John O'Brien Original Interview

January 7, 2001

This is the original interview which was conducted on January 7, 2001 with John O'Brien, son of Eugene O'Brien, wheelsman on the Fitz when it went down.  Here are the questions asked, and Mr. O'Brien's answers.  To read a more recent, follow-up interview (some answers may be different since the interviews were completed 4 years apart), click here.

Question: How long had your father been sailing before going down with the Fitz in 1975?
Answer: Well, he began at age 16, and he was fifty when he died.  He also worked in a glass factory for four years...so his sailing time was about 30 years.

Question: How did you learn that your father had went down with the Edmund Fitzgerald on 11/10/75?
Answer: A policeman came to my door and told me to call my mother, (they wouldn't tell me anything) and when I called her, she gave me the bad news.

Question: What was your initial reaction when you found out that the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald sank?
Answer: Well, we didn't know anything, we figured they had gotten on a lifeboat, so we just kept on hoping they were safe.  We did not know most of the details until almost five days after the sinking.

Question: Do you think that there should be further expeditions to the wreckage of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald?
Answer: It depends.  If they can learn something, another expedition may help future shipbuilding.  They should not go down just to take pictures...it is a gravesite.

Question: Other than the bell, should any and/or all of the wreckage be retrieved from the lake bottom?
Answer: I think that they have about what they need...the raising of the bell was wonderful.

Question: What is your best memory of your father?
Answer: All of them- just hanging out with him and being on vacation; he was very happy-go-lucky.  He was also a great card player; they called him the "Great Lakes Gambler."

Question: How often was your father away from home when he was a sailor on the Great Lakes?
Answer: Well, he would be gone from March-December and during that time he would only be home for about ten hours every five days.  From January to March he was always home.

Question: Was your father married when the Fitz went down, and if so, to whom?
Answer: No, he was married once, to my mom, and he divorced her when I was five.

Question: What is your theory on what happened on November 10, 1975?
Answer: My theory is that it hit a shoal and then that ripped a hole in the side of the ship.

Question: I have been in contact with a director who has confirmed that a movie will be produced, and part of my website is now the official movie site.  Do you agree with the production of a movie?  Why or why not.
Answer: I don't have a problem with it if it will help to educate people about the ship. 

Question: Do you think that the bell of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald should have been raised in 1995?
Answer: Yes, I didn't have a problem with it.  I think it is neat and it was pretty emotional looking at that bell.

Question: Do you like/appreciate the song by Gordon Lightfoot?
Answer: I love it.  I think it is great, and I really appreciate it.

Question: Have you ever met Gordon Lightfoot in person and discussed his ballad with him?
Answer: Yes, at Mariner's Church in Detroit.  I gave him a big hug and thanked him.

Question: What is the best commemoration to the Edmund Fitzgerald that you have come across?
Answer: The bell.  And I really like the ministers service and the shipwreck museum.

Question: With all the commemorations; the song, my website, the bell restoration, books, and other things, is this just becoming too commercialized, or do you think that it is just what people say it is- a commemoration?
Answer: I don't have a problem with them, I think they are commemorations.
 
Question: Many people suggest that the wreck was caused by human error...what is your response to this?
Answer: Maybe it was and maybe it wasn't...they were fighting with no radar and sailing blind.

Question: How old were you at the time of the wreck?
Answer: I was seventeen.