargo of iron ore pellets.

IMO 5097216

See history in Great Lakes Ships We Remember p. 185

 

5802

 

 

 

3 thoughts on “Fitzgerald, Edmund

  1. Was EF sunk because of corporate malfeasance and famous corporate “deferred maintenance” which is no maintenance and ego cult of captains?
    It doesn’t seem like any of the books consult the families who were well aware of the increasingly more dangerous conditions.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *