Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald

For a small town like Chelsea, we have an abundance of cultural activities that many communities much larger than us do not have. One example was a program that was a partnership between the Chelsea District Library and Cranesbill Books to bring in Michael Schumacher, author of Mighty Fitz: The Sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald. This is the description from the book jacket:

When the Edmund Fitzgerald nosedived to the bottom of Lake Superior, twenty-nine men perished. No witnesses survived, and speculation ran rampant. Thirty years later, the ship's demise remains one of the great unsolved mysteries in maritime history. Michael Schumacher examines this iconic ship's productive life and untimely end. The specifics of what happened to the "Mighty Fitz" in the early hours of November 10, 1975, will never be known. What we do know: The Edmund Fitzgerald, a colossal ore carrier, had been fighting its way through a pounding November storm on Lake Superior when she started to lose ground. The Fitz's radar went out, and she was taking on water. Despite gale force winds and thirty-foot seas, there was no reason to think the Fitz wouldn't find safe harbor at Whitefish Point, Michigan. Captain Bernie Cooper of the Arthur Anderson had been in steady contact with Ernest McSorley, the Fitz's captain. The two ships had been traveling together through the storm, and the last word from McSorley was, "We are holding our own." By all indications, the crew had no idea they were in mortal danger, and they plunged to Lake Superior's bottom before they could call for help. A massive search ensued but failed to find a single survivor. Michael Schumacher relays the story of the Edmund Fitzgerald, its many years on the waters of the Great Lakes, its tragic final day, and the search effort and investigation, as well as the speculation and the controversy that followed in the wake of the disaster.

Michael Schumacher spoke about his book, the tragedy of the sinking, and his research. The book has just been released in paperback and I bought a copy and it was personally signed by the author.

It is great to live in Chelsea and to be able to walk to one of these events from my home. I expect that since the library has reopened in the downtown that I will be walking over to more events and activities.

Chelsea also has a connection with another book on the Edmund Fitzgerald shipwreck: The Edmund Fitzgerald: The Song of the Bell by Kathy-Jo Wargin is a children's book published by Chelsea-based Sleeping Bear Press.