# It's Edmund Fitzgerald Day **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 10, 2015, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205 "2015-11-10T16:57:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/41 "2015-11-11T17:06:08Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > Wiki articles says the Fitzgerald was the largest ship ever wrecked on the Great Lakes. More died when the [Carl D. Bradley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Carl_D._Bradley) sank. 33 perished there. 2 survived. The survivors’ tale is amazing. ---
**Author:** ![Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freddy_the_Pig)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/42 "2015-11-11T17:38:59Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > As for the Edmund Fitzgerald, I’m not so sure why it’s so famous. It wasn’t even the worst wreck on that lake. Is it because Gordon Lightfoot sang a song about it? It was the _last_ major commercial shipwreck on the Great Lakes, so once it became famous, because of the song, it _stayed_ famous. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/43 "2015-11-11T17:41:42Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > I initially thought this to be in poor taste. Not your post, **Spiderman** , but the brewery’s putting an image of the Edmund Fitzgerald on the bottle and calling it Edmund Fitzgerald Porter. Yes their website says they brew this with great respect for the memory of the twenty nine men. I then found this article which says they got permission from their families, whatever that means: I’ve seen a couple interviews with family members - you know, “the wives and the sons and the daughters” - I distinctly remember that they said they feared their loved ones would be forgotten, and appreciate the song because it keeps alive the memory of those they lost. After all, the crew were largely working-class guys, the sort that society easily forgets as they weren’t wealthy or famous or anything like that. As long as it isn’t done as a farce or a joke sure, I could see a commemorative brew being in good taste and approved. Especially if the men being honored _liked_ drinking beer. As long as the families are OK with it I’m OK with it. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/44 "2015-11-11T17:54:23Z")
> [@Freddy\_the\_Pig](#): > > It was the _last_ major commercial shipwreck on the Great Lakes True, but we remember the 1998 [sinking of the Linda E.](http://www.milwaukeemag.com/2008/01/31/THESINKINGOFTHELINDA_E/) around here too. “Only” 3 lives lost, but they were commercial fishermen, making their living on the Great Lakes. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/45 "2015-11-11T18:02:44Z")
> [@Spiderman](#): > > As for the Edmund Fitzgerald, I’m not so sure why it’s so famous. It wasn’t even the worst wreck on that lake. Is it because Gordon Lightfoot sang a song about it? No matter what, the Great Lakes Brewery, for whatever their reason (probably because it’s a famous event tied to their name) wanted to remember the Edmund Fitzgerald. I could see where some would say that’s in bad taste, but if they got permission from the surviving family members & it promotes some others learning about it’s fate I don’t think it’s a bad thing. > [@Broomstick](#): > > I’ve seen a couple interviews with family members - you know, “the wives and the sons and the daughters” - I distinctly remember that they said they feared their loved ones would be forgotten, and appreciate the song because it keeps alive the memory of those they lost. After all, the crew were largely working-class guys, the sort that society easily forgets as they weren’t wealthy or famous or anything like that. > > As long as it isn’t done as a farce or a joke sure, I could see a commemorative brew being in good taste and approved. Especially if the men being honored _liked_ drinking beer. > > As long as the families are OK with it I’m OK with it. I think Lightfoot’s song clearly is a contributing factor for the shipwreck (and the ship and the men) being remembered. The song reached #2 on the pop charts when it was released - if the song was bad and then tanked I doubt I today would know about the ship. As for GLBC (the brewing company) getting the families’ approval for the beer, if that is what happened then I am more okay with it. My “oh that’s in poor taste” was my initial reaction to seeing the bottle when I clicked on the link above in this thread. Later as I dug into it a little more I saw they got approval, and that is better. But what does that mean, ‘I got approval’? Is there a consortium of the families that is authorized to speak for all of them and gave its approval? Was it several families that GLBC got approval from? A majority of them? I’m probably overthinking this approval thing. The important thing is that we remember, and Lightfoot’s haunting ballad helps us to remember. ---
**Author:** ![Whatever4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@Whatever4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whatever4)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/46 "2015-11-12T07:30:57Z")
Bullitt: I’ll pm the name of the museum if you promise to keep the location a secret. Deal? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/47 "2015-11-12T11:38:46Z")
> [@Whatever4](#): > > Bullitt: I’ll pm the name of the museum if you promise to keep the location a secret. Deal? PM sent. Please check. Yes I will keep the location a secret. ---
**Author:** ![Philster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/13edae/32.png) [@Philster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Philster)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/48 "2015-11-12T14:57:24Z")
The ship was the pride of the American side. I start remembering every October… and the November gales come early as October sometimes… and then I play the song and get chills. I think of all who have perished in a similar way. The sea don’t play around. ---
**Author:** ![Dendarii\_Dame](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbce88/32.png) [@Dendarii\_Dame](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dendarii_Dame)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/49 "2015-11-12T19:28:20Z")
I read a mystery called Bonnie and the Haunted Farm (by Barbara Van Tuyl) when I was in junior high. The “haunted farm” has a horse named November Witch. Only this year, did I find out that a “November Witch” was a storm. That fact doesn’t turn out to be a clue or anything, though. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/50 "2015-11-12T19:33:27Z")
> [@Whatever4](#): > > Bullitt: I’ll pm the name of the museum if you promise to keep the location a secret. Deal? What is the point of keeping the location of a _museum_ secret? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/51 "2015-11-12T19:43:32Z")
> [@CT\_Damsel](#): > > I loves me some Gordon Lightfoot! So do I, but I make an exception for this song. It’s one of the most tedious, monotonous songs to ever get serious airplay. ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/52 "2015-11-12T19:44:43Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Well, for 20 minutes give or take anyway until the driver gets distracted by all the eels in the hovercraft and it explodes in a gigantic fireball as it goes flying into the quarry. Nah, the fireball was from being zapped by a 1920s-style death ray. ---
**Author:** ![Whiskey\_Dickens](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/9fc348/32.png) [@Whiskey\_Dickens](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whiskey_Dickens)\ **Post date:** [November 12, 2015, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/53 "2015-11-12T19:56:35Z")
> [@Whatever4](#): > > Bullitt: I’ll pm the name of the museum if you promise to keep the location a secret. Deal? Keep the location of a museum secret? What purpose does that serve? ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/54 "2015-11-13T03:37:52Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > What is the point of keeping the location of a _museum_ secret? 😕 > [@Whiskey\_Dickens](#): > > Keep the location of a museum secret? What purpose does that serve? He (she?) shared why, and I respect that. So guys let’s leave it be, okay? Back on point, the story of the 1995 retrieval of the bell and of its restoration is pretty interesting. I’d like to visit the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum at Whitefish Point lighthouse on Michigan’s upper peninsula. > **[Edmund Fitzgerald Bell Restoration — S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald Online](https://ssedmundfitzgerald.org/bell-restoration/)** > > Timeline and process of restoring the original ship bell of the Edmund Fitzgerald. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/55 "2015-11-13T03:59:46Z")
> [@Bullitt](#): > > He (she?) shared why, and I respect that. So guys let’s leave it be, okay? Am I blind, or am I not seeing a post? ---
**Author:** ![IvoryTowerDenizen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ivorytowerdenizen/32/17937_2.png) [@IvoryTowerDenizen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/IvoryTowerDenizen)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/56 "2015-11-13T04:15:24Z")
> [@Pork\_Rind](#): > > Am I blind, or am I not seeing a post? I assume it was shared in the PM. ---
**Author:** ![Bullitt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bullitt/32/5725_2.png) [@Bullitt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bullitt)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/57 "2015-11-13T04:18:06Z")
> [@IvoryTowerDenizen](#): > > I assume it was shared in the PM. Yes it was. I could’ve been more clear about that. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/58 "2015-11-13T05:35:53Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > So do I, but I make an exception for this song. It’s one of the most tedious, monotonous songs to ever get serious airplay. I completely agree with this when I first heard the song. After 40 years it’s grown on me though. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/59 "2015-11-13T18:14:19Z")
I grew up in Michigan, near Lake Huron. My Gr Grandfather was a commercial fisherman on the lakes. I was 14 when the Fitzgerald went down, maybe at an age where these things make a big impression. I never forget Nov 10th. StG ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [November 13, 2015, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205/60 "2015-11-13T18:49:37Z")
> [@RTFirefly](#): > > So do I, but I make an exception for this song. It’s one of the most tedious, monotonous songs to ever get serious airplay. It’s a [dirge](http://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/music/2015/11/06/wreck-edmund-fitzgerald-song-gordon-lightfoot-th-anniversary/75336330/). It’s not supposed to be peppy, hooky, or upbeat. :smack: [Quote=Gordon Lightfoot] I went and bought all of the old newspapers, got everything in chronological order, and went ahead and did it because **I already had a melody in my mind and it was from an old Irish dirge that I heard** when I was about 31/2 years old. I think it was one of the first pieces of music that registered to me as being a piece of music. [/quote] Death is a part of life, and mourning is a part of death. Sorry it harshed your buzz, but it was appropriate. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/its-edmund-fitzgerald-day/737205.md?page=4)