What disaster on 11-10-75 inspired a hit song?

[photone]

Seventies music related!...How many of you guys can answer this one?

. Thirty-six years ago, (Nov. 10, 1975) a maritime disaster happened that inspired a well known musician to write a song that would become a #2 hit. . What was the disaster, what was the song, and who was the artist?

[tree68]

Too easy (unfortunately). Gordon Lightfoot wrote "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

Lightfoot recently made a slight change to the lyrics, to remove an implied blame for the wreck.

[MalahatTwo7]

Too easy (unfortunately). Gordon Lightfoot wrote "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald."

Lightfoot recently made a slight change to the lyrics, to remove an implied blame for the wreck.

Ya know, its kinda funny maybe, but I can remember when that song came out. Even as a what 6 or 7 year old, I kinda understood that not all mechanical devices need the hand of a person to fail.

As a sailor, and having experienced when the "Port Door On The Main Gun Comes Loose", (HMCS RESTIGOUCHE) its not always due to the Gun Tech or Bos'n not dogging it down properly. When state 5 seas hit... it ain't no fun to be a sailor and sometimes stuff fails.

In the case of the song, I always just accepted that if in fact it was a failure of the hatch-dogs letting go, considering the size of the ship.... well in any case we will never really know. What I do know is that I never once thought it was crew error.

Oh ya, and on that same trip (which happened to be my first long sail, to San Diego), we also lost the gun director/radar off the top of the bridge too. And KOOTENAY lost her zodiac. It kinda became a marble rolling around in the wash in the breezeway.

[donethat]

People don't realize the size of the waves that can be kicked up on the Great Lakes. When I was a teenager we were body surfing in 8' waves on the west coast of Michgan. Lake Michigan is relatively shallow and a strong wind out of the west pushes some big waves onto the coast of Michigan. Lake Superior waves are much larger during storms. 20' - 30'

[tree68]

People don't realize the size of the waves that can be kicked up on the Great Lakes. When I was a teenager we were body surfing in 8' waves on the west coast of Michgan. Lake Michigan is relatively shallow and a strong wind out of the west pushes some big waves onto the coast of Michigan. Lake Superior waves are much larger during storms. 20' - 30'

One account I read says that the Anderson (which was following the Fitzgerald) experienced two waves of probably 35' shortly before the Fitzgerald disappeared.

Although the Fitzgerald went down in 535' of water, the ship was 730' long - if the ship were to stand vertically on the bottom, 200' would be sticking out of the lake.

Another factor was the possibility that the Fitzgerald, drawing about 27' at the time, may have bottomed out on a shoal that was just 36' under the surface of the water in normal times.

[Keenque]

Lightfoot recently made a slight change to the lyrics, to remove an implied blame for the wreck.

Interesting.

The change seems unnecessary though. It's the cook talking who "came on deck". He comments to his "fellas". It does not say he was talking to people responsible for a hatch. Also, the "hatchway caved in" which hardly sounds like human error (but rather due to rough waters).

I think Mr. Lightfoot is trying to be too PC.

One could now argue that by saying "it grew dark", it was darkness that sank the ship!