Ship Profile / Facts



	The Ship and Crew Bell Restoration Crew List Crew Profiles Event Timeline FAQ Database Fitz Quiz Ship Profile/Facts The Fitzgerald Storm After the Sinking Expeditions Fitz Families Interviews Past Connections Remembrances Shipping Glossary Theories Tribute to the Crew Site Information About the Author Acknowledgements Contact Us Inspiration		Profile of the Ship and the Wreck Length: 729 feet Height: 39 feet Breadth: 75 feet Weight empty: 13,632 tons Hull: 301 Registry number: US 277437 Ship Builder: Great Lakes Engineering Works Engine Manufacturer: Westinghouse Electric Corporation Christened: June 8, 1958 First voyage: Sept. 24, 1958 Final resting place: Lake Superior, 530ft underwater Sinking: November 10, 1975 with no survivors Facts about the Fitz, Crew and the Lakes: The Fitzgerald was named after Edmund Fitzgerald, president of Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company. The Edmund Fitzgerald foundered only 17 miles from the "safe haven" of Whitefish Point. The Fitzgerald was headed from Superior, Wisconsin to Zug Island on the Detroit River when it sank on November 10, 1975 The Fitzgerald broke her own records for most cargo carried in one year several times in the short 17 year lifespan of the ship. Robert Rafferty wasn't even originally scheduled to be on the ship! He was filling in for someone with bleeding ulcers. The final voyage of the Edmund Fitzgerald was rumored as Captain McSorley's final voyage before retirement. McCarthy and McSorley made a "pact" to sail out their years together before dying together in the wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Gitche Gumee is Ojibwa for "Big Lake."

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