SwtM - Edmund Fitzgerald Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

The Mitten Crew: Thanks to all who took part in the [b]2011 Smitten with the Mitten[/b] cache series.

This series has come to an end and we are archiving all of the caches. We hope you enjoyed your tour of Great Lakes Shipwrecks.

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Hidden : 5/19/2011
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
1.5 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:



The Edmund Fitzgerald was an American Great Lakes freighter that made headlines after sinking in a Lake Superior storm on November 10, 1975, with the loss of the entire crew. When launched on June 8, 1958, she was the largest boat on the Great Lakes, and remains the largest boat to have sunk there. Nicknamed the "Mighty Fitz", "Fitz", or "Big Fitz", the ship suffered a series of mishaps during her launch: it took three attempts to break the champagne bottle used to christen her and she collided with a pier when she entered the water.

For seventeen years the Fitzgerald carried taconite from mines near Duluth, Minnesota, to iron works in Detroit, Toledo and other ports. As a "workhorse" she set seasonal haul records six different times, often beating her own previous record. Her size, record-breaking performance, and "dee jay captain" endeared the Fitzgerald to boat watchers. Captain Peter Pulcer was known for piping music day or night over the ship's intercom system while passing through the St. Clair and Detroit Rivers, and entertaining spectators at the Soo Locks with a running commentary about the Fitzgerald.

With Captain Ernest M. McSorley in command and carrying a full cargo of taconite ore pellets, the Fitzgerald embarked on her final voyage from Superior, Wisconsin, on the afternoon of November 9, 1975. En route to a steel mill near Detroit, Michigan, she joined a second freighter, the SS Arthur M. Anderson. By the next day the two ships were caught in the midst of a massive winter storm, with near hurricane-force winds and waves up to 35 feet high. Shortly after 7:10 p.m. the Fitzgerald suddenly sank in Canadian waters approximately 17 miles from the entrance to Whitefish Bay, at a depth of 530 feet. Although the Fitzgerald had reported being in difficulty earlier, no distress signals were sent before she sank. Her crew of 29 perished and no bodies were recovered.

Many theories, books, studies and expeditions have examined the cause of the sinking. Fitzgerald may have fallen victim to the high waves of the storm, suffered structural failure, been swamped with water entering through her cargo hatches or deck, experienced topside damage or shoaled in a shallow part of Lake Superior. Investigations into the sinking led to changes in Great Lakes shipping regulations and practices that included mandatory survival suits, depth finders, positioning systems, increased freeboard, and more frequent inspection of vessels.

The sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald is one of the most well-known disasters in the history of Great Lakes shipping. Gordon Lightfoot made her the subject of his 1976 hit song, "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald".

Visit 14 geocaches in the SwtM series. At each geocache collect a letter and number combination. Insert them into the phrase FiTS LIKe A GlOVE. Use the coordinates from the phrase to find the final geocache and become a Mitten Master
2011 Smitten with the Mitten caches
William B Davock Persian Bermuda Mary Ward
Manasoo Lady Elgin Henry Steinbrenner Francisco Morazan
Rouse Simmons Cyprus Charles S Price  
Ironsides Edmund Fitzgerald Pearl B Campbell Mitten Master

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

vafvqr n gerr

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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