The Fitzgerald Storm

     November is referred to as "The Month of Storms" on the Great Lakes.  The storm that hit when the Fitzgerald went down was one of the biggest, and the worst that Captain McSorley said he had ever seen.  In the Fitzgerald's storm, winds as fast as 45 knots were reported, with waves as high as thirty feet.  Both water pumps on the Edmund Fitzgerald were damaged, and the lifeboats were destroyed by the force of the storm.  While it is many times portrayed that ships were happy to return to the water in search for the Fitz that night, they were not.  Though they were eager to help their friends, it was a hard decision to make.  Crews had to make a choice to risk their lives in hopes of saving others, or staying sheltered by the safety of Whitefish point.  While many factors undoubtedly went into the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, and no one can conclusively determine the cause, one thing is certain from testimony of other sailors that were on Lake Superior on November 10: the storm was a major factor to the ultimate demise of the Edmund Fitzgerald.  Waves high enough to sweep across the deck, making it too dangerous to stand on the deck were a major factor in the Edmund Fitzgerald taking on water early in the day on November 10.  Whatever the cause of the wreck itself, the storm of November 10 will not be forgotten soon by Great Lakes sailors.

Shown to the right is a surface analysis chart of the storm.